Jo's NDAD Creation

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends!! This piece that Jo created is a total hit. It shows that sometimes when things don't turn out or fit the way you'd like them to, you can always make it work taking a different route. Check her piece out!

I love to refashion clothes and came across this top at a second-hand store. It was probably less than 8 UAH (which is $1 USD) and I honestly thought that it would be okay as a top.

Once at home and realizing that it was hideous I started to play around with it and...

...moved it down around my waist where I discovered that it fit perfectly and would make a great dress.

I used remnants of a men's dress shirt that I had previously used for another refashion to sew a bodice and then stitched the front buttons of the skirt closed and sewed the skirt to the bodice.  

I also used the original straps on the new dress. I love how it turned out - the fit is perfect and I love knowing that I can make really great clothes out of things that were previously really ugly!

I LOVE this so much, Jo!! I think it's perfect for the summer and you totally went for it, turning things that were not something you'd wear into something so gorgeous! It totally feels like J Crew - you nailed it! Can't wait to see your next piece!!

Erika's NDAD Creation

Wedding season has begun and the engagement parties, showers, bachelorette weekends, and the actual wedding days have found places on my summer calendar!  I was at a bridal shower today fête-ing the bride-to-be with tea...

and scones...

...so I thought this ridiculously fabulous piece that Erika submitted was perfect to feature. I think you'll agree that this is one for the upcycled wedding books!

I had a wedding to plan, but our budget wasn't very big. Also after watching too many "Say Yes to the Dress" marathons, I decided that going to a bridal salon was not for me. I heard about shopgoodwill.com and scoped out the site and found quite a few wedding dress options. I scoured the site for dresses that I liked the "bones" of and ones that were about the right size.

The empire waist, neckline and lace appliques on this dress caught my eye and when the measurements seemed to be right, I bid and won it for the bargain basement price of 9.99! (It cost more to ship it!) 

When it arrived, I immediately tried it on and lo and behold it fit! It had some movement restriction in the arms - I couldn't lift them above my shoulders - but why do I need to lift things up on that day anyway, right?? :) Other than that it was quite comfortable. 

After I had it cleaned, I went about permanently affixing the glued-on appliques by hand-sewing the loosest. Also there were two small holes in the train that I had to cover. I took appliques from the sleeve/cuff and affixed them over the holes - you can't even tell unless you look very closely. 

What else will Erika do to make this the dress of her dreams??

I decided that the dress would look better with a sash, so I made one out of some silk fabric I had from a previous project (hello free!). The sash covered some of the funny bunching going on and added a little bit of color, which I liked. I had to do something with those sleeves, so I got a little help from a friend because trying to reach around your body or cut a sleeve with one hand is pretty difficult! My friend helped baste the sash onto the dress and then we cut the sleeves to a cap sleeve length. 

I took the lace applique from the cuffs and put it onto the edge of the sleeves. 

The dress has a little hand loop at the back of the train, but no bustle. I thought the hand loop would get annoying because I didn't want to worry about stepping on the dress or it getting stepped on after the ceremony, so I dragged the dress on the bus from Boston to NYC to meet my sister because she works in the wedding industry and has experience bustling dresses. She got everything pinned in just the right places!

Hand sewing the bustle ribbons took a while to finish, but I was so glad I got done and that it looked as gorgeous as it did!

ERIKA!!!! Way to create the most stunning dress on a budget that is pretty unfathomable in the world of wedding dresses! You look gorgeous! You transformed this vintage dress and made it look current and turned it into something that suits your tastes. That sash is perfect and that little hint of color looks just so pretty with your skin tone and hair. The most blushing bride, you are!

Remake: Brown Bib Dress

I gave you guys a little teaser of this dress last week.

Big time bib action on this one!!

Plus some shoulder pads that were large enough to be pillows on my couch!! OK, slight exaggeration...

This one is all about paring down. Time to get crackin'!

I brought this piece with me to work on while I was up in San Francisco last week. (I cruised up north to work on some fun Creativebug videos that I'll share as soon as they become available!!) I packed it in my LeSportsac bag of clothes galore...

...which rivaled my monogrammed Skipping Girl tote in size, that was solely filled with my toiletries. Girl's gots to have her beauty products when she's road tripping and does not need to comply with travel carry-on rules! Full sized, all the way.

This vintage frock was packed in the weekender while my curling iron, shampoo/condish duo by Fat Hair (it's vegan and it thickens my über fine hair), sat on top of my contacts/contact solution, toothbrush/paste, shine spray, moisturizer, sunscreen, makeup, and glasses. I was 100% prepared for a video shoot or a month stuck in the forest.

This was a little taste of my view driving up...

Once I made my way up to SF, I got to crafting during my down time. I began with that bib!! I just wasn't feeling it, so I started on my journey of removing it with a seam ripper.

Once I got it removed, it looked just like this.

All I need is a little bit of padding and we're ready for some football!! The draft is only a few days away...just sayin.

The new neckline was super clean, which I loved.

The large-ish shoulder pads came off next...

...and the length of the skirt followed.

I trimmed. I pinned...

I sewed...

There was some cool button work down the center of the back of the dress, so I decided to turn the dress around and wear the back as the new front!

I opened a few of the buttons and tucked under the fabric to create a makeshift V-neck.

Paired with an elastic, straw-colored belt and with the sleeves pushed up above my elbows, the dress had a sleeker and more cleaned up vibe.

Sometimes removing just one thing changes the entire look of a piece. I'm talking to you, bib!!

Love the comfort of this piece and you'd never guess that there was anything attached to the top of it!

I've got some fun things on tap for the week - more remakes and more giveaways! Speaking of, congrats to Carly for winning the UncommonGoods gift card. Check yo email, girl!