I did not waste any time. First, I chopped off the sleeves and turned it around. I really did not want to deal with buttons down the front, and this seemed like the easiest way to avoid them.
Next, I cut off the collar and turned it inside out.
I also cut off the fabric with the buttons and the button holes. Then, I pinned the seam back together and sewed it in place.
Next, I got to work making it fit by bringing in the sides some.
Then, I sewed the sides in place and cut off the excess fabric.
Not too bad, so far!
There was some gaping on the sides, so I put in some darts to fix this. I seriously just start pinching and pinning the fabric until it lies flat. Nothing fancy.
The front was still a little too high so I cut off an inch there. I also knew I wanted a key hole, so I marked with a pin where I wanted it to end and snipped!
Then, I pinned and sewed the raw edges of the key hole.
Next, I pinned and sewed the top of the key hole in place.
Making progress! I sewed all of the raw edges around the arms and neck under and slapped it back on the dress form.
The fit was still not great. I found some elastic and decided it would do the job. I made it about 2 inches shorter than the circumference of my waist and sewed the ends together.
Next, I pinned the elastic to the inside waist of the dress. I made sure that I got it on there evenly by pinning it first to all of the seams. Then, I sewed it in place with a zig zag stitch (so it stretches)!
I found some very thin ribbon type stuff that I had and used this for the straps. I sewed it by hand to the inside of the fabric so that the edges and stitches would not be visible.
And, done!
I love it! The pattern gives it a bit of a 60s feel.
Here is the breakdown.
$2.99 for the dress
About 30 cents for the ribbon and piece of elastic.
Total cost=$3.29
Seriously.