Turning a sari or saree into a full skirt for summer is an easy sewing project even for beginner. It’s also a great upcycling of a sari that you wore at the Diwali party. Read to learn how.
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Up-Cycling a Sari to a Skirt
Some time ago, a girlfriend of mine gave me a sari for my birthday. I wore it once at Diwali. However, because the best what to wear at a Diwali Party is something new, I cannot wear the sari a second time. I once did and it was a big mistake. Everyone commented that they remembered me wearing the same sari last year.
Therefore, the same girlfriend gave me the idea to up-cycle the sari into a skirt. She said she had up-cycled various old saris from her mom to dresses when she was a teenager. Since I learned sewing full skirts in middle-school, the idea of a new chic summer skirt and a new DIY project was born. Up-cycling is just one of the reasons why to learn how to sew.
I asked my girlfriend whether she would mind if I would up-cycle the sari to a skirt. She was okay with it.
How to Sew a Dirndl-Type Skirt
I cut a twice my hip measure piece off the sari, and sew the piece together along the back. Then I stepped into the resulting tube left side out. In front of a full length mirror, I looked for a flattering tea-length. Then I made a mark with white chalk on the fabric at the smallest point of my waist. I measured the distance from this point to the hem and drew a line parallel to the hem. I drew a second line above at a distance of 3 inch (7.5 cm). I cut the fabric at the line.
Next I bended the fabric over the first line and sew a tube at half an inch (~1.2 cm). However, I did not fully close it. The tube serves to hold a small rubber band. I sew a second tube below the first one. When sewing the third one, I folded the open edge into the tube.
Then I cut three rubber bands in the length of my waist measure plus half an inch for overlap. I pulled the rubber bands thru the tubes using a safety pin and sew the overlap onto the other end of the rubber band.
Take Outfit Inspiration from Nature
I created this outfit because my husband asked me to wear something that would look great in front of the pink blooming bush in our yard. Thus, I rioted my closet for pink items. A heather pink bag, blush shoes and a pink suede belt were the first pieces for the outfit. A new surprising discovery was that my self-sewn paisley print skirt has many colors that also occur in my oblong swirl scarf. I added the blue college tee because I prefer my outfits to have at least an area with high saturation. In general, I prefer dark, high saturated colors.
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Photos of me: G. Kramm
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