#75: Purple People Eater

Hello, and welcome back! Today I've got a new one for ya.

I found this purple print dress at my favorite thrift store for $1.

Lots of purple action going on here

Before: Purple Print Dress

Before: From behind

The print was intense on this one, and the bust area was sad and droopy : (

Unhappy bust

I had an idea for what I wanted to do right away.

First, I cut off the sleeves, upper chest, and upper back.

Cutting

I used a seam ripper to remove the collar.

Removing the collar

Then I folded and pinned a new sweetheart neckline from the droopy bust.

Shaping the neckline

After I sewed it down, I cut off the excess.

Inside bust-line with collar still partially attached.

I sewed a new back hem with enough space to run some elastic.

New back hem

Running elastic through the back

I removed the collar completely, flipped it upside down, and sewed it back onto the bust so that it accented the curvature of the sweetheart neckline.

Re-sewing the collar

I liked the attached deep purple slip, and decided to break up the pattern by cutting and sewing a long slit in the outer layer just under the center of the bust.

Revealing the slip underneath

Lastly, I sewed some darts at the sides of the bust. I also chose to use the attached bow on the front as new straps.

This purple people eater became less ravenous!

Here's how it looked before:

Before: Purple Print Dress

Before: From behind

And here's how it looks now!

Work-appropriate with a cover

After: Breezy Halter

After: From behind

I think I like it better this way :)

Thanks for checking in, and check back for more transformations to come!

Until next time, blessings.

#74: Helloooo Nurse!

Halloween has come early! I found this sexy nurse Halloween costume at a yard sale for $1, and I had to get it. Other than the humor, I thought it had good structure.

Before: Sexy Nurse Costume

Once something is on the internet, it never leaves; so I'm not taking the chance of posting me and my busty self wearing this just in case it would compromise me in any way...

Before: Sexy Nurse Costume

...but I'll show you how it looks from behind : )

Before: From behind

I can't help but be reminded of Animaniacs' Hello Nurse character.
 

Hello Nurse, always being oogled

I wanted to de-sexify this costume so it could actually be worn on the daily grind. Check this out:

First, I removed the red buttons and patches.

Buttons and patches

Next, I had to open almost all of the hems and seams so that I could remove all the red trim.

Removing collar trim

So, so much trim, and the stains left beneath

After I had all the red gone, I cut the skirt open just below the front buttons.

Cut open the skirt

I folded a new hem where I had just cut the skirt, and sewed closed all the seams and hems I had opened. (I also removed the back zipper since it didn't need it, and I could use it on another project).

Pinning and sewing the collar seam

I also replaced the red buttons with white ones (well, off-white ones I painted white with fingernail polish). 

New Buttons

Once the structure was back together, I cut and removed just over half the length off of the skirt, and sewed up the bottom hem.

Slicing the skirt

It took a good washing with bleach to get the red stain from under the trim out, and afterward I ironed it.


Voila! Here again is what it looked like before:

Before: Sexy Nurse Costume

Before: From behind

 And here is the de-sexified look:

After: White Ruffled Blazer

After: From behind

After

I took this costume-y sexy nurse getup and toned it down to create a functional piece of business-wear. And it opens all the way down the front like a Summer blazer.

I think I did a pretty good job on this one, don't you?

Let me know what you think in the comments section below!

Until next time, blessings.

#73: Teal Party Dress

Hey yall!

Last month I went to Vegas for by wedding anniversary, and when preparing for the trip, I found this teal party dress at a thrift store.

Before: Teal Party Dress

Before: From Behind

I liked the dress, but it was super plain and boring.



I've gathered a lot of beads throughout my time doing transformation projects, so I decided to jazz this dress up with some simple bead work.



Somehow I lost my process photos, but I mostly lined up my beads the way I wanted them, and glued them on with fabric glue.



Here is the after result:

After: Beaded Teal Party Dress

After: From behind

Here's a close-up on the detail:

Top beaded detail

Bottom bead detail

I liked it a whole lot better this way : )

I've got another transformation coming that I'm excited about, so check back soon!

Until next time, blessings.

#72: Sweater Dress

So, you might look at this post and think, What's wrong with you Leanne? Don't you know it's been ridiculously hot?!! Yes, I know it has been ridiculously hot, but I actually completed this transformation on an eeri-ly cold weekend back in May. So I'm sane ;)


I picked up this looooong sweater for $1 at a thrift store. It's so body-hugging that I felt kind of shaped like an Oscar.

Before: Long Turtleneck Sweater

Before: From behind

This piece was outdated, long, and had a big hole in the shoulder.

Hole

So first, I hand-sewed the big hole, as well as 3 smaller holes at the neck.

Sewing holes

Next, I removed the turtleneck collar and fake-serged the edges of the new neckline

Turtle, turtle!

After that, I measured and cut over a foot of length from the bottom and hemmed it up.

So long...long!

We be hemmin'!

I wanted to add a bit of detail to take this out of plain and blank status. I decided to make pockets.

For this, I cut 2 squares from the length material I had removed, and sewed on some of the turtleneck material to give them texture.

Adding texture

Then I shaped the pockets and sewed them onto the front of the piece near the bottom.

Pinned and ready to sew

And I was done!


Here again is how it looked before:

Before: Long Turtleneck Sweater

Before: From behind

And here is my version of a more modernized sweater dress:

After: Sweater dress

After: Pockets!

After: From behind

I like the re-do, but I think this may have to sit in my closet for a while until it gets colder outside.


Sometimes you can get something slightly damaged for super cheap, and make the repairs and changes yourself to save some big bucks!

I hope you liked it!

Until next time, blessings : )