Dressember 2019; Dress 8

Hello Readers. This is the 8th dress refashion in honor of Dressember to fight human trafficking and modern slavery. Dressember doesn't work alone they partner with other organizations like IJM, A21, and others to help victims escape and recover. You can learn more about the work they do here.

Today's dress was a fun one. It could be a cocktail dress or it could be easily dressed down to something more fun and casual.

Are my legs really that pale? Yes, they really are.

It started with this top that was already sewn and waiting for me at a clothes swap.

 It was at a clothes swap with the tags still on. I just needed something to wear with it.

It had straps that could be tied in the back. I didn't want the tie around the back off my neck.

I stitched them permanently in the center of the back. The straps unbuttoned in the front (And there was a zipper down the side.) so I could get the top on and off.

I needed to make something to wear with this great top so I decided to use a men's shirt. This was a thick heavy black t-shirt. I cut the sleeves and shoulders off and I used the body of the shirt to make a skirt.

I connected it to the bottom of the top to make a dress because it's Dressember and I want to stick with the dress theme. I thought I was all done and ready to go.

I was wrong. It looked terrible. The skirt was too long and it looked sort of .... saggy?
I hated it. So would I do now? I cut it off.

I cheated. I admit it. I made a skirt with an elastic waistband. I know it was wrong. I am supposed to make dresses this month. But it looked so much better as a skirt. It was a little shorter and it was a better balance to the fitted bustier top. There is no point making a terrible dress when a skirt looked so much better. Right?

Cheater, cheater!!

I liked it by itself and I liked how the denim jacket made it more casual and fun. And the jacket made it warmer.

Pale. So pale.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

Cheat if you must!

Dressember 2019; Dress 7

Hello Readers. This is the 7th dress in honor of Dressember. Dressember works to fight human trafficking, forced labor, and modern slavery. They focus includes awareness, prevention, rescue, and after-care. I appreciate their attention to all these aspects of the issue. I talk about them a lot and you can see more about why on my fundraising page at Dressember.org.

This refashion was a fun dress for Christmas. Want to be an elf? I've got an idea for you.

It started with these leggings. Leggings that were covered with the cutest ginger bread people you could imagine. I thought they were super cute and fun.

And really comfortable too.

I also had a big red sweater dress to go with the leggings. This would be a perfect match for the leggings but it was a little plain.

I made a little ginger friend out of felt and sewing notions in my sewing supplies.

This was easy to put together and yes, I wore this to work.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

And Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating today.

Dressember 2019; Dress 6

Hello Readers. This is my 6th dress for Dressember. Dressember is an organization working to fight human trafficking and modern day slavery. They estimate that human trafficking generates 150 billion dollars a year worldwide. That amount of money is shocking because of the human suffering that is behind it. Go to my Dressember page to learn more and see how you can help.

This refashion was fun and a little surprising for me.

This cotton shirt is just too big. It is so long that it is almost a dress. So, of course, I made a dress. What else would I do in the middle of Dressember?

I also had something to go with it. This black and white jacket. It looks a little dressy but it feels as comfortable as a sweatshirt. The only problem was the color combination. It looks like I broke out of an old-timey prison. (Just to be clear, I have never served time in prison.)

So what did I do? I went to a tried and true friend, Rit dye. Rit dye doesn't know me or pay me to talk about them. I just like them a lot. And this bottle was just sitting in the laundry room waiting to be used. This dye was a surprise. I was expecting a dark red wine color. That isn't what I got.

Here is the white shirt after a wash in the washing machine with the dye. Its like bright pink! You can see I cut off the sleeves and I made a dress from the body of the shirt.

I used a sleeveless shirt as a model for the armholes and finished the edge with bias tape inside.

I made a very straight loose shape for the dress. The fabric didn't have any stretch so I had to keep it loose enough to be comfortable. I liked it by itself with a belt and...

I also liked it with the jacket. I put them in the washer with the dye and they came out looking like a dressy suit outfit. I like the jacket because it makes this dress warm enough to wear in cold weather.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

Dressember 2019; Dress 5

Hello Readers. It's time for the 5th dress in my Dressember series. Dressember is a non-profit that fights to prevent human trafficking and forced labor around the world. They partner with other organizations to rescue victims and provide after-care and vocational training. They have raised over a million dollars so far this month and the month is not over yet. Go to Dressember.org to learn more about them and how donation money is spent.

Today's dress is very casual and comfortable. It started as a man's t-shirt. I tried to find the longest shirt I had in my refashion stash. (Spoiler Alert: It was not as long as I thought.)

Why am I making this stupid face? I have no answer.

I also had a blouse that looked a little like modern art to me. I loved the bright colors and shapes.

Here is the big comfy t-shirt. It is a bright beautiful blue. But it is not flattering or attractive like this.

I traced a t-shirt that I liked to get a good fit. I flared the sides out to make an A-line skirt.

I had a simple dress shape I could wear.

It was fast and easy project that made the shirt into something totally different. It was suddenly so much more feminine.

Now about that blouse. It was so soft and light I couldn't hold it up correctly to show it's shape. It was a great color match for the blue mini-dress I just made.

Here is a better look at the blouse. It was a criss-cross front. It was too baggy so I did the fastest and easiest refashion in the world. I gathered the front together with a ponytail holder. That pulled the sides in and made the blouse fit so much better.

I tucked the extra fabric up and inside the blouse and I was done!

This dress was really pretty short so I wore it with leggings. 

Thanks for reading along now go make something fun for yourself.

Dressember 2019; Dress 4

Hello Reader. This is the 5th dress in my series for Dressember. Dressember is working to fight human trafficking and modern day slavery. They estimate 1 out of 4 victims are children. They need rescue and help to recover. $25 can provide an after-care kit when a victim is rescued.

This dress was a wonderful find at a clothes swap. The swap was ending and I couldn't bear to leave it there. I loved the beautiful blue color and the embroidery.

It also had a matching jacket.

I loved them but I didn't want them to look like I was wearing them as a costume. I thought if I improved the fit and simplified the outfit a little, it might suit me better.

I started by pinning the sides and making the dress fit better. I also shortened it as well. It was sad to cut off that gold embroidery at the bottom. The shorter length was a must because I am really short. (5')

I made the jacket the same length but it didn't feel quite done.

I decided to make a very short bolero type of jacket. I thought that would still show some of the gold lace but not be as overwhelming as the long jacket was on me. I also shortened the sleeves and removed the gold cuffs. They were too big and long on me.

Would a tunic would be better for this dress? I tucked it up to see how it looked. What do you think? Do you have a favorite length? This refashion was a tough one because I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to do. I didn't want to change the dress too much because it was fabulous the way it was it just didn't seem to fit or suit me originally.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.