Refashioning Redux: From Jeans to Skirt
4/22/26 - 4/27/26
One of my earlier forays into re-fashioning and Upcycling my clothes was an attempt to size up a pair of jeans that was waaay too small for me.
You can actually check out the entire story here in the diary.
While I like the idea of using crochet to adjust the size and styles of my clothes, I realized too late the execution on this was pretty shaky.
I’ve pretty much come to the point in my budding career where I can embrace the fact that I will struggle with some projects; that some of the things I made won’t turn out “100” every single time. And that’s okay -
Because it’s nothing that can’t be fixed… or remade into something else.
For this project, I’ll be shifting gears into something that I’ve always been a little wary of in the past; only because I wasn’t yet skilled enough to tackle it:
I’ll be making these refashioned jeans into a prairie-style skirt.
After I removed the crochet panels along the sides, I then cut off the legs about 4 inches below the crotch and then lined them up against the still connected front and back to see how much I would need to both expand the waist and close-up the sides. Since this was project for was just for practice and experience-building, I just ended up winging it instead of taking a more calculated approach… and instantly regretted that decision.
Ultimately I only needed half of each leg I liberated, and even then still needed to take in each side by half and inch - something I would’ve realized sooner if I had taken my dang measurements first. So the lesson we learned here, children:
Don’t skimp on getting all of the numbers, and doing the math!
Once I cleaned up the raw edges, and then re-shaped and cleaned up the curves in the crotch and seat, I started designing and sewing the rest of the skirt as I went, just to allow myself the small joy of “playing” the fabric and cuts until they lined up with what I saw in my head.
Didn’t really like the way this style was turning out, so I just took off the print and tried again, this time with a little more width and length to create a more dramatic ruffle.
After I was done “zuzing” it and finally decided on what I thought would look nice on me, I went ahead and attached the print to the denim bottoms to create the rest of the skirt;
The only downside with this method of experimentation is that now I have several strips of cotton and no idea what to do with any of them. Although, there may be a way to incorporate them into the rest of the skirt, or combine them what’s left of the denim legs to make a matching purse or tote.
Again, I like the concept, but it just wasn’t working out…
This time I learned from my mistakes and gave myself a little extra material to work with…
Originally I planned to be a little “fancy” with an invisible hem, but then I realized that I’m not a terribly fancy person (though I will need to practice invisible hemming later, just to keep my skills sharp).
I plan to add a little bit of a white, lace trim to the skirt, just to give it that extra “pop!” It’s an idea I’m especially married to and don’t think I’ll need to revisit later on, so there’s no reason why I can’t use the lace trim to hide the seam lines a folded hem.
“I want pretty skirt, too, Mama!”
For the hem, I decided to fold and press the material roughly six inches above the raw edge and then fold it in again by about a half inch to hide the raw cuts.
This definitely adds a little bit of weight to the skirt’s hem, but I’ve learned over the years that that’s not necessarily a bad thing for cotton - especially if it’s quilter’s cotton.
My fellow sewists should be very proud of me - as I actually pressed my fabric this time before finishing the hem!
After I added the material, however, I realized I wasn’t quite getting what I was aiming for…
Again, the idea is sound… but it’s just not quite there yet…!
So, I decided to revisit the gathered-tiers idea… this time turning one into a ruffle as a way of balancing it out.
And then one thing lead to another and then… well, before I knew it, I drifted into ruffle-skirt territory and not prairie-skirt territory!
Although, honestly, I’m not too mad about it:
(Fun fact about me, I always wanted a ruffled-skirt when I was growing… but couldn’t find one I really liked… why was everything I wanted to like pink!)
Now, I do still like the direction the simpler A-line style was taking. It would’ve certainly been a lot less sewing on my part (and I would’ve snapped a needle on my overclock machine! smh). But I’ve had this print in my stash for years now, and when I started building out the ruffles it just seemed to fit better.
I’ll probably re-visit the A-line denim skirt later, especially since summers in central Kentucky are notorious for the heat (not even joking: July-October is pretty much Hell-Fire season for us).
In fact… I think I have a pair of black jeans I don’t wear anymore… and some leftover Halloween fabrics still in my stash…
Agh!
Later! Focus!
Since I still have a little bit of the ocean print left, I decided to add one more detail to sort of finish it off.
And to hide the fact that I used the legs on the jean to widen the waistline…
In a weird way it was actually lucky I’d cut strips for my first try - this bad boy was just the right length and width, and freshly ironed; the belt was a piece of cake!
