DIY Pants to Dungarees

I'm a huge fan of thrift shopping and upcycled transformations so whenever I could, I try to DIY my way with clothes. Some of them turn out great while others don't get that lucky. About a year ago, I found these bright pink pair of pants that were too baggy for anyone to bother with. I've been wanting to buy some dungarees at the time but didn't have enough cash. The fix? I sewed up the old pants and turned them into dungarees. And the best part is, the straps are detachable so you can wear it as a pair of shorts too!

Tools and Materials: Old Pants | Scissors | Measuring Tape | Velcro Tape

Needle and Thread or Sewing Machine or Fabric Glue

First thing's first, I'm no professional sewer nor do I have any background with dress making or tailoring so pardon my sloppiness. Haha! Since I do not have a sewing machine, I had to do everything by hand. If you're not up for that and also do not own a machine, you can always opt for fabric glue.

STEP 1: To measure out the length, grab a pair of shorts that fit you well and use that as a guide. Just make sure to add an inch or so for the hem.

STEP 2: Cut that out and repeat on the other leg.

STEP 3: Fold the edge twice to create the hem and sew. You can always use pins to hold the fold together. Now, you've got a new pair of shorts!

STEP 4: With the bottom parts of the pants cut off, undo the stitches so you end up with two flat and wide fabrics. We'll use this for the upper part of the dungarees.

STEP 5: To measure out the top part, you can use a tank top as a guide. In my case, I free-handed it because yolo! Make two of these, one for the front and the other for the back. The back piece should be slightly wider than the front.

STEP 6: Remember to add an extra inch to your measurement for the hem. Fold up the edges twice and secure with pins.

STEP 7: Sew all four sides up.

STEP 8: Using the remaining scrap fabric, cut 2 pieces of straps that is around 2.5 inches wide. The length will depend on how long you'd need them to be. Sew these up with the edges tucked in to avoid fraying.

STEP 9: Since one of the pant's leg had a pocket in it, I decided to use that as detail. You can always forego this step.

STEP 10: Sew the pocket into the front piece of your dungarees as shown.

STEP 11: Now it's time to add in the straps. Attach one side of the strap to the back piece. I did a box and a cross to make it secure. Then add hooks or a hidden button on the other end which should attach to the front piece when worn. (I hope you're getting my instructions right. Ha!) Repeat this to the other strap.

STEP 12: To make this piece detachable, sew Velcro tapes inside the inner band of the shorts we've previously made. Sew the matching tape into the front and back pieces that we've made earlier. Voila! We're done.

PS: In case you're wondering why the color of the fabric in the previous photos look different, it's because I snapped them indoors under poor lighting. The following ones on the other hand, had a fair share of natural light. Yaaas!