DIY “Frankenstein” Dress: My Coffee Needs Coffee & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #669
My coffee needs coffee and a whole bunch of bright colors.
Thanks to Orly of The DIY Designer, I have found a way of repurposing my wardrobe into things that I will actually wear. With a bin full of unworn graphic tees and a pile of skirts that are too large or too unflattering, I had quite a few pieces to use in the crafting of some “Frankenstein dresses”. My oldest son recently coined the term when I made my first Frankenstein dress and it cracked me up. So now this is what I will forever call these cute DIY tee shirt dresses.
By the way, a Frankenstein dress is one which is made by combining parts of other clothing to make a something new in a manner similar to the way Dr. Frankenstein combined parts of dead people to create his monster.
For this super fun Frankenstein dress, I combined a graphic tee and skirt which were both purchased in 2018. The coffee tee shirt was much beloved five years ago. I shared three different outfits that year featuring this cute tee shirt paired with jeans and moto jacket, with jeans and a cardigan, and with jeans and a kimono. But since then, I haven’t worn this tee shirt once.
The colorful striped asymmetrical skirt was an impulse purchase which resulted in it being worn a total of one time for a Cinco de Mayo outfit in 2018. It has only taken me four decades to realize that I really don’t like skirts all that much. Although I have a lot of them (because I have a lot of everything), skirts are probably the least worn garments in my closet.
I am much more likely to throw on a maxi dress especially during the warmer seasons, so when I stumbled upon Orly’s super easy tutorial for making these Frankenstein dresses it kind of felt like I hit the jackpot. Now instead of an ill fitting skirt and a tee shirt that I no longer wear taking up valuable closet space, I have a super colorful and whimsical dress that I will actually wear.
In fact, this is the outfit I wore to Archie’s middle school orientation last week and I lost count of the compliments I received. It surely boosts my mood when my outfit makes other people smile!
Y’all know how I love my wraps for a little extra drama. Plus, they cover a multitude of unsightly things such as my novice sewing errors, a tiny stain on the side of the skirt, and my flat butt that doesn’t properly fill the dress for that sassy little wiggle that cute dresses deserve.
I added my mustard yellow ruana, matching rainbow earrings and necklace, rainbow hair ties, my rainbow hat, and my rainbow straw bag because I figured adding as many bright colors as possible made sense. If my coffee really needs coffee then maybe my eyes need a bright flash of color to wake them up, too. To anchor down the black in my dress, I wore my reliable old combat boots.
And off I went for the day, making sure everyone saw me, I guess!
Featured Favorites
Reader Favorite (Most Clicked): Joanne of Slices of Life
Fashion Favorite: Lizzie of Lizzie in Lace
Other Favorite: Linda of It All Started with Paint
Does your coffee need coffee? Do bright colors wake you up?
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Outfit Details: Dress-Upcycled by Me from Tee Shirt (Old Navy) and Skirt (Cato) / Boots-Thrifted / Ruana and Hat-Wona Trading / Necklace and Earrings-Torrid / Bag-Burlington Coat Factory
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
34 Comments
Jennifer
Love what you did with it!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I am so happy with how this turned out!
xoxo
Shelbee
Pamela
Oh what fun – even if it’s not perfect an uneven hem looks intentional! I love a good hack from You tube!
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Pamela! I am really happy with how this turned out despite my sewing errors! I hope you have a most wonderful weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jill
What a great idea to repurposed the dress and tee! I love how it turned out! It’s so fun and unique!
Jill – Doused in Pink
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jill! I am so pleased with how this turned out!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
OMG! I love this! And strangely enough, I’ve been wondering if there was a way to put tops on my skirts, because it turns out I love the concept of skirts way more than I actually like wearing skirts. But I have some pretty ones. Going to check out the DIY link.
Michelle
michellesuzanneartworks.space
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! These are so easy to make! I have feeling you might be making a bunch for yourself now, too. Please show me if you do! And oh my gosh, I’m gonna see you in like 5 weeks! Time is flying by!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I can’t wait!
XOXO
Michelle
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Me, tooo!
