Let's call it Fashion Frenzy Friday!
Tonight was my Alexis' 1st ever formal dance at school. Her first dance ever! I first intro'd Lex to you here. Well, I picked up this dress about a month ago when she first showed an interest in going and I thought the size 18 would fit her just right except for the length. Hems are pretty easy for me since a hem is a MUST for ALL of her pants, skirts, dresses...etc. She is quite the little person, she is! Trying to stay within a tight budget, I thought I'd check out the local 'upscale' thrift store associated with our local hospital. Lots of doc's wives, nurses, etc...clothes and other items are usually in pretty great shape. Came across this winner (it really is beautiful in person- photos do no justice) for a mere $6.
Yes! You are reading that right!
Unfortunately, it was too small in the bodice and would not zip up! I would never consider myself a 'seamstress' but I can sew a straight line! I just figured, I'll take the zipper out, replace it with some strechy satiny fabric on the back of the bodice, shorten the skirt, remove the sleeves...pizazz it up a bit. Easy Peasy puddin pie right? Well, fast forward a few weeks of 'I'd rather watch brother play baseball so I'm not goin' to 'I wanna go to the dance' to 'Nah, I don't wanna go...I'm too scared.' So the dress was thrown placed lovingly in the back of the closet and not touched, no hem, no nutin, no dance, No PrOBlemO...
Until 2 days ago...she wanted to go to the dance...'make me a dresser appointment with Aunt Karla...I'm going and I need to be pretty!'
So...beginning at 9am this beautiful Friday morning, I pulled out the machine and scissors and spent the next 6.5 hours in a sewing FrENzy! If you are a professional seamstress you may want to turn away from the blog...NOW. This is by NO way a 'tutorial' on how to make a dress...that would be insane! Lets just accept this crazy attempt to create a one of a kind beauty for my baby!
In 1 day...with no pattern...and a missing box of straight pins!
Step 1: Hack off the bodice from the skirt with pinking sheers.
Hacked off bodice
Wacked off skirt and zipper
Almost every seam was wacked at! I used another top from my closet to cut up for the back bodice piece to replace the need for a zipper. Here a wack there a wack...everywhere a wack wack!
So I did not take photos of the actual piecing and sewing because as I said earlier...I had no pins! Couldn't really photo and hold everything in place while dealing with breaking sewing needles...they don't really take well to sewing over beaded fabric bodices.
Lots of cursing praying.
A little crying.
and a bit of HOT Glue...shhhh don't tell.
Alexis was very happy to see this waiting for her after school.
Added pink burnt ribbon rose to replace original black bow.
Added my new pink scarf as her shawl.
Not bad for such a crazy attempt at frenzied sewing...
definately not perfect
but
NOT bad!
So, sew, So...$6 for thrift store dress.
2.99 for clearance scarf
Free hair appointment (gotta luv my sister is a hair dresser)
One happy little princess & an overjoyed Momma
Priceless!
Oh I have more...
On a serious note... I will NEVER ever NEVER attempt this again if I want to keep my sanity!
So jealous of this kid's hair... really!
The after party hair is just as FAB as the updo!
Don't forget about my giveaway over at My Girlish Whims...there's still time to hop over there and enter!
Good Luck to those who do.
k that's sooo cute! and cheap! looks like a fun night for everyone {bet you slept hard that night after all your work, ha!}
ReplyDeletethanks for linking up!! xoxo
her hair is gorgeous! and what a smile! what you did to that dress is nothing short of a miracle! especially in the time frame you were looking at! found you thru a linky party. you've got a new follower in me!
ReplyDeletemy hair never looked that good after a dance and that dress turned out great! She looked awesome!
ReplyDeleteShe looks beautiful and you did and fantastic job :)
ReplyDeleteWOW!! You did great and she looks beautiful! Your right too! Her hair is great up and down! :)
ReplyDeleteShe looks so pretty! Love the dress. That is so great you were able to turn that dress into something so awesome! ...and within such an excellent budget. Hope she had a wonderful time at the dance :)
ReplyDeletewhat a great find for $6!!!! you did an awesome job, and her hair is gorgeous too. i hope she had SUCH a great time at the dance!!!
