A WEEK OF UP-CYCLES : DAY 1

I go through this every season. In an effort to make more room in our small NYC apartment I purge my clothing. If I havn't worn in it in the last 3 months and its not seasonal then it's outta here. It feels SO good to get rid of stuff. But as I am purging, my kids are growing out of their clothes. So it's the perfect excuse to up-cycle some of my old clothing into new clothing for them. I am going to spend all of my sewing time this week making over these clothes into new ones for my kiddos. Every day I will share at least one of them with you. I hope you enjoy it!



Today is a very simple up-cycle. I have had this dress for over 3 years and maybe worn in twice. It was a Gap clearance buy when I was pregnant with my first and I didn't fit into my regular clothes, but couldn't fit the pregnancy clothes yet. So now when I wear it I either feel pregnant or very juvenile. That being said the fabric is soft and silky and a really beautiful print/color. I decided to keep it simple and just make a skirt for my daughter.



The process:

It really couldn't have been simpler. I measured how long I wanted the skirt + 1 1/2" for a 1" elastic waistband casing. I used the original hem and side seams.

I folded the top down by 1/4" then again by 1 1/8"and pressed/pinned. Then I stitched that in place leaving a 2 inch opening for the elastic.

Next I put the elastic through the casing, stitched the two ends of the elastic together, and then sewed up the opening in the casing of the skirt. I top stitched in the middle of the elastic on the right side of the skirt, stretching as I went, to keep the elastic from turning, but this stem is optional.

Finished! Super easy and adorable. 15 minutes total. My daughter loves it too.


Come back tomorrow for a little bit more involved up-cycle.