Remake: Green, Pink & Blue Dress

I absolutely LOVED this dress when I first laid eyes on it at a garage sale. The colors were fun, the crepe-y cotton was flowy and soft, but there was a pretty large issue. (I even wore a nude tank to really hit the fact home.)

This is going to need a little adjustment. I just don't think that this would be appropriate if I wore it as is, you know :) Check back for the full post later today!

Melissa's Donation: Peach & Black Embroidered Shirt

I received this piece from one of my favorite people in the world - Melissa of Shoestring Magazine - and she outdid herself.

Now if a "friend" gave you this piece as a present, I might want to rethink the friendship, however Melissa is my thrifting kindred spirit and knew this shirty-dress-kaftan would be right up my alley.

So not only did my sister from another mister give me this rockin' ensemble...

...but also sent a Richard Simmons coffee table book in my package. This snail mail day was one for the records, because...

...Richard Simmons happens to be one of my best pals.

OK, well "best pals" probably is a bit of a stretch, but I did get my "sweatin' to the oldies" on at his class a while back and that's pretty close, right? So, want to see how this peachy piece turned out???

I started off by removing the sleeves!

I have some fun leftovers that I'll be repurposing very soon :)

The part of the piece that was most intriguing to me was the incredible embroidery! I just loved the detail up and down the front of the shirt. To make that stand out even more, there were a few things that needed to be done.

First, it was time to go shorter!

Next, it was time to remove the stitches at the neckline. I wanted the collar to be separated from the rest of the top.

Boom!!!

As soon as I saw the neckline, I thought halter top!! After the collar was removed from the bottom portion of the shirt, I trimmed back some of the material and pinned it down beneath the vertical embroidery to form a T shape of sorts.

I stitched a new hem...

I stitched down the neckline...

...and I stitched the body to make it fitted.

Three major changes = 1 brand new look!

I wanted to make this a top so the peach color next to my skin wouldn't wash me out too much!

I pinched and gathered the material and stitched it at the bottom of the T shape (on each side of the embroidery) to give the top a splash of femininity.

It feels super modern in a slightly throwback way. Paired with jeans and flip flops...

... it was my outfit to wear to the Hollywood Bowl for a night of Hitchcock music!

I even had Vertigo nails to match!

From one frockish before to a chic after...

I'm thrilled with how this piece turned out. Many thanks for my piece, Miss Meliss. xox Miss Maris

Faith's NDAD Creation

This could be my new favorite piece! Faith knocked it out of the park. Just wait until you see what this shirt looks like now!

As a brand new first time mom, I didn't have time to scour the stores for the perfect outfit for my baby girl's one-month pictures. I wanted something feminine but not too girly, so instead of turning to expensive outfits online, I decided to make a cheaper option for this one time wear.

I scanned my closet for ideas. I found this top which a friend had given me to wear during the pregnancy. I loved the detailed stitching.

 I noticed the shirring on the back and knew it would make for an easy fit. 

Just wait until you see Faith's transformation...

I cut out the back panel and sewed a single seam to make the tube of the dress. 

I cut and hemmed pieces of the decorative parts to use for sleeves. 

I cut another piece to sew to a scrap of elastic for a matching headband and lastly I cut the bottom of the dress to fit her and hemmed it.

The whole process took about fifteen minutes. I definitely plan to make more clothing for her out of my own discarded clothes - I like sharing with her! The outfit was great for the pictures. 

Next time I will make the arm holes bigger because babies are tricky to dress! We ended up cutting her out of the dress to keep from upsetting her before her next pictures. But the dress had done its job. And again - it was free!

This is upcycling at its finest! I just LOVE how you took that top (that you got for free!!!!!) and crafted it into something so gorgeous for your girl. Using the patterned trim as a little headband is seriously perfection! I can't wait to see the next outfit you come up with!