DIY Button-Up Skirt
My mum had some old shorts that were too big for me around the waist, but just the right length to turn into a skirt. Follow this tutorial to make your own DIY button-up skirt.
Tools and materials:
- Pair of shorts
- Thread
- Ruler
- Chalk
- Scissors
- Buttons
- Sewing machine
Cut shorts
Find a pair of old shorts that are a few inches too big around the waist on you but the same length as you’d like your skirt. Lay the shorts flat on your worktable. Using a ruler and chalk, mark two straight lines on the shorts from the waistband to the bottom about one inch on either side of the center of the shorts (or on either side of the fly, if the shorts have one.) Now cut the shorts along those lines and cut open the crotch as in 0:59 on the video. The shorts will still have the original back seam.
Fold the shorts in half along the back seam with the outside of the shorts facing in. Mark a line to extend the back seam to the bottom of the shorts in a slight curve as shown above. Cut the shorts along that line.
Finish the edges
Fold in each front inside edge of the skirt about a half-inch and sew near the edge to make a nice clean line.
Add buttons
Flip the skirt right-side out and lay it on your worktable, folded to look like the finished skirt, and overlap the right side of the skirt (left as you’re looking at it) on top of the other side of the skirt. Remember when you cut out the fly of the shorts entirely? Well, you’re now ready to add buttons in that place. Put marks on your skirt where you want your buttons to be. I made mine three inches apart. Make button marks from the top to the bottom of the skirt in the same place on both sides. One set of marks is for the buttons and the other set is for the buttonholes. Hand-sew the buttons to your skirt on the left side of the skirt (the right as you’re looking at it.)
Use scissors to cut buttonholes on the left side of the skirt as shown in the video at 2:55. Make sure the buttons fit through the buttonholes.
Adjust to fit
Try on the skirt and if it is still a bit big, take in the sides a little.
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I love it!!
this has got to be one of the best tutorials I’ve seen for simple instructions that are easy to follow. You have great imagination and sewing skills but your scissor use is really impressive!!! I need more practice!!