Sew a Stunning Button-down Skirt From an Old Pair of Pants

The Designerquipo
by The Designerquipo
7 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy


I like to make everything fashionable! Today I will show you how to sew a button-down skirt from a pair of thrift pants. I got the button-down skirt inspiration from a Pinterest post, and I had to try it for myself! If you have pants that don't fit, or someone you know has lovely printed pants that they want to throw out, take them and put them to good use! Let's get started!

Tools and materials:

  • Old pair of pants
  • Sewing machine
  • Thread
  • Needle
  • Buttons
  • Scissors
  • Seam ripper
How to make a button-down skirt

Rip the seams of the pants

Take your pair of old pants and rip the seams so that you are left with just the fabric.

How to sew a button-down skirt

Make some modifications

I wanted my skirt to have a mid-length. So I cut the bottom parts of the trousers, as shown.

Sew a button-down skirt

Sew the back seam

Sew the back seam in the middle. You'll notice that there's a prominent crotch piece ( they were pants, after all). To do away with this, just sew a straight stitch on the crotch area and cut the excess fabric.

Sewing a button-down skirt

Serge the edges

As you can see, my material is prone to fraying, so I went ahead and serged the edges to avoid more fraying. I highly recommend you do the same.

Making a button-down skirt

Add the waistband

Instead of making a new waistband, I used the original waistband from the pants. I cut it carefully and sewed it to the top circumference of the dress.

Make button-down skirt

Make the button panels

Remember the materials you cut from the bottom pants? Use those to make the panels for the buttons. Sew it with the right sides facing the skirt's edge, then fold it over and topstitch.

DIY button-down skirt

Hem the bottom

Now, hem the bottom so that you have a lovely, finished edge.

DIY button-down skirt tutorial

Attach the buttons

I attached 8 buttons in total so that I could have more coverage. The amount of buttons is up to you, but remember that even if you attach more buttons than needed, simply undo them if you want to show off more skin. Before you actually sew on the buttons, arrange them along with one of the panels so that you can mark where to sew them. Next, hand sew the buttons tightly in place. Also, place the buttons along with the opposite panel and mark where the buttonholes should be. Make your buttonholes exactly on those markings.

Stylish button-down skirt

We are done! This checkered button-down skirt looks amazing. I paired this with a plain white shirt and white sneakers for a casual, chic look. I love the detail on this DIY Button-down skirt. It's very intricate and really makes any outfit look just rad!

Suggested materials:
  • Old pair of pants
  • Sewing machine
  • Thread
See all materials

The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 5 comments
Next