DIY Fall: Turn a Tank Dress into a Patchwork Skirt
It’s finally fall! And I’ve got an equinox project just in time for the cool temps. Outside, the summer heat is being replaced by foggy nights and cool overcast days. If you have a tank dress in your closet, it might be getting too cold to wear it now. But if you turn it into a skirt, you can wear it all year round!
I bought a patchwork tank dress from Healing Heart Design Co on Etsy, and I already knew I was going to alter it in some way. It is pretty challenging to find clothes in my size on Etsy. Most upcyclers don’t get into plus sizes, and often the ones that do are not in my style. What is a woman to do? I bought a couple dresses and a sweatshirt from Healing Heart, knowing full well that I was going to upcycle the dresses.
If you have one too many tank dresses, get out your fabric scraps and give this project a try!
Cut off the straps of the dress. Be sure to cut below the underarm seams so that it is a straight line across the top. Then, cut along the side seams of the dress to create two pieces.
Figure out how wide to make the patchwork! Measure your waist and low hip, and see which measurement is bigger. Take the bigger measurement of the two, and add eight to ten inches. Write that number down. Then, measure the width of the front and back pieces. Add those measurements together. Subtract that number from the waist or hip measurement you wrote down. Divide by two. The resulting number is the width of the side patchwork panels. The length will be equal to the length of the dress panels.
Create two patchwork panels for the sides. If you want to add length to make it a longer skirt, add panels to the bottom to add that length. Add patchwork along the sides, then sew back together. I already had a stack of patchwork squares, so it was simple to just grab squares and sew. I added two rows of squares along each long side of the front panel, then reattached the back panel.
Trim off the excess fabric along the top and at the hem.
Add an elastic waistband. Fold over the waist of the skirt, and press. Then sew along the raw edge, leaving a two inch opening. Feed elastic through, and sew the ends of the elastic together. Then close the opening.
Hem the bottom! Add trim, lace, or just a basic zig zag stitch all the way around. Add pockets or an applique at this stage too! Make it something you can’t wait to wear.
I hope you are enjoying the first day of fall! I’m rocking my new skirt in patchwork heaven!
