Wednesday, October 10, 2012

My Version of the Latest Denim Skirt Trend

First, I must tell you why I ventured out to make this skirt. My youngest son is graduating from basic training soon. I wanted some new clothes to wear during the time we will be near the Army base. We have decided to go a few days earlier for some rest and relaxation since we are literally flying across the United States.

I saw this denim skirt on Facebook and decided to check out the website Love My Jean Skirt for more information. I had never spent that much money on a skirt. So I looked around to see if I can find something similar at a cheaper price. During my Google search, I found a denim skirt on Apostolic Clothing. Still out of my price range.

I talked to my husband about it. He wanted me to get it. But, in my heart, I couldn't bring myself to spend that much money. That amount of money on one item would put a dent in our clothing money this quarter. My youngest son decided he would pay for it because he knows how much his momma "loves blue jean skirts". I didn't buy it that day...

The next day I sent a message to my Facebook friend Jessica who's also a lover of denim skirts. I asked her opinion on the skirts. She thought they were cute. Then I talked to my cousin Tony over at Well Watered Woman because I wanted her opinion. She sent me some wonderful tutorials from Youtube on converting denim jeans into skirts. Which I will do later.

It dawned on me when I recalled a Scripture about God asking Moses what was in his hand. The light bulb came on. I have my hands. I can make a skirt. God has given each one of us gifts to use. God has given me the gift of sewing. I decided to try and make my own version on the skirt.

I used a basic skirt pattern.

Altered the pattern to give me a semi-fitted fit.

Basic 7 inch zipper that's made for denim. Noticed the used the yellow thread for a contrast look.


The split in the back.

Inside the split in the back. I didn't use my serger machine because I didn't have enough yellow thread or denim needles. So I just used the settings on my regular machine to overlap the edges.

This is how it looked before the waist band, the ruffles and the flower.

For the ruffles, I used 4 inch wide strips. The length is about 2x as long as the measurement around the skirts. You can use more if you like. Putting the ruffles on the skirt is easy, but it may be time consuming. The results are well worth it :)

I needed a guide for the flower so I used a small plate.

I used dots to help me guide the ruffles for the flower. About an inch from the border and then another inch until your ruffle is finished.

This part may take some time. Be patient and work at it. I promise you, you will love the results.

Here's the finished skirt. You can make a little circle to put in the middle. I had to do mine by hand. The material was thick and I didn't want it to get stuck on my sewing machine.

The flower close up. You can also see that I used a band around the ruffle on the skirt. 
I loved the way the thread shows up against the denim material.

The back of the skirt near the split.

I had enough denim left over to make a handbag.

I made a padded pocket on the inside to protect my phone.

Total price for the skirt was $18.90. With that being said, I can honestly say that if you purchase one of the skirts from the links above, it's well worth the price.

3 comments:

TMichelle said...

Lovely skirt! If you decide to start making skirts out of jeans, I'd love to see those too as I am hoping to make some as well.

Love Abounds At Home said...

TMichelle I will let you know. They look like they are fun and easy to make.

Tasha said...

LOVE IT!!!!!!!

I'm getting the sewing itch...schools too hectic though for me to have time to do any sewing. :-(