Thrift Flip | DIY chic slit midi skirt

This little project has been on my to-do list for a while. After struggling with some creative burn out recently, I’ve had the itch to get off my iPad and computer for a bit, and actually make something tangible – you know… with my hands, using physical materials. hehe

I started off by making some stretch bracelets (I love making jewelry), and then eventually circled back around to my fashion school roots and threaded my dusty sewing machines.

Today’s THRIFT FLIP transforms a plus sized, somewhat granny looking, skirt from Goodwill… into a figure-hugging pencil skirt with a saucy thigh high slit. I’ve seen these skirts all over Pinterest and Instagram, and I really like how they seem to look really cute with almost ANYTHING. Dressed up, dressed down, and everything in between.

Tons of online shops and brands like Princess Polly, Nasty Gal, etc. have these types of skirts in all types of colors and prints. But when I saw this pink tone-on-tone textured floral skirt at Goodwill, I thought it would make a really pretty version of this slit skirt.

Here’s just one of the many photos on my Pinterest board for inspo:

And here’s what my version ended up looking like! 🙂

Keep reading for a full run-down of how it all came together.

This is the original skirt I thrifted… I really liked the color and it had a decent waistband/overall shape to work with.

But, it was WAY too big… I had to take in several inches from the side seams. If you come across a large skirt, look at it as a great thing! There’s more material to work with and more room to modify things to look exactly the way you want.

To adjust the size, try it on, pinch, fold, and pin where you feel the waistband fits comfortably.

Next, turn the skirt inside out and pin all the way down the side seams (you can do this while wearing the skirt inside out as well to have more control over the way it fits around your hips and legs). Also, make sure the skirt has a zipper, buttons, or any type of opening that you can still use to comfortably get in and out of once the skirt is newly resized with the pins.

You’re essentially creating a “new” side seam out of pins. Then, cut along the pin guide, leaving room for seam allowance.

At this point, you should have 2 separate panels, the front and back of the skirt.

To make the inside of the garment clean finished and avoid fraying, use a serger along all of the cut edges of fabric. If you don’t have a serger, you can use a tight zig zag stitch on a regular sewing machine along the very edge of the fabric.

To add the slit, decide the point where you’d like the slit to stop on your leg, and add a pin or mark with a crayon. Then, cut a straight line down that marking at 90 degreed from the waistband.

(you’ll be cutting along the edge of the ruler in the photo below)

Again, finish the new cut edges by running them through the serger or giving them a zig zag stitch on a sewing machine.

Once all the edges are clean finished, it’s time to put the skirt back together like a puzzle.

Line up the side seams, facing the right sides of the fabrics together, and sew a straight stitch all the way down the entire length of the skirt. I like to use 1/4 – 1/2 inch seam allowance but this is up to you and the amount of fabric you have to work with!

For the slit, only sew the panels down to the marking. Then clean finish the slit by folding the edges over 1/4 inch and top stitching all the way around.

To finish everything off, give all the new seams and hems a light press (turn the skirt inside out and/or use a scrap cotton towel to iron if your fabric is delicate), and you’re done!

Clearly I did not iron my version of this before taking these pics because I was just too excited to try it on!