Don’t throw away too small clothes, refashion them! I turned my old denim coat that didn’t fit me anymore into a pleated denim skirt!

I don’t like to throw away old and too small clothes. Instead I refashion them into something I can wear again or upcycle them into something useful, such as toys for my puppy.

Related: 5 No-Sew Recycled Denim Dog Toys

This denim coat didn’t fit me anymore, it was too tight in the bust and hips. So I thought I’d turn the coat into a pleated denim skirt! I really like how the skirt turned out. Read on to find out how I used the design elements of the coat in the skirt.

Too-Small Denim Coat To Skirt Refashion

Reversing The Front & Back

I reversed the front and back of the coat. So the back of the coat (with the back slit) is now at the front of the skirt, and the front at the back.

Scroll down for the before picture of the denim coat.

Box Pleats

The refashioned denim skirt has 6 inverted box pleats: 2 at the front, 2 at the back and 1 at each side. I also turned the back slit of the coat into a pleat.

The Sleeves

Because I liked the design of the cuffs with the tabs and jeans buttons, I used the coat sleeves as the side panels of the skirt. I just turned the sleeves around: the cuffs with the tabs are now at the skirt waist.

Edge Finish

Because denim fabric doesn’t fray much, I left the edge at the hem and waist raw. I prefer the casual look of raw denim edges.

Closure

The skirt is closed at the center back with a hidden zipper.

Not Enough Fabric

Because I didn’t have enough fabric for the pleated skirt, I used a piece of similar denim fabric leftover from another refashion for the inverted box pleats at the back.

And to save even more fabric, I cut around the riveted jeans buttons and buttonholes at the front of the coat. Then I used a small piece of denim fabric and my sewing machine to I mend the holes. Click on the link below to see how I mend jeans with the sewing machine.

Related: How To Mend Jeans (In The Crotch Area)

You can see one of the mended holes at the side box pleat in the picture above.

I’m really pleased with how the refashioned denim skirt turned out! I’ll soon share another denim skirt refashion using two kids jeans. So stay tuned!

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