New Old Skirt

So I had mentioned that I was going to try to make a couple of my old favorite skirts fit again and I have one down in the project pile.  I bought these when I still worked in an office between 1993 and 1997....I have gained weight since then, 2 sizes to be honest.  but I loved these skirts, they are that rayon fabric that hangs so nice and, well you see where my head is here.  I had a plan - why couldn't I just add some fabric in to the sides high enough that it wouldn't show and voila!  I was thinking of maternity panels (sigh-those were so comfy!) but on the sides. 

HUGE DISCLAIMER!  Please understand that if anyone with an ounce of sewing talent or education reads this they will cringe!  I am a slapdash seamstress, I am not particularly careful many times and I just sort of get to the end somehow and most of the time it turns out OK but sometimes it doesn't!  (I don't show you those)  This is not something you can do to a skirt that you want to tuck a shirt into.  Lucky for me my shirt tucking days were over by the time the 3rd kid had come along!

I tried on the skirt and figured out how many inches to add -ugh!  I removed the zipper from one side and used that as my 'how far down marker', I then cut through the waistband on the other seam and gently took out the seam down as far as the zipper had come.

I decided to use some stretchy black fabric from a skirt I had made recently for the insert, as the background of the skirt was gray/black.  I cut out a sort of triangle just hoping the shape would work.  To do it again I would make a point at the bottom as I ended up having to make some adjustments  there.

I sewed the triangle into the seams. (making the above mentioned adjustments so it didn't turn in to a pocket) I went ahead and used the maroon thread which showed the stitching well and won't be seen unless I hang upside down somewhere!  (only slightly less likely than tucking my shirt in)

I turned under the waistband portion and sewed in place, the fabric was stretchy enough that I didn't feel the need for elastic inside.  I tried it on and it fit!  Hooray! 


The best part of this little redo is that this skirt came with a shirt to match (also rayon, also much loved) but the shirt had actually worn out - frayed at the cuffs etc.  I found the exact same shirt in the larger size in the thrift shop where my mom volunteers, with the tag still on it, never worn, during a sale when all shirts were $2!

So here is the outfit that I wore to church last Sunday that cost a total of $2. (did I mention that I used a spool of thread that I brought home from Grandmas!) I got a couple of compliments and I am a happy camper!  I am figuring that I had already gotten my moneys worth out of it from the initial purchase!






Again - this is not a recommended method - but if you are looking for a little extra wear from a skirt that is too small this beats buying new as well as being more satisfying than cutting it into quilt scraps.