DIY a Denim Mini Skirt From Old Jeans

Jess Dang
by Jess Dang
7 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy

Normally we cut off the legs of jeans to upcycle the jeans into a pair of shorts or a skirt. What’s left is some extra denim fabric from the legs that normally goes to waste. In my tutorial, I show you a great idea for using this extra denim fabric to DIY an amazing mini skirt.

Tools and materials:

  • Measuring tape
  • Paper
  • Pen
  • Scissors
  • Pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Old jeans
DIY denim jeans to skirt

Sketch the skirt

I always like to start off by sketching out my design. I drew the mini skirt and separated it into four since it will be made up of the different legs from old pairs of jeans. I wrote down the measurements for how big each piece making up the skirt would need to be. The width would be an ⅛ of my waist measurement. Further down I marked an ⅛ of my hip measurement and of course from the top of the piece to that point would be my waist to hip measurement. 

Label the sketch


I also marked the length of the skirt on my sketch and added seam allowance since I would be adding 8 of these small panels together to make the skirt. 

Draw the lines

Draft a pattern

Next, I moved on to drafting the pattern for my skirt. I started by drawing a rectangle and measuring an 1/8 of my waist measurement plus 2 cm (0.8 inches) for seam allowance. I then measured the length of my skirt plus the added seam allowance and drew it in. 

Draw the waist to hip measurement


I then drew in my waist to hip measurement plus 1 cm (0.4 inches) for seam allowance. 

DIY denim mini skirt



After I had drawn in the line, I added 2 cm (0.8 inches) on each side which makes this an ⅛ of my hip measurement plus seam allowance.

Connect the points


Using my ruler, I then connected the ends of the top line to the bottom to finish off my pattern. 

Cut out the pattern


Finally, I could go ahead and cut out my pattern piece. 

Trace the pattern

Cut the fabric 

Next, I traced my pattern onto my four jeans legs and once I had cut, I was left with 8 denim panels for my new skirt. 

Overlock the pieces

I then made sure to overlock all my pieces before continuing. 

Pin the panels

Sew the panels 

Once I had all my denim panels ready, I laid them down, alternating the colors to get the perfect look for my new skirt. I then started to pin the denim panels together.   

Sew along pinned lines


Next, I headed to my sewing machine to sew along the pinned lines. 

Sew the other side


I then turned the skirt and sewed seams along the right side of the fabric where the panels meet. 

Pin on the zipper

Attach the zipper 

I folded the skirt over, right sides together so that I could attach the invisible zipper. I closed the zipper and pinned it to one side of the skirt. I then pinned the other side of the zipper to the second side of the skirt.

DIY denim skirt tutorial


I sewed on the zipper using a zipper foot to make the process easier. 

Close the skirt


Once my zipper was attached, I closed up the skirt below it. 

Easy DIY denim skirt

Finish the skirt 

I then moved on to finish off the top of the skirt. I didn’t have enough fabric to make a waistband but I was happy to fold in the top of the skirt because it gave the piece a nice, clean finish. I folded the top inward by 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) and sewed all the way around. 

Hem the skirt


I moved to the bottom of the skirt and did the same thing, hemming it to get the perfect finish. 

How to make a denim skirt


I love this DIY mini skirt! What do you think about this piece? Let me know in the comments!


How to fold skirts

Want to learn the best way to fold skirts? Check out these Super Easy Skirt Folding Hacks!

Suggested materials:
  • Measuring tape
  • Paper
  • Pen
See all materials

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