ReplyDeleteHi , a new follower...and love what you do...over from My Girlish Whims
ReplyDeleteAngela
What a WONDERFUL story. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFound your post on Sunday Showcase linky party. Following your blog now. The dress turned out wickedly awesome & she looks so,so happy. I am glad she decided to go to the dance. What a great time you helped to create for her. Kudos!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, your way more brave then I am in sewing! Your hard work paid of and she looked beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOops forgot to mention I came from Homemaker on a Dime link party and now am following you :)
ReplyDeleteGreetings! I am over from the blog party of "Homemaker on a Dime" -- I joined myself and try to visit some of the rest of the participants too! First of all, please tell Alexis for me that she looks absolutely gorgeous and so happy! I can't decide if I like her hair UP with the pretty design in the back, or her hair DOWN with the beautiful curls! Please tell her that either way, she looks beautiful. Her dress is fabulous and you did an amazing job -- and I say this because I am NOT a seamstress and can't sew for nothing! LOL! So I really admire you. And isn't it always the way to have to do things at the last minute? Tell Alexis not to feel guilty for deciding at the last minute that she was going because I did this to my Mom all the time when I was young. AND my Mom was just as good as you were and ran herself ragged, trying to get stuff done for me at the last minute. ;) You are a great Mom. Thanks for sharing this lovely story, and YES, I could see those beautiful sequins on the bodice, it was lovely!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Gloria
P.S. I am your newest Follower!
Wonderful! What a joy is when we can make things for our kids! She looks so happy! Hope she had a great time.
ReplyDeleteI am a new follower from the Creative Bloggers Party and Hop.
Ana Paula.
HI, I found your blog over at homemaker on a dime, and am now following. You did a great job with the dress, and please tell Alexis for me how beautiful she looks. Oh, and tell her that I am jealous of her hair too. She looks sooo happy in her pics.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cutie pie! And yes I would LOVE to have her hair toooooo!!~ What a special day that is. My son just went to his first dance too, he had a blast. Her dress was adorable! Thanks for sharing at my newbie party.
ReplyDeleteHi Kim~
ReplyDeleteWhat a bargin, such a great dress for $6!! However, the fun time Alexis had was priceless!!!! I am so glad I found your wonderful blog via Debbiedoo's, happy to be a new follower. :) I invite you to drop by & link up to my fun & inspiring blog bash K.I.S.S.
Drop By The Tattered Tag
Beautiful!!! She looks over joyed!
ReplyDeleteOh you poor dear. That sounds soooo stressful. You pulled it off though - turned out gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think you did a fabuous job on the dress! I admire anyone who can sew a straight line or can use hot glue to get the job done. I am so untalented that way, so I am cheering for you.
ReplyDeleteShe looked darling in her dress and so excited. Hope it was a fun night for your daughter!
XO,
Sheila :-)
Hey! Saw your link on ColorBlind! You are one crafty lady and I LOVE it!
ReplyDeletexo,
Sarah
http://www.greccoagogo.blogspot.com/
Wow - you are one dedicated mama to get that done 2 days before the dance!!!! Alexis is one lucky girl to have you. She looked so pretty and I love the dress, pink scarf and flower (and shoelaces! So cute)
ReplyDeleteI would have been trying to use the glue gun or something goofy like that - you really pulled it off!
Great deal! Beautiful dress!!
ReplyDeleteAndrea
www.addicted2tutes.blogspot.com
Beautiful dress and even more beautiful model! Great job mommy!
ReplyDeletesmiles!
Jami
What a deal! She looks absolutely beautiful, and I do agree her hair is amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job - you should be proud of such a great alteration job! She looks thrilled with it too. Would love if you linked this to my Craftastic party:)
ReplyDeleteHello! I found you at the newbie party.
ReplyDeleteYour Alexis looks gorgeous in her "new" dress. Her hair is so great--way to go, sis!
