That’s never going to work!

For my second attempt at a jeans refashion for Portia’s challenge –  the refashioners2016 , I grabbed 2 pairs from my $1 a pair Goodwill haul.

One pair were medium weight, with a little stretch. I really liked the other pair (Banana Republic) – lighter weight, with a texture that almost looked like a faint tartan to a pair of old eyes. They were wide leg, so even though they were smaller than I wear, the extra fabric seemed to offer up more possibilities.

I don’t know quite what I was thinking (maybe it was the vision of tartan imprinted on my brain), but I started pondering KILTS…..a totally inappropriate garment to make out of a limited amount of fabric that’s already cut into shapes and stitched together!! I guess my mind could have gone a ridiculous step further, and considered a sari..or maybe a wedding dress with a 10′ train  🙂

OK, back on planet earth…. unless I drop about 10 sizes overnight, I”d never be able to cut a kilt out of 2 pairs of jeans. So, my skirt kind of evolved – I cut front and back panels from the heavier jeans, using the outside leg seams as my CF and CB.

I saved the zip and sewed it into the back seam. I then cut 4 hip panels, shaping by eye and adjusting on my body. To save fabric, I folded and stitched a couple of narrow seams down the panels to suggest stitched down pleats.

I thought the wide leg jeans would give me a decent amount for side pleated sections, but found they had a sneaky bias seam.

I used them anyway, even though those seams caused some bulk and twisting. I unpicked the the two back pockets, stitched them together, and added them to one side. I cut fabric from the deep hem allowance to make straps for the other side, and added a couple of rings from my stash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it’s not exactly a kilt, but it’s definitely more useful than 2 pairs of jeans not in my size!! The finished skirt is a little twisted and stretched in places but wearable, and will definitely get a lot of use – certainly worth the whopping $2 outlay!