Dress to Duster Refashion

 Hello Readers. I like long loose light weight open jackets. I think they are flattering and they help keep you warm.  I have seen them called "dusters" so that is what I will call this refashion. I turned a dress into a duster.

Before and after.

This dress was pretty. I love the floral but it was very sheer chiffon fabric. It needed a lot of clothes under it to make it wearable/not see through. It was also really long on me. I didn't think it was very flattering. It needed to be shorter and if it was super sheer, it would be a perfect light weight duster.

I started by cutting the length. I measured carefully before and during my cutting to get the right length.

I cut about 10 inches off the length. I wanted it to be just below the knee when I was done hemming. I folded the dress on itself to make sure I was cutting the same amount of length off the dress all the way around.

I also cut the sleeves to get an elbow length. I didn't want the cuffs at the wrists.

I did a lot of hemming around the bottom of the dress and at the ends of the sleeves. I tried to take my time because the chiffon fabric was very slippery. To hem the dress and finish the sleeves, I turned the edge under twice and stitched it down so it would look nice and neat inside and out.

I wore the duster over this pink dress. It helped break up all that solid pink and wearing it over something else made the sheer fabric a non-issue. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I wore this combo and I wore the duster by itself. It is easy to wear and it is a nice extra layer that isn't too heavy.

Fun with Flannel

Hello Readers. I found an amazing flannel dress. It was so amazing because it was soft and warm and there was so much of it. Have you ever seen this much flannel on one person? It's a lot. Maybe too much?

Honestly, this is the most unattractive dress I have ever seen. Nothing says, "Not tonight Honey!" like floor length flannel. It's like Mrs. Claus launched a clothing line.

I decided that there was just too much dress here. Way. Too. Much. Dress. I started at the bottom. It needed to be shorter. Maybe a lot shorter.

I hemmed it and I had a long vest/duster to layer over a shirt. I liked that, but would I like more if I made it even shorter?

Maybe I would. I made it mid thigh length. I really liked it this length. I think less is more with this fabric.

I had to find some good light for this picture. I ended up in the hallway with my youngest who is deep in a Lego phase. I asked him to move over for a minute and stood at attention until I was done.

I had a lot of fabric leftover. What would I do with all that extra flannel? I made tiny pads for taking off eye makeup. I saw these on Instagram and wanted to try them. They were soft on the eyes, lint free and more environmentally friendly. And a lot cheaper in the long run. Mine were square and made of 2 layers of flannel. I put them in a mesh bag for washing because they were so small. This was a great way to use scrap fabric.

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