Altered State: Mint Floral Dress with Lace Collar

I saw this dress at Goodwill and was instantly drawn to it. I think it was the color. It definitely wasn't the awkward length or weird sleeves. I mean, it kind of looked like Little House on the Prairie meets grandma's favorite summer dress. On top of that, when I tried it on, something about the collar combined with everything else made me feel like I was wearing Ron Weasley's dress robes. Well, maybe it wasn't that extreme, but it definitely didn't feel right! The guy at the register even rang it up as a nightgown. I mean, I'm not complaining. Nightgowns are cheaper than dresses at Goodwill, but it really drove the whole "something about this dress needs to change" idea home for me.

My first thought was to make it shorter, but then I remembered that I'm trying not to immediately make everything I find into a mini. Sometimes it's nice to have a few longer dresses. Then I realized that it was really the sleeves that were throwing off this dress's mojo. They were just baggy and weird, so I chopped them off and hemmed them under. Add some accessories and there you go! No more Laura Ingalls-Ron Weasley-Grandma.

What would you have done to change this dress? Sleeves, length...something else all together? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

Altered State: Vintage Shirt Dress

It was love at first sight when I saw this dress hiding in the piles at the Jet Rag dollar sale. I love wearing the color blue. I love it so much that I actually have to force myself to choose other colors when I'm shopping so that I don't end up with an entirely blue closet! I just really like how it looks with my red hair...

One of the first things I do when inspecting a vintage item is to check to make sure all the buttons are there. Sure, buttons are easy to replace, but it can be a pain in the ass to find a bunch of the same button unless you want to go and buy a new set. And forget finding one random button that just happens to match the ones on your dress. Believe me, I have two giant tins of random buttons and this rarely works out. So I checked this dress, and all 3 buttons were attached to the front. Great! Then I checked the cuffs. Not so much luck. This dress actually had French cuffs and cufflinks. And unfortunately one of the cufflinks was missing. Bummer. 

I toyed with the idea of buying a new set of cufflinks, but that seemed too fussy. Plus how do you even get dressed without help when you have cufflinks? Is it even possible? The whole thing just seemed like a hassle, so I went with the next best option. Chop off the sleeves! So I snipped them off, leaving a bit of fabric on the sleeve side of the seam, pressed that inside the armhole, and stitched it up by hand. Super easy! I like sleeveless dresses better anyway...

Altered State: Printed Muumuu

I'm resurrecting Altered State! Don't know what that is? Well, who can blame you? I only did two posts and those were almost 3 years ago. In case it isn't obvious from the first photo, this series is where I take a vintage piece that I wouldn't normally wear in its natural state, and start slicing and sewing until it becomes a new favorite in my closet!

When I first spotted this dress I knew I had to have it based on the color and print alone. It was just waaay too good to pass up. The problem was that it was long and shapeless. I can do long. I can do shapeless. I don't do both. It just isn't a good look for me. 

The remedy was really simple: chop the hem and sew it up. Simple as that! I also added a belt here to nip in the waist, but I don't think that'll be necessary every time I wear it. It's short enough that I can handle the shapelessness now! Think of this as my summer styling for this dress and keep your eyes peeled for another version come fall/winter. I already have so many great ideas for tights/boots combos...

Altered State: Striped Muumuu

Here's the before and after for my latest vintage alteration project. I actually ended up doing a lot less than I expected on this one!

I originally planned to add elastic to the waist by using a strip of the cut off hem to fashion a casing inside. Once I started working on that, I realized it would be faster (and easier) to just make a tie belt out of the extra fabric. Presto! Same effect achieved!

I'm glad I was able to keep the pink shoulder buttons. I think they're the best little detail.

At first I styled this with my green sweater vest from

this post

buttoned up, but then promptly realized I looked like a German barmaid. The knee socks just put it over the edge styled that way! What do you think? Was this alteration a success?

I'm linking up with

Thrifters Anonymous

,

#YOLO Mondays

, and

Real Girl Glam

.

Altered State: Forest Green Dress

I was in the mood for a challenge, so I decided to choose a dress that needed a bit more work for this week's alteration. It didn't really turn out exactly like I planned, but I still think it was a success overall.

Originally I intended to hem the bottom of the skirt, but I cut it too short in the front and had to leave it raw. I might keep my eyes peeled for some cute trim to cove the ragged edge. Also, making a mullet hem was a lot more difficult than I anticipated! I kinda suck at cutting fabric...

I removed the vest, but decided to sew the ties that were attached to it back into the dress itself. This is a plus sized dress, so I needed all the help I could get making it a bit more formfitting. I also took in the sides of the bodice, but honestly, they could be pulled in another inch or so to fit better around the arm openings.

Whatcha Wearing?

Vintage dress & J Crew blazer from Goodwill 

Vintage beret from Salvation Army / Tights from Gap

Bracelet & necklace from Day-Lab / Boots from Beacon's Closet

Hey, it might not look exactly how I planned it, but it's a big improvement from the original, right? Plus it's such a great fall color! I actually considered leaving the vest on, but now I'm very glad I changed my mind. Let's face it, that vest is weird...

I'm linking up with

Two Thirty-Five Designs

,

Thrifters Anonymous

, and

#YOLO Mondays

.