I am currently obsessed with sewing. In fact, I have about 60 projects bookmarked that I’d like to complete. Yes, sixty, as in 6-0! Because I live pretty much in the middle of nowhere (see below photo) I don’t have access to good quality fabrics with which to make these projects and I am hesitant to buy fabrics over the internet without being able to feel them and drape them and imagine them as a finished product. So until I can get to civilization and hoard all the pretty fabrics I can find, I am trying to make things with scraps I have around the house and old clothing that needs updated. Hence my new project- a clothing refashion.

I bought this dress at Clothing Warehouse in Jacksonville before I moved and have only worn it once. It was shapeless and too large, but I loved the print so I tucked it into a belt and tried to call it good. Except every time I moved the dress came untucked from the belt and it looked pretty terrible. It has been in the back of my closet for months, so I thought I’d see what I could do!

Here are the awful before pictures. Please ignore the wild hair!

First, I removed the bodice from the skirt and then took in the sides.

Then I created a casing for some elastic. I folded and pinned the top of the skirt down about 1/4 inch and sewed. Then I folded and pinned the edge down about 1 1/2 inches and sewed, leaving an opening to insert the elastic later on.

After that, I pinned and sewed the bodice to the skirt. Finally, I inserted the elastic (measured my waist and subtracted 1 inch) and sewed the two pieces together.

It isn’t perfect and I don’t love the extra bit of fabric above the elastic, but it is wearable- unlike before- and easily hidden with a belt.