Spring and Stuff

One of my values in life is to use what you have to it's full extent and not throw anything away until it's fully used, or in good enough condition to be given away or recycled. But I have that same urge as anyone else, to have that satisfaction of a new piece of clothing, to feel that I look awesome in this freshly acquired new attire, to try it on and take it home with me and know it's mine. Oh, yes I do.

The thing is, when you have the skill and tools, you can satisfy that need by making something new out of something old. It doesn't always pay off, just like when you buy something and it doesn't look that good on you after all. Sometimes DIY fails miserably. I have torn my share of sewing gone wrong in consuming anger. But most of the time, when you give it time and consideration and don't do it in a rush, the results are beautiful. When you're successful with DIY clothing or up-cycling, you will love that piece of fabric until it's death. And love is the point. Why else would you give a new life to your old clothes, if not for love?

So, here's one piece of up-cycling I did last summer. An old viscose- velvet skirt, a very nice feel and shine, but slightly tight around the waist and a tiny bit too short to my taste deserved a better life. Because of the un-comfort it remained unused for a long time, but I really liked the fabric and decided to try. 

First I took away the waist and ripped open the pleats on the waist to add space. Now it fit my hip area quite comfortably. Checked my measurements at this point of course!

Then I made a new waist piece from lace and some lining fabric, using the waist line of the skirt as measurement, since it fit my hip line. 

I decided to move the zipper to the side, so ripped the left side open too

Has to be 90 degrees angle in the middle back, and then some curvature. The middle back line is the distance between the hip line and waist. Waist of course a bit smaller. Remember to curve the side line a bit as well, to fit your form

Also at the side, 90 degrees. It's to ensure the seams make a straight line when sewed together.

I don't know where my square ruler is, so it's approximate...

Cutting the pieces from both fabrics. Join the pieces, the right sides facing each other.

And then join with the skirt part. And sew on the zipper, which goes a bit lower than the hip line, so it won't be too small.

Now there's only some stitching left to do. Do it however you want. if you want a sturdier result it might be a good idea to use some buckram in the seams. I chose not to, because it would be visible under the lace, and I was going for a soft, comfortable feel.

The final addition was a little piece of satin on both sides to finish the zipper and prevent it from scratching your bare skin! This can be done by hand if you want a top quality result. On those pieces I attached hooks, sowed by hand. This way the lace wont rip apart from usage.

This DIY/Up cycling can be done to any skirt basically, but you should make sure that when you make a skirt longer this way, you'll still be able to walk in it. Or, if you like, you can make a slit in the back seam to make space for your legs. This skirt happened to be wide enough and i didn't have to do anything else. 

Enjoy! Hypnosis