Handsewn Seventies Loveliness

I've decided to jump back into refashioning... it's funny to think that this has caught on so much. I've been doing this since I was a little kid! We never had tons of money, so they only way to get some of the latest things were to make them! However, then, I didn't have a sewing machine, so I was left to my own devices. A needle and thread.

Another thing plunging back into refashioning will help me with is my appearance. I love makeup, doing it, wearing it, mulling over it at the store.. so I'm never really without all of that. This summer's been all about the cutoff's and tee's. Most summer's, I can't be caught in anything but dresses, however, I really haven't had anywhere to wear them! That concerns me too, because before I never needed a reason. I'm slacking. My hair's always piled on top of my head, I haven't cut or colored it in forever!! Fix it?!? Pfffftttt... I'm in need of an overhaul! A glamour intervention! So, I'm going to just put it out there! J Lee is going to STOP being lazy in the beauty area.

But back to the project. There were a bunch of dresses that I had brought home from my grandma's attic. They all look hand sewn, being there's a lack of a tag, and overlocked stitches. I'm finally setting them out to refashion after the few years of procrastinating.

This dress is my favorite. I couldn't seem to capture how vibrant the colors in this fabric are. (Dont mind the messy attic, the weight room's up there, and you're witnessing the aftermath of a girly slumber party I haven't  had the chance to clean up yet)

Actually, I couldn't seem to capture a good photo of this dress all together. One of my photographers was at cheer practice, and Big Al was laying in the air conditioning after a long day at work. So I was left to the attic mirrors


 (that's a white tank I have on under the dress, hopefully before I sew it tomorrow I'll snap a before pic once more, sans the tank)
I wish I knew who made this dress. The stitching is so impressive. The facing is done very professionally,  The patterns are matched up pretty well from front to back also. The only chuckle I got out of the dress was the fact that there is only one pocket sewn in, on the right hand side.

Love these buttons!

So here's the problem. The reason why this dress needs refashioned. It really has no shape. While the buttons are cute, that, combined with the v neck front and back, make it almost impossible to keep on. The fabric has a stiffness to it, or I would have called it a day and worn it as a bikini coverup. That stiff quality would make the dress better suited for shape sewn in. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but I would love to get some help, What do you guys think?