Making it Work! Skirt. Transformed.

I loved it.  I really did.  But.... it didn't love me.   I'm talking about the Koos Skirt, Vogue 2971, blogged about here.   I loved (and still do!) the fabric, the colors, the combination, the design, the downright FUN-ness of it all!   But.....it didn't love me.

In spite of the fact that I had cut 4" off the length, all that fabric flowing around my ankles just did NOT work in activities like walking up & down stairs, and the bell-shape at the hemline kept getting caught in shoes, and in the end it was just all too much.

Packing for a hot summer get-away, I needed something that would help me beat the heat - like a sundress.  So while playing with what I had, I pulled this skirt over my boobs and said to self, "AHA!!!!   It's not a skirt, it's a sundress!!!"   It did need straps though, both to make it bra-friendly and to keep it secure (something I can't really rely on B-cup boobs to do)

A quick draft of something in between a sleeveless top and straps should be an easy fix, she says to self....

Did I mention that I put a completely unnecessary zipper in the skirt?  Sandwiched between two layers of fabric and sewn in VERY sturdily?    I thought I could just leave the zip in place, but that would be a little too shoddy, so out came the ripper.   A couple of hours of ripping & resewing the seam, an hour or so of drafting the top, some head-scratching time of trying out just how to attach the new top neatly, some adjustments here & there, and a couple of days later (well, that's what it SEEMED like) I finally had a piece that has even MORE fun-ness than the skirt!

I wore it on my hot get-away, and again while delighting in some rare warm Bay Area weather the past few days, and I've been happily gathering the compliments.  :)

SO comfy, and I'll get a lot more wear out of it as a dress

(as long as I can find some warm weather to hang out in!)

Showcasing the FUN-ness :)

Which is ready-made for twirling :)

I had more of the Batik Boutique fabric, which was perfect for the straps:

I was even able to sort of match the top to the skirt, 

so that the pattern flowed as if I meant to do it that way from the beginning ;-)

And, just for fun:  

The above was a shot taken at my friends' import & art store, Shiva Moon, in Nevada City (the heat wave destination).  They don't have a website (Hey, Jagdish & Simone, Why NOT????), but do visit their wonderfully eclectic store on Main Street if you're up in Nevada City :)

Here's to transformations and Making It Work!