Linda @It All Started With Paint
So thrilled to see my mason jar picked as a favorite! Thanks for making my day … and my weekend!!! Speaking of which, hope you have an amazing weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Linda! I am glad to have made your weekend! Enjoy it to the fullest!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I am always so surprised when my post is “most clicked!” What an honor. You really are so creative and getting so good at modifying your clothes to make them really work for you.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Joanne! I am having a great time with my sewing projects. I just wish I had never given up the sewing so I would have 10 more years experience under my belt at it by this point! I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
That is just the cutest dress! I love that you went all out and accessorized with rainbow colors. Getting a sewing machine has opened up a whole new world of creative opportunities for you. It makes me want to retrieve my sewing maching from the basement. Hope you enjoy your weekend, and thanks for the link up!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Di! This sewing machine really has opened up a new world of creativity for me! I wonder why I ever stopped sewing. Hmmm. I have 3 more Frankenstein dresses ready to be made as well. But I also have some more walls to paint and furniture to refinish! Enough to keep me busy now that the children are back to school. I hope you have a most wonderful weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kellyann Rohr
I had no idea what a Frankenstein dress was but the minute I read it, it made perfect sense! You are so clever Shelbee!
xo,
Kellyann
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hahaha, thanks so much, Kellyann! Actually, my 12 year old has the clever brain! I just sort of know how to sew stuff together. LOl
xoxo
Shelbee
Momfever
I love your dress and the shoes!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nicole! I hope you have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Daenel T.
Genius! I’m almost certain I said that last time you showed a Frankenstein dress {which is a hilarious name}. I wish I had some sort of sewing skill but I cannot sew a straight line to save my life.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Daenel, thank you so very much, my friend! I am having so much fun repurposing my old clothing! I can’t sew a straight line either. Everything I sew is crooked and lopsided! But that’s okay. Crooked and lopsided suits me! I figure the more Frankenstein dresses I make, the better I’ll get at sewing straight. Maybe. Hopefully. Haha.
Emma Peach
That’s a brilliant way to repurpose a T-shirt and skirt! I love the rainbow acceessories too!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! I am so happy with how this turned out!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Now, this is just the cutest dress ever! I actually thought your “Needs coffee” patch was a purse. How genius to make it a patch or a pocket! You are going to have this amazing new wardrobe from older things you didn’t think you wanted anymore! How fun! Thanks, my friend, for the link party!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thank you so very much! I figure the best things to use for my first DIY projects are old things in my closet. If I mess it up, I wasn’t wearing the thing anyway. And if I get it right, I get some fun new things to wear! I didn’t even think to make the patch into pocket! I have two more dresses that I want to make that I have to cut the graphic in half again so I think I might try to make pockets with the leftover patches. Thanks for that awesome idea!
xoxo
Shelbee
Suzy Turner
Shelbee, you are so freaking creative!! I love what you did here, and the outfit as a whole is stunning on you!
Hugs
Suzy xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so very much, my friend! I am really pleased with this one, too! It was the perfect outfit for an overcast day.
xoxo
Shelbee
pam
Oh my gosh, Shelbee, that is so amazingly cute! You really did a great job with it. It’s as if those pieces were just made to be put together. So fun and creative!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Pam! I thought the tee and skirt were perfect together as well! I have two more tee shirt and skirt combinations waiting to be sewn together that will be perfect for fall. I need to get on them this week! I hope you have a most wonderful day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Pam
You’re welcome! I’m so happy to tell you that I’ll be featuring this post today at Thursday Favorite Things, starting at 10:00 a.m.
I hope you have a most wonderful day, too!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Pam! I really appreciate that! I will be sure to hop by this week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jeanne Takenaka
What a fun way to repurpose two clothing items you don’t wear into one you do!
I love the color splashes in your dress and ruana. I’m popping over from Inspire Me Monday (Anita Ojeda). Nice to “meet” you!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Jeanne, thank you so very much! I just bought myself a sewing machine for Mother’s Day and I am having so much fun repurposing all sorts of closet things! I haven’t sewn in over decade so I’m relearning old things and learning new sewing tricks along the way.
xoxo
Shelbee