Maxidress to Bubble Skirt

 Hello Readers. I loved the sunflowers on this maxi-dress. It was so fun and cheerful. I liked the maxi-length but I also had an idea. What if I made a bubble skirt/dress from it? That could be a lot of fun. And I had an idea that would make it so easy. Let me show you what I did.

Before and after a quick change with a bit of sewing. 

This dress was great already. I loved the yellow flowers. I could wear it alone or pump up the yellow with this yellow sweater. But I could also have a little fun with it.

 

I could sew the skirt inside itself and make a really fun bubble skirt. I could simply sew the hem of the dress to the waist seam of the dress. It would be a quick easy way to change the whole look of the dress. I clipped the hem of the dress inside the skirt and to the waist seam of the dress. I made sure the side seams at the hem were clipped to the side seams of the waist. I clipped the center front of the hem to the center front of the waist and center back to center back... you get the idea. This will help keep the fabric evenly distributed as I sew.

 

Just a thought about pins vs clips. I like clips because they never stab me in the fingers. And if they get dropped on the floor, it won't hurt if I step on a clip. Pins are more traditional and readily available. They do the same job so you can use whatever works for you. It won't really make a difference in this project or any other. They are just there to hold the fabric together for you. Use whatever you have or whatever works best for you.
 

Here is a look at the seam inside the dress. It is wide enough to sew the hem of the dress too it easily.  

 

 I sewed the hem of the skirt to the waist seam using a straight stitch on my sewing machine. I pulled the elastic waist seam gently to keep it even with the hem as I sewed. That would create that new puffy bubble skirt shape that I was going for. 

 

I really liked the fun new shape. With a belt or... 

 

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

 

Revealing Maxi-Dress to Fun Skirt

 Hello Readers. This bright pink maxi dress was so cheerful and perfect for spring. But when they make a maxi dress... it is maximum length. I am short and I could not wear it even with heels. It was also really skimpy on top. What could I do to fix this dress?

Before and after. 

This dress was so skimpy and revealing on top. I could not wear it alone. I put a fun shirt on top. This looked good and I was comfortable but the bodice of the dress was a bit bulky. This dress would be a lot better if I removed the bodice entirely and wore this as a skirt.

 

I started making that happen. This dress had an elastic waistband. That will be the waistband of my new skirt. The bodice was useless to me but the skirt was fabulous. I cut the bodice away from the skirt. This was a knit so it would not fray when it was cut.

 

 I made sure I did not cut the elastic or the casing around it when i cut off the bodice.

 

I also cut about 4 inches from the hem.

 

Then I gave it a new hem so it would look nice and neat.
 

This skirt is super pink and it's more wearable for me than the original dress was. It turned out just right. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 

 

 

To Maxi or Not

Hello Readers. My daughter gave me this maxi-dress. She is a lot taller than I am. It fit her perfectly but it was way too long on me. I really liked the fit through the body, what did I want to do with it? I an usually very decisive, but not today.

It was a great dress. It was a tank top bodice with a super long skirt attached. That super long skirt was a little over whelming. It had to be shorter, that much I was sure of.

   

At first I thought I would just shorten it and make it a maxi-dress for me. A petite maxi-dress. It wasn't bad like this I just wasn't sure if I really wanted a maxi-dress. It can be difficult to deal with such a long skirt at times.

I thought maybe a midi length would be better. This length would still be conservative but easier to walk in than a maxi-dress. (I can be very clumsy. This length was safer.)

So, I kept going. Would I like it just above the knee? Yes, I really would. It seemed great for summer and the crazy heatwave we have had lately. I stopped cutting the dress for a little while and thought about what clothes I really needed. I love dresses but...

I could really use a tank top to survive the hot summer we are having. Sometimes shorts and a shirt are just easier to throw on when you have to wrestle children and animals all day. (One 4 year old boy and one dog.) And it seemed to fit well as a shirt. The skirt was not puffy and I didn't feel like I looked pregnant. Empire waists usually make me look 4 months along with twins. A shirt it was!

 

As I experimented and tried each different length I got to try them on and be really sure of what I was going to get and if I really liked it. I liked them all but it seemed like a cute top would be the best use for me. Do you agree with my decision? Let me know in the comments.

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

***Year End update-  This was a great dress and a great tank. I liked it in summer and under a cardigan in early fall when it turns hot in the afternoon.