Royal Blue Shoulder-Pad Extravaganza Refashion [thank goodness]

I've started making more frequent trips to goodwill. Is it because it's a magical place filled with ideas, opportunities, and sales? Yes! How'd you know?
I've been getting some fun clothes, including clothes with the potential to be refashioned.
Let's have this dress share it's story...

Notice the enthusiasm.

"Hi, I'm a wool sweater dress from the 80's! I was all the rage in my time, but these days I'm only appreciated for my pockets. I have built-in shoulder-pads which are capable of obscuring your entire face when viewed from an angle. Please don't chop me in half!"
Well dress, as much as I would love to not chop you in half and maybe place you in a museum instead, I'm still gonna do it. It's for the good of fashion, and humanity on a smaller scale.
This was a very simple refashion. I bought this with the intention of turning int a skirt, so a skirt I shall turn it into!

Step 1. Separate by any means necessary. I used a seam-ripper. You may chop if you wish.




Step 2. Measure Elastic.

Step 3. Flip inside out, and pin waist of skirt, making a space wide enough to thread the elastic through.


Step 4. Sew waistline.

Step 5. Thread elastic, and sew it's ends together to complete the circle.

Step 6. Finish sewing until everything is closed, and secure.  

!REMEMBER!: Always leave an opening through which to thread the elastic. When the elastic is threaded, and both ends are sewn together to create one continuous loop, only then may you finish off your sewing. Nothing's worse than having to admit to yourself that you've sewn up something that you should not have sewn up. For example, an armhole.

 Once you've done these things, you'll probably have one of these....


 No, not a forest.


Not a pair of boots, keep guessing.


Not a plant to pet.


I promise all these pictures have something in common!


You will have a skirt, yes! And if you're lucky, a beautiful fuzzy pink sweater like this one that I also purchased at goodwill. Actually, my shirt is from goodwill too! Goodwill is awesome!
Being a tall person, I have the hardest time finding skirts that are long enough for me. I always have to choose between short, or really short, so I never really wear skirts. I love how long this one is, and I might even end up shortening it a little because it might be too long. This is such a fun issue to have! :D

What I would have done differently: The stitch that I used ended up looking kind of messy, even though you can't tell so much in the pictures. I'm not sure what would have made it better, but I'll be thinking about that for next time.
I think part of it was that when I folded the waist over and pinned it in place, it didn't line up perfectly. The circumferences were different because the skirt flared from the waist. As I was sewing, things got a little messed up because the fabric was dispersing weirdly despite the pins. In some areas there was just enough fabric, and in others there was excess. Luckily it doesn't matter when it's just going be all bunched up anyways, but I'll pay more attention to that in the future if I don't have elastic to fix all my problems for me.

I kept the top section and sash of the dress, and I actually already have an idea in mind for them. :)
This was fun. Let's do this again sometime.
Thank you Mary-sister-dearest (click!) for being my tireless photographer!!
And thank YOU for reading!
-Lilly

Comments

  1. LOOK AT YOU, sewing all the things. Very lovely transformation.

    ReplyDelete

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