Recyling and upcycling. A striped jersey dress AKA “Ow, my eyes”

One of the first things I posted on here was the Drape Drape Asymmetrical Top. Apart from the binding, it’s a pretty quick, non-fiddly sew.

In retrospect, I might have cut it a bit too large but nevermind, I loved it and wore it to bits. About a year ago, I used up the rest of that striped jersey and made this dress.

 

After the love affair for that dress faded, I ended up upcycling the two and ending up with this.

 

I was going to crop this so you couldn’t tell I was barefoot but it looked all wrong. I don’t wear shoes when I’m off duty. It makes it easier for me to step on nettles and upturned plugs and things.

Seriously, nettles? Every year I forget they even exist and end up hopping round trying to remember what a dock leaf looks like so I can stop the stinging. Nettles. What kind of country has friendly spiders and vicious flora? My Australian brain struggles with this every year. Nettles, they’re like immobile spiders.

 

Since the top part/bodice came from the dress above, the only tricky bit was finding a way to make the remaining fabric stretch to the skirt piece. I gave up on the idea of having the stripes going in any kind of harmonious direction and just let it happen. The only thing I wanted was an asymmetrical V at the front, like a yoke.  Of all the things I’ve made, this is one of the things I wear the most. I works in warmer weather, with tights, I don’t have to iron it or hand wash it or even iron it. And I think I’ve made it clear that I HATE IRONING.

Word  press tells me, via a little trophy icon, that this is my 2 year anniversary of keeping this blog. The Drape Drape top was the very first thing I wrote about in 2012, in the summer of 2013 I posted this mini dress and now, in 2014, there’s this.

Drape Drape Top 2012

Jersey mini dress 2013

Upcycled dress 2014

Jack was impressed with the commitment to black and white stripes. Or shocked. Or maybe just hungry….