Shorten a long Skirt Tutorial or Screw up a Skirt....

I'll admit, I don't plan ahead well.

I usually just get an idea and do it.

So I really should have taken a before picture of this skirt, but I did not.

I found this skirt at goodwill a few years ago.

Now I don't know about you, but when I see a

J. Crew tag at goodwill, I snatch it up.

Whether  it fits or not.

This skirt did fit, but it was literally touching the floor, and the waist band was up right below my belly button.

I don't like waist bands that high.

So I wanted to shorten the skirt and make it sit on my hips.

So this was the waist band.  I decided to use some Amy Butler fabric to make a new one.

Remember, I don't know what I'm doing.

So I cut a strip 32 in. long, why that long?  I measures the old waistband, but of course it was not enough fabric because I was going lower on my waist!

But I ironed down 1/4in. on the edges and turned the skirt inside out and put the right side of the waistband to the wrong side of the skirt, sewed and then folded it over so it looked like above.

Then top stitched at the edge.  That is the right side of the skirt your seeing above.

Confused?  me too.

Here is the, oops I didn't make the waistband strip long enough strip.  I used more Amy Butler fabric.

I love Amy Butler fabric!

So I tried the skirt on with the new waistband and it was way to big!  oh no!

I decided I had to make the whole skirt smaller.  So I cut up one side.

Here is my trying to look professional pin job.

And now I am sewing the new side seam.

Yikes!  I'm up at the waistband.  What do I do now?  I just left an opening to get into the skirt. 

I probably should have made that larger as it is a little tight getting into it. 

Then I just cut off the excess waistband and fabric there.

Then I folded the waistband ends over and sewed.

But now I was wondering well , I really wanted a drawstring through the waistband. 

What should I do?  Well I should have put button holes into the waistband before I sewed it to the skirt.

But that would have required me to think ahead.

And even if I did think ahead, the waistband was to large so I would

have ended up cutting them off anyway.

So, note to you, if you want a drawstring, put button holes in prior to sewing waistband onto skirt.

I just used my seam ripper and sliced little openings.

To which I then had to figure out how I was going to finish them off. 

I used embroidery thread and whipped stitched around the openings several times.

It is not perfect, but I like it.  I don't like things that look to perfect.

So I cut a strip of linen and sewed the edge and I took a large safety pin,

and brought it through.

And here it is!  I just love it, I wore it the other day.

It fits so much better now.

It is still long, but now it hits midway between my knee and ankle.

This skirt was hanging in my closet for years!  Now I can finally wear it.

I have so many projects like this I need to finish......

Have you done something like this?