Turn Pants Into a Skirt

If you own old pants that you no longer wear, be ready to enter the world of the refashioned skirt! All you'll need is a pair of fabric scissors, a needle and thread, some fabric, and a couple hours to spend making your newest addition to your closet.

Steps

Using a Horizontal Seam

  1. Grab a pair of pants you no longer wear. They need to be your size or bigger than you. If you don't have the perfect pair, take a trip to the thrift shop! Jeans, khakis, chinos, slacks -- all types will work.
    • If the pants are too big, you'll need to rip up the side seam, cut out the unnecessary fabric, and sew it back together to match your waistline.
  2. Cut off your pant legs at the crotch. Make sure it lies flat; you don't want any material bunching or bubbling -- it should naturally lie flush to the table.
    • If your cut isn't perfectly straight, that's fine! As long as it's a clean line, it doesn't matter what angle it's at. In fact, a steeper angle can give your skirt a more refined, less patched-together look.
    • If you want to use the legs for the rest of your skirt (right now it's too short), don't throw them away just yet!
  3. Cut a strip of another fabric to fill out the length of the skirt. You probably want another six inches (in width) or so of fabric, if not more. If you have some scraps lying around from an old project, use those! Or you can use the pant leg of the ones you just tore up. Does the thigh or the calf give you the width you'd like?
    • Cut 1/2" (1.25 cm) wide than you need for a seam allowance.
    • Make sure the fabric is long enough to wrap around the entirety of the skirt.
    • If you're using your old jeans, you may need to rip out the seam that meets the skirt -- otherwise that's a lot of thread going on in one place. And because of the cut of the jean, make sure the fabric lines up (width-wise) front and back.
  4. Pin the fabric to the edge of the skirt and sew. Using your 1/2" seam allowance, pin your fabric to the edge of the skirt, leaving the extra on the inside, rendering it invisible. Flip the skirt inside out and begin either hand stitching or blazing through with a sewing machine.
    • If your fabric requires it, create a seam on the bottom edge, too. Just don't make it too short!
    • If your fabric is giving you any guff, iron it flat. It'll be much easier to work with then.
  5. Add any final, stylized flairs. Your skirt's done! But if you want to make it more "you," add a ruffle, some fabric paint, or a bit of material along the sides. And then there's always dye, glitter, iron-ons, ink transfers, and screen printing!

Using a "V" Seam

  1. Grab a pair of pants, any size. If they're bigger than you are, you'll need to cut down the edge and resew them to your size, but it'll still work! And any material will work, too. Jeans, slacks, khakis -- it's all good.
  2. Measure to your desired length and cut. Remember to leave 2" for a seam allowance or your skirt will be a bit shorter than you want it to be. Keep the part that's cut off (that is, the legs) -- that'll be what goes between the "legs" of your skirt, filling out the middle.
  3. Rip out all the stitches from the edges of the leg to the crotch. Do it all the way around until 1/4" (.6 cm) below the crotch on both sides. You'll need your handy dandy seam ripper for this part. It'll take some time, so throw on your pajamas and the TV and get comfy.
    • This is the most tedious part. It's all downhill from here!
  4. Fold the edges under and pin. All those exposed seams? They need to go away! Fold them under (1/2" or so) and pin them to the inside. Do this on both sides, all the way around. You should have a clean, streamlined "V" on both sides, even and mirroring each other.
  5. Iron. Don't skip this step! It may seem a bit unnecessary, but your material will be much, much easier to work with if it's flat and all the kinks are worked out. You'll also be able to see if your lines are straight and your angles are how you want them.
  6. Take a cut pant leg. Turn your skirt inside out and pin the pant leg (the one you cut off) all the way around, covering the "V." Cut it so it covers the entirety of the opening, pinning it in place so it doesn't go anywhere.
    • You'll need to do this for both sides, by the way, unless you want a crazy big (read: totally inappropriate) slit up the back (or front!) of your skirt.
  7. Turn it right side out and sew around the edges, starting at the bottom. Go up both sides, sewing as close as possible to the edges where the fabrics meet. This can be done by hand, but will be much simpler with a sewing machine.
  8. Hem the skirt and press. Since you have that new cut at the bottom of your skirt (it's actually a skirt now!), you'll need to get it clean and looking pretty. Grab 1/2" (1.25 cm) of the edge of the fabric and tuck it under, creating a hem. Iron it down and sew (again, as close to the edge as possible), creating a nice, clean line.
  9. Trim off any extra fabric and give it a final press. You probably have some extra fabric on the insides of your seams that can do to be cut off. After that, grab your iron one last time, and give 'er a final press. Tada! It may not be water into wine, but it's pretty dang nifty!

