Making Over

 Sometimes, a perfectly good dress just ain't RIGHT, you know what I mean? Some while back I made THIS dress-  from Simplicity # 2615, and absolutelt hated the fit - no matter what I tried, the cut made me look fatter than I already am.




   So recently I got McCall's #M6520, and "rebuilt" view "A" to suit me - graded to fit, raised the neckline about 2 inches all around, added an a-line skirt instead of the shirt-tail, and got Ugly Brown Dress out of the back of the closet.




  I started by cutting off the skirt according to my new pattern, opened one seam, and set that aside for the moment.  The bodice from the Simplicity pattern was cut in two pieces, a right and a left, so I ripped the seams and used these two large pieces to cut the raglan sleeves and the pockets for the new dress.  Bodice front and back were cut from some whole cloth I had stashed (I ALWAYS buy at least a year too much), and the sash was set aside for further consideration.


   After an afternoon of sewing, I had THIS dress - all finished save the sleeves, which I was considering.  Reuse the lace from the first dress?  Stick with the Farmwife Feedsack plainness already going and let the pretty red buttons be the decoration? 




  Finally decided on cuffs, and discovered that the sash from the "old" dress was the perfect size for repurposing.   And so, for a dress I would never ever wear, we have a perfect "everyday" dress,  very comfy and cool for the summer!  




   In all, the changes I made to the "boughten" pattern were -
(1) grading to fit.  I wear a 36 in store-bought clothes, but always have to grade purchased patterns up at least 2 sizes.
(2) Swapped the "shirttail" for an a-line skirt.
(3) Raised the neckline 2" on every piece - WAY too much exposure for everyday!!
(4) changed the pockets to "patch", since the skirt was already sewn.
(5) plain waistline seam - the pattern calls for a drawstring.


  And that's another for the wardrobe!