how-to: refashion a maxi-dress into a skirt

The shirr sewing technique is a great option for refashioning oversized jersey maxi dresses and shirts, into skirts. Your basically creating a waist band for your garment simply using elastic thread.

I paired my striped skirt with a denim top, and an antique key & beach pendant necklace combo for that vintage, nautical, sailor look that I love!

How-to: 

1. Loosley hand wrap your bobbin with elastic thread.  You will be sewing your rows of stitching, on the top side of your fabric, with regular thread for your top stitch and elastic thread in bobbin. 

2. Use a piece of scrap fabric to practice your shirr stitch. Adjust your sewing machine's tension, stitch size and length, until your bottom stitch is perfect. 

(see below, this is the underside/bottom of my fabric) 

I tried a lower and higher tension, with a larger stitch setting, but got a bunchy bobbin thread. Then, I tried regular tension, with my stitch size and length set to 3 and it was perfect. 

3. Cut your shirt or dress to a length that works well for your skirt. I cut my maxi dress so I could wear it as a maxi skirt, and I didn't hem the top of the fabric! I simply began my first stitch right below where I'd cut the fabric. I stitched four separate rows, each time, starting at the side seam, and stitching on top of fabric, all the way around to meet side seam, following the navy stripe. Then vertically, along both side seams where I had shirred the fabric. 

4. Finishing/option one-you can leave lengthy ends of elastic thread to tie to finish, so your stitching doesn't come undone. Or......

 5. Finishing option two- you can forward and back stitch. This is what I opted to do!

Before/After

Check out a few of the tutorials that inspired me:

Sandi of Portabellopixie's has a great shirr tutorial.

Melissa shared a shirt skirt on her blog  Sew Like a Mom.

Carolyn of Kitty Adventures made two sweet skirts in her tutorial. 

My refashion was featured at:

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