In which I paint a dress

Do you sew? Refashion? take random snips at clothes to make them more wearable? Patch and repair instead of throwing it away? Save the unrepairable for rags, patchwork, reasons unknown? Love shopping at thrift stores? Only shop at thrift stores? All the above? If so, I think you'll like this. Because I like it, and I do all of the above.

This last Sunday, while looking for something to wear, I pulled this pretty pink dress from my closet. I love this dress, it's the epitome of an Easter dress. I've worn in a lot since my friend gave it to me. I even wore it to my bridal shower.

Buy when I put it on, it felt old. Dull. It needed some serious sprucing up. I looked in the mirror and saw flowers blooming on the front. A brighter waist band. So I wore something else to church and decided I'd brighten the dress up this week.

Here I model my fab dress for a before photo.
All laid out for painting.
Green vines in the works.
After!
Details


Pretty, no? I'm really pleased with the result. When I was a kid, we used to use "fabric paint" to make all kinds of gaudy designs on old t-shirts or jeans that we didn't care about messing up. They were not items we wore to church, or anywhere serious for that matter. Now I'm seeing clothes painting in a new light. It can be beautiful and elegant. Not just crafty or ridiculous. And I didn't even use "fabric paint," I used acrylic paint. Which is what fabric paint is, just in special tube squeeze bottles, that never did make it easier to control. I love acrylic paint. And I believe I'll be using it to paint some more garments in the future.
Stay tuned.