Perhaps this has happened to you.
Your mom gives you some clothes and tells you to use them or give them away or whatever you want.
In the pile are a pair of Bill Blass peach colored jeans. And while they are tight around the waist, they are loose in the legs. I am not sure if this how all Bill Blass clothes fit.
There is a part of me thinking there is no way I am going to wear these pants while another part is thinking this color is really in style and I need a new skirt or two.
So I make plans to convert it from pants to a skirt which will be easier now that I have a new Husquverna-Viking sewing machine. After watching a wiki video, I feel ready to try it but I really need a practice run.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Denim-Skirt-From-Recycled-Jeans
That is when I discover a pair of jeans that my daughter has stretched beyond repair in the rear seam area. Perfect.
First things first, I cut off the lower 12 inches of pant leg.
Then with my favorite tool, the seam ripper, I open up the inside pant seams and seams leading up to the zipper and back yoke. This is the longest task of the project.
Next up is pinning the back seam and sewing it down. The trick here is to make a straight seam out of extra fabric. If I had to do this part again, I would have laid the pieces flat and drawn a straight line to sew on.
After getting the front seam done, I cut off the extra fabric and use one of my serge stitches on the outside ends before ironing the seam to one side.
Now I make one final mark for the desired length of the hem. My daughter wants this to be above her knees and I want it below the thighs. We find a good compromise so a quick roll through with my rotary cutter gets the right length.
I stitch to a different serger stitch on the hem to prevent future unraveling, turn up the hem and sew it down.
Ba-Bam! The girl has a new skirt and we do not have to throw away her favorite jeans.
Now all I need is peach-colored thread.
What are you sewing this summer?
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
I am so not good with a sewing machine but this looks like a clever way to recycle clothes!
That it is!
This is perfect!! I remember when I was a teen we would take our worn out jeans and make them into purses but it never occured to me to make a skirt. Well done.
She has another pair of jeans on the edge that she wants me to make into purse. I need to look that one up as well.
Terrifico!!! Oh, oh, you could embellish, too, with an applique or some embroidery. Wow!
I had not thought of that.
It’s that I have a Singer that embroiders. Mind you, it’s brand-new and has been waiting patiently since before Christmas 2011 for me to give it a whirl; but I’ve been too busy to indulge in that fantasy. So, naturally, when I saw your very creative masterpiece, I thought, “Wow! She could really dress it up with embroidery. And her little girl would love it! As would her friends.”
I need to give you ‘what-for’ for not using that machine. Instead, I hope I have given you inspiration.
Oh, yea! You know I’ve been ready to work with it. I’ve got the threads and all sorts of software and such, but I just don’t have the time or energy. I love to sew (puppets) by hand; but, even then, I just haven’t had the oomph ’cause I’ve got too much going on. But I’m definitely inspired!
Trust me when I saw I understand about being busy. Do you have a shop that offers classes?
Been there, did that. Twice. Got fired up. Then came home and reality hit. Too many irons in the fire(s). One day…
sigh…
I love recycling things. We used to make these in college ( but wore them much longer and with calico patches where worn)
Later We used to make Girls Scout totes sewing one leg( cut at the knee) to the bottom of a plastic milk jug (strong thick thread and big needles to punch through. make a tunnel at top for drawstring)
What a cute picture of your daughter!
Thanks, she is a very cute girl.
As for the skirt, I gave her the option of have a placket put in between the front seam and back seam to make the skirt pouf out more on the bottom. She chose the straight shirt.
It looks really cute ( and they are wearing them slim now)
Nice job! Repurposing is the thing to do these days! 🙂