Got a little black dress hanging in your closet? Who doesnt? Need formal wear more than you need that little dress right now? Make it happen! Its simple and inexpensive to turn a fitted dress - black or otherwise - into formal wear that will really impress. You dont need to be expert at sewing because the technique is very easy.
The type of dress that is perfect for this project is one that is fitted rather than flared. It length of the sleeves, what type of neckline the dress has, or whether it zips or buttons are all unimportant when it comes to changing the dress into formal wear. All that is really required is that the dress be just below the knee or shorter, and the hemline needs to be straight.
At a fabric store choose a lace that closely matches the color of the dress itself. Select a couple yards of lightweight lace. Choose thread that exactly matches the dress for best results. The color of the lace and thread are very important to making the formal look its best. Measure from the hemline of the dress to the floor, or even to an ankle length. Cut the lace to that width, adding four inches extra, for the hem and for attaching it to the dress. Hem both short ends of the lace. This hem should be a mere quarter to a half-inch. These hemmed edges will later meet in the front of the dress, at the hemline. Next, hem one long edge of the lace. This hem should also be very narrow. The opposite end will be sewn to the dress. There are several ways to gather the lace so that it will flare out from the dress to the floor. One way is to use a baste stitch to gather the edge. Use the largest stitch on your machine or hand baste the edge. When finished pull the thread and slide the fabric across it. As you do this, the thread youre pulling will get longer and longer, and the lace will be gathered more and more. Pin the gathered lace to the hemline of the dress and stitch into place. For some people its easier to use narrow elastic to gather the lace. Stretch the elastic while stitching it to the un-hemmed side of the fabric. As you sew the elastic will cause the lace to gather together. When finished gathering the entire edge you will then stitch it to the hemline of the dress. One other way to gather the lace is to do so as you stitch along. Form gathers in the lace and stitch directly over the top of them. One easy way to make the gathers is to stretch out the four fingers on one hand. Place the spread fingers on the lace then squeeze the fingers together. The fabric will gather between each of the fingers and create the pleats. Sew the lace all the way around the hemline stitching right beside the original hem. Trying to stitch over the original hem stitches will give you a sloppy look to the stitching. The ends of the lace should meet at the center of the hemline on the front of the dress. The split in the front remains leaving plenty of room for walking and giving a flowing look to the gathered lace piece. If you want, you can add a wide, gathered lace to each side of the split. This gathered lace piece can be several inches wide and can even be stitched along the hem of the added lace piece. Its expensive to go out and buy a new dress every time youre invited to a formal party. Instead of going shopping look in your closet for a dress you can make over. Besides adding lace to a dress there are many other things you can do to change the look. Use shirt paints to make a glittery monogram on the blouse of the dress or simply change the buttons to flashy new ones. Save money and make your next formal yourself. Youll be proud to show it off!
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