When a friend of mine gave me this vintage nightgown to Refashion, I was tempted to just leave it as-is.
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. 😉
HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW, RIT???
I prepared my dye bath, and added my nightgown.
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.
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.
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.
After I weaving my needle through the fabric, I gathered it by pulling the thread and pushing the fabric, then tied off the thread.
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.
Then, I ran each side through my sewing machine.
I cut off the excess fabric too.
Now for a new hem!
I cut off a bit from the bottom of my dress.
Then, I folded and pinned my new hem in place.
For my final trick, I stitched it down.
Here’s what that vintage nightgown looks like now!
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!
Mr. Refashionista liked it too!
Cheers!
