~skirt turned dress tutorial~

 Remember this skirt:

...that I turned into this:

For any of you interested in doing this

EASY transformation, here's how I did it.

Let me just tell you before we get started...

my pictures suck! There's just no way around

that at this point so I just had to make due

with the pictures I had. I hope between the 

pictures and the written instruction, you

will be able to follow. 

First off-start with a long skirt. I got

this skirt at a local thrift store for $5. 

It can be any material but I recommend a cotton

or polyester blend....these will be easiest to hem.

IT HAS TO HAVE AN ELASTIC WAISTBAND!

Next-put the bra on that you intend to wear

with the dress once it's complete....this is important

because you want to make sure and place the

straps of the dress so they cover your bra straps.

Put the skirt on and pull it clear up over your boobs

in order to determine how long you want it and

how much you'll need to take off the bottom. 

Place a pin where you want the length to be.

Take the skirt off now and let's begin!

You've marked with the pin where you want 

the length of the skirt to end up so we need

to add a bit for a hem allowance. From the

point of the pin, add an inch towards the bottom

of the dress (this is our hem allowance) and mark

with your marking pen or chalk. 

Now, you will need

to measure the distance of the bottom of the original

hem to the mark you just made.....mine was 3".

Now go around the entire skirt, making a 

mark every couple inches to determine where you

will need to cut. Be sure to measure from the bottom of

the original hem in order to ensure a straight

hem on your new length.  

Once you have marked around the entire skirt,

you are ready to cut. You will basically just

connect the marks you just made while cutting

with your scissors or blade.

 Be sure to lay your skirt out so that you

are only cutting thru ONE LAYER!

Also-you need to cut this off in one continuous piece.

This fabric we just cut off will be used for our straps.

Once you have completed cutting the bottom of the skirt

off, put that piece to the side...we'll come back

to it in a minute.

Let's go ahead now and put a new hem on the 

bottom of the skirt. I turned mine over 1/2" TWICE

so I had a finished edge. Mark it with your 

seam gauge, pin and iron as you are marking it.

Now go ahead and sew it.

Next we are going to make our straps.

Take the big piece you just cut off from the

bottom of the skirt. Determine how wide you

want your straps to be. If the piece you cut off is

extremely wide you'll need to cut some of it

off again so it's not too bulky. I simply

folded the unfinished edge over to meet the 

center of the already finished edge and that was

perfect (My straps are 1.75" wide).

 Go ahead and iron it down.

 

 If you have a serger I would recommend serging

the raw edge before you fold it over and iron it

down. However, I don't have a serger so I didn't

finish the edge first.....I figure it won't show and

I didn't want to take the time to finish the edge.

Hopefully it won't fray too bad when I wash it.

Now you can sew the piece down.

I went ahead and made two stitch lines down

the length of the strap in the center because I thought it

looked better that way. Depending on the type of 

stitch that was in the original hem, you may already

have a visible stitch. If this is the case-be sure to

sew this down using the existing stitch as a 

guide to determine the distance apart for the 2nd

stitch you are about to put in. Does that make sense?

You want the stitches to be straight because

they will be very visible on the straps.

 Now you should have a big long piece of fabric with 

finished edges. Go ahead and cut it in half.

 This next part is MUCH EASIER if you have someone

who can help you. I didn't and it took me forever!

You need to determine the placement of the straps now

so put the dress on, pulled up over your boobs. 

Remember to have the bra on that you intend to 

wear with the dress. Have someone pin the straps

onto your dress both in the front and the back.

 You are going to sew this right onto the dress

now but you don't want to sew thru the elastic.

You still want the elastic to be able to stretch and move

so be careful to pin and sew at the top and bottom

of the casing NOT thru the elastic.

 Sew both straps on.

Almost done.....now we want to sew the sash onto

the front of the dress. This is what makes the 

sweetheart-type neckline and fitted bust look.

The skirt I bought already had a very long sash attached 

to it so I just used that. If you need to make one,

You can either use a scarf you already have

or you will need to sew another long strap that

is approximately 3.5 " wide and 6 ft long.

