This is a dress that I got at Calgary Folk Music Fest several years ago. I love the fabric, but I never wore it because the top part pulled over my chest funny and it felt tight and loose in all the wrong places. Folked up, I tell ya!

And yet again, the before pictures are not optimal. I keep forgetting I need photo evidence for a proper refashion! We threw the dress and a black skirt (this will make sense later) on the dress form because we had already cut off the sleeves and I didn’t want to get poked by the needles.

Before- the dress form has no complaints about the way the top part fits. I do!

Back of before

What is she planning?

So, thanks to Annette (a sewing expert!), we refashioned this ill-fitting piece into something wonderful.

We started by chopping off those sleeves.

Choppedy-chop!

Don’t worry, the sleeves weren’t garbage. We had a plan!

Both sleeves, cut in two

Sewing right side to right side. Take a look at that AHHHMAZING sewing room (it’s Annette’s).

This machine is SO QUIET! Impressive.

We used a safety pin to pull the right side of the fabric through the tube. Picking up what I’m pulling through- I mean, putting down?

Pull that fabric through!

See in the “before” photo how there are buttons in the front? Well, I turned that around. So the back will be front and the front will be back. We sewed the fabric tubes to the back (approximately at the waist level) to form two sashes that could tie together, pulling in the fabric at the waist, and creating a bustle with all the fabric on the backside!

it goes from this…

…to this. Cross those sashes!

The hemline of the dress was asymmetrical , and went pretty high up on the hips. SO asymmetrical that leggings would always be a necessity…but that’s no fun. We brainstormed and thought a little more volume in the bottom would be fun, and adding a longer layer would eliminate the need for a constant-legging-situation.

Annette worked so hard pinning and hand sewing all the lovely drapey parts! Thanks Annette!

Well hi lovely draping sections, it’s time for your close up!

This layer goes underneath the dress…and then looks like so:

The front. I’m pretending I’m not cold!

Bustle!! WOOT WOOT

Closer bustle pic

Lovin’ those layers!

Voluminous!…oh wait…isn’t that a mascara?

This refash wasn’t nearly as painful as the last one (Nonna’s dress). Maybe that’s because I had the lovely and skilled Annette directing this project 🙂

BEFORE

AFTER

ALSO why won’t these photos go side by side?! Bear with me while I learn to blog…