1930s Lemon Butterfly: repurposing a modern bridesmaid dress

In "Bridesmaid Revisited", I asked what does a bridesmaid do with her fabulous outfit after the wedding ceremonies are over. In this post, I'll show you another way I've repurposed my gorgeous yellow gown.

Every summer, the Art Deco capital of the world hosts the Napier Art Deco Festival. I bloom modestly in the midst of it because I live there. A modest and moral lady does have to be particular about what celebrations she exposes herself to from that era. Mostly I enjoy exploring the wide variety of fashion stylings that ladies of the period enjoyed, and creating portraits that salute them.

Desiring to celebrate the resourcefulness of the 1930s, and being a fashion frugalista myself, I give myself two boundaries.

1. I don't buy ready-made clothing from the city's plethora of specialist costume providers eager to tap my purse. I occasionally wander through their displays, but only for inspiration. Clothing comes out of my existing closet, and any new accessories required are made during the festival using my existing fabric and haberdashery stash.

2. I aim for verisimilitude rather than historical accuracy.

I have one other guideline that shapes my clothing choices. I'm not looking to emulate a promiscuous pin-up girl. I am interested in the moral women of the Depression era, whose courage, determination, and ingenuity formed the heroic linchpins of family stability in my Kiwi heritage. It's their legacy I want to honour as I enjoy my dress-up games.

The Satin Dress

The bridesmaid outfit I wore for my sister's wedding comprised of two pieces: a sleeveless, ankle-length, A-line underdress, and a lace overdress with angel sleeves and asymmetric hem. The lined satin underdress was designed to be worn without supportive underwear. Being extremely well-fitted, this modest lady won't wear it without something drapey over the top.

The Chiffon Shawl

Four square chiffon scarves sewn into a butterfly shawl created the perfect Art Deco answer as a modesty fixer, and it took very little sewing to accomplish it.

The two sides of the back are overlaid slightly, delicately secured from the top to midway with satin-stitched dots every couple of inches.

The backs and fronts are joined at the shoulder for about three inches, applying a reinforcing patch of bias tape to each side before sewing the two together with a decorative honeycomb stitch.

The two sides of the front are fastened with two gold buttons and a toggle crocheted from narrow satin ribbon.

The Silk Bandeau

The quickest way to get a 1930s look is with accessories. A headpiece is king.

I purchased this luscious silk sample during an extensive hunt for bridesmaid fabric for my sister's wedding. At only 10cm wide, the sample offered limited possibilities...you'd think.

But there are many ways to tie two ends. Bunch it this way. Turn it that way. Add a fulsome rose of satin ribbon and a squiff of floral mesh between... I was very excited with the result.

I hope you've seen something beautiful and inspiring today.

Look out for more Boutique Narelle posts detailing modest fashion techniques.

Fiat lux!
Narelle

Hummingbird Blue: Assembling an Elegant Outfit from Awkward Pieces

 

Tragically, my city no longer has a fabric store. Here's how I get over that hurdle when I need coordinating material to make an outfit. Instead of buying new fabric yardage, when I shop for an outfit at a secondhand store, I source fabric from other garments on the rack.

I look for one main piece in a fabric or colour I like. Any adult size will do, usually the larger the better. Next I look for other garments in fabric that will coordinate with my first piece. I then rearrange the fabric from these garments to create one outfit or dress.

Hummingbird Blue

When I spotted this hummingbird fabric, I immediately loved it and longed to wear it. Given that it was assembled as a spliced and skimpy jumpsuit, it would take some creativity to make it modest and wearable. But I was willing to try, because I loved the fabric so much.

Now I knew I was looking for blue. I hunted around the racks and to my delight found a floor-length taffeta skirt in a shade that matched the hummingbird beautifully. The skirt was far to big for me, but this made me even happier - I had more fabric to work with.

Then I found a chiffon tunic with a knit camisole attached to it. The tunic was too big and too revealing to wear as it was, but I really liked the drape of it and it was in a shade that toned with the other items.

Concerned about cool evenings in a sleeveless dress, I was happy to find an elegant cardigan, although this too had a fit issue.

Now I had my ensemble, but they needed assembling!

Deconstruct the Skirt

Step 1. Unpick the skirt waistband and zipper. Sew up the seam where the zipper was.

Reconstruct the Skirt

Step 2. Detach the camisole from the tunic. Sew the skirt waist to the camisole, creating a tank dress. (Before stitching them together, I added a short skirt lining using a remnant from my stash - lined skirts feel so comfortable to wear!)

Reconstruct the Jumpsuit

Step 3. Unpick the leg/crotch seam of the hummingbird jumper suit and cut away the scoop of the crotch extension, leaving a straight edge down the back and front. Unpick the hem a little on each side of the raw edges to give you room to work. Sew the fronts together and the backs together, then rehem the bottom edge. Now the jumpsuit is a tunic.

Fix Fit Issues

Step 4. The hummingbird tunic still had some gaping areas with keyholes front and back, and low armholes. These were easily fixed with some pinch and stitch action.

Step 5. The fitted chiffon tunic sat too low on my bosom, making puckers in odd places and allowing for more movement than felt safe for my modesty. The armholes were also too large. Because the fabric was so light, I was able to pinch the shoulder seam up without creating too much bulk. This improved the fit at the bust and front neckline, and reduced the armholes. I arranged the sleeve gathers to please me, then handstitched them in place at the shoulder.

Step 6. The knit viscose cardigan was designed for a lady with longer arm scye and more bosom than I have (this is also why the chiffon tunic didn't fit me). I gathered the extra fabric into a series of pleats and stitched them by hand, turning them into a style feature that encourages me to wear my hair up so they can be seen.

