For months I’ve been hunting for a pleated dress or skirt, so I was really excited to stumble upon this gem! This is a stunning kelly green and I love me some colour.
Obviously it’s a few sizes too big, but that’s not all. Check out the back:
It reminds me a dog collar and leash! It’s also nigh on impossible to conceal a bra under this and having fed two babies, going bra-less is no longer an option for this gal.
I toyed with the idea of filling in the back with contrasting chiffon (and removing those odd straps), joining it to the front for a cute shirt dress. But I couldn’t decide on fabric colour. So many fabrics look good with green! So I opted instead to make a skirt for extra versatility.
First I removed the top portion,
then ummed and ahhed for a few days about whether to keep the length or not. Again, in the name of versatility, I opted to go short. It would’ve made a cute maxi if it wasn’t for the hi-low hem though.
I formed a waist band from the bodice fabric, making two strips of fabric and folded them over, but putting elastic in the back portion so I can slip the skirt on and off. This was then attached to the top of the skirt.
I chopped the length and then did a tight zig-zag around the hem to stop it fraying. The hem was then carefully pressed with the pleats folded down so they sat flat.
Just so you know, not all refashions are a success on the first try. This one was “finished” and nearly blog worthy when I tried to style it and found I still wasn’t happy. After getting over my initial despondency, I tried it on again and gave it my refashioning eye. There was too much fabric in the skirt making it bulky on the waist and the length was still a smidge too long. So I unpicked the waistband, removed some width from the fabric by chopping out the buttons (and hiding the new seam under a pleat) and trimmed the length a little more before stitching it all back together.
Done! Now it’s a cute and versatile new skirt.
I see Beth from The Renegade Seamstress has refashioned a pleated skirt today too. Snap! What can I say … she’s got great taste 😉
Offsquare 
very nice, love the colour too., ps braless should not be an option for anybody over 25, let alone some one 4 sizes bigger than you…can you just imagine the back boobs in that……shudder.
Lol!! Thanks for this comment, it made me laugh so much … will be chuckling about that all night xoxo
That’s so funny we did the same thing this week. I guess great minds must think alike 🙂
I also kept thinking that I needed to take out some of the bulk at the top and shorten the skirt up a bit. I didn’t end up doing it, but after looking at how great your skirt looks, I think I might.
Have a wonderful week, Katrina!
Love it as a skirt, and love the color!
It’s definitely a fun green colour to wear. There’s nothing like a pop of colour in your day!
I love your new refashion. The green colour really goes well with your skin tone.
Thanks Agy! So sweet xo
Reblogged this on vintagethrifter51.com and commented:
Love how it turned out.