#5: Plaid Wool Skirt

I found this wool plaid skirt at a thrift store for just $1.

Before: Too big plaid skirt

Before: From behind

It still had its original tag on it from the GAP for just over $16. I'd say I got a good deal : )

Second hand new!

I saw someone online transform a tweed skirt into a great cape, so I decided to try the same with this skirt. First I seam ripped straight down the back and took out the back zipper.

Seam ripping

I did not have enough material to make a full cape, so I used some contrasting material to highlight the red lines in the skirt material. I recently bought some new bed sheets, so I cut an kept a piece from my old fitted sheet in case I could use it for a project. It worked well for this project (I liked that it already had elastic in it that I could use for the neckline).

Fitted Sheet and Plaid Skirt

I laid the sheet material on the skirt material and pinned the outline where I wanted to sew them together.

Pinned and ready to sew

I turned the cape inside out and tried it on and ended up having to readjust the pins a few times before sewing it so i could get the right fit at the neckline. Unfortunately I forgot to take more pictures once I got sewing. Basically I sewed the sides of the cape. Then I hemmed the length of the red side to match the length of the plaid side. After that I cut straight up the center of the plaid side and hemmed each side I had just cut.

The original skirt had a clasp at the top of the zipper which kept it closed. I hand sewed that clasp onto the top center of the plaid side to keep the 2 halves closed. I didn't have a good brooch to accent the clasp (I'm gonna have to invest in finding some nice brooches and buttons!) so instead I took one of the extra brown buttons that came with the original skirt and painted it red with fingernail polish.

Button painted red

Once it dried I hand-sewed the button over the clasp as a small accent where the cape closed. And there you have it! A two-toned plaid cape.

After: two-toned cape!

After: from behind

After: from the side

Surprisingly, it kept me super warm all night, which was perfect for attending the church Christmas play with "snow" outside afterward.

It's "snowing"!

Another Christmas has come and gone, but I hope the spirit of love, peace, and giving remain throughout the next year. I greatly enjoyed spending Christmas Eve and morning with my family, and then visiting my husband's family in the afternoon. As I get older, I realize more and more that time with loved ones is the greater than any gift. I hope this year wraps up smoothly for you, and that you have a wonderful start to the new year. Stay warm out there!