A Blue Seersucker Shirt to Toddler Dress Refashion

 I was very excited this weekend to see my niece wearing a dress I made for her last spring, (She has worn the dress since I gave it to her, I just haven't been around to see it until now.)

This dress stared out as a men's button down I thrifted years before my niece was even born. 

A beautiful blue cotton seersucker! Sometime last winter I unearthed it in my fabric stash and decided it needed to become a dress for my niece. I used Simplicity 9243 to accomplish this goal.

I loved the peter pan collar and cut on sleeves!

I cut the skirt from the body of the shirt, below the sleeves, and kept the original hem. 

I filled in the higher sides with some wide eyelet trim from my stash. Prior to cutting the skirt, I removed the breast pocket from the shirt, with the intention of re-using it as a pocket on the skirt.

Under the pocket I found some pen marks on the fabric. Well we know that pocket was used! These pen marks would have been visible at the very top of the skirt, so I had to figure out a way to cover them. More eyelet to the rescue!

Once the skirt was sorted out, I cut the bodice out of the top of the shirt body, and cut the underside collar from the yoke pieces. 

In keeping with the eyelet on the skirt I went back to my trim stash and found a scrap of eyelet fabric to cut the top layer of the collar from and a ruffled eyelet trim to finish the sleeves off with.

I used the original button placket down the back of the dress.

Due to a cutting miscalculation, the button placket is only functional from neck to waist. The button placket on the skirt is purely decorative. 

 

Thankfully the back still opens enough for my niece to easily get the dress on and off!

She particularly likes the pocket on the skirt! It's the perfect place to store the gum Mimi gave her!

She looks absolutely adorable in this dress (though, of course, she looks adorable in anything!), and it was absolutely worth taking the time to make!

Now I just need to make her lots more dresses!