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 Denim Flares
For this month’s Stitched Up, I went straight to the women’s denim section. Sadly, the only pair of jeans that were close to my size had distressed detailing on them. But when I found a pair of Express jeans that were in good condition and had a nice dark wash, I compared them to a photo of the yellow gingham bottoms I was using to make sure it’d look cohesive. Fall season this year has been warmer than usual, so I decided to use these pants for this DIY project.
How do I make it?
- Wash your newly thrifted denim.
- Try them on inside out to find where you want the flare to start. I used my chalk to mark where I need to stop seam ripping.
- On the cutting board, use your seam ripper to undo the inside and outside leg seams, and remember to stop where you marked earlier.
- For the yellow flares, cut four triangles out of your scrap yellow denim. For my flares, I cut two yellow triangles and two gingham triangles. To make sure my triangles were the same size, I drew a triangle on construction paper that was the same height as the seam I had just ripped in my jeans, and I cut it out to use as a pattern on my scrap denim.
- Time to pin! I added each triangle into the freshly ripped seam openings on each side and pinned them down.
- With a denim needle, sew all the pinned edges together.
- When I tried them on, I decided to add more length to the bottom of the pants for a more dramatic effect, but I am still happy with how it came out!
What was your inspiration?
I was inspired by a fashion trend I have been seeing on the runways lately. Many designers are bringing back bell bottom jeans but with a modern twist to them. I knew I could upcycle a pair of denim instead of paying for an expensive one. I also noticed that the plaid pattern and plaid skirts have been popular the last few months. I found plaid/gingham pants and yellow jeans that looked great together.
Sustainable Shopping Tip!
Instead of paying a lot of money on overpriced clothes, see if you can create your own by upcycling or learning how to do minor alterations. It may seem intimidating at first, but it’ll benefit you in the long run!
Credits
Photos were taken by my fiancé. The final piece was modeled and styled by me.
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