Maxi dress to HiLo skirt

I've been meaning to take the scissors to one of my 2 maxi dresses made before our move/voyage out to the West for a while now and this morning I finally did it! The maxi dress I refashioned was unblogged, but basically I made it almost the same way as the first version.

It was a pretty simple refashion, turning the maxi dress into a HiLo/mullet skirt. The fabric of the maxi dress is a pretty heavy but luxuriously soft-to-the-touch knit. I bought it from FabricMart, but since I am no longer able to check my order history (or I don't know how to on the new site) I would have to guess that it's a modal knit Kelly green, or organic something Kelly green knit.

Because I made the maxi dress 2 layers (way shorter on the inside but enough to not have to worry that it's see-through), it added to the weight of the dress and I ended up having to always adjust it. Also, in the summer heat made the dress less wearable than I would have liked. Now that fall won't be too long away (I hope), cutting it into skirt will ensure wear-ability factor for me. Inside view ---------------------->

There's no sewing involved. I just needed some sort of ruler/curved ruler, chalk, pin and scissors.

I put on the maxi dress as a skirt and mark the length of the skirt I want. It was a bit tough doing it on my own, it will be easier if you have somebody mark it on you while you are standing straight. However, it can be done of course. So I made a small mark on the center back on how long I want it there (I want it to reach the floor when I wear my boots. And I marked the center front part, where I want it to fall just under my knee. (in the future I might even cut it to over my knee, but for now this is okay).

Lay the dress on flat surface with the center front on one side of the fold and the center back at the other side like the picture above.

Use your sewing chalk or whatever marking tool you wish and draw your curves.

Pin the folded dress together so that when you make the cut it won't move (you can also pin before you mark on the fabric).

Cut!

All done!

 

I plan to wear it with my boots.

Thrifting in Seattle

Ever since we've been in this new apartment, the Bean and I visited this particular Goodwill outlet nearest to us (a bus ride and long walk away) 4 times already. And guess what, I found some sewing patterns and fabric! Although not as cheap as a quarter or 50 cent each back in Iowa, at between $0.99 and $1.99 per pattern, it's not so bad. And since I've got tonnes of patterns already, now I kinda know what to look for: design/cuts that I don't have yet (or that I don't remember having...) I'll be okay... ;)

Above are my haul over 2 separate thrifting days... 5 sewing patterns, some buttons, elastic and 3 cuts of fabric between 1.5 - 2 yards each.

I am resuming my sewing (the silk charmeuse blouse project that I started back in May just before packing to move - V1170 Rachel Comey pattern), but at a snail pace since my sewing nook is still dark. We also don't have lamp yet in the living/dining area, so I've been sewing on the side of the dining table nearest to the kitchen (it's galley type) where there's bright track light. Problem with this is that the Bean, who recently just turned 2, is always interested in pins and always pull them out of the cut fabric or pincushions and then stick them somewhere else!

Moved In!

Hello peeps :)

Finally after 2 closer to 3(!!!) months of moving to Seattle, we found an apartment and moved in the weekend before Labor weekend! Phew. Now that that's behind us, I am excited to start nesting, and also start sewing again. This place is significantly tinier than our last place in Iowa, but I have identified a space that will be perfect for my sewing nook:

This is a closet that most people would have used as coats' closet I suppose, being near to the entrance, and it's the only other closet in the apartment other than the one in our bedroom. However, since we very minimally used such closet as that back in Iowa, I am seizing it for my own. I'm less worried about storing our other stuff than my many boxes of sewing supplies and fabrics!!! I might even have to appropriate the cabinet next to the sewing nook (to the left of the fridge) to store them...

Happy Monday, everyone!

 :-),

Far