Sunday, December 13, 2015

Once Too Big, Now Just Right! A Very Simple Skirt Refashion!

This caramel coloured corduroy skirt had become too large and ill-fitting since I had slimmed down in the hip and waist area.  I thrifted this skirt a while ago and it is an excellent skirt for wearing with boots and a big chunky sweater, but alas all my squats have made it too big and baggy while making me less so.
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So I took a newly thrifted denim skirt that fits me very well and lay it on top of the corduroy skirt to get an idea of how much to take it in.  I ended up needing to take it in about 2 inches on each side.
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Then I used a seam ripper to open up the side seams.  As you can see, the front pockets go all the way to the side seam so I couldn't take the skirt in equally from the front and back or I would lose some pocket space.  And goodness knows I love clothes with pockets, so that just could not happen.
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So I pulled the back panel forward and stitched along the old front panel seam allowance to give me the proper amount of taking in. In the photo, you can see the wider strip of seam allowance from the back panel and the original seam allowance from the front now happily stitched together.  Then I trimmed off the extra fabric after trying it on to make sure it fit, and heck yes, it was just right.  Then I zigzagged the raw edge.
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I restitched the hem at the side seams, before "stitching in the ditch" of the side seem to hold down the waist lining.  You can see the tiny stitches and cut threads that show the little tagging of the waistband lining to the skirt, but since I "stitched in the ditch" the stitches are invisible on the outside.
I know this is a very simple refashion, but these are often the kinds I am forced to do to make my thrifted clothes fit like they were made for me, not their former owners.  Not all my refashions are huge and dramatic, but having clothing fit right makes a world of difference in how they look, both in cut and use value.  Check out my blog www.vintagethrifter51.com.  Cheers, Michele

3 comments:

Carissa said...

You're right. Sometimes the little refashions have the most impact. Great save with this one! And congrats on the weight loss!

-Carissa
EOD

P.S. Don't forget to add your username - Vintagethrifter51 - as a label in the right-hand side bar when you're writing a new post. Then they'll all show up when a reader clicks on your username to see all your posts. I've added it to this post for you.

Catherine1216 said...

Congrats on getting stronger.

jenny_o said...

I know what you mean - I have to adjust nearly anything I buy, whether it's retail or thrift. It's just a fact of life. But knowing how to do it makes so much difference to how my clothing looks and how I feel wearing them. I think these smaller changes are the things most people could learn to do and it would make them happier with their clothing, so we need posts on them!