Women’s shirred top dresses and skirts are always easy and fun to refashion. A dress that used to be mine (and I never really liked) looks so much better on Princess.
Basic Steps:
1. Take in shirred panel on each side to fit chest. With so much fullness, you can blend to nothing about 4″ below panel instead of taking side seams in all the way to the hem.
2. Make sleeves or straps. This dress had shirred sleeves already. I cut cut them off and repositioned them to fit a smaller frame. For sleeveless shirred dresses, I have sometimes been able to make the sleeve/strap out of the excess fabric from taking in the side seams. If that doesn’t work, I make straps using pieces of decorative ribbon.
3. Hem if necessary. Luckily, this dress was an awkward short length on me, making it a perfect maxi dress for her.
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What a great idea. She looks really cute in the dress.
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What a gorgeous model!
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This fits her perfectly! I have a few items in my closet I feel the same way about. What a great way to get some use out of them.
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This is beautiful!! Great refashion!! Stopping by from The Train to Crazy linky party. Here is what I shared this week: http://craftybrooklynarmywife.blogspot.com/2012/01/hollys-first-coat.html
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I love this – now I just need top find a dress to cut up! I do have a question though – I don’t understand this direction “With so much fullness, you can blend to nothing about 4″ below panel instead of taking side seams in all the way to the hem.” You lost me on that one! If I don’t find a dress though – which I probably won’t because we have terrible thrift stores, it looks super easy to make, and I’ve been dying to try elastic thread for the shirring!
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This is darling. I love monochromatic clothes for kids.
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