Recently I’ve been in the mood to get rid of stuff that I don’t need. I think some of it may be that I read a couple of articles about Marie Kondo’s philosophy, and parts of it really resonated with me. So with a new-found permission to let go of things that don’t bring me joy, I tackled a couple of closets. And in one, I found a bag of clothes containing items I set aside to get rid of the last time I went through my wardrobe. Oops. Even worse, I found a couple of things in the bag that I decided I want to hold onto after all. Just not in their current forms.
One of the items was a Richard Chai for Target dress, which you can see in its entirety in this post from 2010 (I’m wearing the exact same watch and sandals in those photos. I’d be lying if I said I did it on purpose.) When I pulled it out of the bag, I realized that I like the pattern, but it just feels like too much for me in dress form. But I thought I would like it a lot better if it was a skirt. A light bulb went on over my head when I remembered that I have the ability to convert it. Part of me hesitated, because it was a perfectly good dress that someone would be happy to wear. Just not me. Thinking about it, though, I realized that it’s not vintage or an heirloom, it’s just a mass-produced piece of fast-fashion. So I dove in.
Basically, I just unpicked the waist seam, removed the existing exposed zipper and replaced it with an invisible one, then added a waistband made out of black cotton scraps I had in my fabric stash. This tutorial is a good reminder on how to make a waistband for a circle skirt, but I also added some interfacing to mine. Well, on the second try. The first waistband I made was too tight, so I cut it off and re-did it, and it fits perfectly now.
When I de-clutter, I rarely wish I hadn’t gotten rid of something, but in this case, I’m really glad I held onto this dress. I can see myself wearing it a lot in its new form.
Hooray for de-cluttering! I may have made it sound like I failed, but I did actually find a lot of stuff to get rid of. And Marie Kondo helped, even though I haven’t actually read her wildly popular book. Have you read it? Or are you already such a master of minimalism that you don’t need it?
Brilliant transformation. Read the book and it’s given me a lot to think about. It’s such a new way of looking at tackling clutter. And permission to get rid of things that don’t “move” you. So, we usually have a bag for consignment and a bag for Goodwill going at all time. Not sure if I will be able to go for the big push yet!
Tammy, that sounds like a really good step in the right direction! That part about getting rid of things that don’t “spark joy,” seems to be key, since it’s so easy to hold onto things that you feel obligated (for various reasons) to keep. I guess I’m also using the same idea to give myself permission to re-make items that don’t meet that same criteria.
Thank you! 🙂