I’ve never been a good clothes shopper.
Just ask my sister, Jan, who would painstakingly shop for the perfect outfits while I was off swimming, riding my bike, and hanging out with my friends. But when I needed something to wear, I’d go directly to her closet to find it. Needless to say, it would drive her crazy.
Last year, before my refashioning obsession and since I live 1800 miles away from my sister now, I shopped for months to find the perfect dress for my daughter’s Rustic Chic Wedding. I finally took the easy route and settled on a simple black dress.
Today I accidentally made my dream Mother of the Bride dress, almost one year later. The colors and style would’ve been just right!
I started with this thrift store dress. Not really that bad in the fit department, but I think with a few minor adjustments I can make it a little more exciting.
And here’s the new dress.
Wouldn’t this have been a perfect Mother of the Bride Dress for a Rustic Chic Wedding in a barn. If you check out the wedding post, be sure to turn up your volume and click the triangular music button before you start to scroll down. The music makes it all the more magical.
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The Renegade Seamstress 
I completely love your shoes!!! (and the dress!)
I’m having a love affair with these shoes, too! I found them in a thrift store and did wear them to the wedding. They would’ve been sooooo much better with this dress!
I hope you see my post. I love the dress & shoes too! What brand are those adorable shoes?! 🙂
Great! Love it
Thank you!
I love your blog! It’s like watching a really skilled magician at work. Also amazed at hearing you have a daughter old enough to be married. Keep up the good work and keep posting!
Thank you so much, Susan! I’m a teacher and school starts this week, it’ll be busy but I hope to be able to still sew and post once in awhile.
Enjoy your day!
Beth
Love the dress, love the shoes! Have a great first week of school, from one teacher to another 🙂
Thank you and thank you! Wishing you a smooth beginning of your school year as well!
Beth
Thank you! 🙂
You’re super talented with all these dresses. Love the shoes too!
Thank you, Alice! I’m hoping to wear more dresses to school this year. Aren’t the shoes great! I LOVE them, too.
Happy Monday!
Beth
Adorable.
Thanks so much!
This turned out beautiful!!! You are right, it would have been perfect for your daughter’s wedding. I went to that link and listened to the music and looked at all the pics and honestly, I felt like an invited guest! It was absolutely beautiful, practical, sensible, and chic! Your daughter looked beautiful. Did you make her dress? Her dad looked pretty proud! I especially love the pics of the couple walking off into the sunset and the silhouette!!!! What a magical day. Got a little teary and don’t even know her. HaHAHA….Mothers…right? It just brought me back to my daughter’s wedding….such a beautiful day and it all happens so fast, you are absolutely right…you just don’t want it to end! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
~L
Thank you so much for heading over to see the wedding. I still tear up when I watch that. It was a perfect day for all of us and now she’s going to have a little baby boy in October. We are so excited! I didn’t make her dress, I can only dream about being able to sew like that. Thanks again, I always enjoy your comments!
Enjoy your day!
Beth
I’m a seamstress too, and I’ll give you a 10 for your idea and work , I love floral and your dress is a beautiful. Good job.
Thank you so much for your nice comment. It really brightened my day. Happy Sewing!!
That dress is sooooo awesome, I can’t believe the before and after!
What brand are those shoes??? I just HAVE to find them, they are CUTE!!
Found your blog via Pinterest, off to read some more posts!
Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere. I hope you’ll continue to visit! It’s nice to know how you found me. I found the shoes at a consignment shop last year, the brand is Fioni. Aren’t they great! Good luck finding some.
Enjoy your day!
Beth
Pretty dress and shoes are fabulous. Just watched your wedding post- and left a comment there!
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ll come back soon!
Beth
It’s very lovely! This is a great length for you. The floral pattern and red shoes are perfect!!
Thank you so much, Laurel! I found those shoes last year at a consignment shop. I did actually wear those to the wedding.
Happy Monday!
Beth
Nice restyle and I love those shoes!!
Thanks so much and I like your new name!
Such a great refashion! One thing I’ve been meaning to mention – I assume that is your farm in the background of your pictures. That is an amazing piece of property – it looks like it could be right here 20 miles from where I live. 🙂
Hi Kelli! Most all my pictures are taken around my place and that is the view I wake up to each morning. I’m so lucky to live in a beautiful area. Where do you live?
