DIY Skirt
Filed in: DIY, Fashion, Secondhand
I got an ugly prom dress secondhand today as I liked the color and the ruffles at the bottom. I thought I could use it to make a skirt. An elderly lady in the shop obviously didn´t think it was as ugly as I did as she shoutet at me “Oh, you got that dress? I´m so happy! I looked at it and thought that I would have gotten it if I was young!”.
Then I got home and cut it to pieces. I am extremely impatient when it comes to these things. I hate using pins and measuring stuff, so I just took a plunge and hoped for the best. The sewing machine was giving me a hard time and the fabric was hell sewing, so I got really annoyed. My husband came over and asked “How´s it going my little flower?”. Now I was the one shouting “Shut up! Please go away!”.
Silly me forgot to take before shots of the dress, but the skirt didn´t turn out at all too bad in the end. A little ruffle for the ruffle crazy.
The dress was originally so big it kept falling down despite the sleeves. It had a drop waist ruffle hem. I cut the skirt off, hoisted it up, ruched it together in the back and added a zipper.
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48 Comments
March 29th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
It looks fabulous :)
March 29th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Good work, it looks great! Isn’t it funny when husbands try to be nice while one is in the middle of stressing out….
March 29th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I hate all the measuring tape and pins too! I just put the fabric around me and cut it from there.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Adorable!
March 29th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
that’s an ingenous combination! was the back of the skirt this much longer than the front in the original dress? i like the effect!
March 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Hi Agatha,
I think you’re one of the best dressed women I’ve ever come across. Your style is impecabble. I simply love everything you put on. The DIY skirt is fabulous! :)
March 29th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Thank you!
Wendy, it´s all about timing, and men just aren´t too good at it!
Chang, always the best. And it worked out well. I made some mistakes that in the end turned out to be the best way.
P, I am obviously more creative when I´m not trying to be. Right now I right back into black and gray again… The dress was longer at the sides I think, but not this much. I kept all the extra fabric and it made this effect. I didn´t plan it this way, it was just much easier to keep it than to cut even more. But I was pleased with the effect too!
Diana, thanks so much!
March 29th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
that is just gorgeous, thats it - Im taking my sewing machine out right now!
p.s It’s noce to see you in that color, so springy!
March 29th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
love it! you are such a creative person! i envy you…
March 29th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Such a lovely color!
March 29th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
what an awesome skirt. if i saw that in the shops i would def grab it !!! color is so sweet too.
March 29th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I love the colour and the idea of making something beautiful out of something old and ugly (I thrifted one today to make a sheer petticoat out of), you’ve done a stand up job on this one. I take ruffles on an individual basis but I love the train at the back it makes the skirt for me.
Also I was browing your archive this morning, having nothing much else to do as is my wont, and feel the need to thank you for a picture that inspired to get the loveliest grey wide legged linen-y trousers today, they made me very happy, I wanted some last summer but never found a pair and you re-inspired at the exact right time!
March 29th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
(my boyfriend also lauhed when I read out the bit about your husband because he says that’s exactly what I’m like too heehee)
March 29th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
oh agathe, it looks gorgeous.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Lovely skirt, Agathe! I was very amused by your account of your creative frenzy. I get that way too, and heaven help all who cross my path. Have you petted and soothed the husband back into happiness yet?
March 29th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
super cool!
March 29th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
i love the outcome! how long did it take you?
March 29th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
This is an amzaing idea!
I bought like 5 of these
very ugly prom dresses and I
just can’t wear them for no
occasion beacuasue I find them
cute but they are ridiculus and
most of them are veeery big. I miss
creativity like you have it and
also the skills. Can I send you
pictures from the dresses and you
could give me some tipps? Oterwise
I will have to sell them on a flea
market next month :(
March 29th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Hi! I wrote about you on my (swedish) blog today. I hope that’s ok! :)
I love the skirt, really cute!
