Bluebird Original

When I was at university some of my cousins would host historic dress balls for fun. I made many period costumes for these balls over the years, but one year, I decided to just make a modern ballgown. It was made from a beautiful ruby coloured satin (with the textured side out and the shiny side in) and was fully lined with a tiny little dragging train. It was a beautiful dress; simple in style, but very elegant. I wore it for the ball it was made for as well as for my 21st birthday party. The sad thing about such a magnificent dress though is that there are so few places that it can be worn without seeming very overdressed!  I kept it packed away for years in its original state but sadly never wore it again. After having my first baby, my body changed shape enough that I knew I would never be able to wear it again. So there it sat, beautiful, but of no use to anyone. Until one day I had a bright idea. There was so much fabric in the skirt of that dress that I could probably make a...

I was given this skirt for my birthday several years ago, and while the print was pretty, it was just not in a style that I would usually wear. Aside from that, it was also too big and had an uncomfortable stretchy, synthetic lining inside. The heavier lining fabric and the slightly stiff cotton combined to add extra bulk which I also wasn't too keen on.  Time for a remake! As the skirt was really quite long, I had a lot of fabric to play around with. My idea was to turn it into a dress similar to one that I had worn when I was younger. You can see the dress of my inspiration here (Remake: Little Girl's Pinafore ).   I had some black cotton fabric and some white lining in my fabric stash. With some careful cutting and piecing, I managed to get all the bodice pieces out of the top of the skirt. I used the entire width of the skirt bottom to make a pleated skirt and keep the print of the fabric intact. The finished dress has a side zipper and fits really well. I'm very plea...

Some of the projects that I find most satisfying are the ones that involve making something new from an old garment. Not only is it a great way to reuse and recycle, it also enables a second wear out of a much loved item of clothing. This particular zebra striped dress was one that I originally found in a thrift store many years ago. Back in the days when I was young and very slender, I could pull off the cute look. After two babies and ten years of aging, the dress was still super cute, just not on me.  You might wonder why I had kept the dress for all these years, and the answer is simply that it held good memories (being the dress I wore on the morning of my wedding) and I really loved the fabric. I was sure that one day I would have a little girl who would enjoy wearing the fabric as much as I had. As I have two handsome boys though, a new dress for one of my neices is just as good.  After gathering some measurements from my two-year-old neice, I got started on the remake....