Upcycled Ruched Skirt and Crop Top Two-Piece

Cristina Paraiso
by Cristina Paraiso
8 Materials
$10
3 Hours
Easy

I love upcycling old clothes and giving them new life! In this tutorial, I show you how I totally transformed an old dress into a really amazing two-piece set. The ruched top and crop top are so on-trend and I can’t wait to wear them!

Tools and materials:

  • Skirt
  • Crop top
  • Ruler
  • Measuring tape
  • Chalk
  • Rotary cutter
  • Needle and thread
  • Sewing machine
Ruched mini skirt

Cut the skirt 

First, I pinned the dress to ensure that the back and front of the skirt would be the exact same length. 

Measure and mark


I then measured and marked 52cm (20 inches) on the fabric. 

DIY ruched skirt


Using a rotary cutter and ruler, I cut straight along the markings. 

Trace around a skirt


Next, I laid down a skirt I already owned to use as a template. I traced around the skirt adding 2cm (0.8 inches) of seam allowance. 

Cut out the skirt fabric


I used the rotary cutter to cut out my fabric. 

Easy ruched skirt

Sew the side seam 

I turned the fabric inside out, pinned the side seam, and sewed.

How to make a ruched skirt

Make strips for the ruching 

Next, I cut two 20cm (8 inches) by 4 cm (1.5 inches) strips for the ruched skirt. 

Draw down the middle


I then drew a line down the middle of the strip. 

Pin on the strips


I placed one strip on each side of the skirt and pinned them down. 

Sew down the middle


I then sewed down the middle line and along the two sides of the strips. 

Fold the sides inward

Make ties 

To make the ties for the ruched skirt I cut two thin strips of fabric, 100 cm (39 inches) by 3 cm (1 inch). I then folded each side of the strip towards the center and pinned. 

Sew the ties


I moved back to the sewing machine and sewed the two ties. 

Use a safety pin


I then used a safety pin and attached it to the end of the tie. I pulled it through one side of the strip, attached to the skirt, and then back up through the other side. I repeated this on the other side of the skirt. 

Pin on the elastic band

Add an elastic band

Once I had finished with the ties, I moved on to pinning the elastic band on the inside of the waist. 

Sew on the band


I then sewed on the elastic band. 

How to sew a ruched skirt

Fold over the waistband 

After sewing, I folded over the waistband and pinned the sides to hold the fold. I then hand sewed both sides where I had pinned. 

Mark the excess fabric

Cut fabric for the top 

With the skirt ready, I moved on to the top. I marked 23cm (9 inches) on the extra fabric from the dress and cut the fabric. 

Trace a crop top


I then laid down the crop top and traced around it with some chalk. 

Cut the fabric along the traced lines


Next, I cut the fabric with my rotary cutter. 

Pin and sew both sides


I pinned and sewed both sides of the fabric with a 1cm (0.4 inches) seam allowance. 

Fold the straps

Make tie straps 

Next, I had to make ties for the crop top, I cut four strips, 60cm (24 inches) by 3cm (1.2 inches). I repeated the folding, pinning, and sewing process just as I had done for the skirt ties. 

Sew on the straps


I marked 5cm (2 inches) from each side of the top and pinned the four ties in place. I then went ahead and sewed them on. 

How to make a skirt with ruching


I am totally in love with this refashioned two-piece set! What other dress upcycle ideas do you have? Let me know in the comments! 

Suggested materials:
  • Skirt
  • Crop top
  • Ruler
See all materials

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