Monday, April 06, 2015

Sunday Sew-Day: Red Floral Refash

Sunday Sew-Day happened on time this weekend, but unfortunately, the photo shoot was rained out. So today we celebrate the sunshine with a bright and cheery refashion! Maybe not so cheery in the "before," but the bright part is undeniable. I picked up this red floral dress for $2 at my favorite thrift shop a couple months ago during their 50% off Presidents' Day Sale.

Red Floral Refash - Before

The first step toward the perfect spring dress was to remove the shoulder pads and the waist ties. Since the latter were merely buttoned on, I just unbuttoned them and then popped off the buttons.

Red Floral Refash - In ProgressRed Floral Refash - In Progress

Next I trimmed off the sleeves, leaving about a half-inch of fabric, which was then folded under and sewn like a facing.

Red Floral Refash - In ProgressRed Floral Refash - In Progress

Then I chopped off a foot of fabric from the bottom and gave it a new hem.

Red Floral Refash - In ProgressRed Floral Refash - In Progress

Sadly, when I tried it on, I realized I had cut it too short, especially for a breezy day. So I reattached the chopped off portion. But I had to do some decorative folds (like the ones I did on this dress) to make the upper hem blend in. So I folded the bottom hem upward about 3 inches and sewed an inch from the fold.

Red Floral Refash - In ProgressRed Floral Refash - In Progress

I folded and sewed twice more so that I had two folds just above the hem and two folds a little higher up (one of which was actually the original too-short hem).

Red Floral Refash - In Progress

Since I *adore* a dress with pockets, I decided to reuse the sleeves to make some simple side-seam pockets. I picked out the side seam for the same length as the sleeve hem. Then the right-side-out sleeve was inserted into the inside-out dress and attached.

Red Floral Refash - In ProgressRed Floral Refash - In Progress

After that, I flipped the sleeve/pocket inside-out as well and sewed it closed along what used to be the sleeve cap. Once the side seams were pressed where the pocket openings were, I added some reinforcing top-stitching just above and below the pockets.

Red Floral Refash - In ProgressRed Floral Refash - In Progress

This field of little yellow wildflowers seemed a fitting scene to snap some pics this afternoon.

Red Floral Refash - After

Red Floral Refash - After

I piled on the yellow accessories - a yellow leather belt, a yellow wooden bangle bracelet, yellow wooden bead earrings, my yellow leather handbag (not pictured because it was weighing down my tripod).

Red Floral Refash - After

Red Floral Refash - After

Sadly, I am a bit lacking in the bright yellow shoes department, but my teal sandals filled the void nicely.

Red Floral Refash - After
Dress: refashioned // Belt: $2 thrifted // Bracelet: $3 Target clearance // Earrings: me-made 
Necklace: hand-me-down from a friend // Shoes: $5 Yerdle


Red Floral Refash - Before & After

15 comments:

  1. Well your mistake turned out awesome! The pleats at the hem make this dress super special! With that sweetheart neck and bright floral print, I've got to call this refashioned dress just what it is...So Pretty!!!

    PS: I had a matching Yellow purse with the outfit I just posted and also forgot to photograph it!

    JJ
    www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com

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    1. The pleats at the bottom aren't as noticeable on this wild floral pattern as they would be on a solid color, but I actually like how that makes them kind of a subtle little detail. Plus the extra weight at the hem helps on windy days. ;)

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  2. Thank you for your posts. You have inspired me to be a more thrifty shopper and to look at things in the thrift shoop with an eye towards re-fashionig.

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  3. Carissa - another ! Awesome ! redo. I never tire of being able to follow each step of these creations. And then, you find the perfect background to "shoot" for this darling dress. You have so many GIfts !

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    1. Thanks! I just happened to drive by and notice these yellow flowers and thought, "Perfect!"

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  4. Wow, wonderful job! I agree with DressUpNotDown—that "mistake" ended up working beautifully. That hem is subtle because of the print, but really adds a lot of charm.

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    1. Thank you, Jen! It's what Bob Ross would've called a "Happy accident."

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  5. I love vertical pleats on garments as a fancy detail, so I love how you did the hem, mistake or not :) And how cool that a short sleeve can be used "as is" for a pocket. That kind of thing almost makes me giddy! Great results, Carissa!

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    1. Yeah, it's not the perfect pocket shape, but my hand fits in it and my phone too, and that's really all that matters!

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  6. Lovely refashion, & I think I have that same dress to re-work! I have a quick question though- why do so many ladies cross their legs when they're modeling their clothes?

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    1. These long floral dresses seem to be all over the thrift shops near me - castoffs from the 1990s, I suppose. But all they really need are a couple tweaks usually to make them stylish again.

      I cross my legs in photos a lot because I think it flatters my curvy, slightly pear-shaped body type. If I stand with my legs apart, it can accentuate my larger hips and thighs, and I'd rather not do that. Feel free to play around with your poses though and see what works best for you, what you like the most. That's what I do! I take lots of pics every time and then sort through them when I get home. Usually, the ones I pick out and are the ones where I crossed my legs.

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  7. Ahhh- that makes sense! Thank you for explaining it to me <3

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