The Deconstruction of Jeans

It's the little things that make you realize you're much more like your mother than you realize. When my mom was the absolute busiest is when she decided she had to stop and make a pot roast. I'm not sure if it's avoidance of the things you have to do, or a personal challenge to do more than you must. Either way, I do the same with sewing projects.

 I needed to use today to make a birthday present...instead I decided to make this skirt. It has begun.

And since I'm confessing things here. I'll admit that the idea for this skirt was inspired by an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that I saw many years ago. This was at the beginning of the internet phenomenon...so rather then google how to do it (how did we ever get along without the internet?) I just tried it myself with a beautiful silk fabric I had. It came out very cute, but not practical. It was floor length, and I didn't understand what to do with the crotch, so it kind of stuck out in the back.

 But I definitely felt like a hippy princess when I wore it.

I later tried again, and made the resulting skirt-flop into a bag. (my husband remembers that bag well because I had it on our very first date)

Somewhere along the way I realized what needed to be done to the crotch seam to make the skirt lay right, but I never revisited the idea. All of the sudden my daughter has been having growth spurts such that her legs are 4" longer and her waist is the same. What do I do with all those cute jeans? Most I've put in storage for a possible future baby girl...but really, why waste them all in hiding? So today I decided to deconstruct a pair of Laurel's old jeans in between other work. The trick is to remove the inside seam first so that you have a front and a back. Then go to front seam and remove the middle seam until just above the curve (you'll see).



You'll know you've pulled enough when the front piece flaps over the other and lays flat. Do the same in the back, though you will notice the flap in the back is larger then the one in the front.



I think it's best to pin and sew these flaps before moving on. Lay them flat now...you can see the beginning of the skirt. Figure out what length you want the skirt and cut the bottom off to size. I like it to fall just at or below the knee. (Any longer makes playing hard)




With the skirt still laying flat, place your fabric under the opening and cut it a little larger then the triangle opening. You can do this with one panel, a quilted panel, an appliqued panel...this is where you get to be terribly creative. You could even put a panel in and then applique something that stretches from the panel to the denim...it really pulls the design together (ok I'm biased...since that's what I did here).




Now pin and sew the front and back panels. I just place the panel underneath the opening and sewed over the already pressed denim. (when you deconstruct the legs the previous fold from the hem remains) At this point you can leave the bottom raw (not my favorite), or hem it under. 

It's as simple as that.

What do you think? Pretty easy, no? Terribly cute, yes?