Transforming an old loose dress

Tired of that dumpy old loose pull over dress? Transform it into something fun with some quick stitches, lace and ribbon!

transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress tutorial

It was some time back when I got this dress. Great for throwing on with other tops and accessories to run errands with. (It probably wasn’t meant to be that loose either – most things are incredibly loose on me unless they come in XS or XXS eep.)

In Singapore where it’s summer all year round, layering just makes me want to run home and hide in a/c. So time to transform this dumpy loose dress into something more fun, and without a need to layer!

Here’s the quick tutorial:

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 1

Cut the top where the seams are. A closer look here:

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 2

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 3

If the dress hung low like it did for me originally, try it on and cut more off to shorten the dress, leaving a little bit more for the seam when you stitch it back together.

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 4

Taking one side of the front strap, twist outwards a few times (keep count and twist the other side the same number of times!).

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 5

It would look like this after a few twists. I did four twists on mine.

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 6

After twisting, pin the front strap to the back, with the correct sides facing each other and the raw edges facing outwards.

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 7

Stitch the seams together using a sewing machine or by hand.

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 8

I decided to add some black ribbon towards the top for extra detail. If you’d like to do the same, wrap some ribbon around the seam you just sewed.

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 9

Fold the last bit of ribbon back to prevent fraying. Pin and sew down using a sewing machine or by hand and you’re done with the top portion!

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 10

Now for the base. Wrap your lace around the bottom of the dress – here, I chose to have the lace join at the center back.

tutorial on transforming an old and loose dress into a new lace dress 11

To keep the height consistent, make sure the same motif in the lace design touches the base hem each time. Pin down and sew using a machine or by hand. Where the lace ends at the back, try to have it overlap at the same curve so it won’t stick out!

(Psst: if your lace is scallop edged too and you’d prefer the top to not flop, it would be better to sew following the curved edges. I didn’t really mind in my case and went with a straight stitch)

And there you have it, a fun new lace dress!

tutorial on how to transform a loose old dress into a new lace dress

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