DIY: let's ruin that dress!

do you have clothes in your closet that you just don't wear? or, like me, a stack of clothes so unworn they never make it out of that folded stack on the dryer? if you've been following me on twitter, you probably know i've really been trying to downsize and donate. i have - had, rather - a dress made from really pretty fabric, but i just couldn't wear it any longer. i never, i repeat, NEVER, have a problem with clothes being too tight in the chest, but this dress was, and i can't help but think it was to make IBTC members like me feel a little better about, uh, our smallness. so i decided to shred it up and recycle it!

for this project you'll need a dress that you want to ruin (i liked that this one was lightweight, flowy fabric so i knew it would hang nicely without being stiff), scissors, an iron, elastic, a sewing machine, and a friend to keep you company, especially if you're a slow sewer like me.

i should have taken a picture before i cut off the top half, but of course i don't think about it until after it's gone. anyway, cut that sucker up! iron out any wrinkles or creases. around what will be the waist, fold over a section larger than the width of your elastic. then make one more crease, that way you're elastic is completely hidden in a little pocket with no raw edges.

ask a friend for their opinion if you're not sure about what you're doing. or, if things are going smoothly, why not sing together? i suggest something fun like this that one or both of you can dance to should you need a break.

i like to get a section of elastic in its little pocket and then pin it so that when i pull it as i sew, it doesn't get lost (because it's frustrating trying to fish it out later). sew, sew, sew, and pull the elastic as you go. when you've sewn just about all the way around, STOP! leave about an inch open so that you can sew the two ends of elastic together, then go ahead and sew the elastic pocket closed.

you're finished! and might i suggest - assuming your skirt is printed - that you pair it with another non-matching print? i think it's more fun that way. now when people compliment you on your skirt, or ask you where you got it, you can give a shy smile and say, "this old thing? oh, i made it."

do you recycle or remake any of your clothes? if so, what have you made?