DIY: What to Do with a Rogue Nightgown

From hand-me-downs, rummage sales, and thrift stores, I have accumulated a lot of clothes that I would never wear unless I stumbled across a very specific costume party. Somehow, a collection of nightgowns has found its way into my closet, and due to the fact that I already tangle myself up in a T-shirt when I sleep, nightgowns really aren't for me. However, I really do love the comfort and patterns they offer, so I (and you!) can make use of them by turning a nightgown into a summer dress or winter tunic. Here we go:

Start off a DIY summer dress by taking a light, satiny nightgown and a little bit of lace or ribbon. I happen to have a sleeveless one, but you can cut sleeves off without ruining the look.

Next, decide what kind of look you are going for, and thus where you'll put the ribbon. At the hips creates a flowy upper portion, ala '20s flapper. Just above the waist makes for an empire style dress. I don't suggest at the waist, because that gets a bit too loosy goosey.

Now, I picked empire waist because I'm into a more fitted look these days, but the directions are the same for both styles. Take some straight pins and pin the lace to the dress while it is on you; use a safety pin to hold the ends together. Carefully remove the dress and either hand sew or machine sew the lace to the gown, being careful to not sew any parts of the dress together (as I did). If you make a mistake, rip out the stitches (as I spent 60 minutes doing).

 Next, take scissors and chop off the excess dress where you like it to hit you. Usually, you want the length to hit a bit above the knee, which makes your legs look bangin'. You don't have to be too careful cutting, we'll make it look pretty later. Fold over the dress twice and cut parallel to the hemline (so straight across).

                                                                             

You might not get the hem length you like, so try it on and cut a little off at a time. I say a little having ended up with a mini skirt when I was aiming for knee length before.

So far so good. To finish off the dress, take your leftover lace and pin to the bottom of the dress.

 And sew...

Place pins perpendicular to the lace to avoid getting them stuck in the sewing machine.

Once you've done that, you may find your fabric sticking out beyond the lace. 

No worries, simply cut it off, and the lace will cover those jagged edges.

Ok! Now you have a cute and summer breezy dress that looks a little like this...

Has the versatility to go from day to nighty too.

Spandextacular

 

This is a vintage Italian - yeah that's right- wool dress that was part of my mom's clothing collection. Paired with some flashy jewelry and hat from Keiran's extensive collection - origin unknown. Rocking the overall classy granny here - works well - optional accessory = some sort of fancy baby carriage or military husband.

Awesome 80s are back. A polyester plaid jacket with some fantastic velvet appointments. Leggings essential, guitar and fedora optional.

Thinking hard in this vintage purple mod pea coat - buttons replaced as necessary. Fur hat from Afghanistan courtesy Keiran's father k-dog. Necklace from target. Style from the Gods.

 Knit + Windbreaker jacket - Who Knew! -  from Ragstock and knitted pink miniskirt and leggings. Definitely getting into some concerts with this on - all you need is that facial expression and a lot cigarettes to give away.

Minus jacket, plus scarf. Scarf sewn end to end for an inifinite loop. You never have to worry what to do with the two ends again! That's what I call innovation.

If there are words for this, they are probably in a different language. Headband: piece of ripped cloth. Poncho: God only knows.

The bookworm look. A zany cardigan with an all spandex cast. Nerdy, yet sexy...sex nerd?

Love,

Nora

A Closet Casserole

My lovely sister has come over, allowing me to dress her up in some vintage wear from our Grandmother's basement, such as this dress.

We then paired a velvet jacket (again from the treasure trove of beloved Grams) with a denim strapless and red high heels. Plus, no better accessory than a cold beer, right? JK, empty bottle.

On to a 70s (the sleeves give it away) knitted blouse tucked into a pseudo pencil skirt. Netted hat to complete the look, a rare thing to happen. I wish I'd had the sense to not photograph this shirt next to a blue wall, but I think the floating head look is in anyway...

And then we got a little crazy. My dad actually got this wolf fur hat for me in Afghanistan, and look how well it matches my old prom dress! The stole is definitely not fur, but it's definitely perfect.

This dress is nowhere near vintage, but it has the weight of those 70s polyester getups. Makings for a good winter dress. If you'll notice,that album really describes those earrings.

This is a part of a dress outfit my dad brought back from Afghanistan. It had been long sleeved and came with a long skirt, but the burka look doesn't suit me, so it's been tailored a bit. Accessories straight out of Goodwill, which makes me sad for some little girl's Egyptian dance costume.

And finally, before my sister grew tired of me standing on my bed with a camera in her face, asking her to put on a mask and hold a dead flower, we get a simple little outfit. Pink cotton balloon dress, which I tailored a little bit, with another 70s cardigan (Dang, sweater. Nice Sleeves!) in white. Hoorah.