Green DIY: Applique Dress

For our green movement we've decided to bring you numerous DIY's in helping to better the planet and spruce up your life. Many of our unwanted clothing ends up in landfills and as runoff seeps through the chemicals in our clothing go with it. So for this green DIY I wanted to reuse clothing and fabric that may have ended up in a landfill otherwise. I'm really happy with the way this dress came out. Hope you enjoy!

1. You will need scissors, sewing machine, pins, an old nightgown/dress for top half of dress (I used an old nightgown.. it helps you keep the shape of the dress), old skirt remnants or old fabric for bottom half (I used the bottom half of a dress that didn't fit right), more fabric for applique (I used muslim that I wasn't using that I had tie dyed), iron-on adhesive like this one that you can buy by the yard at most craft stores. I had everything already so this dress only cost me the time to make it, which was about one day. 2. Try the dress/nightgown (end up as top half) on and mark where you would like the bottom half to start. Pin the RIGHT sides together. I had two separate pieces for the bottom half, a back and a front. 3. Sew. Now make sure you connect your sides. You may need to fold some of the nightgown/dress(top half) in order to make the bottom fit. Also be sure to turn down your edges so you have clean lines and no fraying. 4-5. Cut away the bottom of the nightgown/dress (top part) so that you can pin your bottom half sides together. Take into consideration the shape of the dress you may want it to have more of a bell shape. And sew both sides together. 6. If your dress is too big in the end and you want it to fit a bit better create darts. Fold fabric over, pin, and sew. I created two in the front and two in the back. 7-8 Think of an interesting shape for your applique (I used the shape of one of my necklaces from my shop). Cut out the shape from your fabric for your applique and then follow the directions for your iron-on adhesive, then to reinforce your applique sew it on. 

Making something like this takes a lot of patience and you will need to try it on frequently to see how it is fitting and then adjust accordingly. But it is really worth it!

If you haven't checked out the other ladies DIY's who are also a part of this movement please check them out below.

Shannon's Welcome Sign

Sarah's Terrarium

CB's Stamped Collar

If you have any questions about my green DIY please feel free to email me over at PrintedPeaks@gmail.com. Also feel free to email me if you would like to be featured in our ongoing green movement, please submit your green DIY idea. 

Thanks for stopping in!

-Lo