What to do with old jeans, how to make a denim broom skirt, how to make a skirt

How to sew a denim broom skirt from old jeans.

Basically to make this fashion forward denim broom skirt, we will cut a pair of pants below the zipper, cut 2 or 3 long strips of fabric with each one longer in length, turn them into tubes, and add the tubes together by gathering. It's that simple.

	Cut off the bottom of your pants about 3" - 4" below the bottom of the zipper as shown in the photo to the left.
	Once you have cut your jeans, they should look like a mini skirt, as shown in the photo to the left. Choose fabrics you would like to use for the broom skirt part. I decided on three very feminine floral prints. You can just use one print 3 times if you prefer. That look is very nice too.
	Measure your hips at the widest point and then add 8" to that measurement. That will be how long your 1st strip must be. How wide it is, is up to you. I made my strips 11". For shorter skirts, you can make them 6". Most cotton fabrics come in 48" wide, so you may need to sew two strips together to get your complete measurements. My measurement with the extra 8 " was 56". I used fabric that was 48" and cut a 11" strip of that. So my fabric strip was now 11" X 48". Then I had to add 8" more to my 48" to equal my 56" so as you can see in the photo to the left, I had to sew a seam down the 11" side to get my complete strip. Once you have your long strip the correct size (your hip measurement plus 8"), place the 11" sides PRETTY SIDES together and stitch. You now should have one long tube.
	Once you have your 1st tube, we want to gather it around the top as shown in the photo here. For the best and easiest method of gathering click here.

	Once your 1st tube is gathered, place the pretty sides together of the tube and the bottom of your denim skirt as shown in the photo here.
	This will take some time. You will want to adjust your tube so that the gathering is equal all the way around the bottom of the jeans. Pin carefully while adjusting the gathering. As you can see in the photo, the gathering is very equal around the skirt and I used many pins to keep it in place. Straight Stitch using the pressure foot as your guide.
	This is what your skirt will look like with adding your 1st tube. If you prefer, you could stop right here, hem it, and you have an adorable mini skirt!!!
	To make our second tube we need to make a strip that is 12" longer than our total from our 1st strip. My total 1st strip measured 56", so now my total for my second strip must be 68" X 11". Once you have made your 2nd strip, place the 11" sides PRETTY SIDES together and stitch to make a big tube again. Gather the top of your second tube. Pin PRETTY SIDES together of the top of your second tube (where the gathering is) with the hem part of your denim broom skirt. Once again, take your time adjusting the gathering and pinning as shown in the photo. Straight Stitch using the pressure foot as your guide.

	Repeat the same to your 3rd and last tube except this time add 20" to your 2nd strip total to get your 3rd strip total. Then tube it, gather it, pin it, and stitch it just as you did the first two tubes.
	This is what your 3 layers will look like when complete.
	For the hem, you could use a *blind hem* *stitch* if your machine has one, or just simply fold up your hem 1/4", press, fold up again 1/4" press, pin, and then stitch as shown in the photo. This is called a top stitch hem. It is the fastest and easiest hem to do, and works well with cotton fabrics.
	This step is optional. You can appliqué pieces of your fabrics onto the jean part of your skirt. I cut out roses of one of my fabrics and zigzagged around the edges to appliqué them on. I also added beads, buttons, and lace to make it look even more feminine and pretty. One last optional step. Remember that each seam in any handmade garment must have a seam finish. I simply used a zigzag finish on my seams. For more information on seam finishes click here. We'd love to see a photo of your recycled project!

To Learn More About Making Your Own Clothes we suggest Christine Haynes book Chic and Simple Sewing . It's our favorite sewing book to use for beginners in our studio, and patterns are included. We also recommend Project RUNWAY DVDs to view as an excellent guide for fashion design.