Spring means second chances...

And this dress was begging for a second chance.

My friends and I called this before dress the "sister-wife" dress because we watch too much HBO. There are certainly some things about it that scream 'PLURAL MARRIAGE!' but other things that just epitomize bad 80s fashion. The dress is many contradictions, including a print that seems straight out of a Flintstones cartoon.

So brace yourself, as this dress has been put out of its misery!

BEFORE:

This lovely ditty was acquired at a thrift store in the basement of a catholic church in small town Montana for 75-cents. I kept the basic structure of the bodice, which meant I didn't have to move the zipper, I just cropped off the top and zig-zagged the ends to create new stoppers. I also cut a foot or so off the bottom. The discarded sleeves supplied ample fabric for interfacing.

I was determined to use a pattern on this project, but it didn't happen :( I like to use patterns so that when I share my refashions with the blogosphere I can give instructions on how to duplicate it... but honestly I didn't like the neckline from the pattern that I originally used so I just started cutting different neck shapes until I got to one I liked! I cut it down to a sweetheart neckline, then gathered the center and stitched on a band to cover the gather.

AFTER:

And a close-up shot of the bodice: