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.