Refashion: Orange Dress

I’ve been working on my sewing skills, and here’s proof!

I went to Goodwill back in January and snagged a few items specifically for the purpose of altering and working on my sewing skills. This was the first of those to be complete. I really liked the print, and it was cotton (easy to work with), but I hated the style and shape. So, I took off some length and re-hemmed it (my first hem! They are a pain). I also cut off the attached tie-backs, and used those to make new, slightly longer straps, as the previous armholes were a bit snug. Then I grabbed this trusty red sash from my belt collection, and voila! New dress. 😀

I’m quite happy with how it turned out. It’ll be a perfect dress for summer months. I showed the finished thing to Ian and he said he couldn’t even tell it hadn’t originally come like that, which was a nice boon to my sewing ego.

Have you ever refashioned something you found at a thrift store? Any epic success stories?

14 Comments

Ayla on February 28, 2013 at 10:25 am

Yes! That looks really cute. I really like the after picture. It was not cute in the beginning. Maybe that is why it was at the goodwill. I should try something like that.

Amanda on March 3, 2013 at 5:10 pm

Thanks! 🙂 And you should! I figured even if I messed it up, I was only out the $3 or so it cost at Goodwill.

Lady Unlaced on February 28, 2013 at 11:11 am

It looks awesome! I can’t sew at all although I have been meaning to learn.

Amanda on March 3, 2013 at 5:11 pm

Thanks!! I only started learning last year (and slowly/not the most dedicatedly at that) when I got a sewing machine.

Aubrey on February 28, 2013 at 12:29 pm

Oh I love that new length. So much better than the before length!

Amanda on March 3, 2013 at 5:12 pm

Thanks! 😀 And yeah, the before length was just awkward/not flattering.

Paige @ Little Nostalgia on February 28, 2013 at 2:54 pm

Holy moly, it’s a totally different dress! You did great. I’ve altered a few things from thrift stores in the past, but I haven’t had time since I went back to school. I miss it!

Amanda on March 3, 2013 at 5:13 pm

Thanks so much! 😀 What kinds of alterations have you done? Always looking for new ideas for thrifting & refashioning.

Niki on March 1, 2013 at 8:51 am

I love it!!! It looks so good as a short dress!

Amanda on March 3, 2013 at 5:13 pm

Thanks!! I think so too. 🙂

Amie on March 1, 2013 at 9:56 am

It’s like night and day!! The sash is perfect. Usually I have success with altering my thrift store finds, but my last creation was an epic fail, hah. I cut a dress way too short, darn tricky circle skirt!

Amanda on March 3, 2013 at 5:14 pm

Thanks!! 😀 I was afraid I’d cut this too short, too, miscalculating how much I needed to fold up for the hem. My back-up plan was to add red lace trim if needed for a bit of extra length. Maybe some kind of extra trim would work for your project?