Red Dress Makeover

I stumbled onto a new blog the other day called 'New Dress A Day'.  The writer goes to thrift stores and purchases the most hideous outfits and turns them into the most amazing creations!  I was quickly inspired!

I found this red dress at a church thrift store for $2.  The first thing that caught my eye was the bright apple red color.  I also fell in love with the little square pattern.  It really makes the dress 'pop'!  After finishing the dress, I realized that it had pockets, too.  (What a bonus!)

Some things I didn't like about the dress was the long length, the too matchy-matchy belt, the long sleeves, the 80's shoulder pads and the loose fit.  It kind of reminds me of the witch in the Wizard of Oz.

Here is a side-by-side photo of the 'before' and 'after' dress.  It took only one evening to complete this dress makeover.  Although, by the time I got to hemming the dress, I got a little lazy.

Here is a close up of the beautiful fabric.  Love the squares!

Step 1: Rip out those 80s shoulder pads.

Step 2:  Shorten the hem so that it hits slightly below the knees.

Step 3: The top was a little droopy.  So, I pinned it up at the shoulders for a tighter fit.

Step 4: I wanted to take the sides in a bit too.  I just put the dress on and pinned it in.

Once I had everything pinned where I wanted it.  I took it to the sewing machine!

Here is a picture after I cut out one of the sleeves.

  

I also bought a gold belt ($3) and a scarf holder ($1.50). ...whoa, it just hit me, that the belt was more expensive than my dress!  Geeeez.

In the picture, you can see that the belt is missing the face.  So, I decided to use the scarf holder to cover it up, until I can find a permanent fix for the belt. 

I love my $2 dress and can't wait to wear it somewhere!