Gingham House Dress to Fit & Flare Sundress Refashion
As we machete our way through this summer of our discontent, I think it’s important to dress comfortably.
After a recent conversation with my friend Erin (who is my voice of reason in all things I care to be reasonable about), I feel like I’m getting the hang of this quarantine thing. If nothing else, the current situation has taught me to stop wasting my energy on things I can’t control.
For YEARS I’ve talked about how nice it would be able to focus on my blog/be self-employed/do my own thing for a while.
I have that now.
Yes, I have all of these things under some of the worst circumstances imaginable, but I basically have what I’ve wanted for a long time.
While I regret making the birthday wish that sports would just stop for a while back in March (THIS ISN’T WHAT I MEANT!!!!), I might as well keep calm and refashion on. Because there’s very little else I can control at the moment.
Speaking of Refashioning on & sports, let’s tackle this house dress!
It’s a baggy non-flattering house dress. Very simple.
But it does have ONE charming aspect that drew me to it right away.
Isn’t that just the sweetest pocket ever???? I couldn’t wait to upgrade its living situation.
First, I removed a few things.
That neck bow was the first to go!
That lace collar was the next item on my list.
I could have unpicked the collar with my seam ripper to remove this part (it would look a little nicer), but I thought snipping it off would work okay enough, since picking it out would have added a lot of time to this refashion.
After I carefully snipped off the collar, I applied fray check to the edge.
As I snipped, I noticed this and giggled a little:
Next, I removed those sleeves with my seam ripper. Now they’re just a pleasant memory.
Last but not least, I picked off the front pocket.
Next, I got to work on those armholes.
I always recommend doing this part before taking a piece in!
First, I pinned them under.
Then, I stitched them down.
I made a dramatic chop!
In order to make this fit & flare sundress refashion happen, I’d need to separate it into two pieces (the fit & the flare).
This was going to be the new bodice of my new sundress!
I fitted the bodice on my dress form.
Okay, If you’re executing this maneuver at home, I recommend NOT making your bodice as fitted as I did here, especially if it has a front button placket. The end result fits okay, but if I eat one more COVID snack, it won’t.
I also recommend sewing the darts down first, and THEN going back to re-fit the sides. I did this all in one step and am darn lucky it worked out.
I stitched my darts down, making sure to leave a long tail at the end to tie them off. Don’t backstitch this, or it’ll look weird. I look weird enough already, so I don’t need to add wonky darts to the mix.
Use a pin to help get your knots tied close to the fabric. Just wrap the knot around the pin, then use the pin to push it closer to the fabric.
I trimmed off the excess fabric from the sides and was ready for my next step!
I laid the skirt part of my dress under the bodice and made a couple of cuts.
You guys. I can’t believe how close this refashion came to not working. I’m taking some big risks here. I just eyeballed the skirt and cut it, leaving room for a seam allowance at the top where it needed to join the bodice.
I recommend laying out a similar dress you own over each part of your refashion to double-check size before you cut anything.
I stitched each side of the skirt down.
Now, let’s bring it all together!
I pinned the bodice of my dress to the skirt, measuring to make sure everything was even!
I made sure to check the snaps for alignment by flipping the top up and fastening them while everything was pinned.
Then, I stitched it together!
Now for that hem!
I cut a little bit off the bottom.
Then, I folded it under and pinned it!
A few of you have asked if I press my hems before pinning & sewing them. I don’t (usually) and it’s never been an issue. They never bunch up or anything like that. Now, If I were to use a blind hem stitch or something like that, I would want to iron it first.
I prefer to just iron everything at the very end when I’m done to save time.
I stitched my non-ironed hem down.
But what about that pocket????
I told you it was coming back!
I pinned that fabulous pocket onto my dress.
After switching out the thread in my machine from white to red, I stitched it down!
And that’s it!
Here’s how my Fit & Flare Sundress Refashion turned out!
Since I’ve had short hair for the vast majority of my adult life, the only “up” styles I know how to do are the ones I did in High School.