Making a Pencil Skirt

  1. Get a pair of pants. If they're your size, make sure they ride where you want them to ride -- that is, for a pencil skirt, around your natural waist. If they ride at your hip, you'll need to trade them out for a pair that are much bigger. A bigger size can easily morph into a high-waisted skirt.
    • Any material will do, not just denim! If your mom has a rockin' pair of chinos from the 80s, give it a shot!
  2. Cut up and down the seams. If the pants are bigger than you, you'll need to cut the inside and outside seams. If they're your size, you'll only need to cut the inside seams (along the inside of your legs).
    • Cut up the crotch too, so it lays flat. If you don't, you'll have this bulky, bubbly mess of fabric that you do not want to be dealing with later on down your skirt road. Cut to wear the material doesn't naturally curve anymore.
  3. Fold it in half (at the crotch) and sew a straight line down the middle. That extra material for crotch room? The kind that juts out that forms a V? We don't want that. You want two long, straight shots of fabric for each "leg." Start at the widest point near the crotch and cut a straight line on both legs. It can even go down to the bottom of the pant.
    • If you bought pants that are much bigger than you and are working with two different halves, you'll need to do these steps twice.
  4. Pin the legs together and backstitch. Down that straight line you just cut, pin both legs together to form the unified material for your skirt. Pin about 1" from the edges, leaving room for your backstitch. You can cut off some of excess material (length-wise) right now if you'd like, or you can just sew it all and adjust for length later. But if you'd like a slit, don't sew up the back all the way!
    • Your backstitch should be as close to the edge as possible -- you can follow the seam line that's already there. You can do this either by hand or with a machine, no problem.
    • Again, if you're working with two different halves, do this for both.
  5. Turn the skirt inside out. Or if you're working with two different pieces (having just sewn each piece separately), lay the top piece on the bottom piece, wrong sides facing out.
    • If the skirt is bigger than you, take a skirt that fits you and lay it on top. Then, cut your pants-skirt to that size, leaving 1" on each side for a seam allowance. If you're not a super good seamstress, leave 2" -- it's easier to make it smaller and not so easy to make it bigger!
    • If the skirt is your size, you're ready to start sewing up the edge!
  6. Pin the sides and sew. Each side needs a good pinning (up and down both sides) to make it easier on you for sewing and to assure a straight line. If you're working with denim, make sure you're using denim thread. Don't have denim thread? Then use cotton thread and go over it twice.
    • Again, if you're using denim, sew very slowly. You may also need to pull at the fabric a little to keep it taut and straight.
    • Then try it on! You can adjust for length once you see how it fits your body.
  7. Cut it to length and create your edge. Once you've tried it on, find out where you'd like it to hit your leg. Pin it, take it off, and you're almost there! Cut it at the desired length, create your edge, and you're done!
    • You have two main options here: you can either hem it, creating a clean, finished edge, or you can cut and fray it, sticking with the distressed look. If you do choose to hem it, fold under 1/2" (1.25 cm) of material and sew along the edges. Do the same for your slit, if applicable.



Tips

  • This is a great gift idea for someone close to you! Either use your own pants if they fit this person, or buy cheap pants at a thrift shop in her size and customise it!
  • A very cute idea is to sew some ruffles on the bottom for an adorable girly effect!
  • Be creative! Find cool fabrics with different patterns and colors!
  • Go wild with the things you like! Glitter it up, add cute designs with fabric paint, and have fun!

Related Articles

Things You'll Need

  • Pants
  • Scissors
  • Seam ripper
  • Needle and thread (or sewing machine)
  • Pins
  • Measuring tape
  • Iron
  • Fabric (optional)
  • Ruffles, paint, dye, embellishments (optional)

Sources and Citations

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