A perfectly good pair of pants!

Down here in paradise we are getting ready for back to school, 17 days and counting, can't wait! So this girl has been busy cleaning out closets, sewing on missing buttons and getting out the Oxy Clean to see if we can salvage a few of those shirts that still fit.

Then I came across these pants...a perfectly good pair of pants I might add that she won't wear because she doesn't like the length. Are you kidding me!? I could have just cut them down to shorts but thought she could get more wear out of a skirt.



So here is my attempt at refashioning these pants into a skirt.

First, I cut the top off the pants, like so, trimmed them up a bit and was careful not to cut the pockets inside.

Then, I took the legs and trimmed off the seams to make the biggest rectangle it would allow me.

Sewed all 4 rectangles together to create a tube, and then I top stitched a straight 1/4" at the bottom for my no pin hem. I know it is hard to see in the picture, but it is there.

At the ironing board I ironed all my seams flat and then, with the 1/4" top stitch as my guide I ironed it so the raw edge was folded up.

Then at the machine I top stitched it again carefully folding it over as I went along.

(A perfect, pressed 1/4" hem that you never had to pin.)

At this point I had visions of pleats...but not enough length....so I opted for simple pin tucks. I didn't measure them exactly all the way around, I just eased them in the best I could.

Then I sewed the skirt to the pant top and...

Voila! All done! And the best part, she said she will actually wear them. :)