80's Polka Dots to Vintage Goodness

I splurged a bit getting this $6.50 find at the thrift store. But I just could turn down the polka dots and the cut. I knew exactly what I was going to do with the dress!

Little tricky taking those before pics since the majority of buttons had already fallen off, and the rest were just hanging on by a thread.

First thing first was swap out the buttons. I found these red pretties from a vintage button shop.

Next I chopped off some length. Sorry no picture! And then I added piping everywhere. 

And I had a wonderful photographer and lots of fun taking the after pics. 

And there you have it. Thrifted dress $6.50, piping $3 and buttons $8. The shoes were a thrifted $6 and the hat was thrifted for $2.50. Whole look: $26.

Thanks for looking! Happy refashioning. 

Marisa

artsyfartsydiy.blogspot.com

Blue Havana Dress

I picked up this pretty blue rayon dress for $3. I love this border print but I'm a short and sweet kinda girl. So on to the first chop!

Getting the top to the right height.

Removing length from the skirt. Chopping off a good foot and a half or so.

My pup Alfie wanted to help with the picture taking

And my other pup Kiki wanted to help with the measuring.

Back to the dress! bringing up the bottom of the skirt to waist level brought the side slits up really high. Like Mid bum level... So had to unpick the slits and sew up the sides of the skirt. 

And Voila!

Thanks for looking! And happy refashioning! 

-Marisa

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...