Your alterations are still way better than anything I could do!
I'm following you now. :)
Kelly
Too DARLING! How special this must've been. But, I'll tell ya - I'm glad I had all boys! My sewing machine is in permanent retirement . . . unless a granddaughter happens to pop up ;)
ReplyDeleteAwesome job! $6 for that dress, crazy! She looks beautiful! Thanks for linking up to the Creative Bloggers Party & Hop!
ReplyDeleteYou did an awesome job. I bet it wouldn't have come out as beautiful if you had pins. Pinning would have added another hour, easy! The scarf really finishes the dress and I love her pink shoelaces! She is beautiful and I know she felt like a princess going to the dance in such a fabulous outfit! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletehi! i found you through trendy treehouse :)
ReplyDeleteyour dress turned out beautifully and your daughter looks beautiful as well! I think I would have thrown in the towel hehe! but I bet it was all worth it!
You did a great job on the dress! And it looks like your daughter enjoyed the dance. Sounds like a fun night~
ReplyDeleteHi, Kim! Your dress looks lovely, especially on your pretty girl!
ReplyDeleteLinking this up with us made the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop better and more special. Thank you!
that after hair is even better than the updo! all your wacking and hacking (LOL!) ended up with a great result. good for you!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful young lady! The dress is great too, but she outshines even that.
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing like crazy at the pleased as punch expression on that child's face! You just rocked out as a mom, totally.
ReplyDeleteI popped over to the page where you shared about her two. Both of my men have autism, and it's taught us all that where there's a will, there's a way.
Her hair is truly amazing. Having done a few crazy-last-minute-flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants projects myself, I have to say that you did really well.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on the dress! It's beautiful! I never would have attempted to do it, so you totally have a one-up on me. Alexis looks so beautiful and it looks like she had a great time! Feeling pretty definitely helps in the fun-having department. :)
ReplyDelete-Annie @ {PP}
I loved reading this post! I've had a few frenzied nights on the sewing machine around Halloween! The end result is gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteIn the Hammock Vintage
Oh, your story is simply precious and just brought a huge smile to my face. She does look lovely in her dress. I read your post also when you introduced her to us. She does look like an angel and I thank you for sharing her story. You have quite simply brought joy to my life today. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteShe looks so happy--and beautiful! You did a great job--love the touch of pink you added. Thanks for linking to my Share the Love link party!
ReplyDeleteMary
I am amazed - that took some talent. Alexis looked beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYour newest follower :)
Awww, I can so relate to how you feel about sewing. About all I can do is quilting, but I still can't do the edges - lol! You're definitely brave to attempt a dress makeover, and you're definitely talented to make that dress look perfect and fit just right for Alexis. I can tell she was tickled pink!
ReplyDeleteGive her a big hug for me. :)
Thanks for linking up to the Sunburnt Cow link party. :)
Cheers,
Tracy
You did such a great job on that dress. What a beautiful girl! I hope she had a fabulous time at the dance!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on the dress! She looks great!
ReplyDeleteYou did a wonderful job on the dress. She looks beautiful! I love the matching pink shoelaces too.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have her hair. The party hair is perfect and you are so right....the after party hair is just as wonderful.
Based on the smile on her face in every picture I'm guessing she was glad she went to the dance.
Jane
Wow! You did an amazing job and you cannot beat the price. Alexis looks beautiful all dressed up for her special event!!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Great job! I love how you "Wack" off all the dress parts! Sounds like me... just go for it! Came out great : )
ReplyDeleteshe looked stunning!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! She looks amazing!!
ReplyDeleteVery creative, she looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOMG - you have a precious daughter..and to be able to remake something for her is definitely a labor of love. Thanks for linking up and showing such a sweet post!
ReplyDeleteturned out great Kim!! I need to learn how to sew so I can be a good mom like this for my babies one day!! Lol :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up to Your Whims Wednesday!
You did an amazing job on that dress and she looks just like a princess! And look at those smiles!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO YOU!
