Project Recycled Week Four: Bottoms-Up

 I do not envy you guys.

These projects are amazing! As always the voting is open until Friday at midnight, but this one is a HUGE deal because the top two will be chosen. You can vote once a day so click back often to make sure your favorite makes it to the finals.


Petticoat from a Thrifted Slip and Cushion Cover.

Petticoats give volume and interest to otherwise ordinary skirts. I've made my own petticoat, using a slip and a frilly cushion cover purchased from the op shop. Slip $2, the cushion cover was sitting in a bag out the back of the op shop, deemed as unsellable. I gave the op shop 50c for it!

First up, I cut the slip to an appropriate skirt shape, there are two pieces of fabric here..
  I cut the cushion cover into strips, leaving the frilly bit for the bottom hem. I serged (overlocked) the edges of all strips to prevent fray. I did not have enough strips to completely fill the skirt, but that's Ok because only the bottom 1/4 is seen. Included elastic band casing at the top, and serged (overlocked) each side of the skirt together..

Petticoat worn under skirt, notice how it goes volume?
 

And if gallivanting around! here's what you see..
 

Black And White Skirt Sets

I'm pleased to be back for Round 4 of Project Recycle... Bottoms Up. This week, my refashion started as two skirts, one top and a t-shirt...

The first item I cut, was the black skirt with white lace.

• Cut off the elastic waist.
• Cut the skirt just below the first line of lace.
• Add a casing and insert elastic for a smaller waist.
• Add a row of polka dot bias (from my stash).
• Finish the hem with red bias (from my stash).
• Add red lace to the original skirt lining (from my stash).
• Add a bow made from lace and bias (from my stash).

... to create a short, little skirt.

Next up was to use the remaining portion of the black, lace skirt and the blue, denim top.

• Cut a strip from the blue denim skirt.
• Gather the black fabric and attach to the strip of denim.
• Add a casing and insert elastic.
• Add a bow made from bias (from my stash).

... to create a longer skirt.

The short skirt needed something to be worn underneath, so I cut into the second black skirt.

• Cut and make a pair of three quarter length pants, using a pattern.
• Add shirring to the legs.

... to create a pair of pantaloons.

And to complete the set, I used the red t-shirt.

• Cut the t-shirt using a pattern.
• Add elastic for the waist.
• Use the neck from the t-shirt as the hem.

... to create a pair of leggings.

The long skirt can be worn by itself or with the pantaloons.

The short skirt can be worn with either the leggings or the pantaloons.

Four items of unwanted women's clothing, turned into four little pieces of clothing to mix and match, for a little girl.

Snappy Pool Skirt

If my windows are open in the summer, I can hear the splashing in the neighborhood pool, we are that close to it.  So when I found this cloth table cloth at the thrift store for only $3, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it:  make a pool bag!  But, the "Bottoms Up" Challenge made me look at it a bit differently.  I realized it has all the colors of my mix-and-match bathing suits in it and it would make a great, quick drying skirt as a pool cover up.

Since it was already a circle, I folded it in quarters.  I measured my waist and divided it by 4.

And using my bendable ruler, I cut the top off, using that 1/4 of my waist measurement as a guide.

Since this was an outdoor table cloth meant to fit around an umbrella, there already was a zipper up the side.  I left the zipper in place and added a band of coordinating fabric to finish off the waist.  And a little fabric rose to cover a small error, because let's face it, when you are upcycling, you've got to go with the flow and mistakes happen!

I think it looks great with my aqua suit and my yellow one (excuse the sideways picture, it keeps loading this way, not sure why...).

How many weeks until the pool opens?!?!?

Peace be with you.