From Vintage Refashioned To Newly Refashioned!

So I have had this little number for a very long time. Since high school. I got it at a thrift shop back then. Believe me when I say that was a long long time ago! Its a super cute mod mini dress and I am certain it was refashioned into this at some point during the 80's or 90's. I can tell that it was at least re-hemmed from a much longer version of itself. The current hem is hand cut/sewn and if I were to let out that hem it would be fairly long. 

Pretty cute right?

I always loved this dress but....

So here is the catch- I love this dress but the netted lining inside the sleeves is painful. Itchy, ouch painful. Its old. The netting has to go if I want this to be a keeper. So I started by cutting out the netting. But it was still stuck into the seams and there was no good way to fix that problem. It still itched and rubbed against my skin. So I cut off the sleeves. Oh- I also cut off the buttons on the front because they were falling apart.

Here is the culprit!

Off with the sleeves!

Did I mention I also dyed it purple? Well the off-white was a little dingy and needed a little something. So purple was that little something in a box of Rit Dye. 

After dying and snipping I sewed the top of the sleeve holes. Like so:

I also trimmed off some of the inside lining, and edging around the top where it had come undone. 

See all that extra material waiting to get stuck in the zipper!?

It also has a hole in the front so I used some of the sleeve material to make a patch. I never used the patch though because I couldn't get it on just so. I ended up just sewing the hole closed by hand. Its not too noticeable.

Thanks sleeves!

So this is what it ended up looking like:

Selfie style!

Hi Presley!

Somehow it feels shorter even though I didn't take it in or shorten it!

So while I loved it with the sleeves and the buttons, I couldn't wear it that way and what use is a dress you can't wear?! I think it turned out pretty decent. I plan to add some buttons back on the front but will have to find some really cute purple ones first. Its also so short I could wear it as a top. I will most likely at least wear leggings with it!

Thanks to my husband for the almost but not quite clear phone pics! ;)

And thanks to my daughter Presley for photobombing me during the after pics!