Saturday 18 January 2014

Skirting The Issue

Two years ago, I bought a Next dress in a charity shop for £4. I didn’t like the cap sleeves so took them off- and wore the dress on its own, or sometimes over a shirt.

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witness kelly and harrison

Then one day last year Bob said something about the dress “having a sort of Amish-housewife look about it” – and I just knew he didn’t mean in a Harrison-Ford-likes-Kelly-McGillis sort of way. So the dress was temporarily relegated to the wardrobe in the spare bedroom.

52 projects

Then a couple of blogs [here, here] I dip into on a regular basis mentioned the 52 projects thing. So I started making a list – and ‘do something with that Next dress’ was high on the list.

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I carefully dismembered the dress, then I dug out this Simplicity pattern, which I purchased [on offer] a little while ago, and used the skirt part to cut out the pieces for the shorter of the two skirts on the pattern. There was a fair bit of fabric there. I used some vintage buttons for the little tabs, and not having any brown twill tape, faced the waistband with some scarlet tape from the Great Stash.

On the left – the one on the pattern – on the right, my new skirt

official lisette pic

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IMG_1388The first thing on my 52 list was ‘make a list’ and the second ‘sort out Next Dress’ – and here we are in week 3. I have some cheerful yellow cotton print, so maybe if I have time, this week’s project will be to make one of the tops from the pattern…

I shall wear the skirt with my green opaque tights and boots and a green poloneck sweater. That certainly won’t look too Amish, will it?

16 comments:

  1. Great overhaul but Bob was a little mean, I really liked the look with the shirt! CBC sometimes tells me I dress like a little girl and I just smile and continue wearing it! X

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    1. I agree! I love a pinafore :) but I love the new skirt too :)

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  2. You would be banished from an Amish community wearing that skirt!
    I love re- purposing things, whether they are clothing or furnishing or plastic bottles - don't get me started on re-cycling lol!
    I've joined Pinterest........'nuff said!

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  3. I once tried on a dress in a store.I asked Chris' opinion..."you look as though you've just been rescued from a compound".The dress remained in the store.
    Jane x

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  4. I really liked the dress when you removed the sleeves. Great job turning it into a skirt though.
    Did you manage to rescue the white tunic that had a stain on it?

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    1. Not yet - it IS on my 52 projects list though!!

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  5. Don't ever ask husbands to comment on what you want to wear! Good luck with your next project. This 52 list certainly helps with the motivation.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  6. I remember the Next dress from first time round! How wonderful, and I like the skirt very much indeed!,

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  7. I have a couple of Next dresses that I wear just like that! Never thought of the Amish housewife look... Great repurposing though :-)

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  8. I thought it looked rather chic over the shirt!
    But it looks good as a skirt too.
    I wish I had your vision for reinventing things though.

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  9. Great transformation! Glad you are getting a little bit of motivation from the challenge and I am looking forward to seeing what everyone gets done over time :)

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  10. Good work, Angela! That's impressive, and a vast improvement.

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  11. I thought it looked very cute with the blouse under it. But I know what it's like to want to dress to please your husband. :) Great makeover, and what a creative use for the tabs.

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