Skirt-to-Dress Conversion #2: Strawberry

In May of 2014 (eep!), I made this dress

And then not long after that, I ripped it along one of those sharp angles at the arm opening, patched it inelegantly, ripped it again, and gave up on it being a dress and turned the bodice into a waistband and made a side-zip skirt.  Then it got squirreled away in the "maybe I'll do something to make it fit again" pile after the weight gain.

And now I'm making this post...



I didn't have any of the black cloth left, and I suspect it may be a polyester blend, so I wouldn't've wanted it on a bodice now, anyway.  Into the stash I went, and immediately decided I did not want  to use the glazed cotton strawberry print, but, instead, a cane webbing print that was near the strawberry print in the stack'o'cloth.

The green is not at all similar to the green in the strawberry tops, but I feel better about that mismatch than I would have about an incorrect shade of solid black.

 And it is a bit brighter when you get closer

Yes, it's the bodice from Simplicity 9153 again, and, yes, I pressed the sleeve hems before sewing the side seams again.

See, here's the thing--have I mentioned that my main work surface was, for years, a large piece of cardboard on top of the ironing board?  Which was absolutely fantastic for cutting things out, or doing any bit of art or craft work where standing was convenient.  But.  It was not so great for...using the ironing board.  And I was starting to get irritated by the ironing board being always there.  But!  I didn't want to lose that work surface, and it's oh-so-convenient standing height.  So I started plotting.

If, I thought, I could find a sewing desk (sans sewing machine) with a top that folded out generously, I could raise that to standing height!  And I could fold it up when I didn't need the large space, and I could put the ironing board away, except for when I was going to use it to iron!  Weird, I know!

And then I found one!  And then I had to immediately return it after it absolutely would not fit into my car!  But I was still going to keep an eye out for another, and one that wasn't so Mid-Century Modern Bulky.

About a week later I was dressing some dolls, and realized that keeping the trunk full of doll clothes on the floor was...not as good an idea as it was when I first got it 20+ years ago.  If the trunk were elevated, I could pull a chair up to it, no more clambering around on the floor.

...in fact...if it were elevated enough, it just...might...make a good work surface...

I realized that we had a wire rack that would hold the trunk, but I wanted to shorten the height,and, to do that, Husband said we really needed a new hacksaw blade, which I resolved to buy the next time I ran errands.  I stopped in a thrift store first, on the off-chance I could find a table the right height.  And I did! ...although I think, technically, it's a TV stand.  Whatever.  It works.

I had also realized that I had sewn enough from the closet stash that I could eliminate the stash overflow storage that had been in that corner--so, add that to getting the trunk off of the floor and creating an always-ready standing-height work surface that allows the ironing board to be freed up to be used or put away?

Welllll, that means I just might possibly be pressing things, like those sleeve hems, more often.

Maybe.

Anyway.

I am happy to bring these strawberry appliqués back into my wardrobe.  I think they were some of my earliest semi-serious appliqués, and I still like 'em, technical issues and all

 

There was enough of the cane webbing print left to eke out pockets.  It was easy enough to pick out the skirt side seams to add them.

(yeah, there was a lot of cat hair on the skirt.)

This is the first time I've added a non-A-line skirt to a Simplicity 9153 bodice in one of my dresses.  I generally use the gathered A-line to reduce bulk, but this fabric is relatively light (which is probably why the bodice tore so many times before...) so it worked out.  I'll probably stay stubborn and continue the A-lines, and just as stubbornly continue maneuvering the original 9153 skirt pattern piece, which was intended to be extremely full and with a center front-seam, instead of making up a dedicated pattern piece...  Same with the way I probably should make up new front neckline and facing pattern pieces, instead of improvising every time.  Yeah.  Probably should.