Thursday, April 1, 2010

A dress for buttons

While reading all my favorite blogs this morning I skipped over to Frankie and read some old posts.

I now have to own my own house because I need, yes not want, really need this wallpaper! Its button wallpaper, how sweet!






















Loving it.

Plus on the Frankie website there was a link to The Package Project. A very sweet idea to connect us craft-arty bloggers. You sign up to be partnered with another crafter somewhere else in the world and then send each other up to five items of loveliness in one ickle envelope. The sign up date is closed for this session. So I thought that I would use this as inspiration for my first ever give away.

It is a bit like lucky dip. I will make up two 5 item envelopes of crafty goodness to give away. Just leave a comment and then I will randomly select two people to send the goodies too :)

Well today I found a cute dress in an op-shop for $7. The shape was tent like but the fabric so bright and happy. The details of the shoulders reminded me of my Vogue 1940's costume too. So I decided to do a quick refashion using shirring. Yay!

Here is what it looked like before its morph via elastic...


I measured just under my bust and then just one inch on to my high hip (and just before the pockets on the dress, yes a dress with pockets, for mini Easter bunnies).

I then loaded my bobbin with shirring elastic and sewed in parallel lines half and inch apart from the line at the high hip to the line just under the bust. I also chopped of ten inches to make it a fun flirty length. Here she is...



Ahhh, so satisfying! Minimal work for a new dress. I got some other op-shop goodies but I will show you them soon! I still have a major amount of packging to do for our move and erm I am finding the most incredible bargains, plus, te he, hehe, te he... I got engaged!!! Whoooooooooooooooooooo!

xx

11 comments:

  1. Congrats on engagement, I jsut found you via WR. I love that dress and I'm impressed you said mininmal work for the dress, in my experience shirring doesn't go as smoothly as simply stitching parallel lines around the middle!! Maybe you are especially skilled or just lucky!!

    p.s. that wallpaper is to die for I need it too!!

    pps I live in UK so understand if not eligible for giveaway but I hope the winners treasure your crafty goodness!!

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  2. I also just found you through WR. Love what you did with that dress.
    And thank you for your give away:)

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  3. Coming over from WR. I love the shirring. I have just been dying to try the shirring if only I wasn't busy with a J.O.B. for 50 hours a week. Very nicely done.

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  4. Congrats on the engagement! way to sneak it in there after distracting us with cute button wallpaper and little presents in the mail and elastic shirring (so easy! I love it)

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  5. Wow CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! How exciting. And what an awesome dress - bet you get so many "where'd you get that dress?!" comments. Cue nonchalant, "Oh this old thing? I made it...." ;)

    Thanks for the generous giveaway offer too. What a cool idea, i'll definitely sign up for that swap next time too.

    Happy Refashioning. Skip.

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  6. Hi
    Thank you so much for writing about The Package Project. I really appreciate it. I hope you have signed up - I couldn't spot your name on the blog so I couldn't check if you had. If not - please do as I am sure I can fit you in. x

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  7. Hello, I just came here via Wardrobe Refashion, I see that you live in Wellington too! I also love op-shopping and am LEARNING to sew (painfully slowly as I'm trying as i go basically). I look forward to reading more of your finds and sewing.

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  8. Biiiig congrats on getting engaged! whens the wedding planned for? *hugs*

    by the way... shirring. is. amazing.

    Now i feel like hunting for vintage stuff right now, just so i can try it out...

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  9. This dress-refashion is gorgeous! I love the print; it's defying the approaching winter. Congrats on the engagement and good luck for the move!

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  10. Saw this on WR: love the dress and how you have transformed it - so pretty!

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