Granny Shorts Refashion

Behold!  The "granny" shorts!  Actually, I've been on the hunt for "granny" shorts ever since I saw this post from 49 Dresses.  I thought that the skirt she made was so cute, and I loved the fact that it had pockets!  So when I spotted these red denim shorts in my size at the thrift store yesterday, I snagged them.  They're fairly awful as shorts, unless you're creating a Mickey Mouse costume, but I knew that they'd be an adorable skirt.  So this morning I got to work.

Step 1 is to take apart the center seam using a seam ripper or scissors.  Scissors are easier.  :)  To clarify, you want to rip the seam that goes from the inside of 1 leg to the other. 

You should then be able to lay it out like this, with "J" shapes in the front and back and the side seams in the center.  (Note the gigantic pockets.  Bonus!  Who doesn't love skirts with pockets?)

 

Pin it in a line (slightly angled) and sew down.  The idea is to get the "J" shape to go away.  So you're sewing straight down, but not quite.  Clear as mud?  Maybe you should go over to 49 Dresses for a second.  Her post has a good diagram.  My picture above isn't exactly how I ended up sewing it.  I had to fix the angles a little.

 

 

This brings me to an important point.  Try it on before you cut off the excess fabric!!!  I have learned this valuable lesson from past refashions.  Once you trim the seam, you're commited, so make sure you like it how it is.  When I tried mine on, it was doing something strange in the back, so I took it off and tried again.  My refashions involve many trips to the bathroom or bedroom to try things on in front of a mirror to see if I like how it's fitting, ect.

Once you've got the front and back the way you like them, you're pretty much done.  Trim off the extra "J" fabric and finish the seams however you like.  You could serge them, zig-zag or leave it the way it is.  I zig-zagged along my hem, then did some top stitching on the new seams I had created to make them match the rest of the skirt.  At this point, you could add back pockets, adjust the length, whatever you want.  It's really up to you.  :)

The finished front...

...and back.

 

Wear your skirt with pride and no one will ever guess its humble beginnings as "granny" shorts unless you tell them.  If you do tell them, they'll probably be very impressed with your refashioning abilities.  ;)

If you have any questions, or need me to clarify any of my instructions, please let me know!

Niki