I bought this dress for H on clearance at Old Navy about two years ago. She has worn my $6 worth many times over. It's one of her favorites. In preschool, when she decided to experiment with scissors and snip tiny holes in it, I didn't toss it, I mended it. That's how much she loves it.
{Please note: my child chooses her own outfits. She has since she was two. If I try to offer assistance, she does the opposite of what I suggest. Darn independence.}
So when it started to get too short, I tried to break the news to her gently. She gets very attached to her belongings. She may have shed a tear or two. And honestly, I didn't really want to get rid of it, either. The colors are great on her, it's one of very few non-pink items she owns, and I love the dots.
So I made her a deal. I told her I would try to make it into a skirt. If the resulting skirt was long enough, she could keep it a little longer. She enthusiastically agreed.
So I snipped it.
I discarded the top and began folding a new top hem, pinning elastic in as I went.
(I secured one end of the elastic to my starting point.)
That's not the usual way to do it. Usually you sew the hem and then thread the elastic through with a safety pin on one end. But I hate doing that, so I tried a new way. It took a little more attention, but I liked it.
Once I had everything pinned all around, I joined the elastic.
I tucked the elastic back in the hem. See it in there?
Then I sewed the hem all the way around.
With a zig zag, so it would stretch, if needed.
I love the gathers.
There it is. Ta da!
What's that?
Er...well...YES.
I do sew on my floor. I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed either. Yes, it kills my back after a while, but I'm just too lazy to lug the thing over to the table, which would probably need to be cleared off first anyway. I'm sure someday I'll learn.
H and I are both pretty thrilled with the result. She gets to keep wearing her favorite comfy dress (skirt), and I no longer feel like a bad mom for letting my daughter wear a dress that's too short. :)
