Tutorial Tuesday: Re-Fashioned Tank Top

I was grabbing some groceries at a certain giant chain department store the other day when I walked past a clearance bin and this funky fabric caught my attention. I pulled it out of the bin and discovered it was a large tank top with this crazy gold lamé-ish (more like gold paint) thunderbolt pattern on it. 

It was only $3 and I felt like it looked really sad and a little awkward as a shirt and needed to be made into something else. I had 3 bucks in my pocket and decided I was the person for that job!

Supplies:

1. Oversized tank top.
2. Matching Thread
3. Sewing Machine
4. Scissors
5. Pins
6. 1 in. wide elastic 

Step 1: My shirt has about 13 in. from the bottom before it starts to go in for the waist. So I cut about inches 5 1/2in. down from the bottom of the armpit.

Step 2: I folded about an inch and a half down to make a casing for my elastic and pinned.  Then sew all the way around with a 1/2th in. seam but leave a 2 in. gap to insert the elastic into.

Step 3: Wrap the elastic around your waist/hip (or where ever  you want the waist of the skirt to hit) and add an inch from where it fits comfortably. Cut. Insert into the casing. pin one end of the elastic to the other. Sew 1/2 in. seam.

                 

 Step 4: Sew that 2 in. gap in the casing closed and you are all done!

This skirt is not something I would usually wear(it's a little girly for me) but I think I like it, especially for only $3. The fabric is so funky and it makes me feel like a walking art project. It also looks good with my tights which is a plus. They are a staple of my autumn fashion! 

I surprisingly found it easier to come up with outfits involving this skirt than I thought I would; I'm probably going to do a whole style post on it.

I'm proud to hang this in my handmade wardrobe! This is a great project for if you ever find a garment with a fabric you really love but the size is much too large, or you really think that fabric they printed for a top looks better as a bottom. Its pretty easy to  just make a rectangle, and add elastic to the waist. Bam!

Til Next Time,

RaCh