Prom Dress makeover. Prom time? Really? Time flies. I know you know this. I know it’s cliche. But it’s also true! Suddenly, and without warning, I have an 18yo daughter who is graduating this spring. She has attended a local career center for her junior and senior years of high school, after homeschooling from 5th grade thru 10th grade.
She was chosen for Prom Court a couple months ago so we began the search for a dress for her to wear to Prom.
I thought I’d share what we came up with – our Prom Dress Makeover.
She wanted cobalt blue, but anything she was finding online was $100 and up from there. And what she really liked that she found online were pictures on Pinterest of dresses that were no longer available. I told her we would shop locally and resigned myself to the fact that I might be making her a dress to get what we wanted.
We didn’t have any luck locally finding a typical prom dress. But at a clothing boutique we found this dress – on the clearance rack no less.
She tried it on and it fit her well – and at $14 I was pretty sure I could make it into what she really wanted.
The skirt of the dress is navy – it doesn’t translate quite as dark in the photos as it really is. And the dress lacked a top. We dislike strapless (I tend to call them topless) dresses and find it awkward when the women wearing the strapless dresses are constantly tugging them up.
That, however, I knew was not a problem. I’ve added a top to more than one strapless dress in my sewing career.
We headed to JoAnns and purchased cobalt blue sheer fabric, lining, thread, and buttons.
The total cost for the dress and all the items for the prom dress makeover was a whopping $41.
I basically used the same technique that I used on this Homecoming dress makeover from several years ago that I did for a friend’s daughter.
The only real difference was the ivory lace fabric this dress was created of is stretchy. Because of that I didn’t want to just stitch the cobalt bodice pieces directly to the ivory and then have it stretch funny when she put the dress on.
Instead, I sewed up the bodice pieces and serged the bottom edges together and then fitted it to the dress with it on my daughter and hand stitched it in place from the outside while she was wearing the dress.
After that step was finished I hand stitched again from the inside to secure the bodice top really well.
To bring the cobalt blue into play in the skirt of the dress I added a double layer of sheer cobalt fabric, creating an overskirt that cut away in the front to reveal the navy skirt underneath. I used the rolled hem on my serger to finish the edges of both sheer overskirt.
The top edge of the skirt was a fold which created a nice finished edge and I simply topstitched the overskirt to the original skirt.
I knew I wanted thread that matched the dress to use for serging the edges of the sheer skirt pieces, but I didn’t want to buy 4 spools of cobalt blue serger thread. So I bought regular thread on the small spools and just used those for my serging. You could get by with even less thread by winding a few bobbins full of the color thread used for serging and then loading your serger with the bobbins.
At the sides, the bodice pieces ended up working best to just come to the dress top and not actually meet under the arm.
Emma had wanted a row of diamond buttons all the way down the new bodice top. However, when I got to that point I decided it was going to be easiest and look the most original to just use one button to fasten the top of the bodice together in the back.
A side-by-side before and after is always fun to compare and see exactly what transpired to create the difference.
Originally we bought navy hose and dress shoes to go with her outfit.
The weather ended up being warmer than normal, and I took her in for a spray tan so we nixed the hose and shoes and went with her cobalt blue converse. I love this look better anyway!
She used jewelry she already had to complete the outfit.
A friend who is in cosmetology school did Emma’s hair and makeup before Prom.
This girl of mine doesn’t like to drive and will come up with any excuse to NOT drive. Since I was planning to go to see the Prom Court presented and the king and queen crowned later in the evening, she convinced me to drop her off too. So I dropped her off, answered texts from her for the next couple hours and then arrived back at the school for the presentation of prom court. As soon as that was over and she was all done on stage, she was ready to go. And introvert by nature, this girl is sweet and kind and had been a joy to be a Mother to. It was fun to create this prom dress makeover for her and share in the experience with her.
Now – on to graduation and her grad party which we are planning now!
Love how the dressed turned out !!!!! WhAt beAutiful daughter you have !!!
Thank you so much Anita!
You are not only a wonderful seamstress but also a designer! I never would have thought of that. It’s so cute and more sensible and modest. I’m like you, why would you want to wear a dress you have to pull on all night. Love the look of the shoes and I’m sure they were more comfortable. I wish that had been a fad when I was young.
Isn’t the converse with dress clothes a fun fad?! I loved how it all came together and she loved it too.
Love her style! It must be great to have you for a mom!
Well, I don’t know how great they think it is but my girls make being their Mom a lot of fun!
Jill, I smiled when you said that your daughter was “without warning” 18 years old! That’s how life creeps up on us isn’t it! Thank you for the lovely blog. . .
It’s so funny how life does that! You just go along, living one day at a time and then all of a sudden it’s like ‘where did all that time go?’!
Ha-ha. So true!
Yep, those little rascals have tendency to grow up on us while we’re busy being their Mom, lol. Sigh. Your daughter sure looks like her Mom. So glad you were able to make her dress to her liking and be modest and ladylike. Such a cute idea wearing her blue Converse shoes and so much more comfy to have fun, she looks so pretty in her dress.
What a fantastic idea how you converted her dress and made it prettier, love the colors. Her hair is so pretty and fashionable. Know how important those things are to 18 yr. old girls. You are great Mom Jill, all 3 are very lucky to have you for their Mom. One down, 2 more to go. What fun huh?
Next year our youngest grand daughter will graduate high school and year after her sister will graduate from college being a special needs teacher unless she decides to go on for her masters. Next year oldest son’s boy will graduate from college in KY.
We’d better save our money huh with all these kids graduating. What happened to all those adorable grand kids? Actually just remembered, grandson has two more years as he decided to work in his field (Chemical engineering) this year then go back to college. After he graduates he has two more years of scholarship for his masters. Are you ready for Emma to go to college or is she planning something else? These kids grow up so fast, before we know it they’re married with their own families. How is your husband dealing with his girls growing up?
Can hardly believe our kids are as old as they are already, they probably feel the same.
Have wonderful weekend So good to hear from you.
Hi JaneEllen! Emma has a job – she did early placement via her school and has been working the second semester of school instead of attending class. She is most likely going to keep the job this summer while she decides what she wants to do. She does not want to go to college but we are encouraging her to take some classes at the local community college and/or online and perhaps decide to get a degree in business. We shall see what unfolds for her!
So admire your sewing skills! (thanks for adding to the ‘topless’ 🙂 ) I love her shoes. Especially since I – at 50 something – donned a brightly colored similar pair to attend church this AM 🙂 Yes – I’m wearing a skirt. (wondering what comments I will get – but I don’t have white shoes other than sandals and it’s just too chilly for that. So this was my next ‘spring’ option for what I’m wearing)
Thanks so much Joyce. I love that you wore your converse with a skirt to church! It’s such a cool look and I don’t think it matters what age you are!
I love the pictures of Emma. She looked so cute. And you did a grand job with the dress as always!
Thank you! She did look so very cute! I want to get some pics ordered for her grad party – these turned out so good.
Was she with you when we met in Wisconsin at Laura’s. I think so, but I hardly recognize her. She has grown up to such a beautiful lady!
Yes, Goedele, she was – that’s been so long ago already!