Sunday, July 19, 2015

Sunday Sew-Day: Beating the Heat

As August approaches, it's been getting hotter and hotter here (though not as bad a summer as it could be). Still, now is the time of year when I avoid the sun like a red-headed vampire. When I give serious thought to shaving my head. When I try to wear as little clothing as public decency allows. In pursuit of the latter, I decided to make over this XL dress from my heavier days.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - BeforeTeal and Mint Summer Dress - Before

My plan was to salvage the skirt portion and attach it to a new top. Enter this plain ol' Nautica tee I thrifted years ago and hardly ever wear.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - Before

My first step was to cut the skirt off the dress. Since the black lining kept peeking out from the bottom of the skirt, I pulled it up a couple inches and trimmed the top to be even again. That'll keep the lining hidden better.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - In ProgressTeal and Mint Summer Dress - In Progress

Next, I put on the shirt and marked where I wanted the new waist to be. Then I chopped off the bottom about 1/2 inch below that.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - In ProgressTeal and Mint Summer Dress - In Progress

I inserted the inside-out shirt into the right-side-out skirt and lining. There was more skirt fabric than t-shirt, so I gently stretched the fabric as I sewed a zig-zag stitch. This stretching makes it look really wonky and ruffly, BUT this will be hidden, so no need to fret. Also, notice the seam is on the outside of the dress.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - In ProgressTeal and Mint Summer Dress - In Progress

I turned my seam the other way and sewed again about 1/2 inch from the fold, using a simple straight stitch this time, to hide the raw edges as well as create a casing for my elastic waistband.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - In Progress

I grabbed a length of elastic long enough to fit my waist snugly. I believe this was actually salvaged from another refashioned skirt/dress. I snipped a little hole in the black lining fabric of the casing, and using a safety pin, I fed the elastic through it. I joined the ends of the elastic securely by sewing back and forth a few times with a straight stitch.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - In ProgressTeal and Mint Summer Dress - In Progress

And there you have it! A quick, easy, comfortable dress for the blazing Texas heat.

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - After

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - After

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - After

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - After

Teal and Mint Summer Dress - Before & After

Have you heard? The third season of Refashion Runway starts this coming Saturday! I had such a blast as a contestant during season two a couple years, and I plan to sew along with the weekly challenges this time as well. Won't you join me?

Refashion Runway Season Three

7 comments:

  1. This is such a cute combo !
    I am excited, once again, to see your creativity for the Refashion Runway - Thanks for the invitation !

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    1. Thanks, Linda! To be clear, I'm not competing again, just sewing along in solidarity. :)

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  2. Oooh this turned out super cute! I just checked the list of Themes for each week of Refashion Runway and several of them go with projects I have planned, but haven't done yet. Sewing along will be a great boost to get some projects crossed off the never ending projects list! :o)

    JJ
    www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com

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    1. That's exactly what I thought when I saw the themes for this season - maybe I'll actually make some of the things I've had planned for a while! :D

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  3. I love the colours with this refashion. The skirt really stands out without the black on the top. Yay for cool summer dresses!

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    1. Agreed! I wasn't keen on the black borders on the original dress either. I think the refashioned version is a lot softer and less severe.

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  4. I have been wanting to do this since Moses. But, no one will post how. Thank you for sharing the secret.

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