Remake: Maxi Skirt to Summer Dress

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Taking an old, unused item of clothing and changing it into something new and useful has a special joy all of its own. This remodelling of a skirt came with the unique challenge of working with a fabric that has a distinctive design. 

I purchased this maxi skirt some years ago from TK Maxx. It was made up of eight large panels to create a floor length, full circle skirt with an elastic waistband. The fabric is a delightful, if somewhat busy, Indian print on a fine, loose weave, transparent fabric. The way that the panels were joined created an interesting zigzag pattern around the hem. The skirt's original lining was made from a horrible stretchy fabric of the sort that I hate and which I quickly discarded as the remake began.


For the dress I used Kwik Sew K4215 as my base pattern. Once again I am frustrated with the lack of correct fit provided by commercial patterns, but that is another story; the pattern provided a usable base to work from. With some careful piecing, I cut the centre front of the bodice from the detailed hem of the skirt, inserting a zipper for breastfeeding access. I then cut the skirt from the majority of the patterned hem, leaving just enough for the sleeves. The rest of the bodice pieces are cut from the top sections of the skirt and the dress ties were actually the original ties from the waistband of the skirt. I used a soft white cotton for the bodice lining. To line the skirt I reused the fabric from an old white rayon skirt that I had kept for just such a purpose. The drape and fall of the rayon provided the perfect background structure for the skirt, encouraging it to sit and fall in a very pleasing way. 

With some clever fitting and the use of 4 extra darts, I managed to get the dress to sit well on my body. My only criticism is that the sleeve head is firm across the arm when trying to lift the arms (something that a mother of a baby does frequently). I may try to remedy this issue at some point as I'm concerned that the fine fabric of the unlined sleeve may pull out of the sleeve head with too much use. I love the way the pattern of the fabric brings some real uniqueness to the finished dress.


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