Upcycled Southern Belle

a southern belle ballgown for under $100

before

For the past 8 years, our local historical society has thrown a reenactment ball to commemorate the battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862 here in Dover. Two years ago I went in a borrowed gown 3 sizes too big and the year before I went in a gown that was only about one size too big. This year, I wanted to do it right, but "right" came with a budget.  I wanted a fancy 1860's ball gown that would cost less than $100, but I'm a bit of a fashion snob and didn't want any old cheap looking gown. It had to be fairly historically accurate, or at least look that way. Since I can sew, I thought about making one from scratch, but new fabric prices had me choking a little and I didn't have enough of the right material in my stash, so the dress from scratch idea flew out the window. I searched for a dress that fit my budget and might be close enough to that style that I could make it happen by reworking.  I found a dress from TreasureChest01 on Etsy that was perfect.
     I took in the waist, added maroon satin from my own fabric stash to the lace at the bottom and sleeves and added bolder bows and buttons (also from my fabric stash) at the gathers. I  lifted the low back up to a more modest level and added a fancy brooch from my collection of vintage jewelry to the waist.  Using an old sheet and the eyelet lace trim from an old pillowcase I created a chemise (underdress). I took some maroon ribbon from my stash and threaded it through the eyelet holes to make a pretty accent to the top of the dress.
     Because of the fabric and notions I already had, I spent a whopping $39 total on a dress that I felt made a huge statement and looked great!  I decided to splurge on a vintage hoop instead of buying a cheap modern made one. The final result turned out to be a beautiful dress that showed up great in all the photos being snapped. I got many compliments on it and just had to brag about how I upcycled it for under $100.

finished ball gown for under $100

I had a customer ask me to make some bird wings. These ones: http://llevoelinvierno.blogspot.com/2011/03/make-alitas.html

I love the look of these but as I am a free spirit and hate patterns, well, I had to do them my way. I have a large stash of thrift store fabrics, maybe bordering on hoarding but that's another blog altogether. Anyway, I cut a half circle that was 44" wide and cut it again in half to have two triangles, just like the instructions on the other blog only a little larger. I free hand cut the feathers from scraps of fabric about 2-3" wide, the only difference from the instructions was I used pinking shears to give it a more textured edge. After I was finished with the wings, instead of adding bias strips for the neck, I made fabric strips wide enough to fit the velcro strips I had and then added the velcro to the ends sewing it all together to make a simple collar and cuffs. I then added 3 buttons to the middle of the collar and one to each cuff. After that, I added rayon cording loops at the neck and arm of each wing so that the cuffs and collar can be buttoned at different points on the wings as the child grows. It turned out great and my customer really loved it. Here's some pictures of the finished product. 

collar and cuffs are easy release velcro

I can do it by myself!

wings overlap while the child is small

buttons on the collar make the wings adjustable

What's right with hand-me-downs

My sister and I were born 18 months apart and my family has never been rich so I was always blessed with hand-me-downs. And when it wasn't handed down we got great clothes from consignment shops or yard sales. The clothes were usually really nice pieces too, things that lasted through us and got recycled back to the consignment store or thrown in our own yard sale stack. There were some pieces that were obviously made by someone's mother or grandmother, sweet little sailor suits and smocked dresses with little flowers and birds. Pieces that inspired gray headed women to get a dreamy look when they saw us wear them. Probably making them recall their own children or grandchildren.
I, too, am a dreamer. I always have been and maybe it's because of the clothes. When you buy a new garment, it's been sewn from a bolt of fabric and sent to the stores. When you get a hand-me-down, there is a story behind it and sometimes they even have super powers. I was a little shy when I was younger and my sister was not. When I wore her clothes they were almost like a cape for me. I could pretend that I had her confidence, that I wasn't the skinny kid with glasses who tripped over my own shoes, but the athletic, outgoing one that could catch a fast ball. And with things from the consignment and yard sales the story behind the outfit could be even more fantastic. Maybe the little girl who owned it before me was a lion tamer, or a princess.
Now as I am grown, my stories are a little more mundane, and I have collected a little more confidence in my self, although I am still a little clumsy. I still shop thrift stores, second hand shops, and consignment sales. My daughter has a cousin six months older so she has worn lots of hand-me-downs and our favorite place to shop is our local kids resale shop. And anything she outgrows goes to my large circle of girlfriends and their little girls. Its not just about saving money, although paying $1 for a dress that normally retails for $30 is awesome. We get excited seeing the clothes we loved on our little girls on someone else's. One outfit that we got from her cousin has been worn by at least 3 little girls in our circle and is still being passed around. And we share pictures with each other of each little girl in the outfit. It's a way to stay connected. To feel like, even though we live far away, we can still share things.
We still buy new clothes for our daughters and, lord knows, I can't stop my mother from buying 3 dresses for Easter for her only granddaughter, especially when they are cheap at the local superstore, but most of my daughter's wardrobe is preowned. And I hope that I can pass on my love of secondhand clothes to her. Its like a treasure hunt going to the secondhand store and finding a lovely dress that is in her size or a worn in t-shirt with her favorite character on it. And I have begun to sew a few things for her. Recently I made a Batman cape from a piece of secondhand black material with lady bugs on it and she wore it for 3 days straight only removing it to sleep. And when she outgrows it, that cape will be passed on to fly around someone else's hallway and save little toys from impending disasters.

Gonna have an Earth Day

     That was the title of  the play we did in the 4th grade, "Gonna have an Earth Day" and I played Small Voice, the one that finds out that one 'small voice' can make a difference.  It's been quite a few Earth Days since that play and now, I am going back to being one 'small voice' at this years Earth Day Festival in Nashville, TN's Centennial Park.  This saturday, I will be taking my salvaged jewelry and inspiring people to think about reusing everyday objects. 
     My main focus for my jewelry lately has become using objects that have lost their official usefulness.  I will be selling lots of button rings, earrings made from plastic bottles and containers, bracelets made from salvaged electrical wire, and pendants made with expired dog tags.    Now, when I throw things away or recycle them I think first, can I reuse this one more time before I stick it in the pile? Because ultimately, for most things anyway, reusing saves more energy than recycling. 
     I don't stop at the actual jewelry. Instead of putting greeting cards from Christmas and birthdays into the bin, I use the pretty blank parts as cards for my earrings and tags for my necklaces. I have about a dozen old peanut butter jars that I use for beads, wire scraps, and catchalls.  Old tins and sturdy boxes are used for shipping.  Clothes with holes or stains get cut up for jewelry bags and shopping sacks. My displays are made of an old pair of shutters, scrap lumber, an old art case, and a mismatched sheet for a tablecloth. I have driven my conventional husband crazy with all of my salvaging and hopefully it will payoff. 


I hope to sell lots at the festival on saturday, it is my business after all, but I hope that my creations will inspire people to think about what they buy and what they throw away as well.  Earth Day is a day for inspiration afterall, its a day when all us 'small voices' get together and make a difference.


     If you would like to know more about the Earth Day Festival in Nashville go to www.nashvilleearthday.org