So here it is, a little later than promised: my step-by-step demonstration of how I turned a little dress, that didn't fit or flatter so well, into a skirt that I love. I've done this at least 3 times now, and while each one was a little different, and needed it's own unique "tweaks," all of the results have been great. Not only does this simple technique allow you to breathe new life into a piece you already own, but it gives you more shopping options. Find a dress at the thrift store with a totally awesome print, but it's too short or not your style? Buy it anyway, and turn it into your next favorite skirt!
So here's the original dress/long-ish top. (I'm pretty sure this came in a bag of super awesome hand-me-downs from some of my friends - they are the bestest! ;) I loved it at first, because of the cheerful, summery blue and white stripes, but only wore it once or twice before I decided to get rid of it. The high waisted, spagetti-strap style just didn't do my figure any favors. Fortunately, I realized how cute of a skirt waistband the bodice would actually make... and out came the scissors!
The first thing to go was the straps. Snip! (I actually turned them into a headband, but I don't have any great pictures of that yet.) I decided that the bodice was a bit wider of a waistband than I wanted, so next I opened up the top of each side seam (see left). Then I took the back of the bodice (now my waistband), which had built-in elastic smocking/ruching, folded it in half to get the desired width, then stitched it down (see right).
Once the back half of the waistband was sewn securely, I ran two rows of gathering stitches along the sides of the front part of the waistband (see left). I adjusted the gathering stitches until both the front and back sides of the waistband were the same size and tied them off (see right).
Next I pinned the front and back waistbands together at the side with right sides together (see left). In order to make the skirt fit snugly on my waist and eliminate some fullness in the skirt, I determined that I needed to sew a 1" seam allowance on both sides of the skirt, from top to bottom (see right). This took the piece in a total of 4 inches.
So now I had a skirt that fit well (I tried it on again to double check), but a wide, floppy seam allowance left over (see left). Here's where professional seamstress techniques come in! (You can tell a lot about a seamstress by looking at the inside seams of the garments they make.) I trimmed the seam allowance to a neat 1/4 of an inch (see right).
Next I ran a zig zag stitch over the edge of the seam allowance, just to make sure that there wouldn't be any stray threads or messiness (see left). Lastly, I pressed the seam towards the back of the garment with an iron, which made it nice and flat and finished, instead of looking as if I had just sewed it up (see right).
You might think I'm finished at this point, and I should have been, but what did I happen to do while snipping my headband strips to size??? That's right, I cut a small nick in the front and center of the skirt I had just completed. Classic.
After I'd started breathing again, I applied my simple "never fails" fix. I cut a small triangle of fusible interfacing, big enough to cover the slice and then some. After pressing the cut edges together neatly so that they were almost invisible, I fused the interfacing carefully to the inside/wrong side of the skirt with the iron. This made the slit practically invisible from the outside, but for added stability I used a tiny zig zag stitch to "mend" my error. I'm pleased (and very relieved) to say that it's almost as good as new.
So there you have it! Have any of you ever done a dress-to-skirt re-fashion before? I would love to see pictures, or any other ideas for re-making clothing pieces! It makes me feel all happy inside. :)
-Amanda
First photo by Lydia Flynn
