Whatever it ends up as, it needs big sleeves!

I picked up this handmade dress in an opp shop for $3 because I liked the fabric.




It's 100% cotton and has "Marchioness Fabric'' printed on the selvedge.




The dress is a maxi length but is too short for me and the bodice is too tight so I've decided on a refashioning attempt.


The skirt and bodice have been lined in white satin but I've picked it apart and will just use the lovely, cool cotton fabric for a short, puff-sleeved blouse with a long round collar.










Here's a close-up of the fabric.

Squeezing the most out of summer!

I bought about three metres of this cotton stretch knit fabric from St Vinnies for $5 about a month ago.
I didn't want summer to go by without making something from it.
It's just above the knee and looks great with platform wedges!
I bought the pattern for it at the same time for 50cents.
It was a weird pattern - nothing I'm really used to.
It has back and front seams and no side seams, just long darts that run from the armhole to hip and two front and back darts and bust dart.
It fits really well and I love it on.
The fabric's pretty out there and I have plenty left over - I'm confident the dress and pattern are both from the 70s.

This is a close up of the fabric.

And this is the pattern I used - the pic isn't all that great but it gives a better idea of the shape of the neckline and armholes.

My first refashioning attempt

I've collected plenty of thrift shop clothing and accessories, sewing patterns and fabrics and I think it's time I put my wallet away and started doing something with my burgeoning collection before people start throwing things out behind my back!

So, during a thrift shop search last week I came across a two-peice evening outfit that I could imagine someone wearing to a conservative little dinner dance.
A camisole top and maxi skirt with tie belt - it was pretty boring but I couldn't go past the beautiful green thai silk bird-print fabric.

I haven't snapped the top and belt here but the outfit cost $4.

It's nearly the end of summer but we're still getting real scorchers here in Brisbane, so I decided to refashion the skirt into a sundress.

The skirt was lined and I did a burn test on both fabrics. The outer seen here is definitely silk as the fibres were feathery and crumbled. But the lining was nylon unfortunately - the fibres fused into a hard ball.
So I removed the lining, used another sundress as a guide for the armholes and skirt width and cut the top off the skirt.
I used some of the fabric to create bias binding for the armholes and the self-tie belt I threaded and secured in a casing at the top.

It's looking a little creased here as I've worn it three days in a row.
Silk is so cool for summer and it's such an elegant fabric.
I'll wear this night and day.

I'm so excited and can't wait to start my next project!

This is a pic of some of the bird-print detail.