Mandy here from Sugar Bee Crafts. I am happy to be Guest Posting on CraftOManiac, thanks Jen.

Here’s the whole gang on our recent impromtu smores night:

I enjoy all things crafty and have lots of DIY and tutorials on my blog.  I even have a link party on Tuesdays so I can see your craftiness – then I show off a bunch of you on Wednesdays.  You might know me from a few of my fabulously popular posts (click picture to check them out!):

Recently I’ve tried to step up my style – – sometimes I do good, but sometimes I just don’t get it – like when I bought this weird shirt.  I ended up turning into a dress – here’s a quick how-to:

Here’s the shirt in question – it was only $2 and I thought it was “in” so I bought it – – but obviously, it’s not a good look to go with:

But with some minimal adjustments, it’s a super cute dress for my preschooler (who LOVES all dresses)

 I just took up the shoulders and then shirred (like the Shirred Pillowcase dress – see that for more instructions) the waist by sewing with elastic thread in the bobbin.  The waist was easy because I could just use the stripes as a guide, so they’re pretty straight.  And remember, when sewing with elastic thread – shoot it with steam when you’re done, and the thread will magically shrink and gather even more – it’s amazing!  Here’s an upclose of the shirring:

And since this shirt/dress was made on the bias and has long drapey sides, it makes for a great twirl factor!

 With the extra shoulder fabric that I cut off when I brought the straps in, I rolled a few fabric flowers – every dress needs a coordinating hair accessory!