Addicted to Stripes

So, by now it should be no secret that I love stripes....LOVE THEM!!! Especially when black and white or navy and white (also gray and white). I recently came across two dresses at two of my local thrift stores and quickly bought each. The first was a definite refashion candidate for a couple of reasons: nasty armpit stains and a bleach spot on one of the sleeves. It's made of a heavier knit, and the skirt was absolutely perfect as-is, so I decided to just tackle the bodice.

I started by sewing up each side taking them in by about an inch apiece, then cut off the excess including the sleeves. Next it was time to cut off the collar opening up the neckline a bit.

Next I shortened the straps by first sewing across them while right-side-out, trimming the excess, and flipping it inside out to enclose the raw edges in the seam.

Now, taking up the straps effectively brought the neckline back up, so I trimmed it down, then again until I got the look I was going for. I left the neckline edges raw and simply let the knit curl under on itself, but finished off the armholes with a simple topstitch on the folded edge.

I love the way it turned out, and its actually reversible if I ever want to wear the buttons in the front! Oh, I also sewed the button placket shut as it was gaping a bit. Super easy remake, and so easy to wear as well! Here's the before and after of it in action:

This next dress is an Asos maternity dress that I grabbed without trying it on. If I were a bit curvier then I may have left it as it was, but it was just a bit too voluminous and belting it left it bunching weirdly. No good. So, I turned it inside out, sewed up each side using a lightning stitch (good for knits on a regular machine), and trimmed off the excess.

Next I tackled the waist by creating two pleated gathers at each side of the waist and reinforcing it on the inside with the scraps I'd trimmed off.

Another super easy remake, that will be versatile and fun to wear as the weather heats up more each day! Love this one too :)

I like it with or without a belt, and will be getting tons of wear out of this one. What do you think? Do you like one more than the other? I love the bold stripe of this dress, but adore the classic fit and flare of the previous dress over the overall fit of this one. Either way, I'm excited to be sewing again and can't wait to tackle the next project.

Happy Refashioning!
Peace,
Andrea