Dress to Skirt; Using Shirring as a Waistband

 Hello Readers. I sometimes clothes don't fit as they should and that is when we need to get creative to make them work. This dress was one of those situations 

Before and after.

This dress had some super cute shirring at the top. But it was very tight and also very low cut. I wore a shirt under it to cover all the cleavage but it wasn't comfortable like this. It just didn't work for me. It was a nice hand-me-down from a lovely woman. (Thanks T!)  How could I make it fit me and be comfortable.

I cut the top of the dress off. I saved some of the shirring to use as a waistband.

I got some matching thread and threaded my serger. This dress was multicolored so I could have used any of the colors in the skirt fabric. I went with black.

I used my serger to finish that cut edge. I didn't want it to fray. 

The serger has a tail of thread that hangs off the garment when you are done stitching. Some people tie it in a knot and cut off the excess. I like to take the whole tail and use a needle to tuck it under the serger stitches. It holds nicely and looks neat.

 

Then I went back and made the waistband smaller and used gray thread to finish the cut edge. As always, it's nice to customize the fit.
 

I needed a top to go with my new skirt. I grabbed this J.Crew tank from my refashion rack. It would match the gray flowers in the skirt. I didn't like that long fake white layer that hung down from the shirt. 

I decided to cut it off. 

I left about 1/4 - 1/2 an inch of the white layer so I could use my serger on it. The serger stitches will keep it from fraying. This was a lot faster than unpicking all the stitches and removing the white layer. 

 

The little white edge is hidden under the gray shirt anyway. No one but us will ever know it is there. (Shh, don't tell anyone.)

The armholes of this tank were really low. I don't know why they are so low but half my bra would be showing like this. That isn't the look I want so I needed to raise this armhole.

I cut the shoulder straps and made them shorter. This will raise the armholes.

All my important bits will be covered now.

My outfit is ready to go. And where did I go?

I started my day with a walk. These 2 kept me company. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- This was a great outfit for hot days and the skirt was so comfy.

Jumpsuit to Pants

 Hello Readers. I found some cute jumpsuits at a thrift store sale. (It was everything you could get in your bag for $5.) It was a little crowded and there was no way to try things on. They wanted to clear out the store for a re-stocking so I just took the things I thought I could use.

Before and after.

I thought this would be such a comfortable jumpsuit but it was too small/short. 

There were 2 of them and I took both. I did not realize they were too small. Maybe they were on the wrong rack. 

I could not get the straps over my arms. This was way too short on me.

I cut the shirring tops in half so that the elastic shirring could be the waistband of my new pants.

I used my serger to finish the top of the pants where I cut them. This was nice because I could make the waistband as wide as I wanted.

I did the same thing to this pair. 

My new loose pants are so comfortable. I love them both. They were perfect for work when you can't wear shorts or a skirt but it is almost 100 degrees. (We boiling out here!) Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update-I love these wide leg pants. It was so put these together.

Tank Top to Skirt

 Hello Readers. My favorite color must be blue because I always gravitate towards blue in everything. Even in little things like this tank top. I don't remember how I got it but the blue appealed to me. I probably grabbed it at a clothes swap because of the color.

Before and after.

This tank was really well made. The fabric was a nice weight and it had a full lining. The lining gave me an idea. What if it was a skirt? It was already lined like a skirt would be. And I would love a blue skirt.

I cut the straps and the binding along the top edge to get them out of my way.

 

I had this blue elastic in my stash and decided to use that for the waistband. It was very soft and would be comfortable to wear. 

 

I didn't cut anything else off the tank top. I just added the elastic around the top.

 

The elastic worked perfectly. I wore the new skirt backwards. What was the back of the tank top became the front of my skirt. The shape and extra room in the chest was better suited to my bum. It worked perfectly.

 

I love mixing patterns so I went with this Hawaiian shirt. It has a cute vintage vibe. My daughter called this look "Coastal Maximalist".

 

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

 

***Year End Update- This is such a fun outfit to me. Love it all.

 
 

 

 

 

Lemon Dress

 A while back I made a dress using the Simplicity 1356 pattern. It was supposed to be reversible but I didn't use the lining I made. So... I have had the lining sitting in my sewing room. I decided to use the lining and make a second dress with the same pattern. I really liked this wrap style dress so I was happy to make a second dress. And that lining was already cut out, I had to use it.

Same pattern, second dress.

Here is my lining. It looks white here but it was a light blush color. It was perfect for lining the fabric I wanted to use.

I found this lemon sheet when I was out thrifting. I love these lemons. And it was only $1.99!

I cut all the elastic from the edges so I could flatten out the fabric.

I cut out the pieces from the lemon fabric. This was going to be a super fast project because the lining was already finished.

I stitched the 2 front pieces together and the 2 back pieces together. Then I connected the shoulders. I had trouble with the shoulders, the straps seemed too short. I don't know what I did wrong but I worked it out. I made the head hole larger and it was fine.

I made matching waist ties to tie the dress closed in front. 

I liked how it turned out. but it was a little boxy.

I added elastic to the back of the dress at the waist. It really helped to improve the shape.

I love this kind of wrap dress because it is always adjustable and it always fits comfortably. I like the lemons so much. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I said I would never make this dress again because it was difficult to get the lining smoothly attached. But I didn't want to waste the lining I made previously. It was easier to make this time but this is my last time using this pattern. I love these lemons and it worked out well enough this time.

Refreshing an Old T-shirt

 Hello Readers. I found this Hamilton themed T-shirt recently at the local thrift store and since I loved Hamilton, I decided to bring this shirt home with me. It fit great but it seemed kind of washed out.

 

Before and after.

 

 

When I saw this shirt at the thrift store I knew it was for me. 

 

I decided to use this Rit dye. I mixed it up as directed and cooked it on my stove for a little while. I thought I would get a pale blush pink.

I put the shirt in the dye bath. I stirred and stirred. I realized I was getting a peachy color.

 

When the shirt was done, I rinsed and washed and dried it.

The color was brighter and the shirt looked less washed out.
 

 

I also dyed this little cardigan sweater at the same time. It was white but it became the same color as the t-shirt. 

Then I realized it was the same color as the dress I refashioned yesterday. I made a little peach colored capsule wardrobe without meaning to. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- This top just seemed to work with this skirt so well. I wore these together over and over.