DIY Dress UpCycle Sewing Tutorial – Floral Prints
Florals for spring. Revolutionary, right? Not really. But what about vintage and thrifted florals for spring? There’s a spin that we all can love! I often buy things just for the print (via my How To Thrift rules), so instead of shopping for this month’s theme, I remembered this print that I had in my closet. There was no way I’d ever wear it outside of the house in its original form, but I saw this as a chance to transform and upcycle it. Due to dresses like this not being popular, you can find them for extremely cheap prices at thrift stores – likely never more than $5!
How To Upcycle A Dress
I’m pregnant now (5.5 months), so figuring out how to dress my pregnant body as it is constantly changing is quite challenging. I love dresses and they are especially easy to wear now, but I’ve been seeing so many ads about cute maternity dresses that are not in my budget lately. How do I remedy that? Make my own to look like the ads by reconstructing a thrifted piece!
I know a little bit about sewing clothes, so I took to pinterest to find these instructions. I followed the tutorial’s instructions loosely and created my own interpretation with the complete dress I already had instead of new fabric. Also, instead of attaching the ruched/ruffled top, I left it as a separate piece to make the dress versatile. It can be worn as a tube dress, off the shoulder, one shoulder, or even on the shoulders! I loved the off the shoulder look the best, as you can see below. Last, but definitely not least, can we talk about this handmade floral crown by Adorned by Chi? (sadly, they no longer carry them) I felt like a goddess so I wore the floral crown almost all day. It was the perfect compliment to my dress and brought my floral theme dreams to life!
A Visual Upcycle Instruction Chart
Before
After
Outfit details: Dress: Thrifted from Texas Thrift (Hurst), $3.99 + Reconstructed (elastic from Walmart, $2) /// Floral Crown: c/o Adorned by Chi /// Sandals: Merona (Target) $22.99 /// Sunglasses: Target $14.99 /// Picnic Basket: Thrifted from Thrift Town (Arlington), $6.99
Photos by Brittany of Sky, Miles, & Styles
This was a relatively easy remake, and it turned a dress that was popular in the 1980s-1990s into a dress that will be popular well into 2020. That could be over 40 years of life for one simple little floral dress. Reuse, upcycle, repurpose – make old things new again!
The Comments
Brittany
You did that girl. I love the way you redesigned that dress. So chic. I wish I could sew. I seriously need to take that up as a hobby. AND YOU LOOKED AMAZING AS USUAL 🙂
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Christina | From Under a Palm Tree
Omg I have always wanted to try this! This looks so easy with your diagram!
Addie
Christina | From Under a Palm TreeI’m so happy it’s helpful! I’d love to see it if you make it!! tag me =) @oldworldnew on IG
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Chelsea
WOW this dress upcycle is so brilliant! I would have never seen the potential in a dress like this… until now. Gives it a beautiful modern update and the pattern is gorgeous!
Addie
ChelseaThank you! I wish I could still fit it 😩 and I’m really tempted to create another as soon as I can figure out what is wrong with my sewing machine.
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