When your top half and your bottom half aren't the same size

This summer, I found this denim dress for $1 at a charity shop. It was a size 4, so it fit my shoulders and chest, but not so much around my hips. That's the trouble with being "pear-shaped," I guess. Still, at only a buck, I figured I could do something with it.

I thought about trying to keep it as a dress, but I got a bit overwhelmed with the tailoring that would be involved, especially given the decorative top-stitching that the piece already had. I decided to go the simple route and chop it down into a shirt. I used a favorite button-down as a guide and cut off the excess, much as I did here. I folded over a narrow hem and stitched it down, with the exception of the facing where the buttonholes were. This part was already too thick to fold over twice and stitch down. I just folded that part over once and used some Fray Check on the raw edge to keep it under control.

Here's how it turned out. 

Again, it was a pretty simple, quick transformation, but it made this piece wearable. And if you like my bowtie necklace, that was another refashion. You can find the instructions here at Plan B with Anna Evers. Her posts are originally written in Spanish, and the translations can be rough, but Anna has some great refashion ideas. Check her out.

It's been a while since I did a major garment reconstruction, but I am working on one now. Look for it next week!

Amy