How to Refashion a Vintage Dress

Remember that fabulous but not great fitting thrifted vintage dressthat I needed your refashionista advice for?

I’m pleased to present the groovy results:

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials before and after

I mixed and matched bits from your fab ideas and created a fitted yet flowy maxiskirt and an adorable cropped blouse!

Here’s how I did it:

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials

The 2% (heavy) metal in this vintage frock managed to break 4 needles! Ack!

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorial

First, I removed the side zipper and stitched the resulting holes in the lining and dress fabric closed.

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials

Then I carefully removed the skirt portion of the dress.

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials

And chopped the lining to my desired length for the inside of the cropped blouse.

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials

Hemmed the lining.

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials

Bound the raw edge of the blouse.

Vintage dress refashion - top tutorial after

I love how the prim and proper neckline and sleeves are now balanced out by the crop!

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials

I snagged the remaining bottom of the dress and an old denim skirt.

Then revisited my oldie but goodie video tutorial from 2013 to create that marvelous maxiskirt!

’tis always hilarious to look back at my first attempts at video production and see just how much I’ve improved!

Vintage dress refashion - top and skirt tutorials

Two fancy new wardrobe additions from one thrifted vintage dress!

Pssst! My awesome e-courses are right over here!

Transform your entire wardrobe for pennies with my groovy CoaR tutorial collections right here:

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2 Comments

  1. your sewing technics for old clothing is great. i wonder if you can also show how to add a sleeve to a dress or blouse that has none. and the best fabric to use ? if the main item is a print?? thanks

    1. Thanks Phyllis 😀 Take a look at my oldie but goodie step-by-step video tutorial for how to add sleeves to any garment: https://awesomesauceasshattery.com/2013/02/18/splendid-sleeves/

      The best fabric and prints/patterns to use depend entirely on the material of the garment your refashioning and your own taste and style. Creating your sleeves from a type & weight of fabric similar to the clothing your adding them to makes laundering a wee bit easier and as far as prints, patterns or plain goes, well, that’s entirely up to your own individual unique style 🙂

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