Remake: Shift Dress + Old Skirt = New Dress

Pregnancy and breastfeeding have controlled my wardrobe over the last two and a half years. Now that I've passed that stage of motherhood again, I desperately needed to refresh my wardrobe. There is such simple pleasure in once more being able to wear a dress with a back zipper or a well fitted blouse with no buttons on the front. 

For this remake I was just desperate for something fresh to wear. So I looked in my wardrobe to see what could be transformed without too much effort. I had a black rayon maternity skirt with a stretched out shirred waistband and a shift dress that saw me through early pregnancy and on into breastfeeding after I inserted a zip into the front. Both items were tired in their original form but had some good potential and the fabric was still in good condition.

So, using a simple waisted dress pattern with darts for fitting, I carefully cut the bodice from the shift dress. The lines in the design of the fabric made this tricky as it had to be centred properly. The skirt was simple to reuse as all that needed to be done was to cut off the waistband and open the back seam to insert the dress zipper. I gathered the skirt onto the bodice, sewed in an invisible zipper and used a grosgrain ribbon that ties at the back to help pull in the waist.

Such a simple remake, but I'm so pleased with the result and have enjoyed wearing my new dress so much!