Dress to skirt.

I bought this pretty dress 4 years ago. It was about $60 from Portmans. I love the dress, it is beautiful, but it was not a successful purchase, because it is so low cut at the front. Also, it is really too pretty so I feel overdressed in it. I prefer to blend in and look a bit dull.

I kept it in the wardrobe for ages with some lace pinned across the front, wondering if I could make it not so low. I also wore it as a skirt a few times.

So last summer I decided to sacrifice the beauty of the dress I never wore to make a skirt which i would wear, and get better value out of. It is a shame, but I am much happier with the skirt than I was with the dress.

I cut the top off the dress, and sewed the two layers of the skirt together—it has a petticoat built in. I bought some elastic, sewed it into a loop, and put it between the two layers of the skirt, then sewed the skirt together over the elastic. I didn't quite estimate the length of the skirt perfectly, so it is a little long, but it works really well.