Upcyling: turning an old skirt to an Aline gown for my niece

I’m excited to share an upcycling project I did recently that brought so much joy to my heart. With sustainability in mind, and creativity light in, I transformed an old abandoned skirt into a nice gown for her. It turned out to be a really lovely gift for my niece that she really loved.

The skirt had been sitting unused for long, but the fabric was still in good condition. I examined its length, width, and texture to determine how I could repurpose it into a gown.

Since it was already a flare skirt as you see, I decided to tune it into an Aline gown for her. The flared design would work beautifully for the bottom of the dress, and I could use the rest of the fabric for the bodice.

So I got the skirt and folded it, cut out the front part of the skirt and used it for the front part of the gown.
After folding it into two I applied her body measurement to the fabric and was able to cut out the front.
I also placed the front on the back and I cut out the bacon adding an Inch allowance for the zip

Once the pieces were ready, I hemmed the necklines for both the front and back sections. Next, I attached a zipper to the back, ensuring it was secure and aligned neatly.

The most satisfying part was joining the front and back pieces together to create the gown’s main structure. It started to take shape beautifully, and I could already picture how adorable my niece would look in it!

To give the gown a polished look, I hemmed the edges neatly and added a belt for a snug fit around her waist. I also crafted a small decorative rose from the leftover fabric and stitched it onto the dress as a final touch.

Below you can see how the front and the back of the dress looks like

My niece really loved the dress, she love seeing new things made for her so she's always excited and she even started dancing hehe.
I'm so happy it turned out really nice. I love being able to upcylce old stuffs and turn them into nice outfits!

This project was a labor of love, and it reminded me of the importance of creativity and sustainability. Turning an unused skirt into a lovely gown was indeed fulfilling and I was so happy to see that she loved it as always.
I hope you also like it and will try up cycling something too, it's a lovely experience if you do.

Thank you for your time here!