I picked up this skirt at JCPenneys several years ago for about $4. It was cute and an irresistible deal... but was too poofy and too short to really look good on my long figure.
My solution? Cut it up and turn it into a dress! It was pleated with lining, which gave me more than enough fabric to create a sundress.
I didn't have an exact idea in mind, so this sketch isn't what the final dress will look like. It's fairly close, however.
I made the top tier of the skirt out of the original lining.
I thought I could do the bottom tiers without altering the original skirt, but it was gathered in the wrong places so I had to cut the layers apart and reattach them.
Thankfully this made ironing a LOT easier. My iron cannot do proper steam no matter how I try it, so I go the industrial method and just use a spray bottle to spray the fabric with water right before I iron it.
I've had too many instances of the gathers in tiered skirts ripping out so I made sure to finish and reinforce the inside with zigzag stitching.
A look at the skirt:
The blue fabric is incredibly thin. This makes it good for gathering, but very see through. So I raided my fabric stash and found a cream curtain that I could cut up for the dress lining.
Skirt with lining.
My solution? Cut it up and turn it into a dress! It was pleated with lining, which gave me more than enough fabric to create a sundress.
I didn't have an exact idea in mind, so this sketch isn't what the final dress will look like. It's fairly close, however.
I made the top tier of the skirt out of the original lining.
I thought I could do the bottom tiers without altering the original skirt, but it was gathered in the wrong places so I had to cut the layers apart and reattach them.
Thankfully this made ironing a LOT easier. My iron cannot do proper steam no matter how I try it, so I go the industrial method and just use a spray bottle to spray the fabric with water right before I iron it.
I've had too many instances of the gathers in tiered skirts ripping out so I made sure to finish and reinforce the inside with zigzag stitching.
A look at the skirt:
The blue fabric is incredibly thin. This makes it good for gathering, but very see through. So I raided my fabric stash and found a cream curtain that I could cut up for the dress lining.
Skirt with lining.
Next time: Part Two -How to self fit a bodice.
2 comments:
I am definitely going to send my mom the link to this. Me and my sisters, who are all tall, have horrible times finding dresses.
Awesome, Elena!!!! I can't wait for part 2!
Post a Comment