Sweater Dress Refashion

 Hello Readers. I was given this dress as a hand-me-down (Hammy-down!) and I loved the color. It was a heavy and warm sweater knit. And I love mustard yellow. I didn't think it fit well. It was kind of shapeless on me. I thought maybe it was too long. I wanted to make it I thought I could change it up and I would like it even more.

Before and after.

 

I just felt like I was wearing a sleeping bag. 

 

I cut the dress in half. I thought a 2 piece outfit would be better. I could wear them separately and I could alter the fit to make it less shapeless. 

 

I wanted to add an elastic waistband to the skirt. This would be comfortable and it would bring the waist in  and add some shape. 

 

I used a zigzag stitch to attach the elastic to the skirt. I sewed the elastic right onto the outside of the skirt.

 

When I flip the elastic up the cut edge of the sweater fabric is hidden. 

 

I made the skirt a bit smaller to improve the fit. I added the same elastic waistband to the bottom of the new top. 

 

I love the new outfit. The waistbands that I added don't really show but the new shape is great. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Sweater Dress for Dressember

 Hello Readers. It is Dressember season. What is Dressember? They are an organization that works to fight human trafficking. Dressember's focus is advocacy, prevention, intervention and empowerment of victims. $40 can give a child everything they need to go to school so they can make a future for themselves. Things like a uniform, books, supplies, school fees... $75 can give a family what they need to start a small business for themselves so they can provide their own necessities and live in freedom. Go to Dressember to learn more.

Let's look at a dress I refashioned and wore in honor of Dressember.

 

Before and after.

 

This dress was ... fine. It was soft and comfortable but I just felt like it was dragging me down. If I was tall and slender maybe this would look better. But I am short and lumpy. This isn't a great style dress for me. I need a shorter length and a more defined waist. 

I can make that waist and "shorten" the dress at the same time. I can add elastic to make a waist. I planned to sew the elastic around the inside of the dress. I can use the color blocking as a guide for where to sew the elastic. 

I stitched the elastic to the inside of the dress and stitched right where the colors changed. Following the color line will make my new waistband straight and even. I used a zigzag stitch and tugged on the elastic gently as I stitched.

The new waistband changed the shape of the dress so much. 

Close-up look at the gently gathered waist.

Thanks for reading along, I know this is a busy time for everyone. I hope you are having a peaceful, restful, happy December. Holiday stress is real, but I hope you can avoid it. 

***Year End Update- This is a simple dress but it is so easy to wear and layer to stay warm in winter.

Sweater Dress for Dressember

 Hello Readers. I am still refashioning and wearing dresses all month in honor of Dressember. What is Dressember? They are an organization that works to fight human trafficking and forced labor. Just $15 can provide internet access so that a victim can receive after-care counseling where ever they are. 

Let's talk about one of the dresses I refashioned and I am wearing this month. It was a sweater dress made from a natural fiber I had never seen before.

 

Before and after.

 

This sweater is made from baby alpaca. (They just shave the wool off, no baby alpacas were harmed in the making of this sweater dress.) Alpaca wool is very good quality and warm as can be... like it's super warm... like too warm... I am too hot... I can't wear this dress. I start to over heat every time I put it on. I was going to pass out, but I had an idea.

I decided to open up this sweater. It is going to have a new life as a long cardigan. To start, I cut the sweater right up the middle.

It looked like this. Would that cut edge fray? I wasn't sure.

 

 It didn't seem to be fraying at all but I wanted to be sure it wouldn't fray over time. 

 

I used my serger on that edge. I started at the hem and went up one side of the opening and down the other. I used black thread so it would blend in.

 

When you use a serger it leaves threads hanging off the at the end of a seam. I used a needle to tuck those threads under the stitches inside the sweater. This will keep it all nice and neat.

 

Here is a look at my new cardigan. 

 

Does this still count as a dress? I love it either way. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- I have worn this many times as a sweater to stay warm this month.

 

 

 

 

A Sweater Dress

Hello Readers. It's almost Christmas and my 6 year old is SO EXCITED! I think this is the first year that he has gotten super excited and counted down the days. I really hope you are having a happy holiday season. Let's talk about sweater dresses. They can be soft and cozy but they can also be shapeless and bulky. 

  Before and after.

 

This sweater dress from my daughter was soft and could be warm with some layers. It was thick and kind of shapeless. It wasn't a horrible dress but it wasn't great. It was... fine. We can do better than "fine".

I wanted to cut the dress into a top and a skirt. I tried it on and decided how long I wanted the top to be. I wanted a "standard" length top. (My belly button is my business.) You could make this into a shorter cropped length if that is your style. It's your top, you can decide. The sweater will fray after you cut it. 

 

Be ready to stitch on some ribbon or bias tape to keep that cut edge together. I used this ribbon because it had the same off-white color and it was in my stash of sewing stuff.

This is a look inside. The ribbon is stitched on the edge and it was easy to attach. It hides that cut edge when I am wearing it. The ends will fray a bit in the wash but the ribbon will hide that from view.

 

 I also added an elastic waistband to the bottom piece of the dress. Sewing the elastic to the skirt keeps it from fraying and also keeps the skirt up at my waist. This skirt has more of an A-line shape because it is from the bottom of the dress where it was the biggest.

 

I used a zigzag stitch right at the edge to control the fraying. The zigzag stitch will allow the skirt to give and stretch with the elastic when I put it on. I measured my waist ahead of time so I knew how long the elastic needed to be.

 

The new 2 piece dress has a new shape. It fit my hips better and looser. I am short so this is a better length on me. Win. Win. Win.

The ribbon and elastic waistbands do not really show when I have the outfit on. But I wanted to show you where they were. 

I can also break up the set and wear the top by itself with other clothes. I liked it as a warm layer with for cold days too. 

*December is almost over and that means Dressember's awareness campaign and fundraising drive is almost over too. They work to fight human trafficking and forced labor around the world. They have outreach programs and partners around the world. You can learn more about the work they do at Dressember.org

Maybe That Dress Should Be A Shirt

Hello Readers. When I am looking for a fun top sometimes the best place to look is at the dresses in my refashion stash. A fun dress can make a really fun top. This striped dress was my daughter's. She cleaned out her closet and I took the hand-me-downs to use in my refashion for free in 2021 plan. Can I go all year without buying anything but thread? (And maybe some needles too.) Sure I can.

This dress fit really close. Let's be honest it was a little tight. But I really liked the brown stripes. I had a plan about what to do with this slightly tight dress. 

 I liked this dress a lot. Check out the buttons on the shoulders. So cute!

The first thing I did was cut the dress into a length that would work as a shirt.  That's right. I just cut it. Those cute stripes made it easy to make an even level cut. 

I was not sure if this sweater would fray or not. I decided to be safe and make a hem on the bottom using a zigzag stitch. The zigzag will allow it to stretch a little. The whole sweater was stretchy, I wanted my new hem to be stretchy too. 

 

I already knew I wanted to wear this new sweater top with my black over-alls. These also came from my daughter. They had a cool elastic finish at the ankles. (On left.) It was cool but I did not like it on me. I cut the elastic off and gave the pant legs a simple hem to finish them. (On right.)

My new fitted shirt was perfect. A loose shirt would not fit well under these over-alls. The fit of this sweater made it stay put and it didn't ride or bunch up.

I went out and got a haircut for the first time in ages. A fresh haircut always feels so good. 

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I like this striped shirt so much. I still wear it with the overalls. If it works, don't mess with it.

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.