sewing saturday! reconstructing a vintage lace dress

This weekend, I desperately needed a dress for a friend's wedding (still sticking to my no new clothing rule for the summer), so I decided to dig into a pile of uncompleted projects and see what I came up with. This vintage green lace dress was what I found, a piece that was falling apart when a lovely lady gave it to me a month or so ago. She doesn't sew but didn't want to toss the ripped dress away, so she thought I may be able to reconstruct it a little and give it a new life. And this is what I came up with!

This is what the dress originally looked like..

What you need for the project - a pair of sharp sewing scissors, measuring tape, and a sewing machine with matching thread. Optional - pinking shears, a proper seam ripper.

First thing, I measured the dress to see what alterations I would have to make. Then, I cut the ripped lace sleeves and neckline off of the dress, leaving enough lace to sew over the top of the bodice as well as leaving the lace neckline edges (in order to make into a strap later).

Afterwards, I sewed the lace to the top edges of the bodice. I then trimmed the skirt to the desired length.

The next step was to adjust the waist and bust of the dress. Since the bodice zipped up the side and I was too lazy to remove the zipper and sew it back in again, I had to find another way to take the dress in rather than at the sides. There were two seams at the back of the bodice on the lace, so I decided to cut down the seams in the back and take it in that way. I sewed the back seams together about two inches in, then tapered off when I had hit the bottom of the waist to give a darted, almost flared look at the skirt.

I trimmed the seams and leftover lace, pressed the seams flat, and cut the strap in two and knotted the ends. I then finished the hems of the skirt and lace overlay.

That's all! What do you guys think?

I wore this dress to my friend's wedding yesterday and loved it. One problem - the leftover lace edge I used as a strap is not at all durable, so I'll have to add a different one later on.. maybe craft one from the leftover skirt fabric and lace? Another option is to forget straps and add boning to the bodice. Not that I know how to add boning, but it'd be fun to try.

Next week's Sewing Saturday will be all about striped overalls.. and tomorrow marks the beginning of a shop sale!

sewing saturday! striped overalls, part two.

Thankfully, I'm out of my sewing rut! Today, I made some progress on the striped overalls I started a couple of weeks ago.

First thing, I made the shoulder straps. I folded them right sides together, ironed them, and sewed on one end and one side, 5/8 inch from the edges. Once I had done that, I turned them right side out, pressed them, and topstitched on both edges.

Once the shoulder straps were done, I started on the front. I stitched the top two front pieces at their seam allowances on the very top, then sewed bust darts on both sides. Once the darts were finished, I sewed the two front pieces together in the center, making sure to stitch over the first stitching to prevent stretch. I then ironed the seams open on the inside, as well as ironed the darts downward.

The front pocket! This, I did a little different than the sewing directions told me to. The directions say to top stitch along 1/4 inch, then press the seam allowance to the inside and stitch it again. I simply pressed the seam allowances inwards along with the top of the pocket (about 1 1/2 inches, turning in 1/4 inch inside) and stitched the sides and bottom of the top of the pocket opening close to the edges. I think it worked well.. we'll see, maybe?

After the pocket was finished, I pinned it to its designated position on the front.

I then sewed the pocket to the bodice, cautiously taking out the pins before the needle was close.. and there it is!

Now, I have to sew the back of the overalls, attach the facing to the bodice, and put all of the pieces together. I love how simple of a project this has been.. it makes me want to buy some floral denim and make overalls all over again.

For next week's Sewing Saturday, I'll be finishing one of two projects.. I'll either have a completed pair of overalls to show you all, or I'll share the process of reworking this vintage lace dress, below.

This pretty lace dress was given to me by a friend who sells vintage. The dress was in poor condition, so she thought I might be able to salvage it somehow and make it wearable again. I sincerely hope I can make something out of it, because the structure of the bodice is lovely and the forest green shade of lace is unlike anything I own or see very often, for that matter. The lining underneath has a nice greenish gray shine to it, too. While the lace shoulders and sleeves are beyond repair, the bodice and skirt are intact and could make a beautiful strapless dress or maybe even a blouse. Neil and I have a wedding to go to this upcoming weekend.. I'm hoping to reconstruct the dress in time to wear it to the occasion.

