Denim skirts are cool. They have that 1960s look. You can make a hippie denim skirt from your old jeans.
Hippie denim skirts are comfortable, too. Making a skirt from pants or jeans is a great way to recycle your used clothing and it is easy, even for those with little sewing experience.
All you will need are:
- An old pair of jeans that still fits you.
- Seam ripper, scissors, and thread.
- AppliquÈs, sequins, ribbon, etc. to embellish the skirt.
First, decide how long you want your finished skirt and add one and a half inch seam allowance for the hem. Measure this total length from the waist of the jeans. Cut both legs straight across at this point.
Next, take out the center leg seams of the jeans. These are the only seams you will need to open. Be patient and take your time opening the seams, so that you will not accidentally slash the fabric.
Sew the front sections of the two legs together, right sides facing. Repeat for the back sections. You now have a skirt. All it needs is hemming and some creative embellishment. If you want a wider skirt, you can add in a gore (triangle) of denim in the center front and center back.
Turn the hem up, either turning the raw edge under or edge finishing it. Edge finishing with a zig-stitch produces a less bulky hem than turning the raw edge under. Sew your hem, by hand or by machine.
Now you are ready for the fun part. Embellish you skirt with appliquÈs, embroidery, sequins, ribbons and so on. AppliquÈs with a '60s or '70s theme look great. Try peace signs, the smiley face, bold color flowers, and fringe.
AppliquÈs can be sewn on, but they are also easy to apply with two sided-fusible webbing. You can use fabric glue as well, but double-sided fusible webbing is less messy and more durable. It takes a few more minutes to apply than glue because you iron it on.
Sequins are best sewn on or glued on. Ribbons and fringe are easier to sew by hand or machine. Artificial flowers can be glued on.
Fabric glue and fusible webbing are both inexpensive. They can be found in any fabric shop. Either product will usually be enough to do more than one project.
Wear your skirt with a tie-dyed t-shirt and youíll have a groovy hippie costume. Other hippie costume ideas include letting you hair down or wearing a wig if you don't have long hair. Wear a headband around your forehead or a large flower in your hair.
