Speedy Tank Dress: Smart Fashion Tricks for Modest Women on a Budget

Some of my clothing has gone through multiple makeovers. If part of the garment has got tired, stained, or no longer fits, but I like the rest of the fabric, I look for a way to upcycle it.

Skirt Upcycling Technique #1:

Speedy Tank Dress

Five years ago, I suddenly needed new modest dresses, and I hit upon a quick way to get them. I bought a cotton knit tank top or camisole, prepared a skirt to match, and sewed the two together at the waist.

I call it the Tank Dress or Cami Dress. Using this technique, I made three new dresses in a week. 😮

Four Things I Learned

1. Use a sturdy knit. Very stretchy knit can't support the weight of the skirt hanging from it.

2. Layering a knit camisole over the skirt waist or sewing tucks to shorten it creates too much fabric movement. (Ladies, fequent twitching of your clothes is to be avoided.)

3. In contrast, layering or sewing tucks in a woven tank to shorten it does work if the lines are evenly arranged and kept below belly button level.

4. Cut the bottom off the camisole so the skirt waist sits at your natural waist. This gives the best coverage for you, the best support for the skirt, and allows a blouse to be worn over top without the camisole hem showing.

Now you know a fabulous trick for upcycling a secondhand skirt into a new and gorgeous dress for very little cost.

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

Fiat lux!
Narelle

Your Lifestyle, and Modest Clothing Choices

Your lifestyle strongly impacts the kind of clothing you wear.

Blast from a Long-Hemmed Past

Sample of my 2019 Outdoor Lifestyle

In 2015, my lifestyle changed dramatically. In the space of four months I went from being a clean, intellectual indoors lady to an grubby, active outdoors lady who needed to be able to jump on a bicycle with five minutes' notice. My clothing style had to change to accommodate this.

Upcycling

I didn't have any clothing budget to speak of, so I mostly adapted the dresses I had, with the addition of fabric from my stash and thrifted trousers from SaveMart. In the next few posts I will share some of the upcycled outfits I created to allow me an active outdoor lifestyle and yet still feel like a lady and be modest.

Adapting

I tried very hard to find a way to stay with my ankle-length dresses, but they simply weren't safe when working with tools, moving up and down steps with my hands full, or on the bicycle available to me.

Modest Cucumber, Summer 2019

Modest Cucumber, Summer 2018

I found that ankle-fitting trousers and an A-line dress hemmed just below the knee work best for cycling. Wide-legged trousers and a shirt-dress (tunic) hemmed just above the knee work best when I'm in the garden.

Climbing a steep and slippery hillside...

 ...on a frigid day in the New Zealand bush

Another problem was that my preferred light tints couldn't elegantly sustain exposure to dirty environments. Even my dress-nicely social outing spaces weren't safe.

I remember how heartbroken I was when my ivory cashmere coat warmly embraced a large piece of chocolate cake in my sit-upon area. Not a good look for a well-groomed lady. Nothing I tried would remove the stain. Light-coloured, sensitive fabrics have been retired until my life has more clean places in it.

Touring a Medical Flight Facility

Climbing around in that small space is challenging!

Assessing

I encourage you to assess your individual lifestyle and the activities you're involved with, and have the courage to make clothing choices that are best suited to your preferences AND your needs in those situations.

Don't limit your options to what everybody else wears or says is acceptable or expected. Give yourself space to adapt. (My style transition took a couple of years.) Be creative. Be you.

Fiat lux.
Narelle

Explore your world!

Oh, the Places You'll Go...Modestly

WILDLY MODEST ADVENTURING

If you've been following my Facebook lately, you'll probably have seen photos like this...

 ...and this, during the Napier Art Deco Festival...

 ...my solo busking debut...

 ...and this rocky experience on New Zealand's national day, Waitangi Day.

 Outdoor delights like this, cycling with Dad...

 ...walking the gorgeous avenues at the Tree Trust in Rotorua...

...swimming in the lake with my sister (brrr! refreshing!)...

 ...and filming piano improvisational videos
(you can view the playlist here).

You may also be aware of the reason the Boutique Narelle blog hasn't been updated for a while. In November 2015, I experienced a dramatic change in my life circumstances, moved suddenly to a different city, and have been focused on adapting to my new situation and environment. I'm posting this update now because I'm about to lose access to WiFi for an indeterminate period, and there are a couple of important things I want you, visitors and faithful supporters, to know.

WHERE IT'S HAPPENING

I've been posting regularly to Facebook, so if you want to keep in touch or see the modest fashion projects I model or create, that's the place to find me at present. My data allowance should enable me to continue with this.

HOW TO MAKE MODESTY MALL LINK REQUESTS

If you've contacted Boutique Narelle requesting that your shop be featured in the Modesty Mall and didn't get a response, it's likely because your email was swallowed into my message system and I couldn't find it when I was available to process it. Please, when you make a request, include the following:

1. a clickable link to your site,
2. the regions you service,
3. the categories you service,
4. a short list of the type of garments you offer (view Modesty Mall for samples),
5. and make sure you put "Modesty Mall" in your email subject line.

Thank you so much to those who have alerted me to online stores that have closed. If you discover a link in the Modesty Mall that doesn't work, it would be greatly appreciated if you could post a comment on the page letting us know.

Until the next time, be the beautiful and unique you that God created you to be with grace and confidence, living modestly, loving femininity, and leading your heart toward true beauty. You are precious, and you have value needed by those around you. Walk tall and smile from the heart.

Fiat lux!
Narelle

Happy Hattitude: stylish, feminine, and adaptable Fleece Beanie

I made something!

This weekend I started and finished a project.

And TADA! Here it is.

Are you acquainted with this two-fold joy?…the powerful delight in the act of creation, and then the urge to share that delight with someone. I wonder, is this how God felt when he introduced Eve to Adam? …No, I’m sure the ecstasy was far beyond my comprehension, for no-one in the whole wide world had made an Eve before.

My creation isn’t unique. Many others have made hats, and certainly hats in this round-top, beanie style, but I’ve never made a brimless hat before, so I think I’ll call this my Eva Hat. I based it on the free pattern from Fleece Fun*, adding a cotton knit lining, turning up the lining to create a brim, and doubling the ribbon trim to moderate the strong colour block look.

*The Fleece Fun blog and video sewing tutorials show the hat in baby size, but the pdf pattern I downloaded is in adult sizes of small, medium, and large.

The first two images show the hat worn without the threaded ribbon. The fabric flower is a purchased one, from which I pulled out the stem and hot-glued a metal crocodile clip to the back of the flower head. It’s proven to be a wonderfully flexible ornament.

I added the cotton knit lining to the hat for softness, consideration for my curly hair (which doesn’t get on well with polyester fleece), and extra warmth (New Zealand’s winter winds are piercing). It’s been so cold here that I was prompted this week to check I had a hat suitable for sleeping in. The best we had was a tight black wool beanie with a brown kiwi embroidered on the front. Not my idea of comfortable head covering.

But with Eva…yes, it’s Happy Hattitude with Eva.

Do you have a topper that brings on a Happy Hattitude for you and the people who look at you? If not, is it time you provided yourself with one?

As modest Christian women, we can joyfully pursue dressing habits that bless others and signpost our unique personality and royal position.

Fiat lux!
Narelle