Remember that time I turned a skirt into a dress? Today, we will do the opposite — we will turn a dress into a skirt!

First, let me tell you something about this blue dress. It was one of the first dresses that I made when I bought an electric sewing machine. This was 6 or so years ago. This dress, as you can see, was an empire cut drawstring type with a racerback style. It had a darling leaf-like print fabric and a zipper that I was able to sew without a hitch. After a few trips out with this dress, I decided to shorten the hem.

When I took out said dress from the closet a few days ago, I realized that it was too short for comfort. I had a “What was I thinking?” moment. Because really, though, no almost-30-year old should be wearing a dress that short.

And so, we have this DIY on how to turn a skirt into a dress.

A few requirements, for lack of a better word:

a. The dress should have a waistband.

b. Said waistband should fit your waist perfectly and should not be more than 2 inches in width.

c. The dress should also have a working zipper.

HOW-TO:

1. Place dress on a flat surface.

2. Pull zipper down, just a little below the waistband. The waistband of my dress is that section where the leaf prints are facing a different direction.

3. Slice off top bodice of your dress half an inch above the waistband.

4. Fold the allowance into the inner part of the waistband. Sew. Sew as close to the edge of the waistband as possible. Now, your allowance may be wider than the waistband. When you fold and sew, you might have to fold or crunch it in some places. Do so without worrying about the final look, that won’t matter. Also, for the zipper sections, just go ahead and fold and sew.

5. Attach hook and eye to the top of the zipper. For modesty purposes.

Congratulations on your “new” skirt!

Notes:

1. You can give the waistband a quilted look by sewing two or three horizontal lines parallel to your stitchline.

2. Now you know what to do with that thrifted dress that has a cute bottom but a “blah” top.

3. If the dress has an elastic waistband, pull said elastic part while you fold and sew the allowance.

 

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