Upcycled Denim Pinafore

Have you ever had that feeling while you are making something that you are either making something AMAZING or a complete dud?

That was how I felt while sewing this dress for Rascal (yes another one, I'm officially addicted!)

You may remember that a while ago I showed you this denim skirt that I had bought from an op-shop (thrift shop) and said that I was going use to make a pinafore for Rascal.

Among the nods of approval there was a word of warning, that if handled incorrectly denim can become a shapeless stiff tent. I will admit that I was a bit scared by this, so I put the skirt aside and didn't dare to touch it.

When I finally decided to tackle it, I took the warning to heart and altered the pattern that I used for this pinafore to make it a bit more fitted. I also used an old denim pinafore of Rascal's as reference for the skirt.

Once it was finished, I couldn't wait to try it on Rascal and see how I'd done.

I had to make a couple of extra alterations, including adding a dart to the back of the bodice (if only it lined up with the seam in the skirt).

I think I'll place a tartankiwi label at the top of the dart to hide the ugly crease.

The dress is not quite finished as I ran out of the thread that I was using for the top stitching and need to buy some more (Grrrrr!).

Rascal's verdict-

She loves her "butterfly dress" and insisted on wearing it to preschool yesterday morning.

My verdict-

Amazing is maybe putting it a bit strongly, but I'm really thrilled with the results of my first sewing upcycling project and I'm extremely grateful to Laura for the warning about denim as without it this could've been a disaster!

On a personal note, I'm really impressed that I successfully managed to make my own alterations to the pattern.

The dress is pretty flattering too and it makes my girl look really tall and slim when she wears it!

This is officially my favourite thing that I have sewn... so far... until next week... or the week after...