Repurposing an old gown to make hoodie top and short for my niece

Repurposing old clothes has always been fun and something I want to do always, and recently, I decided to challenge myself by transforming an old short gown into a cute hoodie top and short for my niece. I had never made a hoodie before so It was a first-time experience making a hoodie cap, but with some determination, creativity, and a little help from a YouTube tutorial, I successfully brought my idea to life.
I'll tell you all about it!

Below is the fabric I used for it:

it was her mother's dress that has been lying in the closet. So instead of discarding it, she asked if there's anything I could do with it, even if it's to transform it to something else for her child.
My niece loves anything that will add to her list of clothes, and she loves stylish, comfortable outfits, so I decided to create something fun and practical for her. I thought of a hoodie top and trouser as the best idea but I soon realized the dress won't be enough for both hoodie top and trouser so I made short instead.
The thought of using an already sewn garment to make a completely new outfit but it is easy with the right steps and actually exciting when you finish it.

I needed to plan carefully to ensure there was enough fabric for both the hoodie top and shorts.
I gathered the following tools and materials:

• The old gown
• A pair of scissors
• A measuring tape
• Chalk for marking the fabric
• Pins for holding pieces together
• A sewing machine (but hand stitching could also work)
• A needle and thread for small adjustments

So I started cutting the gown and loosing some old seam to have enough wideness for what I needed.

So I made pattern for the too by folding the now wide fabric into two and I marked out the top applying the right bodice measurements of my niece. With that I achieve a nice top pattern

After cutting the front and back piece of the top, it was time to make the hoodie cap.
Creating the hoodie cap was the most challenging part for me because I had never made one before. I decided to watch a detailed tutorial on YouTube, which guided me through the process. The key steps included:

• Cutting two curved pieces of fabric to form the hood.
• Stitching the curved edges together to create the cap shape.

Then I attached the hood to the neckline of the top.
It took some trial and error to get the size of the hood right, but with patience, I managed to achieve a clean finish.
After attaching the hood, I added a hemline to the bottom of the top for a better look.

The remaining fabric was used to create a pair of shorts. I traced the shape of a simple shorts pattern onto the fabric, cut out the pieces, and stitched them together. To ensure the shorts were comfortable and fit well, I added an elastic band to the waistband.

After completing the hoodie and shorts, I was thrilled with the result! The outfit looked nice and modern, and my niece was absolutely delighted at seeing it, another new clothes hehe.

There's always something to learn with each project we complete. This project taught me several important lessons:

• Repurposing is rewarding: Turning an old piece of clothing into something new and useful is not only cost-effective but also environmentally friendly.

• Working with pre-sewn fabric requires extra care to avoid mistakes so it needs a lot of patience

• I learned how to make a hoodie cap, and it was a fun experience!

If you have old clothes lying around, don’t hesitate to experiment with repurposing them. Projects like this allow us to explore our creativity while giving unused items a second life. It’s also a fun way to practice sewing and create unique, personalized pieces for anyone.

As I said before this was my first attempt at making a hoodie cap and with an already made old garment, and I’m glad I took on the challenge. The joy on my niece’s face when she saw her new outfit made all the effort worthwhile. I'm so happy to share it here in the community and I hope you like it and feel inspired to try repurposing at home.

Thank you all for your time and see you next time 🤗