77 Days to Go: Kat’s NDAD Creation

Aug 4, 2012 | 42 Comments

I absolutely loved Kat’s before look and knew that anything she was going to do was going to make the piece infinitely better…

Dear Marisa -

I have been following you almost since the beginning and one of my daily highlights is seeing your newest remake. This spring my grandson was graduating from a bible college in South Carolina and I needed a dress.  Nothing is my closet would do, so I went through my patterns and found a favorite from about 25 years ago I could update, but after a trip to the fabric store, it was going to cost me $60 to get the material I wanted and that was even with a 50% off coupon!  Needless to say it was way beyond my budget, so on my way home, I stopped at the Great American Thrift store to see if there was anything I could use.  I found a dress with just the fabric I was wanting.

New Dress A Day - DIY - vintage dress - Kat Before

Kat - Before

I loved the cameo buttons, but just not on the dress – the price was $3, but it was half price day so I snagged it for $1.50!   It’s a pretty deep navy with small off-white flowers…

New Dress A Day - DIY - vintage dress - floral pattern

Pretty flowers!!

Sounds like a deal to me!  Let’s see what Kat does with this!!

The dress had a choker neck, along with the shoulder pads and ties that all had to go.  The bodice and sleeves were too big, so I took off the sleeves and then raised the shoulders and cut a more rounded neck.  I wanted sleeves, because I’m always cold, so I just pushed them up to 3/4 length.  I found a piece lace in my stash, and put it around the neck which was exactly what it needed to soften the neck line.  I was now ready for the graduation.

New Dress A Day - DIY - vintage dress - Kat after

Kat - After

When I modeled for my husband he said, “looks great, you needed a good marry’in/bury’in dress.”:-) Even though it took a lot longer, I was pleased with the results.  The handsome young man is my grandson.

New Dress A Day - DIY - vintage dress - Family Portrait

Handsome grandson, stunning grandmother!

Love you Marisa, keep inspiring us!  BTW, how do you eat all those yummy meals and stay so tiny!? :-)

Kat, you amaze me!!!  I absolutely LOVE what you did with that dress.  It’s a complete 180 – from choker/cameo neckline, to sweet and dainty neckline.  It was worth all the work because you look INCREDIBLE!!!  Love those flats too!

Ha, and all those yummy meals…my erratic schedule/hikes/dance classes at the gym allow me to get away with indulging every once in a while.  I just got into Zumba this summer – it’s the most fun/best workout I’ve had in a long time!!

In all · Reader Creations
  • Houston gal

    This turned out PERFECLY.. You had such a great vision for the possabilities. I feel like the onlly person on the PLANET that cannot do this. I have a drawer full of pieces gone wrong. Seriously, I start pinning and cutting and pulling and cinching and it never makes it. I just keep on trying so maybe one day i can actually wear one of my creations. Hope I remember to take a before picture because I will certainly be sending you my after. Thanks to all for the inspiration.

    • Rcollen

      Sometimes I marvel at how confidently and swiftly Marisa approaches the pieces on her site and love the results. I would imagine this boldness comes from practiving with a new piece every day and knowing there will be another one tomorrow if this one doesn’t work out just right! Be patient with the process … and yourself! It just takes practice and time. There are many Goodwill pieces on my stack of “future new dresses” that I was so afraid to try to alter for fear of ruining them. I have to remind myself that I’m working with a dress that cost a dollar or two so if the end result is not what I hoped for, they can go back to Goodwill! I have found that hand-basting seems to work well for fitting things. Then if they look good I can go back and permanenelty sew them.

      • http://twitter.com/jodywallace Jody Wallace

        You know what? I read this and I wonder… Would the occasional ‘new dress a day no way’ be a fun column?? Like, things Marisa or her fans attempted and failed? Maybe too much negativity for this site, though :)

        • Busywoman2

          NDAD bloopers! We’ve all done bloopers, that could be fun!

          • newdressaday

             YES!! Love it!!

          • a_jay30

            Fabulous idea!  We might even be able to learn what not to do from each other’s mistakes.

        • newdressaday

          Ha, that could be awesome!! I’d totally censor the not-so-nice  comments though about others.  I can take the heat, but don’t need the negative nellies putting anyone else down :)

      • newdressaday

        Best mantra to live by!!  Do it Rcollen!! xo

    • Collette

       Believe me, you’re not the only one!!!  But what a blast trying.  I currently have 2 pieces waiting that I hesitate to try what I’m thinking because I’ll wreck them (my vision is a bit above my skill level).  But I figure, I’ll never learn if I don’t try.  Good luck with yours.

