It's been another month of altering things rather than making anything new. I didn't get a lot done, however, as I only started very late in the month after our holiday and having filled in my pension applications.
The first thing I altered was this blue cotton top, that I bought back in June when we were on holiday in Lincolnshire. It was a couple of sizes too big and the shoulders hung off me whenever I tried it on, so I was put off wearing it.
To make it fit better, I took in the shoulder/sleeve seam on both sides and I'm much happier with the new fit. Here's the after:
It probably doesn't look much different, but it fits differently, which is the important thing, as I am more likely to wear it. I may also add some ribbon ties, if I can find some ribbon I like, as I am now regretting cutting off the ties.
The second item that I altered was this linen blend dress that I bought over a year ago, when I weighed quite a bit less, but I have never actually worn it as it was always a little snug around the middle and a bit on the short side for my liking. It is now way too tight and unflattering to wear as a dress, but as I am smaller on my top half than my bottom half, I have altered it to be able to wear it as a top. (The blue vest in this picture, is something that I wear underneath it, as I don't like deep v necks).
To alter it, I cut some fabric off the bottom of the dress and then re-attached the horizontal pleats at the hem to create a bit more interest and a bit more length. I did have to create a french seam by hand to ensure no fraying where I re-attached the bottom, which took a bit of time, but did give it a good finish. I love the sleeves and the print of this top, so I'm happy to keep it in my wardrobe a bit longer. The extra bits of fabric are really pretty too, so they may get incorporated into a patchwork project at some point. Here's an after picture:
I also altered this linen dress that I bought in a charity shop for £5. I had worn this once, but felt like I was wearing a tent when I wore it. Not a good look. In fairness, it is a 3xl. I bought it mainly because it was 100% linen. It's rare to find in large sizes and in pristine condition, but it was too oversized in the end as a dress.
I decided to cut it down to a blouse and then used some of the off cut fabric to add pockets to the front for a bit of interest. It's still big, but I'm much more likely to wear it as a top, as it will be less billowy. I'm happy with the outcome.
And finally...
The final alteration was more of a deconstruction than anything else. I bought this Seasalt cotton blend dress from a half price rail at a local charity shop for £6, almost a year ago now, but I've only worn it once, as again it is too big and not as flattering as it could be. However, I do love the fabric print and it was quite a voluminous dress, so after trying and failing to cut the top into a shape that I preferred, I decided to deconstruct the whole garment and use the fabric to make a skirt.
Deconstruction, is as far as I've got with it this month, but I will show you a picture of the new skirt as soon as it has been completed. I did salvage the zip and 3 small buttons from this dress and again any leftover fabric can be used for patchwork.
Not a lot of actual making going on here again, but I did enjoy these alterations and I'm hoping to get my sewing mojo back now the weather is cooling down. I'll keep you posted.
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