long skirts to dresses?

[nmkadjh]

Hi there, this is my first post on the craftster forum, but I've been a lurker for a long time!
All you people out there who do recons are amazing and inspiring! 
I know basic sewing skills and have just recently started altering clothes that I've found at thrift stores.  Just the basics so far, like shortening hems and taking off sleeves.
I have two floor length skirts that I love, but they don't fit me anymore   they are too small...
I would love to make them into sundresses, can anyone point me in the right direction or tell me basically how to do this?
thanks in advance,
Michelle

[rainysunshine789]

As they are too small, a simple recon is probably not going to work.  Have you ever worked with a pattern?  They are a bit odd and sometimes hard to understand, but some are really great and have adorable projects.  I had two large skirts I got from the thrift store that I just made into a really cute dress with a pattern.  I used a solid black fabric for the top and waist and a cute star print for the skirt.  I'm also a beginner at sewing (that dress was only my 3rd clothing project), so I know how scary new things can be.
Good luck with whatever you do!

[nmkadjh]

well, the waistband is too small, but they are flared skirts so I thought I could somehow make a dress out of them, there is alot of material to work with...hmmm...guess i'll keep exploring this site, and maybe check out some patterns.
thanks!

[Ludi]

Here's a tutorial for making a dress from a skirt:  http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=254265.0

You can also take off the waistband and connect the remaining skirt to a bodice made from a coordinating fabric, like this:  http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=314194.0

A (free!)  bodice pattern I like is this:  http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/contour-bust-dress-and-tute

[kjlutz]

Ultimately the most important thing to consider is how the hip measurement of the skirt compares with your bust measurement.  If the skirt is at least slightly bigger than your bust you can probably recon simply (chopping off the waistband, adding some shaping of some sort through the waist, maybe adding straps etc.), but if the hip measurement is smaller than your bust measurement it will be more difficult unless you add coordinating fabric.