REDO #25 PAISLEY DRESS REMAKE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

This week I worked HARD and LONG on a dress that was totally 80's!

It was brand new with the tag still on from a store that no longer exists lol. The most time consuming part was the collar. I wore the dress on my date night with the hubby!

1. Dress $1.89 +tx



 BEFORE: Big shouldered dress with "bell" sleeves! I like the soft colors and pattern ONLY...everything else had to go.

Close up

Montgomery Wards

I started by removing the collar which I'll hopefully use in the future somehow and the shoulder pads.

I folded the dress in half and started to cut the collar

I then laid it flat and started folding over the new collar adding pleats in the front and pinning down.

Back view- back side originally had a slit and button closure.

Front view- Everything is pinned and ready for sewing. It doesn't show yet but I eventually sewed the back slit together.

I turned the dress inside out and sewed a little bit from both sides starting at the arm pits and going all the way down to the elastic waist but not sewing into it. I then started back up from the other side of the elastic, (so not to make the waist tighter only the sides) all the way down the length.

Then I turned back out the right way, played with the sleeves and decided to tuck them into themselves. Its a little hard to explain but basically I made ruffled sleeves.

I pinned and got those ready for sewing too.

I turned it inside out, again lol and sewed small vertical seams across the elastic (opposite direction of elastic), using the existing seams which ran from the waist/pelvic area down the length of the dress as guides. 

Then I unstitched the middle between those 2 new stitches exposing the elastic which I cut out. The 2 stitches serve to hold the rest of the elastic in place and opening the front up.

 This also would take care of the huge overlapping of fabric on the waist. I then pinned and sewed this area back up.

After I finished sewing the collar back together, including the slit in the back and sleeves, I worked on the length. I removed 7 in, pinned and sewed.

Before

After

AFTER: What do you think? MUCH better and totally cute! There's no more "bell" sleeves, lace or slouchy waist.

 DATE NITE

We finally celebrating our 13th anniversary as a couple. We loved hanging out as a family on our anniversary back in Aug. but had to do it right!

 It was a great evening :)

We went to dinner at a little Mexican restaurant before going to a local showing of

 THE KING AND I

Close up- Pleated collar & necklace

 I'll probably take in the collar a bit cause its kind of loose. 

The dress had shades of light grey, dark grey, peach and lavender. 

I wore with my pewter hoops & new pewter PEACOCK NECKLACE! $1 at our local flea market, love the price.

 Even though there wasn't any brown, I didn't want to be too matchy, so I wore my dark wood bangle and my "new" old navy wedges thrifted for $6.98. A little more than I would have liked to pay but too cute & in great condition, to pass up.

Side

Sleeves!

////////////////////