Happy October! I’m back with another fun York Pinafore refashion project to share with you all! This pattern is the gift that keeps on giving, and I am so glad that many of you think so too! Our #yorkpinafore hashtag is up to 2500 posts! Woohoo!!

This week on the Love to Sew Podcast we are chatting about refashioning. Creative refashioning, alterations, mending; basically any way to breathe new life into an old garment.

I am a bit of a thrift store addict, and I love to collect cool fabrics and garments with refashioning potential when I’m shopping. I have a collection of items set aside for when I get the itch to refashion! This time around, I chose a denim skirt that I picked up a couple of years ago. I loved the colour of the denim and the gold topstitching. The waist was too small for me, but since the skirt was A-line, I thought I could make it work for me somehow. I was right!

This post is a two in one. A refashion and a pattern hack! I am making my York pinafore more A-line for this version, and you can do this with regular fabric, too!

To make your York Pinafore have an A-line shape like this one, simply make the side seams of the pattern more A-line. Don’t over-do it, just a little flare out will do the trick. You will also need to have a curved hem for this a-line look.

I lay my pattern piece over my skirt and used the existing sides seams and hem as a guide.

I also moved the pockets from the back of the skirt to the front. Now they are cute patch pockets!

There were darker areas of the fabric where the back pockets were on the back of the skirt. This is common when working with used garments and I like to use this detail to my advantage! I aligned the back straps of my York pattern with the original pocket area. I also topstitched back over the original stitching lines to elevate the look. It’s not perfectly centered, but I actually like that it is a little wonky. It has personality!

I did this once before on my upcycled Hampton Jean Jacket and I love the effect!

That is about all I did for the refashion! I used almost all of the original skirt, minus the waistband and pockets. I finished my edges with handmade bias binding. Yellow with scissors printed on it, how appropriate!

I hope this refashioned York Pinafore gets you inspired to create a refashion of your own! Check out this week’s episode of Love to Sew for more tips and encouragement.

Happy sewing!