Oklahoma. I live in Norman which is a college town but just outside – is very rural. AND, I grew up on a ranch just like yours! I love those old buildings in the background of several of your pictures – I grew up playing in them and loading square hay bales etc… My first swimming pool was a big old water trough!
Wow, I’ve never met anyone from Oklahoma before. Isn’t it great how blogging has helped us get to know people from all over the world!
Hello, it’s Mush-bunny here, dabbing my eyes after vicariously enjoying your lovely daughter’s wedding via your wonderful pictures. Oregon has such wonderful light on summer evenings! I was fortunate to live in that area briefly. I’m sure you looked fabulous on the night, but this dress would’ve been perfect too. Reading your blog has helped me better understand dress sillhouettes and how to create them….ie the flattering band piece between waist and bodice on this dress. Thanks!
Thank you for checking out the wedding pictures. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂 Every time someone sees the pictures and comments it makes me enjoy the day all over again!
This blog has been a real learning experience for me, too, when it comes to sewing and garment construction. I’ve come to realize that, for my body shape, a dress with something to accent my waist is the only way to go.
Thanks for all of your encouragement along the way! I really appreciate all of your feedback!
Beth
Love the dress and those shoes oh so cute!
I thought you might like the shoes!!!!
I always love to see what you do but this time I think the shoes have stolen the show
I totally agree!!! Aren’t they great shoes!!!
This looks amazing! I adore that fabric and those shoes! I keep looking in the second hand shops, but cannot find anything even close to what you are finding…x
I hope you find something soon! I am pretty lucky to be able to shop at my local thrift shop. I always tell the owner that I hope she never closes! I would be completely lost without her shop.
Don’t give up, something will turn up soon!
Beth
LOVE those shoes & the dress is so simple & great! I will be getting married next year in a similar style wedding to what your daughter had… I now need to keep my eyes open and maybe Mom & I will be able to make somethings sweet (she does not like dressy stuff at all and we don’t want her in anything too formal OR to just look like one of our guests)
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I hope you can find something perfect for your mom to wear. I’d love to see pictures!
Beth
Oh my! I am trying so hard to learn to sew and you make it look so easy! I think I am going to have to try this one, you look great!
Thanks, Stacey! Have fun with your new sewing adventure and let me know if I can help in any way!
Beth
This is so country rustic for your daughter’s wedding… The shoes are to die for!
I was so excited when I found these shoes in the consignment store. They are so different from anything else I have. These were the shoes I wore to the wedding.
Thanks for stopping by azdreamcatcher.wordpress.com/ You are very creative! I would’ve never thought to cut out the middle and yet doing so made it fit perfectly! Of course I’m also envious of YOUR waistline….. 🙂
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Oh my gosh, I am in love with all of these! You are so talented. I have another questions, though – why did you baste the top of the skirt? I am new to this and had to look it up, but still can’t figure out why. Thanks for your incredible ideas and tutorials! I am in love!
Hi Heather, thanks for visiting. I basted the top so I could pull the threads and gather the top of the skirt a bit to make it fit with the bottom of the bodice. I hope that helps.
Happy sewing!!
Beth
Thanks so much! I could NOT figure it out, but that makes perfect sense. Love it!
Here goes, I don’t usually post! I’m currently a homeschooling mom but was in the New York garment district as a designer for 25+yrs, So happy I stumbled on you on pinterest, I’ve pinned several items. What I love is that you are not a skinny rail and yet you’ve got the proprtions down and you are FULL of style. You’re site is a great resource for a fuller figured woman to guide them to updated rich style, let alone all the redo’s you show! Congrats on a great blog from a professional of the biz!
Hi Jen,
Wow, thanks so much for your nice comments! They mean so much coming from someone with your experience. I’ve always felt good in my skin, but when I’d go shopping for RTW clothes, I’d get so frustrated. My main goal when I first started this was to learn how to alter patterns so they would fit better, but then I discovered refashioning and I haven’t looked back. Thanks again for your encouragement!
