skirtcafe.org

In an inspired idea out of financial needs my wife and I looked up an idea. Making skirts from pants. What better way to get the male a parfect fit then to use his own pants to make a skirt. Yes I know several of you do things yourself. However many do not have the means or time too.
We are asking - through this poll -
Would it be worth our effort to offer the service?

My pants I used to buy cost me from $45 to $75 a pair. My skirts, already made and new with tags cost me anywhere from $7.99 ea to $19.99 ea. I don't miss buying pants at all.

Presuming that you are going to rip open the crotch and make a thigh high skirt using the existing
fly for entry I just can not go with that aspect.
The hem length would be no more than 16-17 inches unless you are converting a baggy trouser.
Maybe if I were to see a conversion pictured I might have a different thought.
I am more into a multi adjustable elastic waist 'no front entry panel' or second choice a fixed waist
with a preferred side zipper or rear hidden zipper closing.
I like the front to be clean or with an overlap panel (think kilt) and hem length 15; sporting golf-tennis
skirt/skort length or 21-24; kilt hem length.
That is my choice - others may feel or see things in a different regard.
In respect to the cost for this conversion before committing to a price I would check out the bargain
sales going on at this moment or as others have done shop the thrift; goodwill and salvation army
stores. One must not forget to factor in the postage and handling round trip of the pants being converted.
rm

I voted no. I might be persuaded to convert a pair of trousers to a short skirt but to be frank I can usually find a short skirt that fits well in Primark, Matelan or similar budget shops for less than £10 (about 15USD) so the cost of postage both ways plus modification would be too high to justify.

Perhaps if I lived locally to you I'd consider it but even then...

Have fun,


Ian.

I have tried converting old pairs of trousers into skirts, and have not been at all satisfied with the results. One problem is that skirts and trousers are just very different: for instance, trousers get narrower as you go down from the crotch, while skirts get wider. The bottom of the fly is intended to tuck under, so in the skirt it ends up being a funny-looking bump (innie or outie.) Etc. If you want it to look like anything, you spend a lot more time patching and fitting than you would if you made a skirt from scratch. And then you get lots of conspicuous seams in strange places.

Have you considered offering to make skirts from scratch? I don't believe it's any more work (once you work out your patterns.)

Another thing: before you start talking pricing, you need to try doing a few skirts, to see how long it actually takes. You don't want to be offering your services for a net of $.50 per hour or something.

Being large I find the choice of skirts to buy is rather limited, especially skirts which are straight or straightish. I have been thinking of trying to do it myself but haven't tried sewing for twenty years (the results then weren't pretty!) and don't have a machine.
So I am interested, BUT, it probably isn't financially worth it for me as I am in Little Britain and P&P costs are getting silly. Still, if you try it, I wish you the best of luck with your venture!

Well thanks all with the reaction just of this weekend I can see I am still out of work - hahahahha
Oh well.
Now for the people that have doubts about how it would work follow this link -
http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?pag ... nskirt.htm

It is of jeans however - does the material really matter.
An easier way to get man type pockets, zipper or fly in your skirts.
Later

I've done something similar to this project.

I can see where some members of this forum might not
understand the mechanics of this project.

My personal preference is to not have the 'over-lap' at the
bottom of the zipper. I prefer a smoother look, and having
'patterns' match up in the fabric. Also a 'French Seam' will
help to stop any irritations which may be caused by the raw
edge of fabric against the skin. The result is a flared, A-Line
skirt, not restricting movement in any way. The added pannel
will come from the 'cut-off' leg. The length will not be any
problem as the 'in-seam' would be halved, and the opened
cut-off leg material will fill the gap. The over-all length would
result in a skirt at or below the knee.

The first one is always the most difficult one to do. Once you
understand what you're doing, the job becomes much easier.

Good Luck in your project!

Uncle Al
Duncanville, TX

Well, i have seen many skirts on women here, commercially made that are made from jeans cutout, and they never look right. The only thing to do is get a proper skirt, either pattern or complete. Not hard to do, actually. Jack.

Certainly there is a need for your service if the box of jeans I found in a closet three days ago is any guide. My husband tells me they were to be converted into skirts but now they are close to 20 years too small. Yes, even people that know how to do a craft don't always get around to it. Still, I don't know if you can make much profit from it given the small demand even including female customers. Shipping is going to eat into how much the customer is willing to pay and your profit. Grabbing one of those forgotten closet jeans I see it is 1 pound 7 ounces and that's before a box so hypothetical customer me would have to pack it myself with a box I might or might not have on hand, pay about $7 to get it to you even by parcel post IF I'm in the USA then you will have to make sure you charge enough for your time, any other materials needed, and return shipping. Then you are stuck if the person inaccurately measured their thighs and the skirt won't fit.

Maybe offering it locally would make it more affordable? Still, while you always will have people willing to pay for a jeans to skirt alteration when they keep their skirting secret everybody else can just go get a local alteration or buy something cheap from Wal-Mart, online store, or a charity shop. Hmm. Actually, that might be your market- get gently used male jeans from thrift stores, alter them into skirts and then offer it on eBay. That way most of the business aspect is streamlined for you, you get a large audience, even global, and shipping is calculated for you.