How to Easily Refashion a Bridesmaid Dress Into Something New

Tools and materials:

• Maxi dress
• A dress that has your ideal length
• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Thread

1. Shorten the dress

The first step is to shorten the dress. So, take the dress that has your ideal length, place it on the bridesmaid dress, and align the shoulder seams. 

Now, mark the length of your top-dress onto your maxi dress and give yourself a little seam allowance for the hemline. Then, cut.

2. Hem the raw edge

Flip the garment inside out, fold up the fabric around ½ an inch, and stitch to secure. 

3. Make the sleeves

The sleeves will be made from the bottom half of the chopped fabric. So, cut open the fabric by snipping at the side seams. Like this, you'll create two pieces of fabric. 

Before you cut the fabric to size, go ahead and measure the armhole. Mine was 24cm (9.44 inches). 

Now, fold your fabric in half. From the folded edge, measure 24cm (9.44 inches) from the fold and across the fabric piece. Add 1cm (0.39 inches) for seam allowance. 

I wanted a bell-sleeve look, something flowy at the bottom edges. So, I stitched my sleeve in an outward manner, as shown. If you want a straight sleeve, simply stitch straight down from the mark you made. After stitching, cut off the excess, and you now have a new sleeve! 

Instead of repeating this step for the second sleeve, simply place the first one on your excess fabric and follow the cut line. The completed sleeve acts as a template and makes life so much easier. 

You should now have two lovely sleeves. Hem the raw edges of the sleeves before proceeding to the next step. 

4. Attach the sleeves

Turn the dress inside out and insert the sleeves into the armholes. Make sure the side seams align. Stitch all around to secure them in place. 

Refashioned bridesmaid dress

I love how this refashioned bridesmaid dress came out! See, DIY bridesmaid dress alterations are super easy, and with a bit of creativity, you can go that extra mile.

So, now that you know how to refashion and shorten a bridesmaid dress, you can easily go thrift shopping and find the perfect dress for you.