Thrift Flip: Men’s Pajama Bottoms to DIY Skort

Recreateful
by Recreateful
8 Materials
$5
2 Hours
Easy


In this tutorial, I will be showing you how to turn a pair of men’s pajama bottoms into a stylish skort. It’s a fairly simple project, good for those of you just learning how to sew. I’m sure you will love the results as much as I do!

Tools and materials:

  • Men’s pajama pants
  • Zipper
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape
  • Ruler
  • Fabric pen
  • Pins
  • Sewing machine
Before


Cut off the waistband

Cut off the waistband

My first step was to cut the waistband off the pants.

Pin at the waist

Try on the pants and pin them to make them fit

Next, tried on the pants inside out, and pinned them at the sides of my waist so they fit comfortably. 

Mark the length

Mark the waist and the length

I used a fabric pen to mark how long I wanted my skort to be, and also marked where I had placed my pins since I needed to remove the pins to take off the pants.

Make a DIY skort

Cut one side

Using the marks I had just made as a guide, I cut one side of the pants to the length and waist size I wanted.

Fold and cut

Fold over and cut the second side

Then, I folded over the side I had already cut, and cut around it so both sides of the shorts would be equal. 

Open the pant leg seam

Open the seam of the pant leg offcuts

Taking one of the pant legs I had removed, I cut all the way up the side seam to create one wide piece of fabric.

Trace around the shorts

Draw the shape of one side of the skirt cover

I laid the shorts on top of this piece of fabric and traced around the sides of the shorts and part of the top edge.

Draw the shape of the skirt cover


Then I used a ruler to draw a straight line from the top edge to a few inches above the bottom edge.

Draw the slit


Finally, I drew a diagonal line from the bottom of the straight line to the bottom edge. These lines marked the shape for one piece of the skirt cover for my skort.

Cut out the skirt cover

Cut it out

Next, I cut out the shape I had just marked.

Trace around the first piece

Draw the shape for the second side of the skirt

Using the first piece of the skirt cover as a guide, I drew the shape for the second side of my skirt cover.

Cut out the second piece

Cut it out

Then I cut it out. I now had the two pieces for my skirt cover.

Hem the shorts

Hem the shorts

I hemmed the shorts with a rolled hem.

Hem the skirt cover pieces

Hem the skirt cover pieces

I hemmed the two skirt cover pieces with a rolled hem, as well. 

Pin the skirt cover to the shorts

Pin one side of the skirt cover between the right sides of the shorts

Next, I sandwich the smaller section of my skirt piece between the two right sides of my shorts and pinned it in place. 

Sew a DIY skort

Sew in place

Then I sewed it down along the side seam.

Zigzag the raw edges

Zigzag stitch the raw edges 

To protect the raw edges of the seams from fraying, I zigzag stitched along the edge.

Pin the second piece to the shorts

Pin the second piece of the skirt cover in place

I sandwiched the larger skirt piece between the right sides of my shorts.

Leave room for the zipper


This was the side where I wanted to sew in the zipper, so I placed the zipper along the side seam, and pinned the seam only until the bottom edge of the zipper. Then I sewed down the pinned part of the seam, leaving the rest of it open, so I could insert the zipper later. When sewing these pieces together, I made sure to line up all three bottom edges. 

Mark the adjusted waistline

Try on and mark the waistline

Once again, I tried on the shorts and marked where the sides needed to be taken in. 

Measure the adjusted waistline

Measure the waistline

I measured the newly marked waistline.

Cut fabric for the waistband

Cut out two strips for the waistband

Next, I cut two wide strips of fabric that would become the waistband of my skort.

Sew the fabric together

Sew the strips together

I sewed the strips together to make one long strip, and then cut it to equal the measurement of my marked waistline.

Sew the skirt to the shorts

Attach the skirt piece to the front shorts piece

At this point, I attached the skirt piece to the front short piece to make the next steps easier.

Pin the waistband to the top edge

Pin the waistband in place

I pinned the waistband along the top edge of the skort. I should have pinned it within the area I marked for the new waistline, but I forgot and had to fix this mistake at the end. So, if your skort needs to be taken in at the waist, make sure to pin the waistband within the area you marked previously. 

Pin the zipper in place

Pin one side of the zipper in place

I folded the raw edges of the waistband inward, and inserted the tape of the zipper into the opening, and pinned it in place. Then I pinned the rest of the zipper in place along one side of the opening I left in the seam.

Sew the zipper in place

Sew down the zipper

I sewed down that side of the zipper. Then I repeated the same steps for the second side of the zipper.

DIY skort tutorial

Try it on and pin the skirt pieces together at the top

Once the zipper was in place, I tried my skort on again and pinned the two skirt cover pieces together at the top edge. 

Sew the top of the skirt pieces

Sew the skirt pieces together at the top

I sewed the skirt pieces together just at the top where I had pinned it. 

How to sew a DIY skort

Pin and sew the rest of the waistband

Next, I sewed the rest of the waistband in place along the top edge of the skort. 

Sew the rest of the skirt together

Sew the skirt pieces together the rest of the way

I also sewed the rest of the seam to connect the pieces of the skirt cover, making sure to stop before the slit.

Hem the sides of the slit

Hem the sides of the slit

I hemmed the edges of the slit with a rolled hem.

Make final adjustments to the size

Adjust the size, if necessary

Finally, I tried on the skirt one last time and adjusted the size so it fit just right. 

DIY skort thrift flip


Back of the skort


Fun skort outfit


I cannot believe these turned out. I love this transformation so much. I love how this can be a summer piece or a transitional piece when paired with tights and a sweater. I love the idea of a skort because it gives the beauty of a skirt and the comfort of shorts. This pattern is also giving me proper Clueless vibes. 


I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Let me know what you think of this transformation!

Suggested materials:
  • Men's pajama pants
  • Zipper
  • Scissors
See all materials

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