Summer Green Dress Refashion

So I started with this huge sack of a dress. Snagged from the thrift store for $3

Then I took in the sides.

Get the dog's approval before proceeding....

Cut the apart the shoulder seams.

Cut a V into the back. Little by little I went deeper.

The back

Trimming the front.

Made straps from the extra fabric cut from the sides. And testing the fit.

Added darts and knots to the front. Also a lining. Here it is all finished!

Thanks for looking!

Marisa

ArtsyFartsyDIY.blogspot.com

http://artnerdy.blogspot.com/

Just Add Polka Dots!

So I got this green dress. And nothing was wrong with it. But it was just meh.

So I decided to jazz it up a bit. Snagged some black piping and a bit of polka dotted fabric to make a sash. I make long sashes, my waist measurement tripled.

This polka dot fabric was rayon. For a belt that holds it's shape better use a stiffer cotton.

Pretty simple fixer upper and a much cuter dress. Got a boring dress? Try doing this!

Piping $4
Dress $3
Polka dot fabric $2
New cute dress = $9


Thanks for looking & happy refashioning!
Marisa

Gore Happy

 So I started with this big amount of fabric. Scored for $4 at the thrift store.

Chop chop chop

Button swap! Red shanks are so much better. 

And then I decided to get complicated. It seemed like a good idea at the time. From the left over fabric I cut out gores to make the skirt fuller. 

And I may never sew gores again. 

Cheap fashion: $4 dress + $7 for buttons = $11

Plus thrifted $2 belt and $8 boots. 

Thanks for looking! 

Marisa

Ugly 80's Dress to Cute Wrap Dress

I found this monstrosity of an 80's dress at the thrift store for $1.50. I'm not really sure why I snagged it, as it is pretty atrocious and it took me a while to figure out how to refashion it. 

So I started by removing the sleeves and the huge collar. 

Then I cinched in the sides and hacked off some length from the skirt.  With some of the extra fabric I made two 1.5'' skinny tubes. Then I seam ripped the shoulder seams apart and slid the one tube down each side of the bodice. Then I reattached and tightened the shoulder seams. Then I slid the tube over the shoulder seam to create the strappy gathered look. Voila! New wrap dress! I know it's a sundress in December but hey the temps over here in California are in the high sixties. 

I've been gone for a bit but glad to be back and refashioning!

1, 2, 3 Strapless

I love cheap dresses from the thrift store. Scored this one for $5.50. 

There was a size issue though. It was about 4 sizes too big for me. And once I cinched in the sides the straps were uncomfortable and cut into my shoulders. So since I'm lazy I just took off the straps. Done.

Two Tees to One Skirt, With a Twist!

Got 2 tees laying around? Then you can make this:

I've been seeing a lot of twist type skirts like this one here.

So I decided to make my own. I picked up two $1 tees at the thrift store.

Ok so, you need two large tees. You can get two tees of the same color or of two different colors. Figure out which tee will be used for the base layer, (not the one with the twist). You're going to cut this down into a pencil skirt. I used a pencil skirt that fits well to figure out how to cut the tee into a skirt. I laid the pencil skirt down on the tee traced around and left room for seam allowance on the sides. If you want a finished top of your skirt without having to sew it, use the bottom hem of your tee for the top of your skirt. I went the no hem route on the bottom. 

Once the skirt base rectangles are cut, it's time to cut the rectangle of the twisty part. This rectangle should be the same size as the base rectangle, BUT use one of the already existing side seams for the tee (Cut from the seam). 

Just to recap base layer of skirt can be one rectangle, or 2 rectangles of equal sizes. Twisty layer should be one. Why? Because when you twist this layer the side seam might show and if so you want stitching that looks blends and looks professional. 

Onto the sewing. (If you have a regular sewing machine, use stretch stitches or zig-zags). Alrighty sew up one side of the base layer. Only one. Baste the right side of the twisty fabric to one of the sides of the base layer.  One the other side of the base layer baste the wrong side of the twisty fabric to the base layer. You should have a twist! Then sew up the sides of the skirt, this should be four layers of fabric. 

Lastly position your twist. I put mine a bit off center. If you don't want your twist to move on you, put a few stitches in to secure in place and voila! It's done. 

Total cost for me $2 and some cursing at the serger...

Boring Dress to Pretty Pillowcase Dress

Snagged this 100% silk dress for a dollar at the thrift store! 

And this was my inspiration for making essentially a pillowcase dress. http://www.marthastewart.com/267528/diy-shift-dress

So this was the first cut...

Using safety pins I made a quick test casing on the top of the dress along it's original neckline. But I felt like it didn't have enough material for pretty gathering. I tested it again lower right underneath the armholes of the dress. I found that prettier. So then I cut again, straight across right beneath the armhole on the front a back of the dress. Essentially creating a rectangle with only the side seams sewn up. 

Then I made a casing on the top of both the back and front of the dress. I made a strap 60'' long to string through the casing. You could also use a ribbon. I wanted to only tie one side of the strap to itself if want two separate pieces you'll need longer than 60'' (I just used 1.5'' of a 60'' fabric) 

Then I added a belt from the same color as the straps. I used about 9'' of 60'' fabric for the belt (using 2 pieces of 4.5" x  60". Creating a 4.5"x 120" then folded horizontally and finished off).

This refashion was super easy! And I love how it looks, especially with the matching belt! And even better total cost for materials: $1 for the dress + $2 for coral fabric for straps and belt = $3