THRIFT, UPCYCLE, LOVE

One of the best things about thrifting is giving things a new life. Instead of going to a
landfill, you buy an item that someone no longer wanted and you get to enjoy it. Upcycling
thrifted clothes is such a fun expression of that idea - reincarnation via sewing machine.

This week I converted a once beloved thrifted skirt into an adorable dress for my daughter.
I had a good couple years of use as a skirt and it had run its course in my wardrobe. It was
time for a rebirth.

Here’s the original skirt - fun, funky & vibrant.

1. I started by using one of my daughter’s dresses as a template.
I laid it on the skirt and used chalk to trace it.

2. Then I cut out my traced dress pieces, making sure to leave an inch or so around
the edges for the hems etc. and made the under layer/slip a bit shorter than the
dress so it wouldn’t show.

3. Then the bottom was flipped up, one layer at a time, pinned and hemmed to the correct
length (make sure you measure the original dress’s dimensions for each step so you get an
accurate fit).

4. On the top, I folded down (pinned and sewed) the corners for an angled shape,
and to naturally create armholes. How cute are those buttons in the front??
And having the buttons and zipper up top will make it easy to get off and on too.

5. Then I simply kept the dress inside out, and sewed the front to the back.

6. Instead of fully constructing straps from the excess fabric, I chose some simple sturdy
lace I’d been keeping for just such a project. I pinned the lace in the front, then put the
dress on my daughter to make sure I got the correct length, and TADA! All set to romp
around in!

Naturally, I didn’t even wait a full day to put her in the new dress -
on our second trip to the State Far with my mom and nephew,
she looked so sweet and vintage in her new upcycled look!

My outfit was fully thrifted that day too -
[Sheer black top, dark denim shorts, metallic strappy sandals & statement necklace]
All together, under $10.

For my girl’s headband, I used the tie from an old thrifted dress.
Simply twisted, tied and trimmed the excess.

This is a terrible and hilarious shot. I’m pretty sure I made a quip on
FB about no more wine for this kid. Just caught her at a drunk-looking moment. haha
You can see the double hemline I did for visual effect, adding a subtle horizontal element.

We had so much fun with my little nephew. It’s really special for them to get
to experience life together as littles. These trips will be priceless as they get older.

If all’s well that ends well, then we had a great trip to the fair.
You can see a little bit in this shot, I simply paired the dress with
a light blue & white striped little ruffle-butt diaper cover. Soft and
subtle, while still mixing patterns.

With the skill and model to convert my loved pieces into cute tiny pieces,
editing my wardrobe is WAY more fun! I weigh whether a piece would be
best served by my continued use, or if it could be creatively reimagined
for my girl. Needless to say, this isn’t the last mom to daughter outfit
conversion you’ll see here. Until next week - Happy Thrifting, friends!