Tutorial: Dress Alteration

I bought this dress in March to wear to a wedding, bonus it was $4 on sale at Ross. After wearing it with a cream colored sweater, I wasn't really that enthused with it.

Excuse my mirror pic...

The dress is a little too busy for my liking and wasn't the most flattering (I've also lost a bit of weight since March - so it is a little big on me). I loved the ruffle v-neck still, so when I got a chance, I decided I would alter it into a shirt I could wear with a sweater for casual fall attire.

Step #1: Turn the dress inside out. This dress actually had 2 layers, so I knew I would have to do the under layer (black) first, then the patterned layer.

Step #2: Use pins and pin the dress up to desired shirt length. For me this was 12" (actually first I tried 8" but I didn't like the length once I put the shirt on, so I had to redo it at 12"). If you press this new seam, it will make it easier to pin and sew as it will stay in place much, much better.

Step #3: Sew along your new "hem line". I used the 5/8" mark on my machine as a guideline. 

Step #4: Repeat Step 2 and 3 for the next layer (this happened to be the floral pattern in my case).

Step #5: Trim off all your excess fabric and use a zig-zag or blanket stitch to make it all neat. IF you have a serger, you can use that too!

Voila, a simple - 1 hour alteration project to get a super cute new shirt! I added a thin belt for a little extra flair.

Project of the week: Napkin Rings

• For each napkin ring, cut a 4" x 5.5" piece of felt. 
• Starting at one short end of the rectangle, glue on 12 popsicles with tacky glue (or glue gun). Make sure to line up the popsicles side by side (and straight!). 
• You should end up with a margin of uncovered felt at the end. 
• Once the glue dries, form a ring by gluing the felt together at each end (overlapping it). 
• Now comes the fun part!! Glue on rows of buttons in alternating colors (or all the same, up to you!) Let the glue dry completely. 
• When it is time to use the rings, roll up coordinating colored napkins and insert one into each ring so that a portion extends above the ring.