ModUp Monday: There Is Hope For The Hopeless...I Mean This Dress (ReFashion) · Talitha Seibel

I heard you. You thought this dress was beyond hope. You wondered if I had hit the point of no return and a guaranteed fail on this one.

Thanks for that extra motivation. I needed it for this one.

I have to be honest, this dress had a pre-destined outcome. I had already described my refashion plan to someone. That someone begged to be the recipient and I complied. So, this was made to the dimensions of a tall, blond 18 year old and not my own. I just want that to be clear, since it doesn’t fit me perfectly.

This was the original dress. It looks like the type of dress a mother-of-the-groom would wear to protest the marriage, and to ruin all of the photos.

The first trick to this piece was that it could come apart into two pieces. That gave me options!! I love options. I also need to get this done because. Laundry. See all of that laundry? It needs me.

I laid them on the bed and took a look.

Then, before even moving them to the sewing table I cut them. I took off the top of the inside piece and chopped the sleeves off of the overlay.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a single ruler in the house that isn’t broken. I find that a bit disturbing since this is still the beginning of the school year. I got creative with measuring lines for taking in the skirt. I always mark with the sidewalk chalk. Because, well, I always have sidewalk chalk.

I took as much as I could from the neckline of the underlay to make a waistband for my new skirt.

I found myself in a hurry, after a call from the Macgyver Dad informing me that we would have a dear friend over for dinner unexpectedly. Thus, I didn’t get any good photos of the top layer. I took the sleeves in and turned the neck down. I attached the ties and some elastic, salvaged from an old pair of pants, to create a comfy waist so it could be worn as a swimsuit cover. It’s sheer but not completely with those stripes so it something. I really didn’t have any better ideas for this left over piece after making the maxi skirt I had promised, but I also didn’t have the heart to waste it. I’m of the waste not, want not persuasion.

I was able to wear it to the ministry fair at church and came up with an amazing new project that the 7th and 8th graders will be working on with me. I’m going to tell you about that soon but for now I’ll say,

I’ll be teaching them to sew.
We’ll be discussing modesty on many levels.
We’ll send dresses overseas to women and girls who need them desperately, with the help of other, well-established, ministries behind us!
I’m so excited about it!

This weekend we have a wedding to attend for someone very special to me. I need something pretty to wear. Tonight, I may wear this as pajamas. I can still wear it to the wedding on Saturday….
You just watch me!