How to get more life out of kids clothes {Tutorial}

I don't know about you, but every season it surprises me how much my kids have grown. The first cold snap of each year, my kids are the ones in the high-waters because "those jeans were huge last year... surely they still fit". Nope. Same goes for spring. Dresses that were perfect last year are flashing the princess undies at each twirl this year. So I decided to do something about it. I turned this too-short dress into a skirt that might even make it through next year (I said might). This is one way to get more life out of kids clothes... and it's super easy.

One more look at the before. Getting too short. Shorts are hanging out there.

Supplies:

• Old dress
• 1" elastic
• Sewing machine

Step 1
Hack off the top of your dress.

 

Step 2

Turn the dress you just hacked into a skirt inside out. Fold over the top a little wider than your elastic. I used 1" elastic and held it around my kid's waist to figure out how long.

Step 3

Start near the back or side (where ever there is already a seam... just not in the front) and sew around your skirt about 1/4" from the edge of the folded down part. Stop when you get about 3" from where you started.

Step 4

Stick a safety pin through one side of your elastic and shove it through the casing you just made.

Keep shoving until you get your safety pin back out through the other hole.

Step 5
Sew the two ends of elastic together. I like to sew 2 lines. This does not have to be neat. I don't even clip the threads.

Step 6
Stretch out your skirt so the elastic goes back inside the casing and sew up the 3" hole you left.

That's it! I had this baby done in less than 30 minutes. Head to the lake... don't forget the mermaids/barbies!