#needleworkmonday :: Repurposing an old bedsheet into a home dress

Happy #NeedleWorkMonday beautiful HIVEians!

Just the other day, when I was visiting my mum after the lockdown was partially lifted, she hurriedly went into her room and returned with a stack of old bedsheet covers which she immediately passed to me while hinting that a particular sheet would make nice dresses. And the old bedsheet, she pointed out, is comfy and soft after all the years of being used and washed.


In the last 2 years, I have been sewing her home or summer dresses that she enjoys wearing at home everyday. This has been quite an annual affair for me and my mum. She likes wearing simple dresses at home and every year, she seems to need a new one because an old one has gone thin or torn. But I did experiment several styles which did not work sometimes and was too small. Those pieces are still in my stash of to-dos to alter. Altering is such a mood dependent job and I have not had the mood yet.

I brought the sheets home and took out the one she pointed out.


I folded the sheet into 4s (for the front and back pieces, folded into half) and laid it flat. It took a while trying to decide which sides to use for the dress as the sheet has a skirting all around and there are joining seams too.

Using one of my mum's old home dresses as template, I folded it into half and laid it on top of the sheet, with the folded center on top of the folded center of the sheet.


The sheet was joined at some places and I used the joining parts as the center of the back for the dress.


I gave an inch allowance and loosely cut the sheet following the dress.


After some failed ones which were too small for my mum, I decided to give more leeway for this dress, better bigger than small as it is easier to sew a dress smaller than to remove stitches and add a strip at the sides to make the dress bigger - which is the reason why I haven't had the mood to alter the wrong ones from last year :P


After it was cut out, this was how the dress looked like. It got quite exciting once I reached this point as I saw the dress starting to come to life.


I chose to use the existing seam of the sheet as the bottom part of the dress to lessen some sewing and I just got to focus on the side seams, the hemming of the armholes and neckline plus the straps.


As soon as the 2 pieces have been joined together, I worked the edges to keep them from fraying. As I do not have a serger, I used one of the stitches that looked a little serger-stitch-like from my machine.


Then I double folded the armholes and neckline and hemmed them.


It was a job that gets a little tricky where it curves and if done not so rightly, it gets a little un-neat with bumps and folds that shouldn't be there :D


For the strap, I used an existing lace ribbon that I have.


And sewed them onto each corner of the dress.


Once all is sewn, I have another dress for her :)


If this fits, I will sew another one with the remaining of the sheet as there is about half left with some allowance here and there. I might be able to sew a third too if she is okay with joining seams :D

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Here's wishing everyone a good week ahead and
Happy #NeedleWorkMonday! Take care everyone!

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