27 Royal Blue DIY dress, caftan and matching cape (white flowers); 28 San Diego yellow t-shirt with yellow ribbon; and 29 Thai silk red with gold elephant; 30 Chiffon scarf with button front; 31 Reversible red diagonal pattern dress, cape blazer red brolly; 32 Dress reversed to big red rose

 Dress 27 Royal Blue Background, Caftan - DIY Dress Made From Wrap Skirt

I used the second wrap around skirt as a cape. You could sew the cape to the dress at the centre back neck, or the two shoulders, or all the way across. leave it long or cut it to midi (calf) length, or waist length, or short bolero length.

I bought two identical wrap around cotton skirts, hoping to find a reasonably priced seamstress who could convert the fabric of one into a matching top. That never happened. 

So I converted the skirt into a shift dress. 

I had learned to do that by converting a long scarf into a dress.

I had found it on a hanger and thought, that's a pretty dress. When I took it out of the cupboard I found it was a dress length scarf. I thought, before I spend money on asking somebody to convert it, I must check I have enough material, that it hangs right, and which way up the pattern should go, and which should be the back and which should be the front. I hung it in front of myself and wrapped it around. I decided to safety pin it across the shoulder to see if it was long enough. 

I could not be sure, so I cut a slit for the neck. I got out a caftan I often wore to compare the sizes. The neck slit was not large enough. I had to cut a vertical line down the centre from the neck slit, and fold it under as a V neck.

I was not sure it would hang right, so I seamed a short length under the arm down to the thigh. I took it out to show my husband and he said, "That's a pretty dress. 

He did not realise I had just seamed up a scarf. It was good enough to wear around the house without the expense of going to a seamstress. Besides we were in homestay because of Covid-19 and shops except for essential food shops were shut.

Singapore is so hot, you need to shower twice a day and wash your clothes out overnight. Next day, my dress was not quite dry. I wanted to see if I had another scarf I could convert into a dress. 

I put the pictures of my DIY dress, converting a scarf into a skirt, and got a lot of interest. I started converting other scarves, and then wrap around skirts which did not match any tops.

I got out of the cupboard shoes which were too high to wear running down the street, but looked good in the photo. I received appreciative comments, :'Love the shoes!'

Dress of the Day, was born.

I spent an hour or two each day on projects of speeches for toastmasters International which trains speakers, to give people confidence in their presentations at work. One of the projects in the pathways program is to write a blog. 

What subject could I choose?  I was already producing a dress a day. I decided to put them all in one place, not interleaved with travel, just the dress or outfit of the day.

How to make it compelling? Give links to similar items you could buy or tips on buying clothes and making clothes.

I put the pictures on Facebook and started getting comments. Song titles. 

Dress of the day was born. 

Tip of the day

Do you have a large scarf you never wear because it does not match anything else? Convert it to a dress.

A straight dress needs no pattern. Just cut and sew straight lines. This works with some fabrics which drape well.

Others might need cutting to look more elegant. 

To Make a Pattern

I learned this from a Malaysian girl at an Australian Women's sewing group in Singapore. She said that she was taught it at school. Everyone in Malaysia used to make their own clothes, without the expense or availability of manufactured patterns (which were always for Western style clothes).

If you have a caftan, lay it on the bed and use this as a pattern. 

How to make a paper pattern. 

You could take a newspaper, or several pieces of white A4 paper from a printer and sellotpe them together. 

Ensure you dont cut through anything underneath. Place underneath a chopping board, 

What to watch out for:

1 That you have enough fabric for all the pieces.

2 that you have matching cotton or sew inside out so the cotton is hidden.

3 Allow an extra inch or two or three centimetres for the seams.

4 Do big loose stitches to put the garment together and see if it fits right.

5 If it is wrong, a loose stitch is easy to remove.

6 To prevent the garment's stitching pulling apart when you move or sit down or stretch up, go over your loose running stitch with smaller stitches and reverse direction at the end and secure the end of the thread with a double knot hidden in the seam or against the same colour in a patterned fabric.

To Pin

To pin used safety pins. 

No pins? Improvise. Necessity is the mother of invention. Use paper clips from the office or study. Use, clothes pegs (Americans say clothes pins) from the drying rack in the bedroom or bathroom. Use hair clips..

Start with an old garment which doesn't matter if it gets spoiled. You could use a sheet which does not match anything else, a torn towel, a stained or faded scarf, a piece of clothing whih is too large. Or one which is too small, expanded by adding contrasting fabric or atching fabric.  

How To Convert a Scarf Into A Dress

Measure the neck width required. Cut a horizontal seam for the neck. If needed, cut a line or v shape in the centre of the seam to get the garment over your head. 

 

Cut a slit for the arm down vertically. Seaming two a straight lines either side across for the shoulder 

To Lengthen A Dress Or Skirt

If the garment is too small, wear it open at the sides like a tunic or tabard, or double apron. Wear it over a blouse, thin matching or contrasting plain dress or slip. 

If the dress is too short, wear it over a long slip.

Sew a strip of fabric or long scarf around the hem.

Alternatively, cut off a wide hem and insert contrasting fabric horizontally to make a sandwich of colours. This retains the hem of the original dress for a neat finish. 

To Hide Untidy Sewing

To hide your sewing, you could cut the top piece with pinking shears (or create your own zig zag cut with small, sharp scissors).Or edge with ribbon and overlap the fabric underneath.

You can hide untidy sewing by sewing over it a braid which is knobbly and hides uneven stitching.

If you live alone and appear on Zoom, nobody will see the lower half of your garment. The top half's stitching can be hidden by a scarf or jacket. 

Shorten And Split Garments

You could do the reverse. Shorten a long dress to make a top. Use the lower half to make a short skirt, a wrap skirt, or a mid-length skirt. 

To complete the look, I add matching shoes and a matching hat.

If you are short of shoes and hats, start with the hat or shoes and find a garment to match. Of stick to accessories in white or black.

Colour Matching Props For Effective Photos

For a photo look around the room or garden or park for something in a matching colour. A bag. A tote bag. A suitcase on wheels. A soft toy. A plant. A book. An ornament of piece of furniture. A person wearing the same colour. 

Or print a picture in the same colour. Or photograph the fabric. Frame it, or cover a picture frame.

Hold the matching item or place it on your lap when sitting, or stand beside it, or get a friend to hold it next to you or behind you.

Glossary

Running stitch - a straight stich which goes in and out in a line. If the fabric is thin and flexible, you can bunch or concertina the fabric down the length of the needle, so the longest needle the quicker it is to sew.

Dress of the Day 28 San Diego yellow t-shirt with yellow ribbon in hair tied in a bow.

29 Thai Silk Red outfit, pattern gold elephants.

FACEBOOK caption on July 25 was Dress of the Day Golden elephants on red Thai silk Captions please. 

Steve asked: How many dresses do you have? 

30 Red chiffon scarf with buttons.

Dress of the Day 30. Red and black chiffon. Light as a feather. Floating freely. 

I'll tell you a secret. 

The black dress is the reverse of yesterday's red dress. I have at least three dresses which were marketed as reversible. The little black dress was matched with a similar see-through long-sleeved blouse in lightweight chiffon to look neat with collar and cuffs for Club Officer Training (COT) on Zoom. I looked for a scarf and found a cape style light scarf which buttons down the front with imitation pearl buttons. Captions please.

31 Reversible red dress with diagonal red pattern. Accessories, red cape blazer and red umbrella

32 Reversible dress  reversed to the side with large red roses. (28 July 2020.)

Comments: Radiant red. Ravishing red.