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Does your girl-child have any jeans lying around with worn-out knees? Do you have a buck to spend on fabric? Oh, and a sewing machine or access to one?
Then step right up. This looks to be one easy sewing project.
My friend Jana is a great seamstress. In fact, she used to have her own business sewing up hooded baby/kid towels with the most adorable flannel-lined hoods. And the Easter dresses she sews for herself and her daughters are beautiful.
I can sew, and have for me and my daughters but I like to keep it on the easy side, so this latest of Jana’s brainstorms really appeals to me.
Here’s the details, and if you have any questions, be sure to post them in comments and Jana will be glad to answer them.
Take two strips of fabric (determine the finished skirt length you want, allowing extra for seam allowances and hem), you could use two different fabrics or both the same as shown in the picture. Cut one a little bit wider than the other, gather them both. Attach one to the other and then both to the jean “skirt”. Take special note of the overall dress! So cute!!
Thank you so much, Jana!
Wow, those are awesome! My daughter would wear those for sure, wish I knew how to sew clothes *sigh* do you hve a pattern?
No pattern, but if you have the jeans, cut them off above the legs and measure around that. Then when you’re gathering the fabric (again, the length of each strip of fabric would be according to how long your daughter wants the skirt) gather it only till it’s the right circumference to pin to the jeans (righ sides together, sew on the wrong side, allowing for seam allowance). In general, when gathering fabric, you go one and a half longer than the length you’re sewing to. So if the jeans measured 20 inches around, your fabric would be 30 inches gathered to 20. So for the bottom tier, which would be 30, you’d want a width of 45 inches gathered to 30. (Sorry those aren’t in cm!)
Correct me if I’m wrong, Jana. I’m sure you can explain it better than me anyway!
Well, I did it sort of on the “fly” but I didn’t want as much poof to the gathered parts so on each layer, I did about 10 inches more of fabric. The bigger one, I think the strip is 10 inches wide, the littler 8 inches. I made several of these from 2 yrs up to 13 and varied the length to accomodate the different ages. These are almost ankle length on my girls but don’t look dowdy or anything. I got a $5 shirt at Walmart to go with them!
Oh I love that!!!
I was commenting to my mother today that I really need to learn how to sew!
This may seem odd, but, is your friend Jana by chance from ND. I have a really good friend from Salina, KS that gave me a hooded towel her cousin had made for my baby shower, and I LOVED it!!! The one you described sounds just like the one I received as a shower gift. At one point I know Jana (also her cousin’s name) had a website to order these, but my friend thinks she no longer has it. If she has one, please e-mail me the website, I would love to have her make me a couple, or buy the pattern to make my own. I’m too afraid to take the one I have apart, just incase it doesn’t go back correctly.
Wow! Yes, my friend is from ND, and she used to have a website, “Kidsinthehood”…and for a while she still sold them at craft shows. Maybe between you and me we can get her to start producing again! ;O)
Calling Jana….
Cristina, if you’ll email me at Mary@minthegap.com, I’ll forward your email to Jana, okay? What a small world! Glad you asked!
OK, this is freaking me out!! :-O The world is a small, small place!!
I do towels on a special order basis, usually for repeat customers. I’d be glad to either do one for you or tell you how. There’s no pattern, I just made it up myself!
Oh wow, this is so strange. Yes, Sandee is my hubby’s cousin…