This lady takes incredibly ugly 'op' shop dresses and turns them into really cute outfits.
I think it helps if you are young, slim and attractive, but I decided to give it a go anyway.
I purchased this three piece outfit from my local Salvation Army op shop. I was attracted to the colour. I love this shade. The fabric in the skirt and top had a nice feel and the skirt was lined.
In addition to this is by the Liz Jordan label and it is Australian made. This gets lots of ticks from me. The jacket material was a bit special as it is beaded with a pattern and sparkly bits in it.
First the before shots. As you can see I am not young or slim. I have a petite curvy figure which can make fitting and purchasing clothes quite difficult. I am also starting to get 'old lady' arms and I am a bit self conscious about that.
Next I unpicked the arm hole facings and the hem on the top. I had to get my sister to help to fit the top. It was way to big around the bust and I had difficulty fitting the back. Thank God for big sisters.
I decided to cut up the jacket to make a small caped sleeve to hide my 'old lady' arms. This is a photo of the jacket with the sleeve pieces cut out. In this photo you can see the lovely beaded and sparkly bits I was telling you about. I used an old pattern circa 1980 for the sleeve as I am not confident to just cut and fit.Once the sleeves were ready I fitted them into the arm hole. I machine sewed the sleeve and hand sewed the facing. The dress was finished but I had the remainder of the jacket and that beautiful sparkly material. I decided to make a draw string bag to match.
I wore the outfit to an Apex Life Membership presentation for my friend Tracey. Here are some photos from the night. I was really happy with the result.
I had the job of being Master of Ceremonies on the night. Here is a photo of the Life members of the club helping Tracey to cut the cake.
Thanks heaps Refashionista for giving me the idea and the confidence to have a go at recycled fashion. I will definitely do it again.
