If you know me in real life, you know that I only wear skirts and dresses, I wear my skirts and sleeves long, and I like a high neckline. Only someone else who dresses this way would understand just how difficult it is to find clothing that fits these guidelines. You might say it's about like finding a unicorn, especially when you consider the fact that I'm unwilling to pay anywhere near $100 for anything I'm not being married in. (My wedding dress - nearly 16 years ago now - was a sample gown from a California bridal shop that I picked up on Ebay for $125, shipping included.)
So you might imagine my excitement to run across an idea on Pinterest of how to easily make your own maxi dresses without having to sew them completely from scratch. I'm a fairly accomplished seamstress, but I can't say that I relish sewing a lot with silky knits, which are my absolute favorite to wear. Besides, those silky knit fabrics can be pricey. I've been spoiled for thrift store prices.
So, let me tell you about how easy this is - after I link back to A Small Snippet, the blog where I got my inspiration. The really funny thing is that I modified her idea a bit (by using premade clothes - all knit), and she modified her idea from the woman who inspired her (Talk to the Trees). This could go on endlessly ...
I had recently done a closet purge, and a few of my favorites went out with that purge. As my body changes with midlife realities, some of my formerly favorite clothes just aren't flattering on me anymore. Therefore, I didn't wear them. This allowed me to rescue a few favorites and change them so that they were flattering on my new proportions.
The basic idea is this: Cut a tee to about empire-waist length (just slightly under your bust area). Sew on a maxi skirt or the bottom of a dress (being sure to use a stretch stitch), and you have a dress! It's really that easy.
This is the first one I made. I loved the flower detail on the neckline of this top, but it irked me to always have to layer it to make it modest enough for my personal standards. Oh, and it was longer than my ideal. I'm short.
The bottom part was from a dress that had thinner stripes on the top. When I bought it at the thrift store, I thought it wouldn't bother me. In reality, I just couldn't bring myself to wear it like that. Mismatching stripes are not my personality.
The bonus part of this dress was being able to fill in the neckline of this top with what I cut off the bottom of it. I love it now!
This was my second dress. I loved this yellow top but had somehow managed to get a pink stain near the bottom of it. This allowed me to cut off the stain but still use the good part.
The skirt part came from another dress that I bought when I was a size smaller than I am now. I loved the big, bold houndstooth print and the silky knit. But I didn't like how it showed every imperfection of my new size. Raising it slightly to sit just below my bust made it flattering again. I can't tell you how happy I am to rescue this one!
You'll notice that I added a belt as an option. They fit fine without one, but I think it dresses up the look just a bit. I could really wear them either way.
This borders on life-changing. Summers don't have to be spent sweating in layers. I don't have to pay $80+ for a pretty dress (thanks to thrift stores where I can buy the tops and bottoms to sew together) - not that I would anyway.
On a side note: Did you notice that I have a dress form now? I've been sewing since I was somewhere around 13 (let's not talk about how many years that's been), and I've always wanted one. But I never wanted to spend what they cost brand-new. I picked up this one at a yard sale for less than one-third of what it's going for in the store. It's in excellent condition, and I'm enjoying the ease of sewing and mending when I don't have to personally try on all of the clothes at every step of the project.
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