#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