How to sew a stylish skirt from old jeans
It's no secret that you can sew many things from old jeans: shorts, bags, backpacks, rugs, aprons, bedspreads, skirts... By the way, sewing a skirt from old jeans is not difficult at all, you will surely manage! You can vary the length of the skirt depending on your preferences: it can be mini or midi (knee-length). The style can also be slightly changed: a denim skirt can be straight or slightly A-line (depending on the cut of the jeans and the width of the wedges inserted into the skirt).
From skinny jeans with narrow wedges (or one wedge in the front), you can sew a pencil skirt; from flared jeans, you will get an A-line or bell skirt. To sew a straight or slightly tapered model, a back wedge is not needed – the V-shaped opening will act as a vent. The bottom of the garment can be hemmed, frayed, or left raw – it all depends on your initial idea.
Below I will give an example of a mini skirt with a back wedge.
## To make it, you need to prepare:
- one pair of old jeans;
- sharp tailoring scissors;
- tailoring pins;
- seam ripper;
- thread;
- sewing machine.
## Tutorial on sewing a skirt from old jeans
Before you start cutting, determine the desired length of the future skirt yourself, taking into account the rise of the jeans. Add 3 cm to this measurement (for the hem) and cut off the legs.
Next, carefully rip the inseams (inner seams!) of the jeans, as shown in the photo below:
After that, rip the center seams up to the start of the fly.
Now you just need to lay one leg over the other, trying to create a flat piece of fabric. The shape of the future skirt is created depending on how far you spread the legs and what the overlap is (more overlap means a narrower skirt, less overlap means a wider skirt). It also directly depends on how high you rip the center seams.
Sew the center seams in the front and back.
From the cut-off legs, cut out two pieces for the wedges, equal in width and height to the formed wedge in the front and back of the garment. If the back opening is not too wide and the skirt is of a decent length, it can be left as a vent.
Place the fabric over the opening as shown in the photo below, pin it with tailoring pins...
...stitch it on the machine, trying to follow the previously ripped seams.
Do the same for the back if necessary. If you want to leave the opening, finish the vent by sewing straight lines.
Carefully trim the excess fabric from the inside of the skirt.
Trim the bottom edge and finish it to your taste (in this case, the denim was folded twice (by 1 and 1.5 cm respectively) and stitched.
I also remembered the Zara sale, I was just trying on the same one in Dnipro... Sigh, not a model, not a model... But young and truly slim girls (XS-M) will look very good in it!
To be honest, I touched it and didn't understand why one would pay 1000 UAH for it when you can really sew the exact same thing at home in one-two-three in one evening.
The only "but" is that you will need wider jeans like boyfriends or at least just straight-leg ones, not skinny! The fit is also important – medium rise is desirable, you can also experiment with a high rise (it will look cool to carelessly tuck a t-shirt inside so it hangs down). And it will create a cool accent on the waist! I prefer an unfinished but well-frayed bottom edge.
The process is ridiculously simple – measure the required length, cut it off, rip open the inseams first, then the middle seam in the front and back (stop where the seams become straight). Next, overlap the pant legs, pin them, and sew along the sides of the cuts and along the jeans' seam lines. Trim the excess fabric from the inside and even out the skirt at the bottom. Fray the bottom edge so that threads of different lengths hang down in a creative mess. 😉
It's cool if the jeans have scuffs, it looks absolutely stunning! Especially for teenage girls. 🙂