Last summer, before we left Abilene, I went through my friend Grace’s closet. That is, I went through several bags full of clothes she’d purged from her closet, and took what I wanted before she sent the rest to Goodwill. One of the pieces I chose was an adorable striped maxidress from Gap. I loved the cheery colors and thought it would be perfect for long walks on the beach in my new Boston life. I sort of forgot that I’m 5’4″ and have a few curves – which means the maxidress look is, well, rather unfortunate on me. So the dress has been sitting in my closet for a year.
Inspired by Marisa of New Dress a Day, and by my favorite comfy brown jersey skirt, I decided to remake the maxi into a skirt I’d actually wear. I cut off the top part (too small anyway) and the straps, then tried on the long tube of fabric and trimmed it to hit just below the knee. I don’t have a sewing machine, so I confess it was sort of a pain to hand-stitch the waistband, and I left the hem edge raw for now (it rolls naturally). Here’s the finished product:
I also didn’t want to throw away the 20″ tube of fabric I trimmed from the bottom. So I took a cue from a recent fashion trend, and looped the tube around my neck twice. Et voila! Infinity scarf/cowl!
Fall has arrived here in the Northeast, which means I may not wear the skirt much until next summer – but the cowl will be a great addition to my fall scarf collection. (Which is already huge, but hey, you can never have too many cute scarves.)
I love the satisfaction I get from projects like this – remaking something I already own into something useful and beautiful. (No wonder Marisa enjoys it so much.)
Do you remake/repurpose clothing (or other stuff) like this? I’d love to see your projects.
cakes, tea and dreams 
You continue to amaze me, friend! As Stacy London says, SHUT UP, that scarf/cowl is utterly adorable. You are lovely. And I couldn’t agree more about scarves, although my family would argue that, already, I can’t wear every scarf I own. Autumn looks beautiful on you!
I love them both! And I, too, am still wearing things inherited from Grace’s closet (though not quite as creatively as you)! Yay for repurposing!
Brilliant updates, Katie! I adore that scarf. I might just have to find something in my closet to cut up!
How creative! I don’t have talent for such stuff.