High-Low Hem Toddler Tunic | Contributor Post from Navy Wifey Peters

Hello I Should Be Mopping the Floor readers! I'm T'onna (Navy Wifey Peters) from the USS Crafty blog, and I'm excited to bring one of my sewing creations to I Should Be Mopping the Floor.

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Recently, I've been refashioning the clothes that I just can't seem to let go, even though I haven't worn them in years... many years. Several years ago, I bought a black, purple, gray, and teal dress from Wet Seal.  I think I may have worn it a few times with leggings, but eventually, it became a house dress.  Since I still loved the fabric, I decided to refashion it into something for my daughter.  And what a process that was! Here are some pictures from my sewing adventure:

This is me wearing the dress in its original form.  I purchased the dress from Wet Seal at least 5 years ago.  I loved the lacy crochet piece on the neckline of the dress, so I carefully removed it, so that I could use it on the new tunic.

I didn't use a pattern to transform the dress into a high-low hem toddler tunic.  I used one of my daughter's 2T tunics as a guide for making the bodice of the new tunic.  I used my yellow tailor's chalk to trace around the tunic onto the wrong side of the fabric, and I traced around a little larger for the seam allowance.  I doubled up the fabric, and sewed the pieces together.  Then I flipped the pieces inside out.  

I decided to add buttons to the back of the tunic.  I found some purple buttons in my button stash, and I used my handy dandy button hole maker.  Another sewing blogger once told me that I should always sew around the button hole twice.  That is such great advice! I sewed the buttons on by hand.  

I zigzag stitched the parts of the bodice together.  Then I cut a rectangular piece for the bottom of the tunic, and I stitched a gathering stitch around the top.  I ironed the bodice piece, and then sewed the bodice and the bottom together. 

I cut the bottom to create the high-low hem, pinned it, and then sewed it.  I decided to add some ruffles to the front of the tunic, so I used some scrap fabric from the dress to create ruffles.  The last thing I did to this tunic was I hand sewed the lacy crochet piece onto the neck line.  It really pops!

Ta-da!  All Done!  I am extremely happy with this sewing project.  I think it turned out really well, especially since I did not use a pattern.  This tunic looks really cute on my daughter.  I was a little sad that I wasn't able to get the pattern of the fabric to line up perfectly in the back, but that's one of the drawbacks of upcycling; the amount of fabric I had to work with was really limited.

It's so much fun making something old new again! Thanks for reading!  

You can find me at USS Crafty and on Facebook. 

T'onna is a navy wife and mother who blogs at the USS Crafty. T'onna lives in Georgia with her submariner Kris and toddler Krissy. T'onna enjoys sewing, crocheting, refinishing furniture, painting, and making wreaths. In addition to sharing her creations, T'onna also provides glimpses into the life of a military family.