The first year we attended the Northern California Renaissance Faire we had just relocated from Boston to the Bay Area. Most of my sewing things were still in storage and I found myself scrambling to put something together for my daughter. I hit up our local thrift shop and found a thin ivory cotton lady’s dress shirt shot through with gold threading and a size 5 burgundy velvet dress. I chopped up the shirt, ripping out seams and neckline and converted it into a chemise for my 2 year old daughter.

I then turned my attention to the dress. It was going to be to big, but I was pretty sure I could make it work. I found some lovely yellow-gold satin, a golden brocade, lace, and some matching ribbon, trim, and buttons. I split the skirt in two places up to the waist, and carved out a v detail in the front, which I then filled with lace and satin. Some lovely tie-ups for the arms were crafted from the gold brocade. These, joined together with the dress, would allow me to gather up the sleeves of the chemise and get a few years’ wear out of both the dress and the undergarment.

All in all, it’s worked out well for a quick refashion, and she got three years of wear out of it (It would have been four but we skipped a year).

Now I just have to figure out what we’re going to do for next year!