#6 House Dress for the RanchHouse

RanchHouse July Sewing Goal: 

• Mend, alter, refashion 10 House Dresses. This is #6.

My House Dresses are:

• Not a fashion statement.
• Not time intensive to finish/fit like going-out clothing is.
• Worn as loungers, nightgowns, pool cover-up, garden dress.
• Good use for large stash of after-retirement clothes and fabric stash.

After: Casual House-dress

Goal: Make 10 House Dresses from the stash. This is #6.
Before: Well worn pre-retirement Rayon dress. This desk dress was not made for comfort, movement, or lounging.
It had pleats across the front top. Collar and zipper were removed several years ago in prep for refashion.
After: Will make a great nightgown. Also will be an unfitted House Dress to wear around the RanchHouse.
Steps: 
*Rayon Dress: Remove zipper and collar. Remove pleats from front to allow casual movement. Add blue dot bias trim already in the stash. Insert elastic to gather neckline. Add fold over elastic to shorten/gather/rouch shoulder seams after pleats were removed. 
What I Learned: Releasing pleats from one area can throw off another area. 
I released front chest pleats and the sleeves dropped down off of the shoulders. I had used fold over elastic to shorten/gather/rouch seams in other refashions. This has been a great go to technique. 
Note: Spelling options - rouch or ruche

After: Bias/elastic added to neckline.
Fold over elastic used to rouch should seam. 

After: House-dress / nightgown.

Fold over elastic:
Used to pull up sleeves after front pleats were removed.
Stretched and stitched in the ditch over  inside shoulder seams.

Before: Pre-retirement fitted desk dress,
with pleats across the front.