DIY :: Thrifted Trench Dress

Hi everyone! I have been a little bit quiet this week mainly because I have been extremly busy at work. So many deadlines coming up, sorry for not posting a few more projects this week! A couple of weeks ago, I posted up a Value Village and Glam Canada collaboration – Transforming My Thrift Shop Finds. I promised I would post up more steps on how I transformed the super dated sleeved trench dress I picked up for just over $10 from Value Village, so here it is! (PS – I am almost sure you can find one of similar style at your local thrift store as the one I went to had several!)

What you will need:

Gold Buttons
Scissors
Sewing Machine is preferred, but you can hand sew as well
Seam Ripper (a tool that removes thread)
Fabric Pencil (removeable)
Pins

1. Lay the dress down flat.

2. Remove the buttons with scissors.

3. Mark the position of each button as you remove them.

4. Remove the shoulder pads with scissors.

5. Using a seam ripper (you can find at sewing/fabric shop or usually comes with sewing machine), remove the sleeves by cutting the seams.

6. Measure the desired length of the dress if you want to shorten and pin it down.

7. Cut the excess fabric from the length leaving at about an inche or so.

8. Sew the sleeves hems and the dress hems with a sewing machine or by hand, replace the buttons with gold buttons (I did this by hand).

There you have it!!!

This was my first ‘sewing’ project since I purchased my sewing machine and it really wasn’t all that bad! I encourage you to try using a sewing machine, don’t be intimidated!

Practice makes perfect. I have a few more sewing projects coming up soon. So please stay tuned to see my progress!

I hope you have a great start to your week! This week is going to be a busy one – consisting of conferences, a client appreciation event, a Sharp Magazine Party, and potentially our second attempt to buy a house! Wish me good luck!