Goodwill Dress Upcycle

I went to Goodwill to try and find a dress that I could work with and upcycle.  I found this little jumper, but obviously it was too big.  I loved the fabric of the pattern, though.  Here is my before picture.  Awkward face!!

I used a dress that I got at Target to measure some things, and my dressform was incredibly helpful in this project!  First, I measured and just cut across to my waist.  Then, I attached elastic to the bodice and the skirt.  I measured out in eighths on the fabric and the elastic, so I knew how to line it all up so that the gathers would be even all the way around the waist.  That's what you see below. This is my only process picture, though.

Then, I took in the sides so it fit.  I put it on the dress form inside out so that I could pinch the seams and pin them. I sewed them so that now it wasn't too big. I then measured the skirt length of the Target dress, and measured a similar length onto this skirt. When I had it drawn, I cut it and then I cut and hemmed the skirt. After trying it on and taking a little more in on the skirt and sides, I decided that my dress needed pockets!  I found this pocket tutorial, and used the fabric that I cut off of the bottom to create pockets. You can't see them, but they're there. :)  This was a fun first "refashion" project.  I was able to use the top pretty much as is, and just needed to take in the sides and shorten the hem.  Since it wasn't a giant overhaul, I think it was a good step in the direction of clothing reconstruction.