Bonus! Stitched Up: Vintage Denim

Goodwill Alterations with Chanté Gibbs

Chanté is a local thrift blogger and sustainable designer. She is our inspiration and guide to exploring what can be done with some creative alterations and updates of thrifted finds. Each month she starts with a concept, shops our stores, and reworks her thrift finds into high-fashion pieces. She takes us on a thrift journey from start to finish, and it’s a great ride every month!

DIY Vintage Denim (Plus…Event Next Week!)

I knew I was looking for Levi’s denim jeans and a jacket. Since my design consisted of multiple waistbands, my goal was to find about 9-10 different jeans in washes that contrasted well together. I searched at 3 different Goodwill stores, but I eventually found all the pairs of jeans I needed for this project.

P.S. This bonus Stitched Up project is part of an event Triad Goodwill is sponsoring with White Oak Legacy Foundation:

Come join us for a Happy Hour on Tuesday, March 12th (5:00-7:30pm), at Revolution Mill to learn more about how Greensboro has been a part of denim history for over a century. Public welcome!

How do I make it?

For the Skirt:

1. After I washed all of the jeans and the jacket, I used my scissors to cut off the waistbands of each pair. I made sure to cut under the Levi’s label and above the back pockets.
2. Then I laid all the waistbands on the mat and went through them to determine which ones I would use for the skirt and which ones I would use for the jacket. I tried on the three selected waistbands for the skirt to ensure fit, then stacked and pinned them together.
3. Next, I chose one of the darker jeans that was in my size and cut off the pant legs so I can upcycle it into a skirt. I seam ripped the crotch area and pinned the undone seams down flat. I also pinned the bottom edge of the stacked waistbands to the top edge of the skirt.
4. At this point I tried it on, still pinned together, to see how it all would fit as one piece. When I was satisfied with it, I sewed along where I pinned. I was going to hem the bottom of the skirt, but I liked the distressed detailing better and decided to leave the raw edge. When I finished the skirt, I started focusing on the jacket.

For the Jacket:

1. First, I used my chalk and ruler to mark a horizontal line above the bottom jacket pockets then cut along where I had marked.
2. Next, I pinned three waistbands to one pocket and did the same to the other pocket. Due to the sizes of the pockets, I had to pin one waistband to the inside pocket flap and the other two on the left and right side of the pocket.
3. After I pinned it to both sides, I tried on the jacket to see if needed to adjust anything. Then I sewed down the waistbands and grabbed the light blue denim jeans.

For Crop Top:

1. I marked how much of the pant legs I would need to make a bandeau crop top.
2. I cut off the top half of the jeans and some of the bottom pant legs, which left me with two rectangles. On one side I pinned the raw edges of the rectangles flat together and started sewing.
3. I tried it on before I did the same for the other end of the rectangle.
4. For the elastic casing in a bandeau top, I turn over the top and pin it together to create a new seam, and then sew it down before inserting the elastic and sewing that closed.