5 Tips for Turning Winter Frocks into Summer Dresses

Turning old clothes into something new and fresh is not only a great hobby, but also a money saving one. Now that summer is on it's way in and winter is on its way out, you may be wondering how you can take your winter frocks and turn them into summer dresses so that you can avoid an expensive trip to the mall. Well don't fear, you don't need to be a master seamstress in order to take part in this wardrobe transformation, you can just follow some of the 5 easy tips below.

Turning Winter Frocks into Summer Dresses: Long Sleeves and Length

Winter dresses usually have long sleeves and may even be longer in length, whereas summer dresses are usually short-sleeved or sleeveless and shorter in length. So how can you change your winter frock into a summer dress without having to make major alterations? Rather than changing long sleeves into short sleeves, which involves lots of measuring, you can simply purchase an inexpensive seam ripper, if you don't already own one, and use it to remove to long sleeves from your winter frock at the shoulder seam. Once both sleeves have been removed you just make a simple hem around the arm hole, and voila! You should be left with a sleeveless summer dress that allows your body to breathe easier. As for shortening the length, that is a little bit for tricky. If you aren't comfortable changing the length yourself, then do take the winter frock to a tailor and have them shorten it into a summer dress for you. If you want to change the length of the dress yourself then put the winter frock on and determine how short you would like the dress, keep in mind that you need about an inch extra for a hem around the bottom. You can mark your desired length with a chalk mark or a pin. Remove the dress and measure how far from the bottom your marking is. Then you need to make this same length mark all the way around the dress so that the length comes out even. Don't worry too much about it being perfectly even, especially if your winter frock is more flowing, flowing dresses are more forgiving than say a stiff dress that is cut more like a pencil skirt at the bottom. Now, once you have made your marking you can cut off the excess length and make your hem around the bottom in one of two ways. You can use a product like Stitch Witchery, which doesn't require a sewing machine, but be warned that your hem might not last as long, or you an sew the hem (with machine or by hand).

Turning Winter Frocks into Summer Dresses: Winter Frocks with a Belt

If your winter frock has a belt, then you can make a simple swap to turn it into a winter dress. Remove the belt from your winter frock and replace it with a brightly colored ribbon to turn it into a summer dress. Winter frocks are likely to be darker in color than a summer dress would be, so adding a brightly colored ribbon can help to add a bright summer color to your dark winter frock. You can decide whether you could like the ribbon long or short, tied in the front, back, or off to the side. You can even change out the ribbon for a fresh new look.

Turning Winter Frocks into Summer Dresses: Buttons

Buttons are an easy change, and since buttons come in so many different colors, shapes, and even come in the form of animals and objects, they can make a huge difference in the style of a garment. Swapping out dark buttons on a winter frock with brighter buttons will help bring your dress into summer. If the buttons you are swapping out are functional buttons, then you need to make sure that you choose buttons that are the same size so that they fit through the button holes and stay through the buttons holes, you don't want your dress flying open. Besides for functional buttons that are already on a winter frock, you can add decorative brightly colored buttons to add a little summer fun to your dress. Make sure that if you are going to add decorative buttons, that you lay them out before you start attaching them, to avoid excessive decoration. You will also want to take into consideration the weight of the buttons and the sturdiness of the material so that the buttons don't pull the dress in a funny way.

Turning Winter Frocks into Summer Dresses: Patches

I'm not talking about heavy patches, like the ones you might have received in Girls Scouts. There are are some really nice, light patches out there at your local fabric and craft stores that can definitely add some summer to your winter wardrobe. Like adding decorative buttons, you will want to lay the patches out before you attach them, you can even pin them in place and and try the dress on to see how it will look. Don't go overboard with patches, and I recommend choosing either patches or buttons, not both.

Turning Winter Frocks into Summer Dresses: Accessories

If you are in need of a summer dress in a hurry and all you have are winter frocks, then you can always use accessories as a way of transforming from winter to summer. Broaches are one quick and easy way to change the look of an outfit, and they can be found at stores like Claire's and Target, and are rather inexpensive. You can add brightly colored necklaces make of large beads, or funky earrings to your outfit. If your winter frock has long sleeves and you don't have time to remove them, then you can simply push them up to 3/4 length and add a fun, chunky, and brightly colored bracelet to your wrist.