A Long Time Coming

This refashion started in April. It actually got as far as only needing to be hemmed to finish it up. And then it sat. I was gone much of May, and then June kinda rolled by... Well, it's time! I finally finished up hemming it by hand and get to show you how it began, the process, and the final product! Yay ;)

Here goes.

I started off with this homemade dress that I thrifted for $5. I bought it because it was homemade, not because I particularly liked the dress or the fabric. But I knew I could turn this piece around. Literally.

The back, to me, seemed like it should be the front, while the front (with the zipper up the belly, the strange gap at the top of the zip and below the buttons...) seemed like it should be the back.

So, I chopped off the top of the bodice including the sleeves and shoulder pads. I then took it in along the side seams (bodice) and the front (now back) darts. I also created a cutout by cutting below the top two buttons out at an angle towards the waist. I had to unpick the waist, rehem all of the raw edges, and fiddle with the fit quite a bit to get it just right. And with the photo storage mishap that took place this week, I only recovered some of the photos of the process. After finishing off the bodice, I chopped off the 3 inch hem and reused it as straps for my dress.

Initially, the cutout was larger, and unfortunately gaped quite a bit. So, I sewed down the bottom edge of the opening to the waist at the back, which closed it up a bit making the cutout smaller. Here's what it looked like prior to the tweaks.

I'm so glad I grabbed this up the other day to finish hemming (and adding a hook and eye above the zip for better closure), because now I'm beyond in love with the final result! And you'll have to forgive me for going picture happy....I really really really like it!

It's perfect for twirling :).

Here's a few closer shots.

And the before and after. I'm so glad I could save this dress, and though it is a bit dark, it's such a light cotton fabric which is perfect for the heat and humidity we're experiencing. Yay for summer dresses! Yay for saving someone's homemade piece and giving it new life!

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do, and if you have any questions on how I did this (as you may with the lack of step-by-step shots), feel free to ask! I'd love to hear from you :).

Peace,
Andrea