I was reluctant for a long time. Leggings are NOT pants. Nope. I wore them when they were popular the first time many moons ago, there’s no way I’m wearing them again. Nope. Not happening. Then it happened and now I wear them nearly daily. But finding fun tops to wear with them so I don’t look like I’m heading to a yoga studio has been a challenge. Oversized only works so well before it just looks sloppy or makes it look like I’m hiding something. So, I have been hunting down dresses or tops to convert to be tunics. They don’t have to be that long, just enough to cover part of my posterior.
Materials
I found this fun dress at H&M and fell for the ruffles.
I chose to use pale yellow thread because it was already in my machine and I only had about 22 minutes to get this all done before the cartoon ended and I was pulled back to kid play.
Process
I folded up where I wanted the new hem to be and stitched a straight line. That’s it. I know, not as good as my usual craftsmanship, but it got the job done.
I then trimmed the excess fabric from the hem beyond the stitches.
It wasn’t that much, but made quite a difference.
Result
It was so easy to shorten it and I mean SO easy. I had both boys helping me so I had to be quick then the after photos were taken by LB who may not appear in front of the camera, but is great at snapping fun pics.
The hem falls just perfectly to not feel oversized. I find also that for a straight hem like this, mid- to upper-hip landing is key so I don’t look wider. It also means my legs aren’t visually shortened.
The khaki capris are not the best match for the floral print, but it is quite nice to see how the new top goes with other bottoms.
And the best part of it was retained, of course. The ruffled sleeves!
It is a charming top and I’m still imagining a way to take it to the next level. Maybe a little crochet trim at the hem in light blue. Check back…who knows what I’ll do with it next!