I like how my dress turned out, but like said before, wish I had made it a liiiiittttle roomier. Next time, I’ll be a bit more careful.
Cheers!
49 Comments
ELSA Geary
Very nice, you did a very good refashioned.
Kim Andersen
As someone that can’t sew a dang thing your skill and creativity blow me away! Great job! Keep with the stay at home job because you are amazing at it!
Peggy Wenker
Love it! Your blog is inspiring. And I the tulip pocket is adorable and it seems to suit you. I would love it as well
Summer
I love it!
Patricia Bowler
I do not sew a bit but I love seeing the refashions (what does that say about me?) and I love your writing style – funny and witty!p
Charlotte Wood
It looks great! Do you ever have anything that turns out so terrible that you don’t post it? It seems like you never fail. If you do fail, I think that would make an interesting post. 🙂
Kay
Pure genius, you and the upbeat sundress. Thanks for sharing your talents with us. Always such a joy to read a new entry.
Mel
Caty, between you and Jillian, you’ve made me feel a lot better. I am very fortunate that I still have my job which makes me beat myself up all the more for feeling a bit loopy about all of this. But your comment has given me a good bit of perspective – our job is just to get through this and make sure there is hot chocolate. Good luck to you both, I really hope things pick up really soon.
And I did think Jillian, that you did indeed sail very close to the wind with freehanding it like that! You make it look so easy so that comment was good to see the behind the scenes nail-biting that must have happened. Nice work!
Lisa
Such a great dress, a real makeover! . I like your hair – it all adds to the fun look you achieved.
Jen
Super cute Refashion!
Wendy McGraw
If you ever get tired of the darling pocket ON the dress, you could pick it off and make a tiny crossbody Purse! I absolutely love this dress!!!!
Jill P
Love this! I can’t wait to find some muumuus and nightgowns to refashion myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
Bree
Another really great refashion! Wow!!
Tammy
i love this dress, and the pocket is super cute! You are so talented and I love seeing all your refashions!
robotabob
Adorable! You have the perfect figure for this sun dress refash. Luv It! Thanks for keeping us entertained during this ‘rona insanity! ❤️
Marie
Adorable! I wish I had your talent (& patience, creativity, & cute bod to wear all of theses reimagined ensembles)!
Dana Leigh
I have followed you for years too and this is my favorite refashion!
Laura Lynn
I’ve been following your blog for YEARS! I love it! I would like to add that you are just lovely and not the least bit “funny looking”. You have a beautiful face and I would kill for your figure! Sending you lots of positive vibes and good juju!
Julie
Thank you for being so creative and entertaining with your blog. You are my muse. I can’t believe how you took a really awful dress and made it so adorable. Just got a sewing machine and have started to refashion- thank you
Julie Fitzpatrick
Cute as a button, as always! Great job!
Jennifer K. Feltri-George
Cutest pocket ever… hands down! Please know that many of us (yes, me included) who are also out of work right now are enjoying you blogging “at full speed” again. THANK YOU for adding some fun to our days!
Claire Fitzmaurice
I think the refashion is very cute. The tulip pocket is fun. You could’ve doubled down on the retro if you had kept the fullness of the skirt by pinching in an inverted box pleat in each quarter of the skirt. Much faster than gathering and a bit more sophisticated.
Did you consider making the pocket into a little shoulder purse?
Caty Faurie
My best friend hammered me over the head with some sense a few months ago when I stopped bring able to work when THIS THING happened.
She told me it’s not that I now have all the time in the world to get to all of those things I never have time for. She reminded me harshly that the world is in crisis, I’m reading all this bad news day by day, I’m hearing about thousands of people dying every day, our lives completely changed in the last few months.
My job is not to now be as productive and work on starting my own business and doing all the repairs needed at home while losing 25kg and train for a marathon in between growing my own vegetables and baking banana bread and making entire new wardrobes while studying at night. My job is to stay sane, get up each morning, take care of my household and myself and stay healthy. Getting the basil plant to not die is not a priority.