Enjoy your days with your children,
Beth
Love this tutorial! I actually just started doing refashions myself and have never thought to cut the middle out of a dress (I always cut the bottom off and hem to make it shorter). Definitely going to try this on my next project!
Have fun!!! It’s a great way to use a too small dress, too.
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Nossa amei tudo…idéias maravilhosas e fáceis, parabéns
Beijocas desta sua nova fã!
Obrigado!
I have those shoes! I went to wear them the other day and realized a strap was hanging on by a thread. I was so sad! They are my all time favorite heels. Love your refashions!
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Reblogged this on Ila Selene and commented:
AWESOME!!!!
Awesome way to recycle old clothing. Each piece is unique an sooo stylish! Thanks so much for sharing!
Great idea, I’m in the middle of remodeling a couple of high end 90’s dresses and you gave me the push I needed, thank you for sharing.
You are so very welcome, Debora. I so glad this will be helpful to you. Have fun!!!
The result is great! Up-cycling your old dress this way is a very clever idea. I should show this to my mother, she’ll be very glad to refashion some of her old dresses. Thanks for the inspiration!
You are so very welcome, Claire! Have a wonderful day.
I searched through many of your pages and I am speachless! You are an extremely talented woman.If I had 3% of your talent I would be in heaven. Your imagination, creativity and talent is truly a blessing.Every creation is absolutely beautiful!
Awwwwwww….. Thank you so much, Tee! Your words of encouragement really mean a lot to me! Have a wonderful day!!!!
This was very enlightening. So many ideas racing through my head.Can’t wait to alter this style. Makes wanna attend a derby or two.lol
🙂
The instructions were hard to read over the top of the material…
Yes, you’re right Vicky. This was one of my first tutorials. I’ve learned so much in the last 5 years about photography and hopefully my new tutorials are much better. Happy sewing!
Adorable!! I also love your shoes!!!
Thank you, Kelli!
That IS cute! When I see this before pictures I really don’t have much hope, its like, “now what does she think she’s going to salvage out of that!”
Thank you so much Jodi!
lovely dress…..great skills
Thank you Wanda! Enjoy your weekend. 🙂
Thank you….. it’s summertime and trying to get a dress close to that.. shorten and fitted for me got from thrift store….. work keeps me from getting too it….i will post when i do though…love, love your posts
Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement Wanda! Have a great day!! 🙂
Oh my gosh, I love This! What a great way to make a dress more fashionable! I especially love, that step one is cut out the shoulder pads 🙂
Thank you so much, Tiffany! It was a fun project and I’ve made many dresses this way since. I hope you get a chance to try this. 🙂
Oh yeah, super cute shoes!
Love what you did! I too needed a mother of the bride dress recently so I can do sympathize with your challenge and the one stipulation of my daughter was “not black” so that was not an option for me😉
Oh, no black would’ve been hard for me, too. Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding. 🙂
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Much better! How clever! You made it au current!
Thank you Kathryn!
I really like what you’ve done to that dress and I would like to know how, but I cannot read your steps as your font gets lost in the photos.
That is really neat taking out the middle to make another dress I loved your material too.i would like to see what else you can make😊
Very clever and cool.
Thank you!
That is very beautiful good Idea for peolple that we do know how to make one piece of clothing new again good job I like it
I FREAKIN’ love it!! So adorable with the belt and shoes! You can funk it up or winterize it by using tall brown boots and a brown leather belt with a nice natural colored shawl. That would also be country chic! So very, very cute! Great job!
Awwwwwww, thank you so much Kristin!!! Happy Easter!
I’ve never thought of cutting out the middle!
Yes, then no hemming necessary. Happy Sewing Anna!
Turned out to be really cute! Great job!
Thanks so much!
Even better with a simmering pair of red cowboy boots!
Oh now THAT’S a great idea, Mary!!!
I know exactly how u feel. I do the same thing.
LORETTA
I love this dress re-do and your right, it would have been perfect.
And please, where did you get those shoes?
Thank you Bobbie! I actually found the shoes at a thrift shop. I love them, too. 🙂
Very cute! You’re an inspiration to others.
Thank you Monterrey!