Now, I am the first to admit that my sewing skills are definitely NOT in the 'advanced' or even the 'intermediate' category. They are probably somewhere in between the 'What is this sewing machine device you speak of?" category and the 'beginner' category, but I can sew straight lines which I guess is the important thing. And let's face it. No one ever learned a new skill by sitting around whinging about not being able to do it.
So on Saturday morning I got up early, went to the op shop and found myself a non-maternity skirt to 'refashion':
As the skirt was a size 18 and way, way, way too big, I started by unpicking the side seams so it could be taken in a couple of inches. After removing the zip, I unpicked the top band so that it could be replaced with a stretchy material, which is essentially what makes a skirt 'maternity wear'. I then cut off a couple of inches off both sides of the skirt (using a skirt that fits perfectly as a guide) and sewed it all back up.
As the tummy sits a bit lower during pregnancy, I cut a slightly rounded section out of the front of the skirt before attaching the stretchy top band. I was going to go to Lincraft and get some brown stretchy material to use for the band, but the main purposes of wardrobe refashion are to save money and to reduce the amount of landfill, so I decided to use a couple of scrap bits of black stretchy material I had left over from another project.
All up I think it took me around an hour to make, but I think I could do it quicker next time, now that I understand what is required. Here is a picture of the finished skirt:
All up I saved myself $33 - and learnt some very valuable skills in the process!
Great job! Brilliant thing is with this style you can wear a longer top after pregnancy and no one needs to know it was a maternity skirt! It looks great.
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