Thift Store Thursday: The Old Maid Frock

I loved last Friday's post so much that I've decided to do a regular series. The perfect part is that I go thrift shopping on Wednesdays. That's when the Salvation Army and Community Aid have everything half off. So I can post on Thursday what I bought and repurposed the day prior. AND, cool alliteration, huh!

Now let me preface this series with a disclaimer. These are NOT refashions. Or at least I don't consider them to be. These are simple things that YOU can do to thrift store finds to make them look good.

I found this dress for $1.50 at the Salvation Army (see bottom pic for before). I liked the material and the gathered mission collar but I found it in the Plus section and it looked like something an old maid might wear, not to mention it smelled like something an old maid would wear.

I sprayed some fabreeze and it was fine. The sleeves were HUGE. I thought they might have been salvageable if they didn't make the dress look dowdy, so I snipped them off and made the dress sleeveless! I hemmed the inside of the sleeve opening and 'voila' a new sleeveless frock.

I also turned the dress inside out and put it on my body, pinned it close to my upper bodice and waist, then tapered at the skirt. I then took it off and sewed along the pin line to fit my form and snipped off the extra material.

I used that extra material and made a tiny matching belt tie to go around at the waist and cinch to keep that shirtdress feel.

The dress in the end reminded me of something a housewife might wear while reading a book under the shade of a tree and the comfort of a lawn chair, waiting for her husband to get home from work while the kids are playing in the yard. 

Not an old maid anymore.

Here's the before....