Have you ever been in that desperate state where you wail, "HELP! I need a new dress, it's got to be modest, and I only have a few dollars to spend on it!!!"
Clothing availability, coverage, and cost are factors that often bring a modest-hearted woman to feelings of desperation. I had an urgent need for a warm modest dress. Here's what got me out of that desperate place.
Skirt Upcycling Technique #3:
Yoked Tunic Dress Revisited in Denim
A few months prior, I had come up with a new technique, turning a skirt into a tunic dress by setting the skirt's waist under the armpits and sewing a bodice yoke to the skirt waist band. It worked the first time, so I decided to try it again.
This denim skirt is onto its second upcycle. The first round (pictured above), I removed the elastic waistband and sewed the skirt onto a knit tank top. For the second round, I unpicked the tank top from the skirt, and prepared a bodice yoke to fit to the skirt, turning it into a tunic dress.
Finding a fabric match for the denim was the first challenge. The only piece in my fabric stash that worked was a navy polycotton which would be great for the yoke lining.
I went hunting at nearby SaveMart recycled clothing store and compared a collection of wide scarves. I took a risk with a loosely woven viscose because the colours went so perfectly with the tones in the denim. At $10, it wasn't cheap, but having seen the denim and viscose together, it was 😍 and I really, really wanted to keep them together.
The loose weave and delicate nature of the viscose scarf (featuring the word PARIS and a picture of the Eiffel Tower) were in stark contrast to the sturdy and durable denim. I improved the viscose stoutness by adhering a thick iron-on interfacing to it and careful edge-stitching to hold the threads in place and reduce wear to the seam allowance while I worked. The yoke lining was given a lighter interfacing, and the two yoke layers were top-stitched to give added support to the still-mobile viscose threads.
The risk and effort have been worthwhile. Wearing this yoked tunic dress makes me feel warm, comfortable, feminine, modest, and classy. It has earned a number of approving comments, so I know that other people are enjoying it too.
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!
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