One of my favourite things to do is customise vintage dresses. Recently there has been a lot of focus on ‘up-styling’ vintage clothes and books have been published on how to up-style your clothes. I’m loving this Recyled Fashion blog.
Personally I haven’t read any books (if you have any recommendations I’d love to hear them) but I’ve been altering vintage dresses since I was a teenager. I search for bargain vintage dresses on Ebay; then spend inordinate amounts of time taking them in, out and up! Buying vintage and customising means you get to wear something truly unique.
This week I decided it was time to alter a dress I bought on Ebay months ago. It’s a prairie style dress with floral material and a high lace neckline. Although I love prim high collars they really don’t suit me so the neckline has to go!
The dress was originally floor length so I devoted my lunch break to taking it up. Delightfully there is so much extra fabric I can make a cute summer skirt with it.
Here’s how I up-styled my vintage dress:
- Cut and hemmed the bottom using an catch stitch to just above knee length
- Drew the desired neck line using tailor’s chalk (I leave as much fabric as possible to make a hem, 2cm is enough)
- Cut along the chalk line (saving the lace for another craft project)
- Ironed and pinned the neckline
- Hand sewed the neckline hem using a whip stitch
- Hey presto you have a new dress!
Catch stitch Whip stitch
Crafty Musings 
Beautiful! X
It’s beautiful Laurie, I aspire to doing something as creative but it’s only in my head!
Woman, I am so impressed with your time management skills and commitment to extra curricular activities… full time work, uni, blogging, gym and now gorgeous dress alterations in your lunch break! It looks great, and I especially love the wide neckline on the dress. Nice work, and great read.
It’s great to see how you can completely transform a dress – it looks really good.
Such initiative! Well done, would love to have your skills and talent!
Wow Laurie!! I don’t know what I’m more impressed with–the gorgeous Blog design/layout, your engaging writing style, descriptive instructions and ‘how to’ visual references–or your creative flair for transforming ‘Little House on the Prairie’ dresses into something beautiful and unique. (Love the boatneck neckline). Well done!!
opp shops what out! I’m on the hunt for stock! Fantastic ideas thanks for the inspiration! (love the design of the page too)
What inspiration! All I need now is to find time to search for some wonderful dresses to purchase and alter. Wonderful 🙂
Very nice….makes me want to pull out my sewing machine get cracking! Thanks Laurie. Nice blog page too 🙂
Love it. The neckline really suits you.
Wow, you are so talented!
There is a great “recycling shop” in Sydney Road http://www.savers.com.au/ they sell all sorts of costumes:)
PS: you can get a free membership card and receive a 10% of already cheap prices
PPS: students get a 20% off prices each Sunday
PPPS: Enjoy:)
Your dress looks like a completely different one once you finished it! I am very impressed. I don’t think I would be any good at managing it myself, but with your clear step by step process and handy pictures and videos as a guide I will certainly try and alter the growing pile of op shop clothes in my laundry. Thanks for the advice. I’d love to see what you did with the left over material.
Amazing job!
Miss Crafty that is so pretty and very ‘you’. Now I know how you manage to lfind clothes that are just right for you. Time for some personalisation of my own! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Wow! What a great idea. I always find beautiful dresses in op shops that don’t fit, next time I will definitely try and alter it myself.
Laurie, I am so impressed. Useful and talented.
You’ve got the funk Lor.
Oh yeah.
: )