Convert an oversized skirt into a stylish dress

1. Assess the fit. Turn the skirt inside out. Use a pair of dressmaker’s scissors to snip 15cm downwards from the top of each side seam to open it up. This will allow you, when trying the skirt on (pulling it up around you as if it were a dress), to hold your arms into the position where the armholes will be formed.

2. Pinch the fabric up, pinning it together on each side at the top where the waistband of the skirt is and leaving an open gap for your head. These pinched sections will later form the shoulder seams. Make sure the side seam cuts are equal on both sides, keeping the dress on to estimate the rest of the garment shaping.

3. Pin, chalk and cut the shoulder seams. These should slope gently downward from the neckline. The best fit will be achieved by pinning together at the neckline, then working down towards the shoulders. Once satisfied, take the dress off. Mark a 1.5cm seam allowance along both shoulders then cut along the chalk line, leaving the pins in place.

4. Neaten the armholes. Note that, due to being finished with bias binding, there is no need to add a seam allowance to these edges. If the shoulders now stick out slightly, trim them down to neaten. To do this, try the dress on again, inside out. With wrong sides facing outwards, mark the cutting line with dressmaker’s chalk.

5. Trim the front side of both arm hole edges, then take the dress off. Lay it on a flat surface with the front facing uppermost. Trim the back armhole carefully, following the curve of the front armhole as a template.

6. Create the neckline. As with the armhole construction, try the dress on and chalk out the neckline. Once satisfied, cut it out - again, there is no need to add a seam allowance. Sew the shoulder seams with right sides together using a straight machine stitch.

7. Prepare to strengthen the fabric. If the dress is lighter in weight than the material chosen for the lengthening panels, it will need to be reinforced using fusible interfacing.This will prevent the panel from billowing out once attached to the dress. Note: only the lower portion of the garment, from the waistline to the hem, needs strengthening.

8. Cut out the interfacing using the dress as a template. Fold the interfacing in