Sometimes you sew something and it doesn’t work out the way you thought it would. That’s what happened to me when I first tried on my Oreo Cookie wrap dress and realized the skirt pieces didn’t overlap properly! I had used Vogue 8379 for the top, but winged the bottom since I didn’t want the full skirt that came with the pattern. Mistake.
I thought I could save it by adding a snap-on-a-string contraption, but that really didn’t do anything to prevent the top skirt piece from staying in place (especially when I sat down). While I did wear the dress with tights to the office a few times, I just never felt truly comfortable in it.
And so it sat in my closet, largely unworn.
About a month or two ago I decided that keeping the dress as is was pointless, so I chopped off the bottom! And here’s the result: a Vogue 8379 wrap top I can pair with jeans or a skirt. Yay!
This was a super easy alteration. I just tried the dress on and marked the new hem. While I was at it, I shortened the sleeves a bit, too.
By the way, my grandmother (abuelita) took these photos on the day before her 85th birthday! She worked as a professional seamstress here in the Garment District after immigrating to the US in the 1960s. How cool is that?
I thought it would be neat to have her take photos of something I’ve made. Took her a bit to get used to the smartphone; both she and my grandfather (abuelito) kept their fingers on the button rather than tapping it, resulting in a whopping 485 photos in about 10 minutes. Intense! By the third photo in the collage above, I realized the unintentional picture-taking extravaganza was getting to Guinness Book of World Records level, but ’twas too late: these particular shots are part of a burst of 112 photos. Gave me a good chuckle [insert cry laughing emoji here].
I’m really happy with the adjustment and have worn my “new” top a few times already. I find myself short on tops so having another one around is never a bad thing.
And with that, I already have three other dresses I want to turn into skirts. Hopefully I’ll get to those sooner rather than later!
Have you ever altered a me-made item to create something new?
Yes, actually I’m doing that now….a 4 gored skirt that doesn’t fit my waist anymore, cut off the waistband and will put elastic waistband instead; then I know I’ll wear it!
That’s a great idea! I actually plan to do a similar alteration to a dress when I turn it into a skirt. It’s nice to put these old makes to use again!
that photo story is priceless!
i did the same thing with a vogue wrap dress (well, almost, mine was a “i don’t have enough fabric for the skirt, surely it will work out if i wing it”). i need to drag mine out and copy you, because this is CUTE.
It’s a quick solution that I should do more of because then I’d have more outfits to wear. Go for it, and get 486 photos in the process! 😉
Good save! I think it would have been too “vinatage-y” long. Much more modern this way.
With 400+ photos you were bound to have some good ones!
Thanks, Betsy! Yeah, I think it’s 400+ photos or bust from here on out. 😁
I love that you were able to save this and make it wearable! Fantastic! And the photo story made me smile. I love love love that your family has such deep roots in the Garment District! Wasn’t your grandfather on the other side a tailor?
My great, great grandfather actually! On the Lower East Side. Then his sons did the same, but the youngest (my great grandfather) started a window shade business and had an amazing industrial Singer used in his shop in Chelsea, which I still have. My grandfather (his son-in-law) operated that machine for some 30 years or so! I didn’t know any of this until after I decided to sew a few years ago. Crazy.