Refashion Woes

Call me stuborn, I can take it.

And I've had to reconsider using the word quick with the word refashion. In this case they don't go together. Forever is a better word.

I did see amazing potential when I saw this huge dress at the local goodwill. I also loved the fact that it had been handmade, but didn't get a lot of wear so I could unpick and have more fabric to work with. 

I thought the finish was on the sloppy side (for me that is, it's probably fine for a lot of people). Then, upon inspection, I discovered the original seamstress had had fitting woes of her own.

Cripes! the yoke had been pinched in a cavalier manner and wasn't really on top of the shoulder, one princess seam was sewn and pressed inside. All over the dress, the seams had been taken in wherever she felt that she should without unpicking so most the seams seem to stop and go haphazardly. On the up side, she was rather successful in matching this extraordinary mid-80's plaid.

Then I too, made decisions that would complicate the whole process. I found some bias in stash that matched perfectly and applied that to the armholes and collar (+3 hours fitting and sewing) and I decided to keep the placket even if I didn't know how to turn corners properly. I thought I did, but really I didn't so that complicated the process some more as I had to pick and unpick about 6 times (+3 hours pinning, sewing, unpicking) until I saw this tutorial in Burdastyle which explained it, but the damage had been done all this unpicking poked some holes in the fabric and it took me quite a bit of time (+2 hours) to find a way so it wouldn't show so much and now, the dress is a bit shorter than my favorite below the knee...

Frankly, at one point, it was on the way to the UFO pile. But you know what? I'm stubborn and I finished it.

Yesterday, I tricked my Me-Made-June fellows into believing that it looked good.

The bodice is a too big. I left too much ease because I was afraid it would open up at the chest. I'll have to go back in for minor adjustments or, find a belt!

The moral of this story is, refashioning is sometimes like renovating and old house. It takes longer than building a new one.