Floral Nightmare to Technicolor Dream
Remember this floral nightmare of a dress that I shared with you two weeks ago? I paid $6 for this horrid frock during my birthday thrifting adventure. Not only is it hideous but it is also five sizes too big. You may be wondering why in the world I would buy something that I consider ugly that is also too big. So I’ll just go ahead and tell you.
I simply could not resist the fabulous oversized technicolor floral print. So I brought the dress home with high hopes of turning it from a nightmare into a dream. I think I succeeded. But I will let you decide for yourself!
The brand is Terra & Sky which is sold by major retailers like Walmart and Amazon. Based on a quick search, dresses similar to this one retail for just under $30. So you may not consider $6 a bargain for a used $30 dress.
But I look at this way…you need approximately 2-3 yards of fabric to make a maxi dress. The cheapest apparel fabrics might go on clearance for about $10 a yard. So to make a maxi dress from scratch, I would need to spend a minimum of $20 for the fabric. But then I would also need a pattern to make it from scratch which is another $15. Instead, I only spent $6 and I have all the fabric I need plus the dress is mostly completed for me. I just needed to remove some of the excess fabric.
Starting with the beastly sleeves. I used a seam ripper to very carefully remove both sleeves which left me with a halter style dress. I don’t love halter styles all that much but this one isn’t bad because it has an open neck. I trimmed off any loose edges along the neckline with a rotary cutter and left the original seams all intact. Then I hemmed the raw edges around the armholes.
That part was super easy. The next step was to make a size 24 dress fit my size 14 body. I struggled with this part. First I checked out YouTube for alteration tutorials but I could not find a single one that showed how to take in a dress on the sides when it doesn’t have side seams. A very specific search that yielded me zero results. Instead of side seams, this dress had those giant triangle pieces inserted on the sides to give it more fullness. I was so stumped. Do I remove the triangle pieces? Do I take it in from the back? Can I just belt it and go?
I pinned it and unpinned it about a dozen times. Put it on and took it off a dozen more times. Recruited my children to help me pin it and that did not end favorably either. I was actually yelling at the dress at one point. And then I tried YouTube one last time and found the answer from Confessions of a Refashionista. She said take a well fitted dress from your closet and trace it onto the dress you want to make smaller. So I did exactly that then I stitched along the chalk lines that I drew on the dress and cut off the excess fabric from the inside. That was all it took. So easy!
I made the dress sleeveless but I never go sleeveless because I am always way too cold or I need sun protection for my shoulders. I decided to keep all things bright and cheerful with this vibrant dress and added a lemon yellow floral ruana, my new yellow Panama hat, red wedge sandals, a red belt, a green mushroom necklace, white mushroom earrings, and my multicolored straw bag.
I have to say that this outfit definitely cheered me and I am hoping that it cheered anyone who encountered me that day!
Now that I have figured out to do some simple dress alterations, I am viewing things from a much different perspective. With a little bit of creativity and some basic sewing skills, you really can turn any nightmare into a dream!
Wait until you see all the things that have been getting bathed in tie dye, too. I went through my closet room and took out a few dozen light colored garments that are looking kind of dingy and have been going wild with tie dye makeovers. I have already worn four shirts on repeat that haven’t come out of my closet in years because they were boring and faded and ready for retirement. Now they are colorful and fabulous and I can’t get enough!
My kids have gotten in on the action as well tie dying old tee shirts. They also asked for new white ones to make their shirts for the new school year. My kids are definitely creative! I’ll show you soon.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress-Thrifted and Upcycled / Ruana-LC Lauren Conrad / Belt-Torrid / Hat-Wona Trading / Shoes-Payless / Necklace-Gift Shop in Sylva, NC / Earrings-Craft Vendor at Smoked Country Jam / 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.
24 Comments
BARBARA
how fresh! well done
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Barbara!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Wow, that dress is stunning now! And I love the way that hat looks on you! So very good. Looking forward to see what the kids made of the tie dye adventures.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nancy! I have sooooo many things that I need to photograph but instead I just keep creating more things! Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Samantha
Great transformation. Loved it and the link to Confessions of a Refashionista, thank you.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Samantha! I really appreciate that. I hope you have a lovely day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking very there.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Patrick!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Shelbee, if I hadn’t known you’d recreated this dress, I would have sworn it was tailor made for you! I think you look fabulous in the halter style, but I understand your reasons for not wearing them. That was genius to just take out a dress and trace around it. Who knew? Well, we all do now! I love your new hats, too. I love the idea of a hat, but I don’t like hat head I then get. But, I may need a fedora! I can’t wait to see your tie dyed things!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thanks so much! What a scene it was though to get this dress to look tailor made! I struggle with measuring and pinning stuff. I get so frustrated so quickly and I generally end up eyeballing a lot of things. This, of course, leads me to a lot of crooked results! Yesterday, I made two of these dresses which turned out pretty cute. I am going to make a bunch more and hopefully I will eventually get them to look as good as the video! There are so many new creations to photograph and so many more things to create!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
That’s a triumph, you would never know it’s the same dress!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail! I am really proud of this upcycle!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
It’s incredible Shelbee! Wow! What a transformation. I love it with the yellow kimono too.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Amy, thanks so much! I am really proud of myself on this one! I didn’t think I was going to be able to make this work so I surprised myself.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I love it! And well done! Such an amazing dress. You look fabulous! Thanks for the tip about bringing down the size of the dress. I’m going to remember that one. And you are so right about the cost of fabric. I bought fabric to make two dress extenders – which hasn’t happened yet – and paid $60 to get what I wanted. And that doesn’t count elastic, etc.
Can’t’ wait for the next makeover installment!
xoxo
Michelle
michellesuzanneartworks.space
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! Fabric is ridiculously expensive. I think I might chop up all of my unworn clothing and make a huge bolt of patchwork fabric! LOL This week, I have been making what Archie calls “Frankenstein dresses.” You just attach a tee shirt to a long skirt and you get a one of kind maxi dress! I used this tutorial. I made 2 dresses yesterday that turned out pretty cute and I have a pile of stuff to make 5 more. Hopefully, by the last one, it might look professional! Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
I love that floral print, and the refashioned dress turned out so great! Looking forward to seeing the tie-dye refreshes also.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sally! I have so many photos to take but instead I just keep creating more things! I made 4 new dresses this week out of old tee shirts and skirts. They are so cute!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Christensen
This is a fabulous transition! Well done! – Amy
https://stylingrannymama.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy! I am really proud of this upcycle!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I love the transformation! It is such a pretty fabric that it really would have been a shame for it to go to waste.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Joanne! I agree! I could not pass on this big bright floral print and now it’s a wearable dress instead of an oversized sack!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jacqui Berry
What a great dress, love the florals and what a difference it’s made. Well done. Jacqui x.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jacqui! I am so pleased with the end result!
xoxo
Shelbee