Sweet Floral Nightie Refashion

Okay, so this before shot may not be very exciting or even inspiring for every refashionista...but for me, this sweet blue floral sweatshirt material was what inspired, not the shapeless nightie ;). 

I picked it up for $2 on half off day at my local thrift store along with this elastic for a whopping $.15.

I pretty quickly had an idea of what I'd be doing so I cut straight across from armpit to armpit, then cut the top portion into a new bodice. Now, a smart person would use some form of measurement or at least copy the bodice of a well-fitting garment as a guide...I am not smart, but I am lucky! 

I cut away the collar making the neckline match front and back, then cut the elastic and sewed the ends together after measuring it on my waist.

My next step was to close up the sides of the bodice and sew the elastic waistband on...but I did it wrong the first time, and had to unpick and redo it.

I then took the skirt in to an a-line shape, which helped because I initially just gathered the skirt and sewed it to the bottom of the elastic band, but it didn't look good at all! So, I had to unpick the waist a second time, take in the skirt (which also corrected some twisting in the material) and resew it to the elastic.

It still needs to be pressed so that the fabric lays a little flatter, but here's the completed and corrected waistband.

Now I've just got to decide how I want to finish the raw edges...make my own bias binding out of the sleeves, or simply fold under and topstitch? I'd like to do the bias binding for practice's sake, but my impatience may win out ;).

I have to say, I love that pretty blue floral print even more now! And to think that I paid $2.15 for the nightie and the elastic, bought on the same day, and the darker shade of blueish gray is a perfect accent! Kismet. 

I've decided I like it with the buttons in the back. It's fairly sweet, as it is, but part of me wants to add some lace trim. I think I'll stick to styling it with a denim jacket and flats, though. I don't want it to be too 'pretty' if you know what I mean.

The hemline is perfect as is, and yes, this could totally still be a nightie, or house dress, but I think I can make it work for everyday wear with the right accessories. For now, I'm wearing it as I do laundry, dream of spring, and enjoy the fact that it's over 30 degrees outside and snow is melting...even if only for today.

Thought I'd let you see how it looks with the buttons in the front! Hope you all liked this one, and though it totally distracted me from my Marsala refashion, I'm trying to finish that one for tomorrow! We'll see ;). Hope your weekend is and has been amazing!

Peace,
Andrea