Earlier today, I shared this week’s DIY inspiration – BIG bows! Oversized bows are a great way to make a girly statement to practically any outfit.
Something I love to do is scope out awesome skirts or dresses at the thrift store and shorten them to a more wearable length. I snagged this particular skirt at Goodwill for about $4. It was a little big around the waist, so I sewed down the side (vertical wise). I typically use the extra bottom skirt fabric as a scarf, but this time around I decided to do something a little different.
If you know how to sew a simple straight line on sewing machine, I promise this project is quite easy! With some patience and time, this can also be hand sewn. The best part? The bow is detachable – so you can have two skirts in one. Keep reading to read the tutorial.
Supplies:
– Thrifted long/maxi skirt
– Matching thread and bias tape
– Sewing needle
– Fabric Scissors
– Sewing machine
– Thick 2 inch ribbon, straight pins, safety pins, (optional) fabric glue
1) Cut the skirt to your desired length. I made mine into a midi skirt. I used the stripes as a guide, but if yours skirt doesn’t have stripes, try hanging it up while you cut across. This might make it a little easier to cut.
2) Pin bias tape all around the bottom edge.
3) Sew.
4) I was left with an 80 in long (and 9 in wide) segment of leftover skirt fabric. I trimmed it down to 17 in x 8 in. You can go bigger or smaller, if you’d like!
5) With the “front” sides facing each other, pin along the top and bottom. Sew.
6) Turn right side out and fold the ends in about an inch. Pin and sew.
7) Optional: Sew down the other side of the rectangle so that there’s stitching on both ends.
Start gathering the middle – you’ll see the bow start to form.
8) Sew a few stitches in the center.
9) Tie a strand of wide ribbon around the center. Add a little fabric glue to keep it in place, if you’d like. Trim the excess.
Safety pin the bow to the side of the skirt. I sewed a few hand stitches on the top corner of each side of the bow to keep it in place.
Nice and simple, but makes an impact. The safety pin allows you to remove the bow when and if you please, making the skirt wearable for more than one occasion. Even if you hand sewed the bow with a few stitches, you can easily remove it with a seam ripper. Another alternative would be to place the bow in a different location, such as the back or the bottom of the skirt.
Xo, Kirsten