In hindsight: did I create more work for myself by removing the back loops? Yes - yes I did.
Now, I’m not ashamed to admit that I probably didn’t have to remove the back loops because I didn’t end up doing what I originally envisioned… because what I originally envisioned, I realized, was also a waste of time…
“But this is what these tests are for!”
After positioning and then tack down the belt in back (to sort of cover the markings from the belt loops I refuse to reattach) I also anchored the belt along the side seams so that they’ll stay in place even when untied.
At this point in time, all that’s really left to do is just to clean up any raw edges I may have missed then add the white-lace trim to pull the whole look together.
It’s an idea I’m still married to, primarily because I’d love to de-stash my little cache of laces (and thematically, I think it could elevate the final look). But, now that I’ve been working on this skirt for a few days- and have already seen her at various life phases - I am willing to let it go, if it doesn’t work out.
It’s still fascinating to me how the clothes we make for ourselves have their own personalities, as much as they have their own condensed life-cycles.
Matching Purse:
Quick aside, I did end up using the rest of the materials I had leftover to make a little matching purse! I figured, why the hell not?
The remaining scraps from “Beach Waves” (plus a crochet accent taken from a different project being up-cycled)
Now I can officially say that I managed to use up all of the materials: both the jeans, and the fabric (which was taking up space in my stash for years!).
Rigsby Studio: 1 - Landfills: 0 - - - woo hoo!!
You can read about that quick side-quest over here.
Now personally, I like to end every project with a bit of reflection - where I round-up the highlights/takeaways of the process and the final look, as a means of self-improvement. During this process I like to try and answer a few or all of the following questions:
what have I learned specifically (what did I learn to do - what did I learn NOT to do);
how much would I (hypothetically) charge for a similar project, and why;
what was the theme/intention of the project - and did I achieve those original goals;
Let’s tackle it together and see what “Beach Waves” teaches us:
Final Thoughts:
So, what did I learn to do for a project like this?
Honestly it’s more about what I re-learned: to take specific measurements prior to starting the project… and frankly to have an actual plan in mind before starting (even if it’s just the frame work; as long as there’s a series of agreed upon steps to work, with just enough wiggle to pivot if necessary).
I didn’t really have a plan in mind when I started this project, and it led me to have to pivot and rework several steps along the way.
Although, along the way I did learn the most efficient way to measure for and then craft a ruffled-skirt… so I consider that a win for future reference!
How much would I charge (hypothetically) a paying client for a similar skirt?
Well - that’s kind a mixed bag because I was learning on the fly with this one; it would be unethical of me to assign the same number of hours for a similar paying job. (because then I’d have hindsight guiding me and my craft)
As long as the client provided their own materials - the weathered jeans, and the 1.5 yards (minimum) of printed cotton, I think I would conservatively quote them a minimum of $45… again, that’s only if they can bring me their own materials.
If I have to provide the length of material, then that charge will jump to as low as $65;
This would be a case where I would need to have a conversation with my client to see what they’re really looking for; is this a justifiable expense, or would they be better off buying new or secondhand and then making adjustments to that garment?
Would this project be better off as a teaching-trade: where (if they’ve shown the interest) I teach them, step-by-step, how to make the final look, and guide them through process as they make the skirt themselves? The course probably wouldn’t last more than 5 weeks (1 session a week), and then they’d be able to walk away with something they can say they made themselves.
It’s in these cases where I would need to have a full conversation with my client before I assign an specific price or quote; I need to know what exactly what they’re looking for, for what price-range, and for what time-line.
As for the theme, well - while I was and wasn’t working off a specific idea. When I started this project I had just come off of the longest wedding gown commission I’ve had in a long time (but it was well worth it, because that gown was a work of art!).
As I started work on this project, I’ve had several thoughts swimming through my head:
my need to clear more projects from my queue; the fact that I’m a cheap-ass-b*tch; my upcoming mother-daughter trip to Spain with the Tea-Timers; the desire to make an Flameco-Inspired dress for the trip - the realization that I don’t have enough time now to make a decent Flameco-Inspired dress for the trip; how much I’ve been missing the ocean lately…
Looking back on this project, I think “missing the ocean” and Flamenco dress have been the biggest subjects on my mind these last few days - and so they merged and manifested into this ruffle-skirt made from a print of literal ocean-waves.
Overall I think I was very successful in this project - even without an inciting theme - and can’t wait for summer to come.
At least now I can solider through Hell-Fire Season in style, lol!