A Hippie Patchwork Jean Skirt Tutorial
My new jean skirt: oh so hippielicious! |
Then I got pregnant (hallelujah!!!) and gained a lot of weight. I held on to my jeans, thinking I'd be able to wear them again (eventually) and for one brief two week period after a very bad flu, I could. But eep. My face looked gaunt and hallow and that would not do. I gained a little weight back (and then that turned into a little more weight, a story for another day) and no longer fit my fantastic jeans. (Or the purple Tripp pants
I still didn't want to loose my favorite jeans, though. So, three years ago, I had one of my friends turn them into bell bottoms, by adding strips of fabric along the sides. Awesomesauce!
They no longer hugged my curves (so I found other jeans that did) and weren't my favorite jeans anymore (and they kept ripping, so I'd have to put them in my *ahem* massive *ahem* mending pile) but they were definitely different and made me smile. Plus, I could wear them with leggings underneath when it really got cold for me in this winter.
But, alas, fabric is fragile. And these jeans (which were not new when I was given them ten or so years ago) have started becoming threadbare in places where it's not really feasible to patch.
Yowzers! Holy threadbare crotch shot! |
And so, it was time for my jeans to undergo a new transition. I decided to make them into a long jean skirt. I had this floral pillowcase that seemed perfect. Orange, pink, white. Yes! The strips of fabric up the sides was a more vibrant rainbow pattern, but they go together, in a very Hippie kind of way.
I am not a great seamstress by any means. I don't cut straight lines, I am still practicing to be able to sew straight lines ("I can't even sew straight!" I might say. And yes, it's true, I do not in any way, shape or form identify with being straight.)
Anyhow, this is a wabi sabi, grunge, DIY tutorial. My jeans aren't gonna look professional. If you want to sew your jean-skirt "right" click here (though that's a short, unflared skirt).
The underside, after pinning. |
I cut two identical triangles out of the pillowcase by folding it and guesstimating what kind of triangular shape I wanted. You could use a pattern. I'm not a pattern-using kind of person. You could also iron everything before you sew it together or cut it. Again, not an ironing type person.
(My mom says that's because I'm a Tiger. Um, maybe? I know people born the same year as me that are careful sewers. I'd just rather get it done than fuss with it. I think that's just impatience -- and I am OK with owning my impatience here!)
I sewed the fabric together with my sewing machine, but you could easily do it by hand, too.
In any case, I ended up having to sew the very top of the back gore by hand, anyway, because it still didn't look completely right, but I didn't take any pictures of it. Just make sure YOU are happy with how your new skirt looks and remember: you can always rip out the seams if they don't look right! (I ripped out half of the first side of this skirt!)
Before I fixed that weird spot on the top. It still looks OK, but I wanted it to be a little nicer. |