Refashioned dress made into a cute matching top and bottom set

Hi I'm Sonya, and I hope you enjoy my brand new blog all about thrift shopping and refashioning and sewing your own clothes.
I am one of those people who doesn't really enjoying reading long long blog posts and just really skip to the photos first to see if I like what the blogger is doing. If I do, then I'll go back and read any info that I'm looking for. If that's you too then feel right at home.  Plenty of pics here.

So with that said, I'm going to jump right in and show you the project I completed today.
I looked through my closet this morning and found this dress that I never wear, as it's a halter top dress and I can't stand those around my neck. By the way I found it at the thrift store 2 summers ago for only $5.00!
FROM THIS:

 

 

TO THIS:
Here it is.., a cute top and bottom matching set.... Which only took about 1/2 day to cut and sew..

And here was my inspiration:

 

Tutorial

Here we go:

 

First thing was to cut that small halter bodice off. Didn't need that strangling device anymore :)

I decided to make the box shape top first. To do this I used a top I already purchased ( yes for the tidy little sum of $1.00) that fits me well. Its a great super easy design as its basically a square with the sleeves incorporated.

I layed it out flat on my fabric and cut a front piece and a back piece. Making sure I adjusted where the neckline came to on each piece.(TIP : The front is normally lower than the back) Remebering to leave about a 1cm seam all around and a little extra at my sleeves as they have a folded back section, which I will show you soon.

 

 

 

Now I have my 2 pieces, front and back Yay... easy right!

 



 

 Now it was time to make those cute folded over cuffs on my sleeves and sewing over the hem on my neckline before sewing the two pieces together.

 

 

Don't forget to cut out your little 'V's in the seam allowance of the neckline so it curves nicely when you hem it over.



 

 

 

Don't forget to press, press, press those hems! Now its time to just sew this baby up at the side and shoulder seams, add some cool pockets if you want and she should come out looking something hopefully like a top...

 

 

I then made the cute shorts to match. Again I used a pair of my own shorts that fitted well, cut around, making sure I especially got the crouch area cut out right. (TIP: the back crouch seam is always bigger then the front to allow for your booty)

 

 

 

I added extra seam at the bottom of legs, so I could fold up a cuff on each leg.

I also reused the waist band of the dress as it fitted perfectly around my waist and sewed this onto the shorts stretching the elastic as I went.

 

 

 

AND HERE WE ARE

 

 

and my daughter modelling the finished product for me, but oh how embarrassing.... she didn't want to show her face.

 

 

 

well I hope you have enjoyed my first post of refashioning old clothing and I hope you have fun sewing your own. Please drop by again and follow my sewing adventure, turning old into new.

 

Hugs Sonya