This mini-project is something I completed because of my interest in textiles which means I take to customising my own clothes. This dress in particular was a rather plain maxi dress from Primark that had a slightly loose fit and hadn't been worn since summer. I wanted to re-create this garment to give it a new lease of life as it's not only good for the environment to recycle clothing, but also because i'm broke and can't afford new items!
This garment was made of a knitted structure which gave it a slight stretch as a jersey fabric, which is often hard to work with as it changes position under the needle. There is one advantage to this fabric though in the fact that this particular knit doesn't fray which removes the need for overlocking the raw edges of the fabric. I like the neckline of the dress which is surprisingly delicate so I began with the aim of turning it into a cropped vest top and a long, bodycon skirt with slits up the side.
I began by cutting the dress completely in half after putting it on and calculating how long I wanted the top and how high-waisted I wanted the skirt. I then put the skirt on to see how much of it needed to be taken in around the waist which turned out to be a lot (over 5 inches) due to its loose fit beforehand. I allowed the fabric to rest just on my hips, making it a high-waisted garment and made the decision to leave out a waistband. I pinned the fabric in place and turned on the sewing machine which I threaded with a matching grey cotton. I turned the dress inside out and sewed down each edge of the dress, tapering the stitches gradually towards the original seam in order to maintain a smooth edge that hugs the body. I then trimmed the spare material off, taking advantage of the fact that this material doesn't fray in order to prevent the excess of material showing and bunching up when the garment is worn. This process didn't go completely smoothly as I found that the machine played up several times causing the thread to bunch up and damage the fabric, however this is not noticeable when the garment is worn. After this process was complete, I went ahead and hemmed the top of the skirt by rolling the raw edge over and securing it with a single straight stitch around the circumference. It was essential that this line was straight because it is a feature that will be easily visible and therefore has to look as professional as possible. It would have been better to use an elasticated thread to sew the hem as the garment needs to be stretched when being put on and I will avoid the line of stitches being torn by putting the skirt on over my head.
In this part of altering the skirt, I intended to add the slits up the side of the garment. I began by measuring their length which was only 28cm - they weren't too excessive as their only function was to show off my ankles or Adidas socks when walking. I measured the length with a ruler and marked it on with a black biro before taking an unpicker and beginning to remove the overlocking securing the sides together. This was touch work as despite the overlock being the only way that the two fabrics were attached, this meant that the job done had been very proficient. This was perhaps the most difficult part of the task as it was hard not to snag the fabric composed of a delicate knit. Once i had done that and made sure that the slits were of equal length, I folded the edges in as a simple hem and sewed in a straight line to meet the hem along the bottom of the skirt. This part was fiddly but once it was done, both the sides of the skirt looked well made and the added feature of interest fit in well with the overall aesthetic. For a certain proportion of the skirt, the thread ran out and i had to use a slightly darker shade of grey, but it still worked. The crop top was incredibly simple to complete as it just required a precise, double hem around the bottom before it was done.
Finished images
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