Ok refashion friends, can we have a frank talk about plus size refashioning? I buy most of my refashion projects at thrift shops. I LOVE thrift shops but most of the clothes are NOT plus size. Sometimes they are and that's great, but i'm more likely to find a dress that's too small than I am to find one that's too big.
In my opinion its WAY easier to make a dress smaller than it is to make it bigger. In this blog post we will learn how I turned a teeny tiny print dress into a cute skirt for myself.
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Size petite Small |
Lets back up for a minute. Here is where this dress started.
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Starting materials |
Step one: Find fabric that you like. Ideally something stretchy. A dress (or skirt) with pleats works GREAT. Those pleats mean that after you cut the dress there will be more fabric than you think.
Step two: Before you buy a too small dress you need to figure out if it could potentially fit you. So, try it on as best you can.
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Me squeezed into a too small dress |
Step Three: Buy the dress and take it home. Smart shoppers will know to buy refashion items on sale. If the refashion doesn't work you're not out too much money. I purchased this dress for $4.25 at Good Will.
Now that you own it, cut the dress. Simply cut off the parts that make it too small. I've done this before so I know exactly where I need to cut on this style of dress.
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Before the Cut |
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After the Cut |
I basically cut off that teeny tiny bodice, leaving just the skirt.
Step Five: EXPERIMENT! I like this fabric a LOT but I need to find a way to wear it that i'm comfortable with. So - I tried it all different ways!
Look #1 -
This is the dress with the bodice cut off. I like the fabric but I'm not a skin tight dress kind of girl.
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Just the fabric |
Look #2
This is the dress with a little sweater.
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Dress with a little sweater |
Look #3
This is the dress with a wrap top.
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Finished Skirt! |
* For a straight (more fitted) skirt use a straight cut dress.
* For a more flared skirt use an A-line dress.
* Both of the dresses referenced in this blog as made from stretchy lycra fabric. I LOVE this fabric because it's easy to work with, it's comfortable and packs easily (just wash and wear).
* I almost always go prefer patterned lycra. Because lycra clings to the body it can show every figure imperfection. When the garment has a pattern the imperfections disappear!
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