Sunday, January 15, 2017

#37 Back to School Wardrobe: Tunic Vest from Fitted Dress

REFLECTIONS: Original details like satin collar, buttonholes, satin covered buttons, high quality fabric on a garment make it prime for re-fashion. Life-style has changed and garments like this Evan Picone dress can change to fit new life-style.  My closet is full of these pre-retirement goodies!
This is #3 in a series of blazers / suit jackets / dresses re-fashioned into school days vests.
These vests are worn with winter pants and jeans.

BEFORE: Evan Picone Dress from the pre-retirement wardrobe. Perfect condition, but fitted and difficult to move. Dry clean only. Wore once in 10 years.

STEPS: This dress will become an easy to wear tunic vest. 
  • Carefully seam rip to remove and open jacket sleeves/lining/side seams.
  • Serge seams to prevent additional fraying.
  • Use sleeves / sleeve lining to cut side inserts to enlarge sides.
  • Trim shoulder seam to fit narrow shoulders. Slowly 1/4" at a time, trying on for fit.
  • Cut and insert bias armhole facing cut from the t-shirt.
  • Keep original satin covered buttons.
WHAT I LEARNED: Bias in the armholes was made from a t-shirt cut across.  This gives as much strectch or more than a regular bias cut. It was thin and very pliable for turning under. My new favorite.

AFTER:  Easy wear tunic for a variety of turtlenecks and pants.
AFTER: Tunic Style Vest

AFTER: Tunic Style Vest

AFTER: Original details raise the bar

AFTER

AFTER: Hard to photo details

AFTER: Side insert
adds movement to fitted original 

AFTER: Bias from t-shirt

AFTER: T-shirt bias facing

BEFORE: T-shirt bias strips cut across
the shirt. My new favorite for bias armhole facing.




BEFORE:
Fitted, worn once in 10 years
BEFORE: Fitted

6 comments:

I Can Work With That said...

What a great update! You will get more wear put of this. Very pretty.
Chickie

Amy Jo said...

That's really cute outfit!

Unknown said...

Amazing outfit, Looking great :)
Cupshe Coupon

jenny_o said...

Very nice update- love the new silhouette!

jennifer elliott said...

Lovely job.

Jennifer EOD

Unknown said...

I keep looking at dresses and thinking they could be tunic vests (my favorite with leggings.) Thanks for the great pics and instructions.