
Today I’m walking you through an easy skirt refashion.
So often I find fun skirts at the thrift store that I love but wouldn’t wear. Maybe the colors are a little too loud or making it fit me would be more complicated than it’s worth.

Ah, but the PRINTS! Sometimes you can’t walk away from the prints.
So let’s think outside of a skirt must be a skirt box and let’s chop up that eyecatcher of a cute skirt and turn it into an apron.
Psst. There’s a free pattern in it for you when you sign up for my newsletter! You can do that below. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Sign up for the newsletter and get free patterns and helpful guides in the Resource Library

Make an apron from an old skirt

elizabethmadethis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking toSome of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Supplies for this skirt refashion
Printing out the pattern
Once you’re signed up for the newsletter, you’ll get the password for the Resource Library. Head on over to the library, and enter in the password. From there, you can download and print out the pattern.
Cutting your skirt refashion
Fold skirt on center back

Move the lining (if it’s there) out of the way and fold the skirt on center back.
Make sure the side seams are stacked right on top of each other.
Smooth everything nice and flat.
Assemble your pattern pieces
The skirt apron pattern has two pieces and will print on 2 8.5″x11″ pages. Cut around the pieces, and match the gray dotted lines and the stars. Tape into place.
Lengthen or shorten either if you need to. If you want to make this for a child or get more coverage across your chest if you like, you can fold out width on the bib along the “add/subtract width” line.
Cut bib and strap pieces

Going back to your folded skirt, cut out the bib and strap pieces. You’ll need 1 bib on the fold, and 2 straps.
Fold the lining on itself at center back just like with the skirt.
Cut 1 bib and 2 straps from your lining. If your skirt is unlined, cut these pieces from your contrast cotton.
**Do your best to follow the grainline. Sometimes with refashioning, you have to bend this sewing rule a little. I cut my straps on the grainline so that I didn’t cut too much out of the back skirt.**

Even up the back
Your skirt probably looks a little like a choppy mess right now. Let’s fix that!

Use your ruler and draw a straight line from the top waistband down to the edge of the widest part of your cutting.
Extend that line all the way to the hem. Repeat for the other side, then cut from hem to waistband on those lines through the lining and the outer fabric.
Don’t worry if the lining isn’t exactly even on all points with the outer fabric. We’ll take care of that when we’re sewing.
And the last thing to cut:
Cut the ties

We need two ties to fasten the apron in the back.
Use your ruler to cut 2 rectangles from your contrast cotton. They need to be 4″X36″ wide.
And now it’s sewing time!


Elizabeth Farr is the writer behind the Elizabeth Made This blog where she shares helpful sewing tips, step by step sewing tutorials and videos to help you explore your creativity through sewing. She has written sewing Eguides and patterns, been a featured teacher at Rebecca Page’s Sewing Summit and Jennifer Maker’s Holiday Maker Fest and her work has appeared in Seamwork and Altered Couture magazines. She also created a line of refashioned garments for SEWN Denver. When her sewing machine isn’t humming, she’s playing and teaching violin, and hanging around a good strategic board game with her husband and 4 kids.
I would really appreciate the pattern for the Apron Refashioned from a skirt please. I have already subscribed to your newsletter but didn’t receive the pattern I requested. Many thanks. Paula.
Let me check on my email provider. Thanks for letting me know Paula. It’ll be coming your way shortly!
Hello!
I haven’t received the apron pattern despite signing up for newsletter. I have the perfect skirt to repurpose!
Cindi
Hi Cindi! I will pop into my email client and get that sent your way straight away! Can’t wait to see how your skirt apron turns out!
I got it! Thank you. 😀