#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. 

#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.