Skirts

Upcycled Maxi, T-shirt & Micro Crochet

September 17, 2026 By Mary Peterson 4 Comments

I have been looking for a long, flowing, tiered maxi skirt for a while, but I didn’t like the prices or the prints. Enter this maxi dress. It wasn’t my size, but it had potential for a quick and easy upcycle.

The skirt just needed to be relieved of its bodice and paired with a decorated white T-shirt to create a coordinated outfit. Following is the tutorial for both.

Stay tuned until the end to see a preview of one of my new hobbies: Micro Crochet . I have been working on mastering it all summer and only recently have I been able to make wearable pieces. Before the end of the year, I will make a post detailing my journey with this new hobby and ways to incorporated it into the refashion process.

Before

After

Tutorial

**I used my trusty Gingher Scissors to remove the bodice. (I rarely unpick if I can cut)**
I leveled out the top tier at 9″ and overlocked the edges. I pinned and sewed 1″ inch to the
inside for the elastic waist

Gingher Scissors Link-I highly recommend these scissors. They are razor sharp and will last a lifetime. I have two pairs and they have been with me since college. Like all good scissors they need periodic sharpening. But they can and do last forever.

**Topstitch the waistband and add 3/4″ elastic**

**I grabbed a basic T from the closet. I chopped off the curve and made a 1″ hem across the bottom. A 1″ hem adds more weight and doesn’t roll.**

**I found the perfect piece of lace in my collection to add some interest to the basic V-neck**.

**The result was much more up to date and interesting**.

**MICRO CROCHET EARRINGS!**
I made these with a teeny tiny crochet hook and sewing thread. Stay tuned for more on this evolving skill.

Want to know more about micro crochet? Here is a link to the book I purchased: Micro Crochet

So everyone, what do you think of this latest remake? Talk to me! What is everyone working on and what would you like to see me do next? I am starting to get in the groove my new retired life and gradually picking up the pace on my posting. My closet full of things ready to transform!

Happy Refashioning!

Back to School- No Refashion Required

August 24, 2014 By Mary Peterson 11 Comments

Hi Everyone!

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Tomorrow is the big day for my school district. The infamous, “First Day of School.” You would think after all of these years I would not be nervous, but this year I am teaching a combo 2nd and 3rd grade class, and there is this little thing called the “Common Core,” that has us all trying to figure out what to do next. So, you can see I have been quite busy.

One thing I am not worried about is what to wear. This little outfit is on the agenda for the week:

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Here are the “Thrifty Chic statistics:

Skirt-Liz Claiborne purchased unused from Goodwill-$5

Tanktop-Target-$5

Shoes Anne Klein-Marshalls-$25

The necklace was designed and made by me on a long ago blog entry. See the jewelry refashion here.

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I have quite a few projects finished, I just need the time to take those darn pictures. Stay tuned for more refashion fun and let me know what treasures you have found lately will ya?

Until then,

Love ya,

Mary

Pencil skirt Refashion and a Giveaway!

June 30, 2014 By Mary Peterson 41 Comments

Hi Everyone!

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Today I submit to you another one of my failures that became a design opportunity, AND stay tuned until the end of this post to see the fun summer giveaway I have for one lucky reader!

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As always, I will start with the after and then work backwards to show you the creation story. So here it goes. The skirt is the featured AFTER, but the top is thrifted too. It is a cute, crisp linen top. It came a little too large but I nipped in the sides and shoulders and it is good to go!.

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It all started here…

Check out this great little dress that had and age inappropriate style, but was purchased with the intent of making use of the lovely matched chevron stripe skirt. My first intention was to make a skirt with a little tie waistband.

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You can just picture it right? Well, I wish I had been brave enough to take a picture of my flop at the time, but I didn’t. Just trust me when I say it was too A-line, made my hips look massive, and the cute little tie just added bulk to my middle aged waistline. In order to feature the tie waistband, any top I wore had to be tucked in. Yuck! I do not tuck! Also, the weight of the fabric was too light to hold up and entire skirt. What was perfect for a flirty dress, did not work for a skirt. It was not a pretty sight, but I was unwilling to throw it in the rag pile just yet.

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TUTORIAL:

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STEP 1) MY little “Flop” sat in the stash pile for a while until I unearthed this basic little skirt from my closet. UREKA! I had an idea! I could salvage the great matched chevron stripe and make a panel in the front of this boring skirt. Here you see the first step in the project. The center of the waistband is marked, and the panel width has been drawn in with a chalk pencil.

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Step 2) I measured and cut a matching size panel to fit the panel I drew on my skirt. Here you can see that I pinned down the seam allowances on each side and pressed them down. I planned to topstitch the sides down in order to keep the panel more stable.

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Step 3) You can see in this picture that I altered the size of my panel from the original chalk lines. I wanted to create a perfect corner at the top of the waistband so you can see I pinned it in preparation to sew it across the top. You can also see that I have trace basted the new lines of the panel down the front.

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Step 4) Sew the seam down across the waistband.

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Step 5) Here you see the skirt pinned and ready to edgestitch around the sides of the panel and across the waistband.

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Step 6) Edgestitch, then make a quick hem across the front panel and you are done

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This is a floral canvas bag with bamboo handles, made especially for one lucky reader by ME!. It is fully lined and has a pocket for your cell phone. All you need to do to win is be an official follower of my blog. Then, post a comment so your name is entered. I will be picking and posting the winner on Monday July 7th. I am sorry my international friends but I will only ship in the US.

More Crafty Handbags! and Thrify Chic Style!3

So, start posting my refashion friends. I can’t wait to give it away!!

‘Til later…

Love Ya,

Mary

Dress Refashioned to a Maxi Skirt

June 1, 2014 By Mary Peterson 8 Comments

Hi Everyone!

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I have a quick offering for you this week. This one will be a cinch for beginners. It all started with this awful and boring tank dress with dreadful ties in the back.

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BEFORE:

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It’s saving grace was a beautiful rayon print with a great diagonal stripe pattern. It was also large enough to fit over my hips and become a basic maxi dress. Just the thing for work. Here it is paired with a tank, belt, and a denim shirt.

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AFTER:

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This was a really simple job

Here is a quick two step tutorial. This was done in about 30 minutes:

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Step 1) Cut off the dress at the sleeves making sure you have enough length for a full maxi with a 1″ tunnel elastic waist.

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Step 2) Overlock the top of the skirt, then turn and topstitch 1 inch to add an elastic waist and you are done!

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I would love to hear from you. Summer is almost here and that means more time to be creative!

Can’t wait!

Later…

Love Ya,

Mary

Thrift Shop Slip Dress to Refashioned Maxi Skirt!

March 17, 2013 By Mary Peterson 5 Comments

Hi Everyone!

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I know it has been a few weeks, but once again it has been report card time! Finishing report cards is an exhausting, time consuming process. But…Fear not! Report cards are finished, and I have been squeezing in precious moments to sew and refashion. I just haven’t had a moment to put it all together for you until now. Take a look at my latest before and after…

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A rayon slip dress with a great pattern! I just zipped off the top and made a foldover 3/4″ elastic waist.

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I feel pretty and on trend. All of this for a $5.99 dress, about $0.50 worth of elastic and about 20 minutes of time!

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One thing about using a slip dress to do this:

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Make sure you are able to take it into the dressing room and check if it is big enough to fit you properly over the hips as a skirt. If I am going to a thrift shop with no dressing rooms, I will wear leggings and a tunic so I can slip things on without fear.

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Well, that is all for right now. I do have more projects to do and homework to correct. So see you next time. I would love to hear your comments.