Most likely you won't have enough fabric from the 

bottom of the skirt to make a sash with also.

That's OK. I actually think it would have

been cuter if I had used a different fabric for the sash.

(in fact-I'm going to try that next time)

If you have to make a sash from scratch-you will need a 

piece of fabric that is 8" wide by 6 ft 1 inch long.

Fold it in half lengthwise, right sides together

and stitch it together using a 1/2" seam allowance.

Do not sew the two ends.

Now you turn it right side out by pulling

one end thru to the other end. Iron it

and after turning your ends under, 

sew the ends shut.

Now you have your sash.

Fold your sash in half lengthwise and pin the

center of it to the center of the bust of your dress,

right directly underneath the bottom stitch

from the elastic casing. 

Stitch this onto the dress,

being sure again to not stitch thru the elastic.

You don't need a long stitch line for this because

you want it to be sewn onto it with just

a SMALL stitch length. 

Mine is only like 3 stitches that I just

re-enforced several times using my back stitch.

THAT'S IT!

You're done.

Put the dress on and pull the sash down underneath

your boobs and pull tight around to the back.

Tie and adjust as you need to.

 Voila....

a new sundress made from a skirt.

Guess what?

You just made a dress that can be worn 3 ways.

If you want more coverage in the front you

can turn it around and wear it like this:

This offers more coverage in the boobie/cleavage

department....the tie is in the front now. 

I don't have pictures of this but you can also

wear it as a maxi skirt with a sash tied at the waist.

I've worn it all 3 ways and trust me.....

it's equally as cute each way!

Again, I apologize for the crappy pics in this 

tutorial......the tutorial took me longer to

create than the entire dress did!

 Linking up with Positively Splendid.

and

Recycled Fashion Finds

~poor girls flower arrangement~

 The flowers on my table last week:

Recognize the tall vase?

Maybe the water marks at the top will give

you a clue.....it was our former

gold fish high rise (click here for a reminder).

As I'm sure you've guessed by now-the goldfish died.

The water marks at the top of my gigantic vase

will always be a reminder of the one and only

pet I ever allowed the kids to have.

 Mint, chives and the white puff ball again.

This will be the last of the puff balls this year.

Which is a shame because I love them.

I used this old bottle and apothecary jar to display

the simple little flowers and greens. 

This has actually been my favorite centerpiece

yet this year. I love the color combo along with 

the glass and visible water. 

 I wish you could smell the mint thru

your computer. It is simply DIVINE.

Not sure yet what I'll do for this week. 

We are in between blooms right now.

Iris are shriveling and the roses aren't ready to be cut.

I'll have to get creative. 

Ooh......I love a challenge. 

~buggin~

I'm bugged.

I was going to post the tutorial for the skirt I 

made into a dress BUT..... 

I just looked at the pics I took as I was making

the dress.....the pics are horrible!

Not surprising since I had an hour to make it

before I had to leave for the place I wanted to wear it!

I'm not going to be able to put the tutorial of

the dress up yet. Sorry...it's gonna take some

picture doctoring and new pics.  I'll get to it

first thing next week. 

So....enjoy the pics of the bugs in my yard.

~skirt into dress~

 Remember this thing I showed you a couple days ago?

Not the most attractive like this but I had a vision for it

the moment I saw it.

 I've been seeing a lot of neon colors

this season and wanted to add some of it into my 

wardrobe without spending a lot of money. 

I feel pretty confident in saying that I think neon

will be a micro-trend; lasting only this summer.

Taking that into account, the asking price of $5

at my local thrift store made it a PERFECT option

for spicing up my wardrobe. 

It's definitely a vintage piece....I'm pretty sure

straight from the 70's. 

Check out the final reformation! 

I LOVE it!

It's one of my favorite summer pieces

at this point. I think it's going to see a lot wear 

this summer. I was hoping to have the tutorial

done by now but it's not. I'm shooting for later today.

It was super easy and I did it in less than an hour!

Seriously......a beginner can do this!

~simple flower arrangement~

 To me, nothing says "life" like flowers do.

