Fashion Fixes to Update Your Wardrobe:

Not too long ago, I was shopping at one of my favorite boutique resale shops and while browsing the numerous racks of clothing, I caught a glimpse of a lovely blue, very French Chic, fabric. I did a quick re-take just before walking over to investigate it further. After closer assessment, I realized I was right about the fabric--it was a lovely, very fashionable fabric with a few sequins tastefully sprinkled in the right places. To my disappointment, the style of the shirt was bland and way too big for me. Still, I knew I had to buy it!

'Not quite sure at first what I was going to do to make this lovely fabric into a wearable piece, I laid the shirt out onto my bed. I had to have it there to remind me to reach deep into my creative-mind and come up with a solution for making it new again. In the end, after much contemplation and draping...browsing the latest fashion mags for inspiration, I decided to make the plain-Jane shirt into a trendy skirt. My excitement grew the more I dreamed of wearing the beautiful fabric in its new form. I quickly set to work.

Step by step, here's how I made it happen:

• 1) I measured desired length of skirt, keeping in mind the addition of the waistband.
• 2) I cut the shirt horizontally right below the sleeves, leaving the hem of the shirt in-tact to become the hem of the skirt.
• 3) Taking the sleeves, I cut along each seam from the armpit to the cuff and stretched the pieces out, measuring the rise of the waistband, to be sewn to 'top' of the skirt bottom piece.
• 4) Cutting the desired measure off of the sleeves...for the waistband-to-be, I sewed the side seams together to form a waistband tube, if you will.
• 5) Keeping in mind to transform the former-cuff of the sleeves into the top of the skirt (so I wouldn't have to finish the raw edges), I matched the raw edges of the lower skirt piece to the top waistband tube, matching side seams and placing right sides of fabric together (skirt bottom was right side out, waistband was wrong side out...pinned around top of skirt bottom).
• 6) I stitched the raw edges together around the top circumference, trimmed the excess, and turned the skirt waistband right side out by pulling it up.
• 7) Voila! Lovely new skirt with a comfortable 'slouch-style' waistband! I love it!