Skirt Re-sizing II

I went on a skirt re-sizing kick recently.  Most of the thrift stores I shop at don't have fitting rooms and even if they did - let's be honest...I hate to try on clothes.  As a result, I had a pile of skirts in a box that needed surgery.  One was too big, two were too small, and one really needed a slip worn under it but since those are the devil in the summer, I decided to do something else that you'll see in the future....

Anyway, I figured since I was working on all these skirts, I may as well post tutorials!  I sized the poodle skirt up a size or two so it would fit, but it had an elastic waist and this one was a  bit different because I went from elastic to drawstring.

As soon as I saw this hand-made color block skirt, I knew I had to have it.  Add that to the fact that it was 2 bucks and...well, you do the math.  When I got it home and put it on, it fit but juuust barely.  It was tight and squeezed in all the wrong places, creating rolls I don't have which I don't really need help with, but I did appreciate the offer.  Since I could afford to sacrifice a little length, I decided to fix it and into the box it went until months and months later when I finally got off my lazy ass.

The first step was pulling this rope-thing off the front.  The skirt had an elastic waist with this for some reason stitched onto the front part of it.  It is thick and plushy and I guess you were supposed to...Tie it in a knot?  Hang your foes with it?  Either way, it wasn't working for me.

So, the first thing I did was take all that crap out of it so that once it was flat, I could use it as the drawstring.  I snipped one end of it off and yanked that rope up there out of it.  Rope wasn't enough.  They wanted a REALLY fluffy string, guys.  They packed it with this stuffing that was a bitch to get out.  I ended up shoving that chopstick through the tube, narrow end first, and working it all the way down to force all that crap out.  How they packed all that in that tiny tube then sewed it shut is totally beyond me.

Next step, I trimmed off the elastic.

Once that was done, I laid it flat on the floor, then put a skirt I had on top of it that fits like a dream.  Using that as a guide, I left a little space on each end to allow for drawstring-ing and folding over since with a drawstring skirt, I wanted it to be a bit large as I don't like the look of a drawstring that's pulled allll the way tight.

Once I had that part, I folded the hem over towards the inside twice and pinned it all the way around.  Much easier with this type of skirt!  Next, you'll need to press that seam, and if you're me, that means getting a little inventive.

Don't judge me.  I don't even own an iron, guys.  I pressed the hem all the way around with my straightening iron and it worked like a charm!

See?

I threaded a needle with a navy thread, then began sewing the bottom of the tube up.

My stitches are ugly, yes, but with the print and the gathering after draw-stringing you can't even tell.

Once I had it stitched all the way around, I cut small holes about an inch and a half apart on the side, then stitched all the way around them with a blanket stitch (WOO, TECHNICAL TERMS!...I just hope it is the right one) so it would hold nicely, then I ran the drawstring back through with a safety pin.  I wanted the drawstring to sit inside the skirt, which is why I put them inside and on the side.  The way the skirt flares out when you put it on, you can't even see the strings underneath.

I'd have posted an "after" picture, but to be honest, I guess I did a pretty good job because I couldn't even tell them apart once I got them uploaded!!

Helpful at all?

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