March 30th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Fun! I love pulling out my 100 year old Singer and sewing old things into new things. I just turned this awesome pair of boot leg faux leather pants into skinny leg pants. (You can check it out on my blog.) Also forgot the before pic, though.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:09 am
the color is amazing! it seems like you did well.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Oh I love this, especially the back!
March 30th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Well done!!I’d like to be able to make some of my clothes myself, but I seem to have a slight problem with sewing machines- simply, they don’t like me ;)
March 30th, 2008 at 1:35 am
i hate the pins and measuring too, but usually when i just go at it, it doesn’t look NEARLY as good as that. Your skirt looks funky and fantastic!
March 30th, 2008 at 1:49 am
woaw great result :) really cool :)
oh poor little grand ma, why couldn’t she wear what she wants, when you think about it ?
March 30th, 2008 at 3:57 am
Thats amazing! I wish I had the guts to sew something like that, but the sewing machine at my house is a bit dodgy :|
March 30th, 2008 at 5:21 am
wow you made that dress look like a million dollar skirt!
March 30th, 2008 at 5:36 am
This reminds me…imyourpresent has a really cute ruffle dress for sale on ETSY right now.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10617050
March 30th, 2008 at 5:37 am
Wow, the skirt looks great! Definitely worth the trouble it was to make it :) I love the color too.
You’re very creative - there’s no way I could turn a dress into a skirt like that, especially without measuring and planning for ages first.
March 30th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Measuring tape is for the caring! I put on clothes and cut, hopeing to get the hem line even which I somtimes dont and get annoyed at and leave it uneven anyway. Yesterday I too purchased a ugly dress secondhand for 3 australian dollars, it was orignally flor length with long sleves and was a size XXXL. So I cut and I sewed and I turned it into this: http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php?image=29032008755fo3.jpg
I also made the sleeves into a scarfe. Oh the wonders of sewing…
March 30th, 2008 at 9:20 am
oh WOW!
thats beautiful.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:26 am
nice work!
March 30th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Hei,
ville bare si at jeg virkelig elsker bloggen din!!
Forstuet ankelen min forrige uke, så det eneste jeg kan gjøre er å sitte…. hvilket reulterer i lesing av alle de gamle fantastiske postene!!!!
Du virker som et utrolig varmt og godt menneske:)
March 30th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
It’s wonderful!
March 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
that is a beautiful skirt that you have made!
March 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Very, very cool! I wish my DIY projects turn out great as well, instead of being banished to the back of the closet :(
March 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
It’s fabulous! A little Sex & the City-ish :) love it!
March 30th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Good job! I wish I could sew. All sewing projects I have are usually done by my dad. It’s sort of pathetic really. Where are those shoes from? The color is fabu.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
That’s gorgeous! You are one talented girl!!!
March 30th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
your pictures and ideas are amazing i did the same thing with this old duster dress i bought from a vintage store! awesome
March 30th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
My goodness, I love, I LOVE!
March 31st, 2008 at 1:18 am
Nice
your skirt is so Fab!
March 31st, 2008 at 9:53 am
Liberty, I am so happy you got inspired! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Zumi, half and hour, an hour? And that was including all the sewing machine trouble.
Erythrin, sure, go ahead! I have to warn you though, I get a lot of mails at times and sometimes I use a while to reply them all. :)
Ruth, great job!
Silje, veldig hyggelig å høre at jeg fremstår som en OK person! :) Jeg tenker på det i blant at i grunn er det jo veldig sært å legge ut bilder av seg selv sånn som dette…
Thanks so much for all your comments! I am still working on the Acne grid skirt. It was a bit harder than I thought it would be, I don’t have enough ribbons and the last needle on my sewing machine broke…
March 31st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Lovely colour and very pretty ruffled skirt!!
March 31st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
that is awesome! and i love the sweet colour!
March 31st, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I swear, that’s my *exact* reaction when my boyfriend tries to talk to me when I’m sewing. You’d think he’d learn.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:00 am
wow, looks lovely.
super inspiration.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:11 pm
You’re like me, I like to jump right into a project too. The quicker the better, before the inspiration leaves me!