I woke up in a bad mood this morning, having come to the decision last night that my muslin for the Vogue Cynthia Steffe pattern was not going to work out. It has eight(!) inset corners in the bodice and bodice lining, and I really hate sewing those. So that wasn’t great, but what really did it in was the massive size of the sleeves – even pleated the way the pattern asks they were a bit overwhelming for my frame. So I put it away (I am planning to rescue the skirt portion as soon as I get some wide elastic for a waistband.) I’m going to start my cord shirtdress instead.
To cheer myself up I finished a few refashions from my pile (yes, I have a backlog of things to alter from the thrift store!) Here is the first:
Dress: Merona, thrifted
Scarf: Merona (current season)
Tights: Betsey Johnson
Boots: Unisa
It was so dark and rainy today that I had to snap photos on the back porch (which, if you will notice, is falling apart… must remember not to stand on that corner!)
This dress was thrifted back when I lived in Bloomington, so about eight years ago. It’s made of a thin t-shirt material, and has all the style of a potato sack, seriously. It used to have a sad little self belt, but that has long since been lost. For years this was my funeral dress. You see, part of my old job required me to attend an average of one funeral a week, and this was safe and basic. I nearly got rid of it my last closet purge (as, thank goodness, I no longer have to attend a crazy number of depressing funerals,) but I held onto it, thinking it might be worth a refashion.
I cut 4 and a half inches off, and did a wavylettuce edge hem with the serger. Then, paired with a belt and some colorful accessories, the dress starts to lose some of its funeral connotations!
Other thoughts:
– I actually paid full price for this scarf. How could I not? It’s both leopard print and one of my favorite colors!
– I’m experimenting with colored tights. I like the look with boots because it gives color without being overwhelming.
– I need to make a few black dresses – they work so well as a backdrop, but they are so boring to sew!
Green apples - Stitchywitch Creates 
I was looking forward to your Cynthia Steffe dress! I hope that the massive sleeves will work better for me… As my frame is the opposite of yours 😉
It’s a great look!! Tights and scarf are just “the cat’s meow”!
Cuuuuute! I’m loving the tight with the scarf, too. You’d never guess this was your “funeral outfit”. Chic AND fun!
You look sooooo together! Not to fret. When I see your results, they are really great. You seem to be very detailed when you sew and knit, etc. The results are great. I am what you call a “Mickey Mouse”, approach to sewing. I do what I have to and hope it looks good. Thank you for your posts. You are good at all your crafts. Kudos.
Love the outfit! Very nicely put together :-).
Hi there – what is an “inset corner”? I have a sudden feeling of recognition that this is what sent my vintage dress muslin to landfill…?
Great outfit! I agree, little black dresses are boring to sew, but so versatile. Yours looks great styled with the bright tights and scarf!