Create a black bow tie top from a recycled, upcycled child's size dress by Bossini
Recycling Small Clothes Into Collars and Dickeys
Many months ago I rescued a small size black garment from the tip. I washed the little dress in the washing machine. I risked damaging it, but nothing to lose. As my mother used to say, it doesn't owe you anything.
The item was clearly mush too small for me. So I cut off the top. The top had a zip at the back, but was still too small. So I a slit the sides. Vertically.
What I was left with was a dickey, or false front. In black. I realised this when I looked at a dickey I had just bought. In white.
You can vary your outfits if you buy a handy false collar, just the circular collar. That occasionally leaves a gap with skin showing if you wear it over a v-neck. It costs about 5 to 7 dollars.
Buying a Dickey
If you spend several dollars more, usually six to eight or eleven, dollars, you can buy a dickey, which has an oblong hanging down. But if you want to create one cheaply, or recycle old clothes, make your own. So, even if you don't plan to buy one,it is worthwhile looking at them online to understand the designs. By adapting a child's dress or one of your own which is too small, you can create a dickey with just a few snips of your scissors.
Fastening A Dickey
To prevent the dickey sliding sideways as you move, creating a lop-sided effect, or showing the edges under the arms, you can add elastic or ribbon ties horizontally to the lower front and back corners.
Bows & Contrasts
The black bow was hidden against the black background. I added a white collar so you could see the black bow tie. The white ribbons handing from the collar enable you to see the loop of black beads hanging from the bow tie.
Recycled Children's Dresses
The brand name of the recycled dress was bossini kids. Their small letter initials, not mine. If you don't see a dickey you like, or you want a partiuclar colour, or something fancy and unique, you could create your own from a child's or teenager's dress. If there is a zip at the back you can get it over your head. Or cut a slit or notch in the back or front, or side, and fasten with a hook and eye, or matching or contrasting ribbons to tie in a bow.
An alternative to making a dickey, would be to remove the bow tie and the black beads. Keep them together. Or acquire both a bow tie and a set of black beads for a bracelet.
Cape Blazer
To hide the edge of the cut dickey I looked for a jacket or cape blazer. a jacket concealed too much of my dickey. The wide gap in the front of the cape lazer was just right.
The white cape blazer is brand White Bird. You can buy similar cape blazers in several colours, most prolifically white or black. I have also bought cape blazers in bright red, pale pink, and burgundy wine dark red, and royal blue.
Ebay for Dickeys and Cape Blazers
You can buy them new and sometimes second hand on ebay. Ebay has a UK website as well as an international reach.
Useful Websites (alphabetically)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossini
ebay
Angela Lansbury B A Hons is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books.
About Angela The Speaker & Trainer
Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.
Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing itermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:
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