Refashioning a boring knit dress

I got this comfy Lands End knit dress for a few bucks at a yard sale. It wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t too great, either. The waist was not in a flattering place for my body, and it was just boring.

I have wanted to add zippers and/or keyhole details to something for a while now, and those seemed like the things I needed to add interest to this dress. Inspired by this refashion from Of Dreams and Seams, I added black zippers and used a sash to redefine the waist. 

Here is what the back looks like.

And here is a close-up of the zipper keyhole. I sewed the zipper down to the dress and edged the collar with black bias tape. Finally, I used my scissors to snip out the triangle of blue knit fabric from the back. I also trimmed the sleeve hems with black bias tape.

I will definitely be using zippers more in the future, especially since I got a bunch on clearance at Joann’s. I think they are a great, easy way to add something special to a boring garment.

-Amy