#49: Labor Day Two-fer: #1- Black Slit Dress

Happy Labor Day! I'm so glad to have an extra day off from work today :)

It's been a while since I last posted. I've been super busy over the past few weeks with weddings, friends visiting from out of town, work schedule changes, etc. that I haven't found time to sew. To make up for it, I've got a double post coming at'cha today! This first project post is super simple, and only required one alteration.

I found this dress at a thrift store a while ago for $1, if I remember correctly.

Before: Black slit dress

Before: From behind

The dress itself wasn't that bad, but I didn't like the way it tapered down the legs, and I didn't think the thigh-high slit was very practical. I'm also pretty sure it once had a long sleeve, because the thick-side shoulder was cut very unevenly and frayed a bit as if the previous owner had cut off a sleeve.

The winner for me was really the side ruching, the asymmetrical shoulders, and draping at the bust. I wanted to keep those in tact!


Though this was a very simple remake, the hardest part to maneuver around was the elastic ruching because it pulled the material unevenly when trying to cut it. So the first thing I did was pin the skirt into my carpet to straighten it all out.

Pinned to the floor.

Next, I measured how high I wanted to cut, and pinned markers on both sides.

Measuring length

I wanted to cut across just below the ruched elastic, but I wanted the cut to be straight, so I lined the tape measure between the markers and pinned on either side of the tape measure to create a straight path.

Creating a path

Then I cut on down the line!

Follow the blue-pinned path

Lastly, I snipped off the uneven parts around the arms.

That was it. Literally. I only needed scissors, a tape measure, and pins, and I was done! I decided to leave the cut edge raw to match the raw-edged arm holes. Plus, the material didn't fray :)


Here again is the before photo

Before: Black slit dress

Before: From behind

And here's the simplified look:

After: Asymmetrical black shirt

After: Asymmetrical black shirt

After: From behind

From dress to shirt in 1-2-3! I know it's hard to see the draping and ruching on a black shirt, so here's a closer shot of the draping:

Can't hide 'em!

I'll be rockin' this black top and some shorts today as I eat some BBQ this afternoon!

As for the teaser shot I showed on my last post, that one's done and will be up later today. It will be my 50th featured transformation!!! WOOHOO!!!

Coming up next...

Check back in later today to see my second transformation in this Labor Day two-fer!

Until next time, blessings.