It’s officially Spooky Season here at Refashionista Headquarters! I can’t decide which is scarier…this ’80s maternity dress, or well…me in this picture.
You guys. This is the roughest-looking before pic I have ever taken. When I first looked at it, I knew it reminded me of something…
Yep. I basically look like a haunted doll from ebay (read the product descriptions if you’re in need of a laugh).
I took one look at that pic and immediately decided to take a 30 minute nap.
Back to the dress.
I found this dress on the $1 rack at my thrift store which is not at all surprising as it’s a super frumpy ’80s maternity dress that I seriously can’t imagine anyone wanting as-is.
Thankfully for my childbearing friends, maternity clothing has come a looooong way fashion-wise and they no longer have to dress like patterned lampshades while with child.
There are a few things I really liked about this dress.
The print is cheery and unique. The fabric is gauzy and light, which was perfect for the 80-something degree temps we’ve been experiencing here in SC (Where’d ya go, fall?). I also liked that bottom pleated skirt section.
Let’s remove some stuff!
To get started, I grabbed my seam ripper and carefully unpicked a few things.
First, I tackled those shoulder pads.
The sleeves came next.
I like to watch TV while I’m doing any time-consuming seam ripping.
After about 40 minutes or so, I was done!
Next, I carefully snipped off that lace collar.
Let’s fix those arm holes!
I pinned the arm holes under twice to hide the raw edge, then I stitched them down.
Now that the arm holes are done, it’s time to take the dress in a lil bit!
I always try to finish the arm holes before taking anything in, as it helps them lay down better and prevents them from being super gape-y.
I pinned each side of my dress, making sure to keep it roomy enough for me to be able to slide in on and off (since there are no closures on the body of the dress).
Then, I stitched them down.
I cut off the excess fabric, making sure to hold on to one of the scraps.
A New Neckline
I didn’t care for the original neckline of dress. Removing the lace collar helped a bit, but I thought it would look much better as a V-neck.
Luckily, the back of this dress had a button neck closure and the front and back of the dress were identical otherwise (no bust darts or anything like that to foil my plans).
I removed the button from the back of the dress.
Then, I used my seam ripper to deepen that V.
I pinned each side of my new neckline down…
…then put it under the needle.
Let’s Refash a sash!
Remember those sleeves? I grabbed one, and cut off one end at an angle, then sewed it off.
When I turned it inside-out, it looked like this:
I tied the long scrap from the side of the dress around my waist and draped the finished sleeve scrap over the knot to make a faux sash!
Here’s my newly-revamped maternity dress now!
I’m so happy with this one! The new V-neck totally works, and that print looks so cute now that it’s being featured on a breezy sundress.
Here’s a closer look of how my sash works:
I wore my new dress to a nearby polling location and did my civic duty. The line was long (and it was really hot out) but I made a plan to vote on this day, so I stuck to it. 🙂
After voting, I met up with Mr. Refashionista & Erin!
A note on my baldness & wigs:
I hope nobody thinks me making fun of myself in the before pic for this Refashion/my use of wigs thinks I’m saying being bald is ugly. It’s not.
I’ve been wearing lots of headscarves and plan on going bald sometimes too when all my hair finally falls out (It looks really patchy right now, so I’ve been covering it). I’m really enjoying wearing wigs because I think they’re fun. It’s hard to feel pretty when I don’t feel great, and my wigs give me a nice confidence boost.
I hope this Refashion encourages you to look at old dowdy maternity wear in a new light!
Cheers!
