Ugly Dress = Pretty Skirt

I bought this dress last winter on ebay.  The pictures weren't very good, but it was cheap and it looked like it might have potential, plus the listing said it was on like new condition.  To say I was disappointed with what I got would be an understatement.
 There were pen marks and what like water marks all over the skirt and it smelled bad.  The seller wouldn't let me return it so I did the only thing I could do.
I washed it.... a few times.  Most of the marks came out and the smell went away, but the velvet frayed at the neck line making unwearable, and I just didn't really like it.  It seemed a little old fashioned (not in a good way) and frumpy to me.
So this ugly ruined dress just hung in Emma's closet.  Until yesterday, when I was in there putting clothes away got a vision the pretty skirt this dress could be.

Right away I took the dress downstairs and took a pair of scissors to it.  Then I took my rotary cutter and got a nice even cut on the skirt part and the crinoline that was originally with it.

Next I cut off another strip that was 5 inches by 30 inches for the waist and I cut off the ties.

I cut the waist band in half and sewed it back together with the ties in it about 1/2 inch from the bottom.  Then I gathered the tops of the skirt and the crinoline, sewed them to the waistband, made the casting on the waist band and put in the elastic.  It took less than an hour to transform it from ugly dress to pretty skirt.

I love the result, I wish I had one in my size.  Due to the damage that was done to the dress there are still a few pen marks and snags in the skirt, but they really aren't noticeable and I like having really cute clothes for my kids that I don't really care about.  After all I am  sure Emma would have gotten a pen mark on it anyway.

I kinda feel like I should clarify something about buying kids clothes on Ebay.  For years I bought almost all my kids clothes on Ebay and it is still my go to place when I want to find a Childrens Place sweater vest from two years ago to match the ones I already have, or to get a great deals on Gymboree, Gap, or Boden.  And my good experiences by far out weighed the bad.  When I just had Emma and even Alan I bought most their clothes used and then turned around and sold them again so I could buy more.  Emma usually only wore things once or twice before I would sell it, for basically the same price I bought it for (sometimes more) and get something new.  Now that I have 4 kids it just takes to much time and with the boys it seems like as soon as one of them grows out of a shirt or something the next one is ready to wear it, or it is totally trashed and not worth anything anymore.

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