      • newdressaday

        Do it Colleen!! Can’t wait to see how they turn out!!

    • newdressaday

      Keep trying…I didn’t learn overnight, so don’t get frustrated!  Can’t wait to see Ms. Houston!!

  • Busywoman2

    This is a great job, and it renews my hope that someday I will find a piece that I can improve upon! I’ve altered pieces from Goodwill to fit me; it’s the re-working that keeps stopping me! Great job!

  • Kissem37

    Great update! That length is perfect, and the 3/4 sleeves are definitely the way to go!

  • Constant Visitor

    My mom keeps dreaming about a find like this, but I think we may have accidentally gone past some good ones with too many frills. Your makeover reminds me that we can just take the frills off! I have to learn to “see” the dress beneath the flourishes more often. Great work.

    • newdressaday

      Absolutely!! Sometimes the best fixes are the easy ones!!

  • Anon

    Yay Kat!  Great job!  I love what you did with your dress refashion.  I always think the dresses are thrift stores are too out-of-date, but you have inspired me.  Congratulations to you and your grandson!

  • Collette

    Wow!!!!  That was a great remake.  You look lovely and happy with your grandson.  Congats to both of you,

  • http://thriftygirl51.blogspot.com/ Dawn

    You did a great job remaking this dress!  Took it from way too outdated to pretty and modern looking.  Nice!

  • sash

    very nicely done!

  • Donna in VA

    The re-made dress is really flattering. You’ll get a lot of use from this one.  Glad you explained about removing the sleeves and recutting neck and arms higher, I could not figure out what you’d done just from the picture but then I realized the waist was higher. I need to remember that one.

  • http://twitter.com/jodywallace Jody Wallace

    Inquiring minds what to know…whatever will you do with the cameo buttons? :)

    • Kat

      I have already used a couple of them in my card making. I love to make cards and my favs are ones with a vintage look.  These worked out great!  

    • Kat

      I have already used a couple of them in my card making. I love to make cards and my favs are ones with a vintage look.  These worked out great!  

  • Lauraly

    Very elegant re-do Kat!

  • Lauraly

    Very elegant re-do Kat!

  • Sheryl K

    Kat–your remake is wonderful!! You are obviously a talented seamstress, but it takes a certain something else to see a sculpture in a hunk of rock!

    Plus– I love the new, fresh hairstyle. It gives me inspration to try something new.

    • Tami

      I hadn’t even noticed the change in hair do!  :)
      Kat, I never saw that coming-the dress went from very dated to very now, and you looked fabulous!  

    • newdressaday

      Dress change + hair change = total fabness!

  • Maureen

    Kat, great redo and sweet pic w/ your handsome grandson!

  • Jenn A

    Wow!  You totally changed that dress and it looks great!  

  • Cre8soap

    You got a awesome deal ….and the dress looks great….

  • Sarah_H.

    Beautiful redo for the dress, and I really like your hair too. Just think of how much you saved, and the sewing time was probably less than doing it from scratch, even with all the refitting. 

  • Ashettles

    Beautiful redo.  Makes me think I should take a closer look at some of the outcasts at the back of my closet.
     

  • MommyToAnE

    Fantastic remake!  My jaw dropped to the floor when I read grandson…I would have guessed son!!

    • newdressaday

      I know – Kat’s stunning!

  • Profe

    It looks awsome !!!How did you raise the shoulders?

    • Kat

      I had to take off the sleeves and the facing around the neck. That gave me free access to the shoulder seem. I then took it up about 3-4 inches, stitched new seam and cut off the extra fabric. Then I cut the neckline and the facing to match the new neckline. Took in the sides and adjusted the sleeves to fit the new size armholes. Then had to put it all back together.

      • Profe

        That sounds complicated but will be my new project. Thank you!!!

  • Gerlinde

    … very smart ‘cookie’ this lady; my greatest respects (plus to cheeky husband of hers – sounds like mine ;-)  !)

  • Chris

    Wow very pretty! Well worth all the work.

  • Anthea

    awesome job kat!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000429952066 Patricia Rhudy Cook

    I thought the young man was your husband. I was gonna say “nice catch!”