Shop update tomorrow! Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.

etsy update.. tea party florals and lace.

New to the shop.. 1960's white lace cocktail dress and 1990's tea party floral dress with lace collar. I'll be adding the denim dress and black lace blouse soon!

I'll also be posting a belated Sewing Saturday later tonight or early tomorrow morning. Our internet decided to crap out on us yesterday, which meant I couldn't show you guys my sewing progress. I've been working on a corduroy ruffled bib with suspenders that attaches to a pair of matching shorts. Photos soon!

Another big thing this week is my blogging anniversary. As of Wednesday, this blog will have turned 1 year old! It's exciting and a bit intimidating to think about.. and I may have bought a vintage dress for the occasion.

Happy Monday!

etsy shop update.. white lace love.

Etsy update! The 1970's eyelet dress and romantic lace onesie are both up in the shop today! The bloomers and handmade ribbon and lace bow will be added later in the week, as well as a few more feminine things.

For the sake of natural light, I'm trying out a new shop backdrop this week.. a pretty brick spot on our porch. I wanted to test it out and get your opinions on the look. Do you think I should start shooting all my shop photos this way, or return to the old backdrop? Which showcases the pieces better?

Hope you all had a fun and uneventful Memorial Day weekend! We did the ceremonial grilling out tonight and finished with raspberry clafouti. Happy June, all.

my music festival wishlist

Coachella street style, via Refinery29.

Today is a good day for internet daydreaming. I'm not feeling the healthiest today. To make matters even better for indoor laziness, it's one of those foreboding weather days when the sun seems to set three hours earlier than it should and the sky is one small step away from a downpour. So I'm hanging out with Bloom on the couch. She's got her bone, I have my laptop.

And I miss my two sisters. Ashley's birthday is tomorrow, which makes me want to travel to South Carolina and celebrate with her. And Rhiannon has been writing all kinds of great wishful thinking travel posts that remind me of all of the trips we've taken as a family. The older I get, the more convinced I become of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. Some of my favorites have been trips to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a cabin outing (and plenty of antique mall outings as well) two summers ago, a recent fall trip to Charleston with my sisters and my mom, and going to the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago with Rhi.. it must have been in 2007. We saw Of Montreal and the New Pornographers and even a crazy Yoko Ono. And it was glorious.

Well, I'm going to steal a little from Rhi (don't worry, I asked first) and plan a fictitious trip to Bonnaroo with my sisters. Conan O'Brien, the Black Keys, Steve Martin playing a banjo, the Avett Brothers and even some M. Ward with Zooey Deschanel.. what better festival to plan it around?

My daytime outfit would look something like this..

Boater hat via Modcloth, striped tank, cut-off shorts, cork wedges, and camel scarf at Net-A-Porter, yellow sunglasses at anthropologie.

And in the evening..

Lace dress, denim jacket, and two toned brogues all found via Net-A-Porter, yellow socks on Modcloth, Trompe l'Oeil bag at anthropologie.

While today's a bad day for the outdoors, it's a good day for shoes. I decided to go with Madewell sunset sandals over the Jeffrey Campbell cork heels, mainly because they're a bit more versatile.. I ordered them, and they're on their way to me! Also, Brook of Crafty Crow Vintage and I made a trade, and I've ended up with these lovely wooden heeled sandals! They couldn't fit me better or make me happier. I can't wait to pair them with thigh high black socks. With these, the Madewells, and my new two toned oxfords (not to mention the pretty blue t-strap linen flats from UO), I am set for summer shoes.

Bloom and I have this great system going. When she wants to sit on my lap, she walks over to me and drops her bone onto my laptop. I move my laptop, she lays on my lap. It's genius.

Next Sewing Saturday project? Patchwork denim shorts. Coming soon.