My daughter has a fascination with a couple of wedding dress TV shows, particularly the one that takes the mother's dress and transforms it into a new dress. I've always had a fascination about transforming things whether it is furniture, artwork or clothes. I used to daydream in math class in college and secretly sketch fashion designs. It's no wonder that I switched out of my Accounting major! 
The coincidence that my mother gave me a circa 1970's wedding dress which belonged to one of my cousins seemed too great. While it was indeed very outdated, it had a subtle elegance with the high neckline, empire waist, beading, ruffles, lace appliqués and a train. It almost seemed a shame to cut into it, but if not, it would surely become a victim of dry rot. 
I kept the dress for a couple of years. At first I thought my daughter who was a young teen at the time might like to use it for a costume. My cousin must have been a size 00 because it was not long before my also thin daughter outgrew the dress. So from time to time, I wondered what would become of the dress, but I knew that it wasn't yet destined for the local Goodwill.
All at once an idea popped into my head of a very whimsical modification of this dress. The design would keep the basic elements of the dress intact, but would transform the feel of the dress including raising the hemline.
My idea for the dress was a fairy theme, gathered above the bust with the lace yoke overlaid and loose off the shoulder sleeves. I began by cutting off the sleeves and then cutting away the yoke. The next step was to cut off the skirt at the waist. Since I wanted to be able to gather the skirt with elastic above the bust, I lowered the waistline 12 inches down the skirt. I cut a 4 inch ring from the upper part of the skirt which I had previously cut. This would be the casing for the elastic. I pinned the lining and organza overlay together and stay-stiched. I then pinned and stitched the casing onto the skirt, leaving a space large enough for the elastic to be threaded through. 
Next, I made my daughter (my model) try on the new "dress." I put the yoke on and pinned and hand-stitched. The sleeves were not really wide enough for what I had planned for them. I decided the cuffs should remain intact so I had my model put them on and slide down the tops. I liked the whimsical effect the sleeves created. One of the best aspects of the new design is that when the skirt was raised, it created a high-low hemline!Below are some photos of some of the stitching that went into the project.
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| the new bustline |
The yoke fit perfectly over the new dress. I pinned and hand stitched it on. 
The sleeves added unexpected whimsy. The dress can be worn with or without them. The new high-low skirt swished around and gracefully trails the floor in back.
Emily was not in the mood to model. For the record, I would pair ballet slippers or Mary Poppins' ankle lace up boots with the dress, but her Chuck Taylor's added a hip hop feel. I would top the dress off with a flower wreath in her hair with ribbon streamers gracefully cascading down into wavy hair.
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| I told Emily I wanted a fairy tale pose and this is what she game me! |
Check out the link below to the YouTube video on this project.
Transforming a vintage wedding dress into a modern fairy tale!
