Patti Wagon: Lilly: Refashioned

Enter stage left: oversized, wide-legged, unbecoming pants with adorable alligator pattern. They are a Lilly Pulizter thrift store find. I believe it is against state law in Florida to pass up Lilly on clearance. Not wanting to be arrested, my mom bought them, with hopes that they might morph into a wearable pair of pants after an unspecified period of hibernation at the bottom of the dresser.

Thankfully for me, no natural metamorphosis took place, and I was able to exact my "reckless" sewing skills on them (her words, not mine). I did what nature couldn't; that is, transform the pants into a very wearable dress. But I definitely couldn't have done it alone. I owe a lot of the finished product to my mom's sewing prowess and patience. (She has a gift!) I (we) made darts! I (we) serged! I (we) used a gather stitch! All new techniques for me.

Here's the process:

1. Rip out the crotch and both inseams. Sounds a lot more painful than it is. Switch the seams, and resew, to make a cylinder. Sew the pockets closed and rip off the back pocket.

2. I turned it around, so that the button and zipper were in the back. I guess I could have stopped here, but it was a little too muumu-esque for my tastes. But comfort and mobility it did offer.

3. To mitigate the potato sack qualities of the dress, I took off the waistband and used a gather stitch to give the dress some fullness at the bust. My mom also attached a cord with a bar tack stitch to give the dress some security and an artsy detail.