She was harsh but she needed to do that. I still feel like I’m not living up to my own expectations, and the basil plant died meanwhile. But my family has cooked comfort food and hot chocolate (it’s mid-winter here) and clean clothes.
I get excited when I get a notification that you posted and I hope I could get my own refashion blog up and running, but for now I’m living through your refashions
judy ross
I LOVE this remake. Looks so cool. Great for this sultry weather. 108 degrees here in west Texas today, That dress would be great in a lounge with a tall glass of iced tea.
Beth Arsenault
My suggestion for not cutting a (skirt) bottom section incorrectly would be to make either a cotton or cardboard pattern. They are easy to hang on a book near your supplies.
I know you like the flower pocket but it (to me) dates the dress, and it’s a bit big for the refashion . A red, white or even black belt would be very stylish.
Great job , I do love the new fit!
Mireille
Great refashion and the cute tulip-pocket is a real gem! And in case the top turns out to be too tight, you should definitely save the skirt part for a rerefashion!
seweverythingblog
So glad you saved and reused the pocket! Cute new sundress, and best of all, it suits your personality from what I know of just reading your words 🙂
Veronica Deza
This transformation was really cute!
I also enjoy the dry wit in your writing.
Veronica
Robyn
Wow, what a transformation. I wish you would make a video of the knot/pin trick.
Carol
Great transformation of ugly to cute. A red or white belt would be nice I think. You have a good eye for spotting possibilities. I like the red gingham too.
Ginny Carlson
This is one of my favorite refashions! Great job! Keep on going – you’re doing great work!
Pattie
Really cute! I love the fit and flair
Cathleen
I love gingham! Love this!
Liz
This is SO DARLING.
Thelma
I always look forward to your refashions. Sooooo cute!!!
cljhansen
Adorable!
Sally Gradle
This turned out so cute! You technique made me a little nervous, too, but all’s well that ends well.
Melanie
So cute!
Terry
Pleasant memory…..I see what you did there….;-)
Your two pigtails remind me of Toni Basil….Sing it with me….Hey Micky!
Hilary Padget
Considering these are Covid times, I’d love to see your take on coordinating masks to wear with your refashions. Masks as accessories would make our collective situation so much more fun to bear. 🙂
Queen of Fifty Cents
Just a thought – instead of cutting off the hem and then having to sew a new one, I would have shortened the skirt from the top in order to keep the original hem. One cut instead of two, less sewing…
Dianne Andres
I’m always amazed how you can transform something as dowdy as a housedress into an adorable little dress. Everytime I go thrifting I think of you as I peruse all the clothes and then I get stuck on ‘what would I do with it’.
Just for fun, I’d love to see those items that didn’t work out. You must have a few of those that you ended up tossing.
Pamela
How can something so ugly turn into a little charmer?!!!!
Kelley
Adorable! Question- when you cut the bottom of the dress, the line doesn’t look perfectly even to me (could be me), so how do you get it even using that fancy ruler thing? (Can you tell I know nothing of the sewing things?). I don’t quite understand the point of the ruler thing unless the bottom edge is exacta-mundo perfectly straight. Can you help my befuddled brain out? Lol
Love this refashion!! I feel like you’ve been doing some cool things lately with your sewing that we don’t often get to see you do! I absolutely love it!!
Sarah
Cute! Love the red gingham – it’s both Mary Ann (Gilligan’s Island) and Brigitte Bardot.
Darlene
Now I have two favorite makeovers…..this turned out adorable! And you are just cute as a button! You should do a collection of before photos, just before photos – you have a knack for funny expressions that crack me up. Seriously, this is a really cute summer dress.
Kelly MacGregor
super cute – that pocket is everything! I think it needs a bright red belt to match. You’re adorable and this idea was great as was the execution!! Love!
mybirdwalks
I think this is my all time favorite!
Amanda
I agree with Erin; this is your time to put your energy into your passion. Your talents are being wasted in an office type job. Your ideas are amazing and it is getting my creative juices flowing. So please pursue this as a full time job & give up on the mundane corporate world. Your talents are too bright to be hidden away in an office.