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.

I feel pretty!

This is the Memorial Day weekend ( a 3-day weekend) where Americans remember and honor those in service and those who has fallen while in service. For many, this is the time where families get together enjoying summer, or go on mini vacations. For us, this is our last weekend here in Iowa... 

Last night, instead of packing, the hubs played on his new computer game, the Bean played around and demanding Caillou, while I sewed me a maxi dress. In one night!

A while back I saw Erica B wearing one on her blog and checked out her link to Mimi G's maxi dress tutorial. I figured that since we will be traveling I will need something comfy yet cute to wear that I should try to make one.

Found that it is super easy to make, even for a slow sewist like me :) Left out the waist tie on mine since I suspect it will really highlight that I do look 6-mths pregnant (which I am not-pregnant that is). But might wear it with a belt some time under a jacket, lol...

Fabric: Hot Cha Cha Knit (that's what it's listed as at Gorgeous Fabrics :) ) It's black with metallic stripes (gold, blue and red). It's light, initially intended for a cardigan wrap, but since I don't have the pattern for one yet, might as well. I used up all 2 yards of it (sew a tube and then folded in as a self lining - basically i have a very short dress as lining)

Since it's our last weekend here (and since the peeps are showing our apartment 9 am - 1pm!) we went to the farmer's market (had yummy yummy breakfast burrito and argentinian empanadas), then off to my fave thrift store for a last hurrah, then back to the farmer's market to get snacks, then off to the park for the Bean to chase the ducks around before heading home at 1. The maxi dress wears well, very comfy, and I feel pretty! Those are hard to achieve in one outfit usually (in my case), so I say this is a win. I will definitely make a couple more. My location pics look horrid, so had to recreate the look here on our deck :)

Just had to get something from the thrift store....

An orange cotton tshirt that I am going to refashion, a mocha colored knit fabric that I might turn into another maxi dress or skirt?, some buttons, a lovely pin, and a cute bracelet....

 ... that says,"Truly fabulous people never get dressed before lunchtime..." or something like that :)

Have a great weekend!

Faux wrap knit top, version #1

I got the "trendy knit rose florette" fabric on sale from Fabric Mart some time last year and finally found a pattern that I wanted to try out: McCall's M6513, View D (In picture of pattern sleeve is the light blue top but with long sleeves).

The pattern being by Palmer/Pletsch includes tutorials on fitting, which I of course have a problem with... Even with pictorial instructions I still managed to end up with a bigger top which doesn't fit well :) I cut a size 16 for shoulders and then to 22 towards my hips (AND ON TOP OF THAT ADDED AN INCH THROUGH THE MIDDLE TOO!!!). I don't have a size 22 hips, but I was imagining that this will better fit my mommy tummy... (I always seem to approach fit more like an experiment... and then forget about the ingredients afterwards...)



While on paper pattern I felt that this might be okay, upon basting the fabrics together realized that it was too big, so I sew a 1.5" seam. And it is still fitting poorly IMO. It was a bit big on the shoulder for my liking, and then loose under the armpits and on my back (like butterfly). Oh, and of course I knew this beforehand but somehow still manage to miss it: pattern placement on print fabrics... As you can see, a huge rose florette is highlighting my worse area: tummy! Uggh! In this picture it is not that terrible, but it is cringe-worthy in other pics.

It wasn't loose around the bust area simply because the front pieces crossed each other giving a nice snug look in the area.

I am not sure what material this fabric is, maybe rayon polyester, or rayon jersey? It is very very soft and very comfortable to wear. However I think this is a 4 way stretch type fabric, so eventhough I added stabilizers (as recommended) on the shoulders and at the side gathers, I feel that this top will expand even more over time. And that since the front part are 2 pieces of fabric crossed and sewn together on the sides (faux wrap) and the sewn to a 1 piece back fabric, the front is heavier and so it pulls the top to the front (because this fabric is so soft and maybe less stable?). The pattern does recommend stabler knits.

This top is not a home run for me because of the too loose fit and the type of stretch of the fabric I used (but I still love the fabric, sooo silky soft, but it is already pilling after wearing it out to the mall with a handbag across my body...) I am not about to ditch the pattern - the neckline and the look I love. I think rather than move on to the other stuff, I will make more of this top to get the best fit for me. I've already made adjustments on the pattern, and planning to make it with a cherry wine colored ponte knit fabric I have (pic below, on the left, from Fabric Mart).

If and only if I get a satisfying fit, I will make another version using the leopard print ITY jersey pictured above (bought from Gorgeous Fabrics)...