Hugs,
Michelle
CONGRATS on being the most popular link @ homemaker on a dimes blog hop!!! WOOT!
ReplyDeletehiya , came by from homemaker on a dime x and am sooo glad i did not only are you seriously funny you are a typical " i cant do enough for my kids " mum you got me thinking to all the times i slaved over costumes ,dresses , bithday cakes and parties for hours at a time just to see a big wide grin on one of my kids faces x thanks sooo much for sharing this project and your story you are an inspiration x
ReplyDeletelook forward to visiting you again xmaggiex
WOW you are amazing and I bet in the long run the frenzy made you appreciate your final outcome even more. Thank you for sharing your story on this wonderful Day..Sincerely Rachel
ReplyDeletecome by and visit me
http://ourcreativehands.blogspot.com
New follower! Love the dress!
ReplyDeleteWay to go mom!
laura@imnotatrophywife.com
You did a wonderful job!! Following & visiting from Homemaker on a Dime =)
ReplyDelete-caroline @ c.w.frosting
Wow! Awesome job! I wish I could do something like that:)
ReplyDeleteI love her hair too.
Following from blog hop...would love to have you follow back:)
Good job, mom! Great kid! Thanks so much for sharing your blessings with the rest of us. I'm sure your life is filled with challenges, but keep sharing through your blog ... you are touching the lives of many, many people.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! It was great reading how you 'hacked' off pieces of this dress, and yet, it is so perfect! and the burnt ribbon rose! {I just learned from my daughter how to make those!}
ReplyDeleteAnd Alexis is such a cutie! And, yeah, wow! What great hair!
Love!! She looks beautiful! And btw, you were the most viewed link at Lil' Luna. :D
ReplyDeleteWow - You did an amazing job!! I would have had no idea where to even start cutting. Great find too! Alexis looks so beautiful - love the updo! ~ Stephanie Lynn www.bystephanielynn.com
ReplyDeleteWhat a great mom!! Love the dress...
ReplyDeleteSo fancy frugal :)
Lina
Yeah for you and your daughter! I don't know what I would have done, but the dress and your daughter looked beautiful! What a lucky dauaghter to have a great mother like you. She'll probably remember this FOREVER. This was the most viewed link last week at Whatever Goes Wednesday. I will be highlighting it today! Grab my "featured" button.
ReplyDeleteIt turned out great! She looks beautiful! ( be sure to link back to WW.)
ReplyDeleteI just love how kids are always springing huge projects on their moms at the last minute! Yesterday my son told me about some problem he had (cant even remember what) and I came up with an idea to fix it. and he said, "I just love having a mom who is so creative and can fix my problems. You always know how to fix things." That made me feel sooo good! That is the way moms are. We are always there fixing our kids problems or at least helping them to fix them themselves!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the dress, mama!
So beautiful! I hope she had a great time!!
ReplyDeleteKim - I am still amazed at your fabulous work! Thanks so much for linking to the Sunday Showcase Party - I greatly appreciate it. I have featured this today. Hope the rest of your week is wonderful~ Stephanie Lynn
ReplyDeletewww.bystephanielynn.com
From another special needs momma ...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this! The "firsts" in our kids' life mean so much. The dress turned out wonderfully and was perfect for your beautiful daughter!
What a pretty little lady :) Great Job Momma!
ReplyDeleteFrom one last minute whacker mom to another: I have never used a hot glue gun for dresses, but I HAVE been known to sew bridesmaid's dresses shut ON THE BACK OF MY DAUGHTERS. No time for buttons....
ReplyDeleteYou did an amazing job!! She looks fabulous, and so happy!!! Did she have fun?
Found you through verymerryvintagestyle.
Fantastic transformation! Thank you for joining in with our Best of 2011 blgo hop - lovely to link up with you!
ReplyDeleteYou did a fantastic job on the dress, she looks wonderful! I am now a follower
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these steps along with lovely images. The tips will surely help readers in recycling their formal dresses without putting any extra effort.
ReplyDelete