Bracken Crafts- 100 garments: Upcycled real leather green skirt

I was gifted this really quite horrible 70s suede skirt.

And made this from it:

Its because of my experiments upcycling other skirts that I got offered this but this one is actually leather not pleather. It sews very similarly though and maybe slightly easier than the fake.

I do not generally use real leather ( being as its an animal product and I am supposed to be veggie!) but decided since it was offered it for a gift, that perhaps I should have a go with this because I am sure if it works out and I cannot handle wearing it I can certainly find someone else who would like it. Also its ethical to reuse this rather than send it to landfill where it takes up to 50 years to decompose and this is thick old leather so probably it really will take ages. And most of all of course this was a challenge.

I took it to bits completely first, to play with the bits and see what I could do.

This had to be ripped appart properly. You cannot just force or rip the seams as I found out when I tried because leather rips so do it the long way with a proper stitch ripper is the only option. I actually did consider just chopping off the bottom and shortening this because it did fit me, but I just hated the pockets. They were so weird. Not sure you can really see from the picture but those pockets just had to go. They are kind of inserted under the outer skirt and on show. I then decided that it would be better to change it completely rather than just cop out and turn it into a basic 60s flared skirt. It would still have been horrible if I had done that and I wanted it to be more than that and this was a chance to really remodel something and a totally new sewing adventure for me so take appart it had to go.

After playing with the bits for a while I decided to make a wrap skirt from the bottom half of the skirt. I then decided to add a 70s style punk side zip. I remember being very jealous in the 70s/early 80s of other girls who had skirts that had this kind of fastening. I never had one. So this is transitioning from early 70s Hippy style to late 70s/early 80s punk style by the looks of it.

I decide I could reuse the waistband but I would have to chop it down the middle to half the original width. I also had to fit it around my zip. I had to piece it as well but it works.

You can just about see where I marked the position of the pockets using chalk

So next, pockets and can I somehow use these?

I realised I could re-use the pocket bits to make cargo style side pockets. the pockets that are now on the outside were originally inside the old skirt. At this point nothing had been sewn, I was just playing around with the bits and I started to use chalk to mark where things needed to end up. It was all a bit tricky really but very much fun.

So then I sewed. I started with the zip because if that went wrong it was a rethink time. It worked. Its not perfectly flat but looks OK when on me. Next time though I think I would sew the zip flat as an exposed zip with the tape edge on show rather than flipped over on the outside if you understand what I am talking about here. It works though and I am happy with it. Being leather it will mark if unpicked and resewn so best left if it works.

The pockets are not quite identical having originally just been linings, but I decided to resist trying to recut them and used them exactly as they arrived. They look surprisingly Ok and now my 70s/80s punk style skirt looks more 90s. So far so good.

Then the hard bit - the waistband.

I positioned the bits and had to think about how to do this for a couple of days. I had to join it either side of the zip. Its imperfect but looks OK and works very well.

In the meantime I decide it needs a lining so I use a bit of lining salvaged from a maxi skirt I shortened a while back. Its pink satin so a nice contrast to the bright "fairy" green colour of the suede. The original skirt had no lining.

Its not a perfect lining job and needed a tuck in the middle to make it work and I could have done this better really. I just used what was already hemmed and its was not quiet a perfect fit. It was the lazy option but the end result does look fine and only I can see where I tucked it. With the lining sandwiched betweeen the outer skirt and waistband I decide this could possibly work. I sewed. That went on OK. Sewing the second hem though where I folded the waistband over itself to encase everything was not easy so I had to go very slowly. I still broke a needle but luckily had spares. You need a heavy weight needle for this. You can buy proper leather needles but I did not use them. It may have been easier to do this if I had had some. I had to cut the waist band to get it to look OK on either side of the zip and its defo imperfect but works well enough for me. Oh and I used a walking foot for the entire project. I learned to do that with my previous upcycling to make the flame skirt and star skirt but the material I used for them was much thinner and easier to sew than this heavy real suede is. I think this slips less though.

I tried it on and yes I feel I can do this now. Its looking quite acceptable, but I need some how to make the wrap section stay put. How?

I tried to hand sew hooks and eyes. Forget it. Far too painful - on my hands that is! It would have taken ages even if I could endure the pain of being stabbed as I push the needle through this suede. So then, I think, how to do this?

There was a small bit left over from the lining so I made two ties and added these to the inside so I can tie the underside of the wrap and then zip the outside.

And yes, this is a successful as an upcycle, and its something I would never have intended to make or expected to work so well.

Its really good when you get gifted an item like this because it does make you expand you skills and think outside the box. Especially when you would never even consider buying your starting item.

So heres my skirt again.