Styling Choices

An alternative might have been to make a long dress by sewing the hummingbird tunic to the taffeta skirt, but this way the soft drape of the delicate tunic is retained, and the outfit is more flexible. I can change the look by changing the style of tunic. I can also wear a tunic over a different dress or with wide-leg trousers.

I hope you've seen something beautiful and inspiring here today.

Look out for more Boutique Narelle posts detailing liberating modest fashion techniques.

Fiat lux!

Narelle

Shamrock Dress: Thrifty Tricks for Modest Sporty Women

Low-budget fashion tips to keep you stylish, safe, and covered while active outdoors

Dress Upcycling Technique #1

Modesty Challenge:

What to wear for outdoor cycling and gardening activities? I want modest garments covering me from neck to knees while allowing easy, safe movement, with expectation of getting grubby and sweaty.

Dollar Challenge:

Try not to spend money on it, because my income doesn't include a clothing budget. 🤔😬

My Solutions:

I found a lined cotton voile tunic dress at nearby SaveMart recycled clothing shop. (NZ$8)

It was too tight, too short, too revealing. But I could fix all those.

For improved fit, I cut two button holes centrefront and hand-edged them with buttonhole stitch. I snipped the tight elastic waistband and pulled it out, and replaced this with a longer elastic with cord ties stitched to the ends. I pulled the ties to a comfortable width, and secured with an elegant knot. (Notions sourced from my haberdashery stash.)

Next, I stitched the gaping bodice-front closed, and made it look intentional with a decorative button. (Purpose-bought, about 50 cents.)

I sewed a simple dome-front blouse to wear under the dress, covering back and shoulders and filling in the low neckline. (Cotton voile from my fabric stash.) For cooler temperatures, I can wear layers of long-sleeved knit tops under the dress.

If I had found suitable fabric, I would have lengthened the dress to just below my knees, but I wasn't able to fix this dress in that manner. Instead...

I sewed wide-leg trousers to wear under the dress. (Calico from my fabric stash.) These are perfect for gardening, but the wide cuffs are dangerous on the bike. The legs don't have enough length to clamp around my ankles, so for cycling, I bought a pair of green chinos with close-fitting ankles. ($8 from SaveMart.)

Above are the calico wide-leg pants worn with a different tunic. The outfit got a sartorial upgrade for the photo with floral hat, hair ribbon, and leather sandals. In the garden, I'd be wearing rubber jandals and a sturdy, easy-to-launder hat.

The blue tunic ($8 from SaveMart) might look dainty, but it's been fabulous for gardening. I love that I can look feminine even when I'm sweating in the dirt.

Learning the clothing tricks defined in this post has vastly increased the quantity of secondhand garments that are useful to me. I no longer feel so limited or frustrated by my clothing options.

Look out for more Boutique Narelle posts detailing liberating modest fashion techniques.

Fiat lux!
Narelle

EASY MODESTY FIXER: how to make a lace wrap

Got a problem sleeveless dress with gaping armholes? Or a top with a low back? Try this quick and pretty project for a modesty fixer.

The info-graphic below demonstrates how to make this lace wrap which was featured in my music video "The Steadfast Love of the Lord: comfort through your grief".

For more details on the making of the music video, go to Music Video Wraps in Lace: meeting the modesty challenge at short notice.

Fiat lux!
Narelle

When Closet Calamity Overwhelms

Did you ever come across a fashion journalist whose own wardrobe was in a state of calamity? Narelle comments drily, "At least you can be sure that journalist understands your need for practical solutions."

Narelle has a serious clothing problem. She makes more than half of what she wears, but she's too sick to sew. She hasn't been able to find suitable ready-to-wear options for purchase, and last winter's closet selection of one wool skirt (the one with the split lining) has yet to be resuscitated. A solution must be found before the frosts arrive.

Something's got to give, and for the moment, that includes Boutique Narelle's regular Friday posting. Once she and her wardrobe are on the way to recovery, she plans to resume with random posting.

All the HELP features are still available here on Boutique Narelle. Comments are open and Narelle will respond personally. If you don't want to keep checking for a new post, we recommend you sign up for automatic email notification (see sidebar). The emails don't look the same as the website, but one click will get you online for full benefits.

If Boutique Narelle's service is useful to you or has encouraged you in some way, please leave a comment!

Narelle on modesty and femininity:

"Know what you believe, understand its relevance to your life, then keep that conviction fresh in your heart that you may from thenceforth stand strong and courageous without wavering, a woman of honour and dignity who will draw others by her inner radiance and outward grace.
May God bless you as you seek to represent His beauty."
Narelle Worboys

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Note: We are very sorry about the missing images in this post. They were tragically and irreversibly gobbled by Google+.

Conquering the Modesty Monsters

As a fashion entrepreneur and journalist of four years, I have observed that the greatest challenges to dressing modestly are:

WHERE TO BUY...?

• swimwear that looks like clothing
• formal/bridal wear providing beauty without enticement
• cleavage-covering, non-transparent, non-clingy tops
• ankle-length skirts
• drapey maternity options in colours other than black

WHERE TO FIND...?

• other girls and women who have the courage to model modesty as a lifestyle and will support me as I seek to do likewise

The purpose of Boutique Narelle is to help you resolve these challenges. There are hundreds of articles and videos on this website. We have worked hard to find solutions for your needs.

Let us know if you can't find the answers you need, but please do look first. It may be that the post you need is logged some way back in Boutique Narelle's history. Use the topical Labels on the sidebar to help you.

Our quick-stop best shop list of Recommended Stores is in the upper navigation bar.

If you need super-cheap, do-it-yourself solutions, check out the side-bar labels Sewing Tips and Shopping Tips.

If you have or know of solutions to any of the above-listed challenges, please post a comment below, especially if you or they are in Australasia!