The other day, I asked the following question on the ReFashionista Facebook page:
Over 450 of you were kind enough to weigh in, and the 1970’s beige maternity dress on the left was the winner!
This is one I’ve had in my stash for a little while, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it.
Lots of you chimed in with the suggestion of saving it to use it to dress as Eleven from Stranger Things for Halloween…
There were exactly two problems with this suggestion for me. First, I already know what my costume is this year (Come on…I plan this stuff months in advance), and second, Eleven’s dress is pink, not beige (which I think is a pretty important detail). Since the dress is polyester, dyeing it would be just about impossible. Even it it were possible, I’d have to remove and reattach the collar, and did I mention I don’t wanna dress as Eleven? ;)
So please, don’t be mad about what I’m about to do…
Sorry…
It’s important to note that while it’s technically fall, it’s still also technically 80-something degrees here in SC. Long sleeves still don’t make much sense, and I found these puffy ones stifling.
Another problem with this dress was that front pleating. Originally intended to swath its mom-to-be in folds of polyester comfort, they just made me look dumpy and weird. To get rid of them, I first cut off the side seams from the dress…
…then I cut off the pleated section right below that folded-over part on the front.
The front was much larger than the back (due to the pleating), so I folded it in half, and laid the back part over it, aligning the front fold with the back seam.
I snipped this off…
…and then re-pinned the newly non-pleated front.
I stitched this down…
…and when I was done, the front looked like this:
I re-pinned and stitched the sides as well.
Next came the arm holes:
I tossed my new dress on my dress form for a final fitting…
…and then gave it a new hem.
By this point, I had crossed the line from Fashionably Late to a friend’s brunch to Incredibly Rude. :/ I stitched the two sleeves together, but they were too short to make a proper sash. So, I just tied one of the scraps around my waist, and draped the sleeves over the knot.
I think it turned out quite nice!
Luckily, my friends were forgiving of my tardiness once they saw how much work went into this refashion. :)
Cheers!
I love it, I’m so glad you kept the collar, for a horrible second I thought that’s what you were apologising for!x
Love your work and I adore the Siamese cat statue on your fireplace.
Love the dress, but I don’t understand the whole draping of the sleeves. I woyldce grabbed a skinny belt from the closet & just went with that. Of course, solely my opinion & a fantastic refash nonetheless!
yep, ditch the sleeves!
I agree, looks cute, but the belt thing is weird, but to each his own
I agree! Cute refashion & ditch those sleeves.
agree! love the dress, the sleeves look a bit…weird.
Yep! A belt, a sash but definitely no sleeves. ;) Very cute dress.
Totally agree with the comment about the sleeves but apart from that once again jillian nailed it.
I am with these other posters. Love the way your refashion turned out, it’s really quite cute. But, ditch the sleeves and add a belt.
I’m with you Jodi–the sleeves are dumb
I was so afraid I was just being unnecessarily critical. Minus sleeves-turned-sash-decor, the dress is spot on! A skinny belt or an actual sash from the scraps are both great options. :)
That is so cute and your friend on your right there looks an awful lot like your doppelganger. Do you have a twin/triplet?
Very cute! But I’d lose the sleeves altogether. Just use the sash or even a skinny brown belt from your closet.
I had almost the same dress in blue. After having worn it for months don’t think I ever could have redone it without feeling like the giant whale again!
A classic. Love this one!
I love the dress, but as I an old-fashioned, the cuffs on the tie belt bother me. I would have taken the off and finished the belt ends some other way. It turned out very well though. It was really classic to start and you maintained the best of it.
You are still the best “refashioner” ever! I just always love seeing your posts and what you can do with a frumpy frock :D
Not loving the sleeves draped over the knot..dress is nice.
I was with you right up until the sleeves as a belt lol Otherwise I love the dress but I think I have a personal aversion disguised as an allergy to all things polyester. I think it’s from actually having grown up in the 70’s and being chaffed from the friction caused by polyester rubbing on skin lol
Oh, and by the way, I thought the sleeves hanging over the sash were quite fun and unique. Definitely a conversation starter. (Being over 50, I am looking for fun and unique in my life and…being over 50, i pretty much care less and less about what others think about it! It is very freeing!)
As always, nice to see a post from you. The dress is lovely, though I do not care for the sleeve belt idea- just a personal preference.
I must join the chorus calling to replace the sleeves with another neat waist accessory. Otherwise, I love it!
Cute, but please lose those silly sleeves
Great job!!! In full agreement….lose the sleeves…it takes away from the dress…you eye goes to the sleeves instead of the neckline and your face.
It looks very nice
except for the sleeves dangling from your waist line. I’d have used the fabric you removed from the front sides to make a proper sash and used the sleeves to make facings for the arm holes. but that’ me not you.
Cute dress sans sleeve belt drape thingy.
