Teal & Black Dress Refashion

I'm sitting down here in my cozy little (very little) dorm room drinking a smoothie. It's Thursday. Not my normal Friday post, but I'm leaving tomorrow to go to Piketon, Ohio. I'm not exactly sure where Piketon is, but my great friend Kellyn (one of my roommates next year!) is from there and I'm going home with her for Easter weekend since my family is vacationing in Florida without me...thanks, guys. 

Curious what today's post will be?

We're doing a refashion!

I found this dress at The Salvation Army resale store for a whopping two bucks!!

Click "Read More" below for instructions!

(Thanks to my brother Chase for taking the before pictures!)

I saw it and thought it the color and overall look of the dress was cute, but it was also a size 14 (about 10 sizes too big for me) and a little long for my taste. 

So I bought it.

Then, I remade it! 

I know what you're thinking...Alyssa, I don't have that exact same dress! How will this tutorial help me?

But alas! You can use this idea of refashioning for any clothing! Use the instructions for taking the dress in, the inspiration, or anything else you get from this post to make something awesome yourself. You can do it!

Here's how:

1. If you get your dress (or any other type of clothing that you want to refashion) at a thrift store/resale place, the first thing you should do is wash it! Check for any stains, etc. while you're shopping. Chances are if there is a stain at the store, you probably won't be able to get it out with much success (trust me, I've tried). 

2. Try the dress on. Decide where it needs to be taken in, shortened, etc. First, we'll take it in. Hemming is last. While it is still on, put a pin where you need to take it in to at the bust, waist, and most importantly, hips. 

3. Turn the dress inside out and lay it flat. Mine had elastic at the waist that cinched it all together, making the whole process a little more difficult because everything was always bunched up. 

4. Trace along the seams on the sides at the place of where you put the pin in for step 2. Don't forget to leave 1/4 inch (or more!) for seams. It can also be helpful to take a skirt or dress with the same fit that you want, put it on top of the dress, and trace around that (plus seams allowance). I liked the way the sleeves looked, they were just too long because the dress was so big. So if you like your sleeves and want to make them look the same as the original dress, when you get to the sleeves, use a ruler and just made little marks along the side at the same distance in so that you can get the same shape of sleeves that the dress had before.

5. Pin all along the seams and sew. I highly recommend sewing up the sides and then cutting off excess fabric in case you made a mistake and need to take it back out again. Stop a little it before you get to the arm hole so you don't sew up the sleeves! You will hem/fold these under later.

6. Try the dress on again regular side out. If you like the fit, you can go ahead and cut off the excess fabric (as above). 

7. Fold the edges of the sleeves under about 1/4 of an inch (mine might have even been a little less). Then fold under again. Pin in place and sew.

8. Try the dress on again regular side out and put a pin at the length you want it to hit.

9. For tighter-fitting bottoms like this, it can be hard to sit or walk up stairs if you don't have a slit in the back. My dress already came with a slit in the back, but for the length I wanted it didn't go up far enough. Seam rip the seam along the back as far up as you want the slit. Sew back over the seam above the slip so it doesn't come undone because you just seam ripped it. Then, sew up the sides of the seams (if yours already has a slit, there should already be fabric folded over for a nice, clean edge). 

10. Turn dress inside out again and make a mark all along the hem where you pinned PLUS about an inch and a half for hemming.

11. Cut off excess fabric. Unless you're barely hemming it, you can't exactly sew this part and then cut, unfortunately. 

12. Fold hem under, then under again. (I like to iron the hem while folding it under). Pin in place. Sew.

Voila! You're done! Show it off with pride!

Project Review:

Do this! It takes beginner to intermediate (depending on your definition) sewing skills and some thrifting. There are plenty of great thrifted clothes out there just waiting to be refashioned!

The end! My mom thinks I need to wear a belt with it...what do you think?

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"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." -Proverbs 19:21