Mary's new dress

Just like Mummy?

This shirt shrunk on me! It did! So I'm trying out the instructions on Craftster for converting it into a dress for Mary. I was going to make a few original modifications, but in the end decided to go with the original instructions because for THIS particular shirt it will work better - there will be matching pants, too, if all goes well.

So far, I've cut it apart. Actually, I took the seam ripper to it all - collar, sleeves, shoulders, and sides. It's stalled at the moment, waiting for a good time to continue working on it. So far I've got the dress form cut and sewn back together. I need to do a rolled hem on the arms, hem up the front, and do the arm straps. Then it's on to the matching pants (capris really). I'll do a slightly different version with the next shirt. The deal with ladies shirts, at least size medium, is that you can't get any larger than a 3T.

In other news, I finally found a decent thrift store that sells things for thrift store prices. It's tiny and crowded, but Mary had fun exploring and playing with the toys and losing me periodically (eventually she figured out how to find me on her own) and Thomas sat nicely in his carseat at the front the entire time, entertaining the older ladies who ran the place. I mostly got books, but I also found green bias tape for 25 cents, a zipper for 25 cents, and another pillowcase and sheet to match the pillowcase I already have. It's a classic white with pink roses that everyone seems to have, from the 60s or 70s or some such. I had it as a kid and long since got rid of everything except, apparently, the one pillowcase. I've had that ear-marked as a pillowcase dress for Mary. Not sure what to do with the rest. Possibly a cheesy dress or skirt for myself! Also got a nice piece of Chinese brocade for 25 cents, and hoping there's enough for a skirt for Mary. If not, a throw pillow.