Vintage Floral – Pretty Dress to High-Waisted Skirt

After far too long, I finally finished another project on my craft list.  Not exactly the one I had plan to finish next either.  That one hit a few snags, but I will finish it eventually.

Anyway, this is a dress I made ages ago using a vintage pattern I found at Goodwill (see Knifty Does It and Working with Vintage). 

I love the high waist and the corset style lacing on the back, but the top isn’t as pretty as it could be.  Plus, being a dress, it can only be worn so many ways.  So why not turn it into a high-waisted skirt?  Being able to swap out the top would make it incredibly more versatile.

First I carefully separated the top of the dress from the skirt.  I shortened the zipper too naturally.

I had to replace the interfacing and facing on the waist.  I couldn’t find the original pattern I used for this part, so I had to use the skirt itself as a guide for cutting the pieces.  It’s not perfect, but since it’s on the inside where it won’t be seen it’s good enough for me.

Then came the fun part, adding new lace.  I found this beautiful crocheted lace at SAS a while ago that I knew would be perfect for a skirt.  I used it along the top of the waistband and along the bottom hem. 

And now it’s done!  I now have a beautiful and versatile high waisted skirt.

And what about the top of the dress?  I thought would make a cute little shrug. 

I first took it in a little.

I cut the opening in a curve shape to make it cuter and more flattering.

I thought the sleeves were too bulky, so I cut them at an angle to shorten them and used a zig-zag stitch along the edge of the fabric.

I did the same to all the cut edges.  I set the stitches to the smallest setting to make it looks nicer.  A serger would probably be great for this, but since I don’t own one (yet) this is okay.

After adding elastic to the sleeves, it looks almost cute enough to wear.  Almost.

Now after adding a lace ruffle, more lace trim, a snap and a bow, it is ready to wear. 

One pretty dress, morphed into a pretty skirt and a pretty shrug that can make even more outfits.  That’s a job well done. :)

Here’s the updated list:

• Pink eyelet
• Sunflower dress
• Denim skirt
• Velvet dress
• Blue plaid
• High-waist

Two down, four more to go.  The next one will definitely be done in a couple of days.  Look forward to it.