Lace Pencil Skirt Tutorial (refashion)

My in-laws have a very extensive collection of their old clothing and other stuff in their giant closets. It's really kind of fun to go digging through them, sort of a blast from the blast! During Christmas break, my best friend Janelle and I went looking for all the refashioning possibilities we could find. After a while of fun brainstorming, I narrowed down my pile to just a few and took them home with me!

Enter the a-line lace skirt. This was one of the items from my mum-in-law's closet that made the trip home with me. At first I didn't even look at it, which is crazy to me now! But luckily, Janelle saw potential, what with lace skirts being all the vogue.

Once I started thinking straight, I saw the potential too. And, now I have a beautiful lace pencil skirt, perfect for dressy or casual occasions!

Tutorial:

This is really easy to do with any a-line skirts that is in need of updating. The tricky part with this one was it's material. The lace is a knitted stretch lace, so when sewing the bottom hem you need to use a stretch stitch, which should look like a slightly crooked zigzag. If you don't have that, then use a zigzag but do a test run on extra fabric. Also IMPORTANT when working with knits is to use a ball point needle in your machine!

Step 1: Turn skirt inside out and wear it. Then pin to desired pencil width (very similar to my skinny jean tutorial).

Step 2: Sew a straight seem along the pinned sides.

Step 3: Try on again to make sure it fits properly, then zigzag or serge the sides to finish them.

Step 4: Try on one last time and pin the bottom to desired length.

Step 5: Hem the bottom. I folded mine over twice.

***Make sure to adjust the stitch setting to a stretch stitch and the right thread tension (or else you'll end up breaking your seam when you sit down the first time).

That's all there is to it! Plus, it's really achievable in under an hour.

Have a lovely Sabbath tomorrow, I know what I'll be wearing to church...

---Elizabeth