Op-Shop Revamp

Updated: Apr 18, 2023

I have been an op-shop queen from way back. I love carefully browsing the racks for hours just to find some little hidden gems. Some of these gems are sometimes diamonds in the rough. They need a keen eye to see their true potential. I recently started sharing my upcycling online. It's something I always did personally but never thought to share, but so many of you are loving the restyles I've been doing so I am more than happy to share my process with you.

First up is this drop waist dress I got from Her Wardrobe Markets. It's a place where people rent a space and sell off their wardrobe. My tip: look at the person running the stand. If the look similar in size to you and you like their style, most likely you will like their wardrobe.

Here is the before... It's not an awful dress, but not something I would ever wear. I Knew I wanted to make a separate top and skirt so that I could wear them as separates or together.

Below you can see what I created from the one dress. I was able to make an elastic waist skirt, a V-neck top and then wear them together as a dress.

Here is a little video below explaining how I actually did it.

Next up is a little vintage number I purchased from a place called The Funky Op Shop on Nicklan Way. It was such a cute print.

Here is the before and after:

I sat and unpicked nearly the entire dress first. I then shortened and took in the skirt a bit and added a little slit. I then used a bodice pattern I already had to cut out the bodice and the same with the sleeves. I attached everything together and finished of the neck with bias from left over fabric. The previous dress was a really cool design, but it wasn't me or something i'd feel comfortable wearing. Have a look below at the video of how I changed this dress.

And finally is this skirt... It is stunning Nerida Hansen Fabric. When I saw it at the markets, I immediately recognized it. However, when I got it home and tried it on I could see that the skirt was way too full and the elastic was way too tight. I also didn't like the length and the skirt was poorly made. I again, sat and unpicked the entire skirt. There was nearly 1m of extra wide fabric. WHOA!!! Jack Pot!

So here is what I did. I first cut down the skirt to the size I liked and hemmed it to the length I wanted. I added the right amount of elastic and just made a simple elastic skirt. Next, I took my left overs and used the top pattern piece of my Sycamore Lane Dress and Cut out the bodice. Unfortunately, I didn't have quite enough fabric, but I did have this left over stripe fabric from a Gorman Duvet cover that matched PERFECTLY. I think having to come up with a new solution is what actually made this top work. I attached the stripe to the bottom of my top and now I have a Top, Skirt and Dress! What a bargain!