My friends daughter recently gave me a bunch of old clothes to dig through before they went off to goodwill. I found some good scores in the pile.
For example, this little, bleach stained tank top may have otherwise been trash, even at the goodwill.
I forgot to take a picture before I cut it, but you get the idea. You can see some of the bleach stains on the bottom right corner. There were more on the back.
I have made this type of maxi dress a few times before. It is a definite go to pattern when I have an old tank top in need of a new life. You can see some other examples of how I have done this in the past here,
here,
I found the original tutorial here.
It's very simple. I like to use a little less fabric than she does in her tutorial. A few inches more than my hip width, so there isn't so much gathering and then not as much need for the belt. For a short maxi, she recommends folding the fabric to make a bubble type skirt, but I do not do that. I just use one piece of fabric and hem the bottom as she does for the long maxi. The less bulk around the middle, the better.
I used a really nice piece of vintage floral fabric. It was just the right size.
Here is how it came out.
I made a little matching belt for it, too, but I like it better without it.
Using less fabric for the circumference created a much nicer gather. I think I will be making them this way for now on. It still goes on easy. There is just enough stretch to pull it on and off without any issues.
I highly recommend using this method to breath new life into old tank tops.
I always get lots of compliments on these dresses everywhere I go.
