Thrift Flip: Men’s Pajama Bottoms to DIY Skort
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
Cut off the waistband
My first step was to cut the waistband off the pants.
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 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.
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 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 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.
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.
Then I used a ruler to draw a straight line from the top edge to a few inches above the bottom edge.
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 it out
Next, I cut out the shape I had just marked.
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 it out
Then I cut it out. I now had the two pieces for my skirt cover.
Hem the shorts
I hemmed the shorts with a rolled hem.
Hem the skirt cover pieces
I hemmed the two skirt cover pieces with a rolled hem, as well.
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 in place
Then I sewed it down along the side seam.
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 of the skirt cover in place
I sandwiched the larger skirt piece between the right sides of my shorts.
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.
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 waistline
I measured the newly marked waistline.
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 strips together
I sewed the strips together to make one long strip, and then cut it to equal the measurement of my marked waistline.
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 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 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 down the zipper
I sewed down that side of the zipper. Then I repeated the same steps for the second side of the zipper.
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 skirt pieces together at the top
I sewed the skirt pieces together just at the top where I had pinned it.
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 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
I hemmed the edges of the slit with a rolled hem.
Adjust the size, if necessary
Finally, I tried on the skirt one last time and adjusted the size so it fit just right.
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!
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Great idea!
too cute will try this weekend just getting ready to get rid of hubby's p.j.'s no more now they're mine!!!!