Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Repurposed Skirt Into Toddler Dress

Time spent in front of my sewing machine is one of my rewards for having other mundane household tasks done. I usually can't be creative if I know my closet is disorganized or towels need to be folded. ( You too?) Yesterday was just the opposite. My house was chaos and I retreated to a small safe spot to spend some time crafting with needle and thread. I had been dreaming of refashioning a couple of my skirts into dresses for the girls. They came together in minutes with no measuring and imperfect stitching so I thought I would share it with you.

For the dress, I chose a skirt that zipped on the side so with no elastic it's still easy to slip on and off over her head. It is a great light fabric, perfect for summer days on the farm. Bonus: it may be the one thing she has that isn't sickeningly pink!


I turned the skirt inside out and slipped it up under her arms, pinched it so it fit snug but not too tight and marked the fit with a pin.


Remember you want the zipper to be on the final dress! With one long crooked stitch, I sewed from the pin at the top diagonal to the bottom.


Then I cut off the other portion and turned it right side out. The straps were made by cutting some of the left over skirt into strips. I folded and pressed each edge into the middle and then folded the strip in half and top stitched. So simple, no measuring!

(Sigh. Photo upside down. Oh blogger, why do you hate me?)

The two front straps are stitched to the dress about 2 inches from each side seam. Erica suggested that I have it come to a V in the back in the middle so the straps wouldn't slip off her tiny shoulders. Great idea!

I love the final! She couldn't wait to model it for me.

And I'm happy to say it survived all the typical country life activities of the day too: trampolining, picking "roses" (dead weeds from last fall), and carving letters into the mud. That's my girl!


It also looks darling with her mud boots!
Of course I had to make a similar one for her younger sister...


I ripped the skirt to get the length for the new dress but didn't hem. I like the unfinished edge. Torn strips of fabric became basic double straps tied at the shoulder. Incredibly simple but still so sweet!


They are going to look lovely wandering the garden this summer.

And so will I. Remember this skirt I made myself...

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It's Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and much thanks to Dandelion House for getting us all together. Be sure to check here for more farm girls doing their stuff.

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop

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10 comments:

  1. I envy your sewing skills! I'm a glue and staples person! But every time I see 'easy' stuff like this I think I should try once again. I've only been successful sewing aprons so far! I HATE patterns, they never make sense! I have to fly by the seat of my pants instead! So, maybe one day I'll get it figured out! Love those little dresses!

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  2. What a simply wonderful idea for recycling old clothes and I can just imagine the delight you have given your girls with their "new" dresses. Brilliant!

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  3. FABULOUS. I love the print and you are quite a seamstress! Visiting from Farm girl Friday. Look forward to connecting.
    Katie

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  4. Just adorable! Gotta get myself some mud boots too:@)

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  5. Simply adorable!!! I love it... such imagination.. farmgirls are so clever!

    Thanks for this fun entry!
    Deb

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  6. Love it! Such a great,cute,pretty idea.

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  7. Hi Just popped in from Amy's Farm Friends Friday to say Hi and tell you how much I enjoyed this post. What a wonderful idea! Makes me wish my Granddaughters didn't live so far away. I hope you have a wonderful day!
    Maura :)

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  8. Wow, love it! What a great idea. I need to dust off my sewing machine and make some farm apparel for my little farmers in the making.:) Would love to have you swing by and say hello!

    http://teufelhundenfarm.com

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  9. So wonderfully summery and cute!

    Teresa

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  10. Perfect farm dresses , they're beautiful. I love seeing repurposed things being used.

    ~ Farm Friend Blessings ~

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