Introduction: The Vintage Evening Gown Refashion Tutorial

About: Sheri Pavlović is the award winning DIY diva behind the blog Confessions of a Refashionista, the fabulously crafty corner of the internet packed with step-by-step tutorials for everything from groovy clothing …

Take a peek at how I transformed an ill-fitting, dowdy vintage evening gown into a fancy wardrobe favourite...

Step 1:

I spied this vintage evening gown in the charity shop window and was ecstatic when they sold it to me for only €1! This gorgeously coloured piece of historic glam was gathered and draped at every seam, fit awkwardly and had a gross rubbery lining in the sleeves however it also had a fabulous sequin sash detail that I completely adored so a refashion was definitely needed. Here's what I did:

Step 2:

The first step was to carefully remove those rubber lined sleeves.

Then I chopped it to my desired length + seam allowance.

Step 3:

Hemmed up the lining and the raw edge of the skirt.

Step 4:

Separated 2 of the panels from the chopped skirt length and stitched each one into a tube with right sides facing then flipped them right side out to create a couple of sheer sleeves.

Step 5:

Popped the sleeves into the armholes with right side facing and raw edges lined up and stitched them together.

Step 6:

For a fab finishing touch I hand stitched some silver beads along the wrapped bodice fabric and stitched the end of that too-long hanging sash to the side seam to create a fancy fluttery detail.