So…would this be considered sleeveless, or not? :)
best comment on the sleeves right here!
You literally made me laugh out loud. Well said, Meg. Well said.
I love this dress. The collar is a little retro but not too much. The new fit is perfect. Super cute.
Your awesome love the repurps! Looks great and btw love your fire place :)
Completely love it! Very fashionable and looks great, EXCEPT…….the sleeves! It’s an interesting concept, but they just look weird (sorry!). I would make a sash tie or use a narrow belt instead, although that’s just my preference. Keep the refashions coming, I love them!
oh my, that before picture is INCREDIBLE!! I just want to frame you up, and place you in a Wes Anderson movie!!!
I know this beige dress. It was a maternity dress I wore in 1984 when I was pregnant with my daughter. I loved it then and still think it looks nice with your refashioning. However, I have to agree–get rid of the sleeve belt.
This is so cute!
I’m curious to know what kind of thread you use. I have the same sewing machine and it has been giving me hell breaking thread in the middle of a seam stitch! Then I have to get the seam ripper out and start all over…if it doesn’t ruin the delicate fabric.
What?! It turned out so cute!!
I’m glad you’re not going as Eleven. I don’t want to see that haircut on you again. ;-)
Love the refash! Something, something sleeves. Can’t wait to see your Halloween costume!
I was so excited to take a study break to read about your latest refashion! ❤️ It’s adorable!
Love this refash! don’t like the belt sleeves though. you could really do something great for a belt for it, look through your stash, I know you have something in there waiting to be used as a belt that would look so much more awesome. I have the same Siamese cat as you, lol.
Transformations are ALWAYS so amazing!! Thanks for sharing them ❤️❤️
Glad your back! I really miss your posts!
Would love to see pictures of your new house.
I didn’t know how you were going to make that one work! Nice job.
I recently saw a similar collar sewn “off center front”. It was a unique twist to an old classic. LOVE the dress refashion.
great job, you did a wonderful job transforming the maternity dress into a fun casual dress. keep up the good work, you are such an inspiration to all. be blessed
The sleeve treatment is right up there with some of the weirdest clothes I’ve ever seen. Good for you for rocking the weird. I just wish I could have been there during that thought process. I don’t think I’m ever going to forget those sleeves, they’re burned into my retinas. I expect you to up the game now, you know. Next time I want to see a bra or perhaps a pair of tights dangling from your belt. In fact, from now on, I think you should be required to dangle every bit that you cut from a garment from the belt. Make it happen.
Love your refashions…including this dress! But, would prefer leaving the sleeves at home. Oh, I know… You are taking them with you in case it gets cold later!!!
What a cute dress! If only I had your creativity and talent…..
Never would have thought this dress could be saved, but once again you’ve rescued and refashioned it beautifully. Love the dress but agree with the others, ditch the sleeves. You’re the bomb!!
I like the refashion but the sleeve belt is a bit much.
Agree with the others, Not a fan of the sleeves as a sash but the remake is cute.
Love the dress and pleased you kept the collar as it now looks the correct proportion for the dress. However I agree with previous comments about the belt, it should be either thin belt or a groovy chain belt to capture that sixties vibe.
So happy to see another post from you. Great job….as always!
OMG! I think I had that maternity dress in 1983! Great refashion, but I would ditch the sleeves as a sash. jmo
At first glance I wasn’t so sure, but I actually weirdly love the sleeves.
Love this refashion. <3
It’s a set-up.
Jillian: “Where did Napoleon keep his armies?”
Unsuspecting victim: “I don’t know; where?”
Jillian: “In his sleevies.”
I love the sleeves as a belt. It’s weird and interesting. I also love your blog. You are an inspiration.
You really love sleeves as a belt! Not my style, but the work on the dress is amazing! Good job~
I like this refash. I always love your posts. But I have a question: why does the garment in many of the photos look blue?
Cute! Love how you got rid of the pleats. :-)
A few comments
1. Love the dress refash!
2. I’ve followed your blog forever, but I think this is my first comment? Love your stuff!!
3. Most of the photos, the dress looks blue to me. I totally get the gold-white/blue-black dress controversy that blew up some time back.
4. My family is in Charleston, but has evacuated to Atlanta thanks to Hurricane Matthew. Thinking of you and hoping you, yours, and your home are safe! Let us know you’re doing okay when you can.
Hugs!
Lovely dresses.
I think you did a great job on this dress. I didn’t expect it to look this way and I was shocked at how stylish you made it look.
Not liking the use of the sleeves. I think it makes an otherwise beautiful dress look silly. Just my opinion.
Hermosoo te quedo!
This is a super cute dress. I’ve never seen sleeves being used as a belt. I can definitely see why some people find it odd-looking. But you pull it off! I admire your fashion “guts”! :)
it is so wonderful what you do !!!! it is so great, with imagination ! so perfect !