#77: White Lace Maxi Skirt

What's up, what's up?

Today I've got a new transformation that I paid a bit more than I usually would for a project piece. I found this white lace maxi skirt at a thrift store for about $12, but it was more than I wanted to pay, so I left it at the store. A few weeks later I went back, and it was STILL THERE! And it was half off at only $6! I definitely couldn't leave it there for a second time.

Before: White Lace Maxi Skirt

Before: From behind

It had some nice ribbon zig zag design.

Before: White Lace Maxi Skirt

And I really liked the length. I wanted to spin and let it flow!

Twirling!

The thing I didn't like was the color. The white on white made it look very bridal, and didn't define the lace well.


So for the first time ever, I'm trying something new and going where I've never gone before...


...I'm dying this puppy!


I had a leftover pot of red dye from my Halloween costume I'm working on,  so I decided to toss in this white skirt and see what would happen.

Looks like entrails. Mmmmmm

After boiling for an hour, I hand-washed and hung it to dry.


After drying, I ironed it to get some of the major wrinkles out, and cut about 20 inches off of the length of the attached underneath slip.

Cutting length

And that was the transformation!

Here's how it looked again before:

Before: White Lace Maxi Dress

 

Before: From behind

And here's the end result:

After: Salmon-orange Lace Maxi Dress

After: Salmon-orange Lace Maxi Dress

After: From behind

Amazing what a dye job can do!

I got to feel the breeze in the newly-shortened slip taking a walk in the park.

Breezy

And traversed some cool trees.

Grounded

I'm really digging the new salmon-orange color. It really gives the skirt new life, and makes the $6 price tag worth it!

I'm still working on my Halloween costume, and I've got a lot of new projects in store. Check back again soon for more transformations!

Until next time, blessings. 

#76: Purple Floral Muumuu

Hello!

My month hiatus was not on purpose. My schedule is so demanding, that I haven't made time to sew, let alone blog about it. But today I've got a new project which I completed last week.

I found this purple floral muumuu at a thrift store for about a buck. I usually stray from most florals, but I'm a big fan of the pattern with the deep hues.

Before: Purple Floral Muumuu

Before: From behind

I saw the potential in this right away. So let's get to it!

I began by removing the sleeves at the collar seam.

Removed sleeves

I also cut about 5 inches off the length of the muumuu.

Shortened

I hemmed it up, took it in a few inches on the sides, and hemmed the new arm holes.

New hemmed top, turned backward

I decided to flip this piece backward. I trimmed about 2 inches off of the top of the collar and added a clasp to close the open collar area in the new back.

Sometimes the best part of the transformation is in the details.
I decided to take the extra sleeve material and length material, and sewed multiple inside out strips of material. 

Sewing inside out strips

I turned them right-side out and braided them together.

Braiding

Once I had them braided, I sewed the ends together to make one long braid. Then I pinned and sewed them across the top of the front collar.

Sewing braids

I also used one of the braids as a belt.

Here's how it looked again before:

Before: Purple Floral Muumuu

And here's how it looks after:

After: Purple Floral Dress

After: Purple Floral Dress

And here's a close-up of the collar:

Sleepy photo

 There it is! I hope you liked it :)

The next few weeks I'll be working on my Halloween costume, which I'm excited about.

Check back next time for more transformations!

Until next time, blessings.