Altering a thrifted skirt suit

Last week I shared how I shortened the sleeves of two thrifted blazers to make them fit right and look like they were made for me. And one of the blazers was part of a skirt suit. The skirt needed a bit more work than just shortening in order for me to be able to wear it, but the suit together made it worth going to the effort to get this just right. 

When I tried on the skirt, I found it a good fit across my hips and posterior, but the waist was too large. The waist is finished with a bias binding, essentially, so it's pretty easy to unpick. The zip is at the centre back so I could easily adjust the side seams without too much extra fuss required. I unpicked the binding for about 4 inches, pinched in the side seam and the lining seam by 1/2" and stitched it down in a wedge about 4 inches long, trimming both and the binding (including the interfacing under the binding). Then I folded everything back down, stitched the binding back on to the outer skirt, and then basted, pinned and hand stitched the lining back onto the inside of the waist binding, as it had been originally. 

I forgot to get a pic of the skirt all unpicked but here it is
 ready to have the lining stitched back on

After this the skirt both fits and is much more functional. After about an hour of work or so, I have a great suit that fits and that I can mix and match with things already in my wardrobe. I think that's worth it! I may still shorten it at the hem by another 1/2" but I'll try it all together to see if I really need to. 

Skirt all done! And the hanging loops sewn back onto the side seam area

Now that it fits properly at the waist, I may still add in some side seam pockets. The seam allowances are pretty wide (at least 1/2" each) so it would be easy to stitch on some pocket bags. But I do wonder if that might throw the fit off. The matching jacket does not have pockets because of its design (pleats from shoulder to hem) so I might have to try it if I actually want to wear this as a complete outfit.  I will think on that idea a bit longer!