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Vintage Nightgown Refashion

Gingham House Dress to Fit & Flare Sundress Refashion
Why Do Some Fabrics Dye Better than Others?

When a friend of mine gave me this vintage nightgown to Refashion, I was tempted to just leave it as-is.

vintage nightgown refashion before
I could seriously just pad around the house like this all day.

I’m not really a nightgown kind of person. I’m more of a baggy T-shirt & comfy pants kind of pajama-er.

That lightweight fabric was just perfect for a hot South Carolina summer, and I planned to take full advantage of it.

Let’s Refashion this nightgown into a sundress!

I didn’t really care for that pale blue, so I decided to dye my nightgown a more sundress-y color.

Since RIT still hasn’t sponsored me (and I’m petty), I went with a new brand this time. 😉

dylon packet
THAT’S RIGHT, RIT! I’VE GONE BRAND AGNOSTIC!

HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW, RIT???

I prepared my dye bath, and added my nightgown.

nightgown in dye bath
Huh.

I’ve gotta say, I wasn’t super impressed with this dye. The dyeing process was longer, more involved, and my nightgown didn’t take as much dye as I felt it would have with my old standby, Rit.

If you’ve used Dylon before, I’d love to know what your impressions were in the comments below!

That’s right Rit. I still love you. I’m sorry about what I said earlier.

After a whopping HOUR in its dye bath, I tossed the nightgown into my washing machine for a rinse. I actually had to rinse it twice, because some of the dye still lingered after the first rinse (something I rarely have to do with Rit).

After I pulled it out of the dryer, I paused a moment to be amused by its tag.

Crown Nitewear tag
G’Nite!

It was time to change up those straps. I almost went with a spaghetti strap for this piece but decided to ruche them instead.

You could use your sewing machine to do this (using the same technique I used on the tiers for this refashion), but I opted to ruche them by hand instead.

hand sewing needle
Let’s do this!

If this seems a little familiar, it might be because I performed this exact technique on this refashion from Year 1!

I threaded my needle and then wove it in and out of the fabric where the strap meets the body of the dress.

ruching shoulder
In & Out!

After I weaving my needle through the fabric, I gathered it by pulling the thread and pushing the fabric, then tied off the thread.

pulling gathers on strap
Just like this.

Now that my straps were to my liking, I flipped my nightgown inside-out and put it back on my dress form and began the taking-in process by pinning the sides.

nightgown on dress form
Do you like our little bonsai tree in the background?

Then, I ran each side through my sewing machine.

taking in sides of dress
Whirrrrrr!

I cut off the excess fabric too.

cutting off excess fabric
I feel like I never show this part. This is what it looks like.

Now for a new hem!

I cut off a bit from the bottom of my dress.

cutting off bottom of dress
Chop!

Then, I folded and pinned my new hem in place.

folded and pinned hem
Almost done!

For my final trick, I stitched it down.

sewing hem
The last step!

Here’s what that vintage nightgown looks like now!

Vintage Nightgown Refashion After
Cute!

I accessorized my new frock with a teal belt & sunnies to balance out that blue ribbon detail on the top.

I really like how the color turned out!

Vintage Nightgown Refashion After Closeup
Hello!

Mr. Refashionista liked it too!

Mr. & Mrs. Refashionista
🙂

Cheers!

Refashionista Vintage Nightgown Refashion Before and After
Gingham House Dress to Fit & Flare Sundress Refashion
Why Do Some Fabrics Dye Better than Others?