More Crochet Fabric Edging

A few weeks ago I posted a tutorial on how to add crocheted embellishments onto existing fabric.  (Specifically, adding length to the bottom of an old denim skirt using crochet.)  I knew there were several ways I could attach the crochet to the denim and chose the way I thought it worked best with the materials I was using.  Today, at Pepperberry Crochet, I followed a link to a great tutorial on another way to do it… a simple crochet edging on lighter fabric, attached with blanket stitch instead of directly crocheting into the fabric.  I may just have to try this out soon too!

photo by yougogirl.typepad.com

Tags: crochet, inspiration, techniques
Category Crochet, Tutorials |

Crochet Embellished Denim Skirt

So I had this old denim skirt… I remember when I was probably 14 or so begging my mom to buy it for me, promising that I would wear it often.  But I didn’t.  I realized that the reason I didn’t wear it was because the waist was too high, making it uncomfortable.  One day when I was in college, I wanted to wear it so I got out my scissors and just cut the top off. It fit perfectly and I wore it a lot more.

photo by armyofknitters

After college, and many washes, the length of the skirt shrunk a bit and I became more modest. I stopped wearing the skirt again because it was just a bit too short. So… I recently decided to use my new crochet skills and figure out a way to make the skirt longer… maybe I could crochet directly onto the skirt!
I found the Violet Beauregard skirt in the “Stitch ‘N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker” book and thought it would be a perfect starting point. It’s a basic stitch pattern for the first half and then switches to a pretty lace pattern for the bottom half. I figured I could just use the lace part of the pattern.  Here’s basically what I did:

1. Find out how many stitches I need to start the lace section with (size medium = 180 stitches)
2. Measure around bottom edge of skirt (44 inches around)
3. 44 inches divided by 180 stitches = 4.09 — about 4 stitches per inch
4. Realize I can’t put 4 holes per inch into the fabric without compromising the structure so plan on putting multiple stitches into each hole.
5. 180 stitches divided by 3 = 60— so make 60 holes that will each hold 3 stitches.
6. Use a pen or pencil (something washable) to mark spots for holes spaced as evenly as possible.  (or, duh, mark on the back of the fabric.)  Divide into sections to make this easier (60 / 4 = 15 so 15 stitches per quarter length of skirt or about 1 hole every 3/4 of an inch)
7. Use a small metal hook or knitting needle to punch holes (I used a 5mm dpn)
8. Place 3 double crochet stitches into each hole, pulling the yarn up for each stitch to make room for the hem.
9. Continue with lace pattern… and viola!

I have now revived an old skirt, “upcycled” it into a new crocheted skirt that I didn’t have to add any sort of closure to.  The denim skirt has renewed life once again!

Tags: closure, crochet, FO, NatCroMo, skirt, techniques, tutorial, upcycle
Category Crochet, Tutorials |