I've had the dress sat in my alteration/refashion pile for what feels like forever and a day, so finally I decided to do something with it!
Despite the dress being in my size it wouldn't go anywhere near my bust, but at least the bottom half fitted so I knew I'd be able to turn it into a skirt!
Unconstructing/Reconstructing
I started by unpicked the skirt from the top part along with the lining, darts and pleats, and removing the side zip.
To do the the remake I first altered the pleats from 2 box style pleats to four single ones, and on the back I created just two pleats, I reinserted the zip, adjusted the lining to fit the skirt and sewed it all back together with the addition of curved petersham to the waist!
I did try the skirt on for fit as I went along I aired on the side of caution with the ease but as it turned out it was a bit too cautious and a little on the big side!! Although with a little help from my elastic belt, it's not so noticeable, the downside is that I can't bend down without the skirt slipping from the belt and creates a rather messy mass of fabric.
Ekk! my cameras at a wonky angle again!
Speaking of the back, I don't think it was wise place to put pleats there, they gape making my back end look like the size of a bus, which is so not a good look!!
beep-beep Back end of a bus coming through!
In theory not the best refashion, but it is fixable! At some point in the next few months I plan to unpick it again, lower the front by two centimetres, resize the pleats and replace the back pleats with darts!
front pleats pinned in place
Petersham Waist band
What is good about this skirt is taking a friends advise and using curved petersham on the waist band! If your making a skirt without a yolk and want a bit of extra stability I highly recommend using this stuff.
I did have reservations about using it as I was concealing it rather than using it in place of a yoke and also because the material was really thin poly satin, but it doesn't show at all and works really well, giving the stability of a interfaced yolk but without being a separate piece. After inserting the lining, I measured the petersham to fit the waist but minused a good two inches as not to add bulking around the zip.
I flipped the skirt and lining to the wrong side and where I would stay stitch the lining to the seam allowance I placed the petersham down, pinned it in place and then stitched it as stay stitching.
lining right side over and all you see is stay-stitching
I can't say I'll be in any rush to resize this skirt, not since the weather seems to have skipped autumn and gone straight to winter, plus I've got a few things on my sewing table that I'm far more interested in sewing!?
What's that you ask, ok go on then I'll give you a clue, .............Bombshell Dress!
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