Day 184: How To Take In A Dress For New Year's Eve

Woo hoo! I have officially passed the halfway point on my 1 Year Refashioning Challenge!

Huzzah! 😀

Thanks for everyone who’s been along for the ride! Your support really means a lot to me, and I couldn’t have made it this far without you. 🙂

Okay…enough of the mushy stuff!

I needed something cute & classy for a New Year’s Eve party with some wonderful friends.

I chose this thrifted dress right here! All I needed to do was take in a bit to make it New Year’s Eve-worthy!

How to Take in a Dress for New Year's Eve before — I look like an overgrown toddler.

I love the very mod print and silky fabric of this dress. I think it has a lot of potential! All I need to do is get rid of a few things.

I ripped that bow off the front of the dress with my seam ripper.

Day 184: How to Take In a Dress for New Year's Eve 1 — Grown women just say no to bows.

Then, I used my seam ripper to remove the sleeves as well!

Day 184: How to Take In a Dress for New Year's Eve 2 — Rip off those silly sleeves! 🙂

I folded the arm holes under and pinned them, then finished them off those arm holes, like so:

Day 184: How to Take In a Dress for New Year's Eve 3 — Finish them!

Alright! I’m almost done!

The last thing I had to do was take the whole thing in about 2″ on each side.

First, I pinned each side (with the dress turned inside-out), then sewed them down with my machine.

Day 184: How to Take In a Dress for New Year's Eve 4 — Pin it & Sew it! 🙂

I think my new dress is definitely NYE worthy! 🙂

How to Take in a Dress for New Year's Eve after — Happy New Year! 🙂

Jillian and Johnny — So thankful for my wonderful friends! 🙂

I even donned my Grandmother’s fur coat from the 1940’s for the occasion.

jillian in vintage fur coat — Oh so glamorous!

jillian with friends for new years eve — Happy New Year, Everybody!

Cheers!

How to Take in a Dress for New Year's Eve before and after

23 Comments

Caroline

August 8, 2014 at 11:21 pm Reply

This is a WOW!

Jessica

June 26, 2013 at 1:09 am Reply

So pretty!! You’re a genius!

angelfairydust

May 30, 2013 at 8:39 pm Reply

Did you just roll it under cos you didn’t describe it much and the pic is shiny!!

angelfairydust

May 30, 2013 at 8:37 pm Reply

Hey jilly, I went thrift shopping at a charity hop and found a dress very similar to this!! How did you do the neck line because it seems awfully tricky!

angelfairydust

May 30, 2013 at 8:37 pm Reply

Shop not hop haha

Taylor

April 17, 2013 at 10:20 pm Reply

I love this! I would wear that in a minute! Love the fur cost too.

Sarah

March 15, 2013 at 8:43 am Reply

I love this one and I have to tell you that I spent my lunch hour in my favorite thrift store yesterday and went home with 4 new dresses! thanks for the inspiration!

Amanda

March 4, 2013 at 12:17 pm Reply

I just found your blog last night and love it! This one is my favorite so far! Beautiful!

Sandy

July 8, 2012 at 5:22 pm Reply

I’m still catching up, this ones my new fav!

Annie

May 18, 2012 at 12:58 pm Reply

Gorgeous

Hello, I found your blog today as I was searching for cool “DIY thrifting fashion blogs” and it looks like I found it! Thank you for all th hard work. I’m planning on doing a lot more thrifting and refashioning this year, and your blog is very inspirational and instructive. Thank you!