Red linen dress

Popular in the 90s, I remember my mother wearing these linen button down dresses with ivory buttons. A little outdated by it's length and shoulder pads, a half hour with a sewing machine and some scissors and you'll have a new shirt/dress to wear all the time!

Before:

You will need:

• the dress, of course
• scissors
• pins
• measuring tape
• tailor's chalk (optional)

Start by putting on the dress and figuring out what length you desire. I chose right above the knee. If you're slender and don't have much of a behind, you can simply measure the same distance from the botton all the way around and this alteration is very simple. 

But for the curvier ladies, you may want to measure the distance from the ground to where the new hem will be. You may need a helper for this but it's quite simple. Sometimes you'll end up with the dress at your knees in the front and a few inches higher in the back. I've learned this the hard way, and you can't add back that fabric once you cut it!

 I measured 17" up from the bottom all the way around. Marked it with chalk, and cut.

Save the buttons, they can be used in a future project. Along with the scrap fabric, you could make a matching bag maybe.

 Shorten the sleeves by about 2 inches. And remove those shoulder pads too!

 A simple double folded hem along the bottom and it's that simple! You're already done.

After:

My lovely model, Kaitlyn, in the new dress. Simple, bold, and very versatile. And this dress was only $4 at Goodwill! I have a black one just like this I shortened last year that I wear it all the time! It reminds me of the one my mom always wore when I was growing up. I like to pair it with different colored slips and leave the top few buttons undone and add a bright belt at my natural waist! 

What would you wear with this?