Strapless dress to summer skirt

When dresses were 40% off at Savers recently, I scooped up this strapless number for a few dollars. It wasn't going to work for me as is, given the ill-fitting bust and the high hemline, but the pattern was so cool. And it had pockets!

I figured it was an easy fix to turn it into a skirt. I started by chopping off the top of the dress, leaving about 3 inches of fabric above the waist seam. 

I folded about an inch of the excess fabric to the inside of the skirt and pressed it . When I got the the elastic part of the waist, I had to make mini pleats to get the band to lie flat. I also cut off the excess zipper that would be folded into the new waistband, so it wouldn't get bulky there.

I folded the band over again, tucking it under the waist seam, and pressed it. 

I stitched the waistband along the bottom edge to catch the fabric under the waist seam, then stitched the sides and top edge of it. I used a stretch stitch along the elastic portions to avoid broken stitches when I put it on. A hook and eye and a few stitches at the top of the zipper will keep the zipper tab from falling off. Here's the view from the back once I finished.

And the before-and-after. Gotta love a skirt with pockets for a hot summer day!

Thanks for reading!  -Amy