New life for a cheap skirt

 Before

After

My boyfriend bought me this traditional skirt and blouse while we were in Indonesia, to wear to Indonesian cultural events, to which we go on occasion with his family. He called the outfit
"daywear—wear it for a day and throw it away," and boy was he right!

As soon as I put it on, the clasp on the waistband fell off, necessitating some last-minute repairs, and beads started tumbling off the blouse every time I turned around. By the end of that afternoon, the zipper had completely detached itself, and one of the skirt's side seams, already gaping open because the stitches were coming out, got caught on something and ripped halfway across the skirt. I knew I was never going to wear that skirt again. 

But I just might be able to make it into a different skirt! There was not enough intact fabric left to keep it at its current length, so I decided I would shorten it into an A-line knee-length skirt.

The entire process and photos are over at my blog. The biggest challenges were adding width, attaching a zipper (one that wouldn't fall off immediately) and hemming the bottom, which I admit I did in the laziest way possible!

But still, I'm happy with the results, and I can see this once-too-formal skirt becoming more of a wardrobe staple!