Upcycled Ruched Skirt and Crop Top Two-Piece
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
Cut the skirt
First, I pinned the dress to ensure that the back and front of the skirt would be the exact same length.
I then measured and marked 52cm (20 inches) on the fabric.
Using a rotary cutter and ruler, I cut straight along the markings.
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.
I used the rotary cutter to cut out my fabric.
Sew the side seam
I turned the fabric inside out, pinned the side seam, and sewed.
Make strips for the ruching
Next, I cut two 20cm (8 inches) by 4 cm (1.5 inches) strips for the ruched skirt.
I then drew a line down the middle of the strip.
I placed one strip on each side of the skirt and pinned them down.
I then sewed down the middle line and along the two sides of the strips.
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.
I moved back to the sewing machine and sewed the two ties.
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.
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.
I then sewed on the elastic band.
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.
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.
I then laid down the crop top and traced around it with some chalk.
Next, I cut the fabric with my rotary cutter.
I pinned and sewed both sides of the fabric with a 1cm (0.4 inches) seam allowance.
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.
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.
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!
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This is beautiful!!! You have inspired me to alter some of my old dresses!
Adorable!