Super simple maxi dress to skirt

So before I get bombarded with “Why?!?!?” lol, I refashioned the ever popular maxi dresses I had because they were from about 4 years ago and very very small. Which is kind of depressing that I’ve gained so much weight =/ But now I have four new skirts so I’m a happy overweighter, lol.
Okay, this is one of the dresses before. Pretty, right? The top is spaghetti strap and just not as conservative as I would like it to be. This one was actually my size though but I just wanted something new to wear =)

I cut just below the smocking.

Once cut, I pinned so the fabric and lining would stay together. I then stretched it flat…

…so I could cut a straight cut. Cutting right below the smocking and pleats made a jagged, curved cut so I wanted to straighten it out.


Dragged out my elastic! (The yellow and brown floral to the right is another of the dresses =)

Started sewing a casing along the top waistband.

I noticed I made a mistake =( I should have done a rolled hem up top FIRST, then started my casing. If you do not, you’ll have an unraveled mess after the first wash! I was about ready to go to bed so what I ended up doing was sewing a zigzag stitch along the bottom of the raw edge and to top it off, I doused the raw edge in hem fray stuff. This might not hold up for long so I’ll probably end up seam ripping and redoing it if it starts looking too frazzled, but for now, it worked =)

Green dress I was also working on.

That’s my happy skirt face and trying to take a quick pic for my blog before everyone comes into work, lol.

My two ‘after’ pics I remembered to get! I now can add these two pretties to my wardrobe as well as the brown and yellow floral and a turquoise one I forgot to get a picture of completely.

Four new skirts + having everything on hand = FREE to ME! Woot woot!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Afterthought: I apologize for the quality of the sewing pictures. Just couldn’t get them right and my craft shed has a horrible industrial fluorescent light.

Linking up at  Love Notes by Lauryn, Chic on A Shoestring, 504 Main, WhipperBerry, 30 Handmade Days, Just Us Four, The 36th Avenue, Shabby Creek Cottage, It's So Very Cheri, Southern Lovely, Tatertots & Jello, Be Different Act Normal, I heart Naptime, Flamingo Toes, Brassy Apple, DIY Show Off, It's Overflowing, My Favorite Finds, Sew Chatty, Sew Can Do

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