Fast Fashion-The Shein Dress

 Hello Readers. I try to avoid fast fashion when I can The fabrics are usually lower quality and the sewing s not always well done... but mostly the working conditions can be very poor, unsafe and world-wide clothing manufacturing has a big problem with forced labor and human trafficking. I hate to be a downer but it's true. The thing is, when you by second-hand or thrift, you are not contributing to that cycle. When I saw this Shein dress at Goodwill I thought it was really pretty. Buying it at a second hand store doesn't benefit Shein and doesn't contribute to the problem the way buying directly from the company does. This dress is already out there. Letting it go to the landfill just creates and adds to another problem. I brought it home with me. 

This dress was dragging on the floor. I went to tea length and then knee length. 

According to the EPA, 84% of clothes at the thrift stores go to the landfill. If you want to take something home, grab it and save it from that fate.

 

 I knew this dress was going to need to be shorter. This outer layer of the dress was made tulle and it doesn't fray. The maker did not hem it and I don't need to either.

 

I cut the lowest layer of the tulle. I cut right above the seam that connected it to the dress.

I used that tier to determine how much of the lining to cut off. 

I cut the lining. I folded it on itself to try and keep the length even when I cut it. 

 

I used my serger to finish the cut edge of the lining fabric. It doesn't need to be super neat or perfect because it will be under the tulle.

I thought I would really like the tea length. It wasn't bad but I wasn't really satisfied. 

I started over and cut off the next tier and re-cut and sewed the lining again. The dress was now knee length. I thought this would be cooler for summer.

I had to run some very important errands. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I haven't bought anything else from Shein, it isn't a great brand, but I see it very often at thrift shops.