Lime Green Dress to Skirt

 I love green and I love eyelet lace. I did not love the very small bodice of this dress. I could not wear this and be comfortable. I like to keep it all pretty much fully covered. Maybe it's because I am 49. Maybe it's because I had 3 kids. Maybe I am crazy but, imagine all the sunscreen I would need in this open back dress!

My first step was to unzip the zipper and then cut off the very small top. (Having the zipper down will be important later.) Bye bikini top!

I also cut off the straps and trim. They would be useful later. I used a zigzag stitch on the cut edge of the skirt. It was fraying and I wanted to keep it all together. (Don't we all just want to keep it all together?)

I originally wanted to make this dress into a pair of shorts but the fabric was a little too sheer. The dress was already lined so that is why I decided to make a skirt. Skirts are great for summer.

This dress actually had a side zipper and I wanted to keep that to get in and out of my skirt. It is easy to keep and shorten a zipper. I pulled the zipper all the way down when I cut off the top. Now I wanted to fold the waistband in and stitch it down. I folded the zipper in and under when I was sewing. The zipper will still work. When the zipper is folded in like this, the zipper will stop at the top when I zip it up.

 I made a working waistband but I also wanted to make a nice looking waistband. At this point it looks a little rough. It's going to be OK, I am not done yet. The zipper is working and tucked in safe. Now, I can make it pretty.  

Remember the waist tie straps I cut off earlier? It's time for them to get into the game. I ironed the straps and connected the cut ends. Now, I had one long piece that I was going to connect to to the waistband. It will be a smooth and nicely finished waistband on this skirt.

I used my sewing machine to add the waist tie to my skirt. It covered the small rough looking waistband perfectly. I liked how this skirt was coming together. 

I made sure to position the waistband so that I could tie the ends on the side, over the zipper. 

The tie helps reinforce the zipper and cover the zipper at the same time.

 I am ready for some fun in the summer sun. Thanks for reading along, for more pictures and details go to I Can Work With That.