I love to have fresh flowers in my house and

am lucky enough to get them for FREE all summer.

My husband is a wonderful gardener and he 

lovingly picks and arranges bouquets for me

all summer long. He may be losing his title this 

summer as "arranger" because I am really starting 

to enjoy it myself. Each week I have been 

picking and arranging flowers to bring into my house. 

Here's what I did last week:

 

A simple three part arrangement for my kitchen table.

Lavender, green and white.

Iris, chives, mint and white puff balls (??? that's what we call it).

Simple beauty.

I smiled each time I looked at it. 

 I challenge you this week to recognize the 

BEAUTY in the simple things....

it doesn't have to be big to be magnificent!

~closet peek-a-boo~

 I haven't done "A peak inside my closet" for a 

couple weeks. The reason being; I haven't really

worn much worth photographing. Since I started

posting about what I wear on a daily basis I've 

learned a couple things about my wardrobe:

1) I wear a lot of black

AND

2) A lot of the stuff I wear isn't that great

Let me tell you....it's been a real kick in the butt 

to step it up with my wardrobe. 

Here's a few outfits I've worn the past couple weeks.

I wore this to a barbecue. This outfit is another one

of those examples of "buy nice stuff and it will last you forever".

I've had the skirt, the boots and the belt for several years.

The belt is AMAZING! I bought it at a vintage store

years and years ago.....long before the cheap imitations

of belts like this were popular. The buckle is sterling silver,

the leather is genuine and is is completely handmade. 

I think I paid $30 for it. The boots get cooler looking the more 

worn they become and the skirt is a staple piece of my

summer wardrobe. I also wear it belted as a dress.

 This outfit I wore to a sushi dinner for a friend's birthday.

I originally got the outfit for my Vegas trip in February.

I love the contrast of the lace with the tailored vest.

BUT....the best thing about this outfit-THE SHOES!

They make me soooo much taller.

I'm only 5'2 so they really give me a boost. 

Believe it or not, they are pretty comfortable.

This outfit I wore to my son's pre-school graduation.

It's basically a $20 outfit. The bracelet was more expensive

than everything else combined. Again....pieces I've 

had for a really long time. This beaded shrug

is an "occasion" piece that I feel so feminine and

pretty in each time I wear. It was only $5!

I've really been trying to bring some color into my

wardrobe since realizing my obsession with black clothes.

Wait and see what I did with this skirt:

 It may very well be my favorite summer 2012 piece!

I'll show you next week. 

To answer your question Jolie about why I don't 

photograph the clothes on me....there's a few

different reasons. 

A) it's quicker and easier for me to lay them out 

than to try and take the time to get a good

shot of me in them. I never remember to do it when I'm 

wearing them. I've tried setting my timer and using my

tri-pod but haven't been able to find a good spot

in my house to do that. I've also tried having my 

little guy take the pics and it didn't go so well :)

B) my point of posting these is to inspire others

and give them ideas for their own wardrobes.

I want them to imagine THEMSELVES in them.

AND LASTLY....

C) it's fun! I love laying them out and making 

the collages. I feel like I'm doing an editorial 

in a fashion magazine or something. 

~teacher appreciation flowers~

 I wanted to do something for my little man's 

pre-school teachers. They have made such a difference

in his life and personality this past school year.

I didn't have much money for gifts but this is 

what I came up with:

 I found these little watering can planters

at the Dollar Store. I filled them with some

petunias and made a circular tag with the message

"Your love has made me BLOSSOM".

(the meaning of petunias: your presence soothes me)

 I printed it up on some card-stock, put his picture

in the center and had him sign the back. 

I attached the tag with white embroidery thread.  

I had never printed text in a shape before now.

If you want to know how I did it, check out this tutorial

at Imperfectly Perfect. (click here)

 It was just the right size for his little hands and

he was so excited to give them to his teachers.

 Thank God for teachers who make a difference. 

As he starts school, I am hoping and praying 

he will be blessed with teachers as loving 

and dedicated as the teachers he had this year. 

And guess what?

The book I made him was a BIG HIT!