More Summer Fun! 2013

So continuing with my summer time adventures, a couple more projects that I'm working on:

I had this awesome old 80s style shirt dress. I love the fabric pattern, but the dress is quite unflattering. It was a boxy, big sleeves, poofy top type dress. So...I took it apart. I had already shortened the skirt a while back, so that's good as is. I took the skirt off the bodice and put in small pleats rather than gathers. I took the sleeves off of the bodice and I'm in the process of converting it into a sleeveless summer-dress. I took it in at the waist and bust, creating darts there in the front and darts at the back waist too. It's all way more fitted. Next step will be to add a facing to the new armscye and stitch it all back together!

*Note -- skirt is inside-out in these photos

w/ old sleeve



Another project that I'm working on is something I started quite a long time ago -- last fall to be precise. 18th century stays! Yay! I already had it all patterned and pretty much put together...so now it's really just working on finishing it. I got the seams all bound and I started cording the outside
edges.