With spring around the corner it was about time to pull out spring and summer clothes which I have kept after my older daughter and have them refreshed for the younger one. Everything got washed and ironed but unfortunately a couple of dresses had quite stubborn stains which didn’t go away even with stronger detergent. I really didn’t want to throw the dresses away, so I came up with an idea to save at least pieces of them. This DIY Old Clothes into New project will show you how I have tackled stains. Just look at this white dress, so pretty or should I say it was pretty……. but when you look closely you will see so many yellow stains…. There was no other way like using scissors and some new fabric to fix that lovely dress.Before I can start with sewing I will show you how to change the thread in my overlock sewing machine. I need to have those two pink changed in to white threads, beige will not be visible much so I will leave it as it is.First we need to cut the thread and tie end of the white thread to it. Then we will have to slowly start pulling the pink end through the machine parts. Work with one thread at the time. Can you see on the pictures how the knot is passing individual parts of the machine? When you get to the point where the tie is not going to pass through the eye you will need to cut just before it and feed the thread manually. Then you can start with the 2nd thread.  The same situation here, you will have to cut it and feed it manually.  Now, when the machine is ready I can show you what I did with the dress and how to turn old clothes in to new. I have kept the bottom of it, top and lining. All the middle section got cut off and now the stains are gone for good. I have kept about 1.5 to 2 cm width of the main section. Now we will need it to connect the new replacement fabric into it. I have aligned width of both pieces in the best possible way like on the picture below. Fabric type goes with it too. I didn’t have white but this creamy colour will be just fine.I sew the ends together and then sew across the hem on the right side to make it nice and flat. I have sew on a new fabric with bottom flowery part of an old dress and then sew on the top through, the same way like the above photo, to make it nice and flat. Next we have to add the top edge of new fabric in to the little piece which was left after cutting off stained section of the dress, but this time we will have to make quite a lot of gathering to fit it all in, as the bottom of the dress was much wider than the top of it. I’m working on the overlock machine but you can easily use regular machine and I think sewing maybe even a bit easier on it than on the overlock. This is how it looks underneath and below picture shows how it has turned on top. Now I have sew it all over with regular machine to press underneath seam. Since I wasn’t 100% happy with the line of connection between an old part and new part on the front of the dress I have covered it with some elastic decorative tape and I have sew it on by had as machine had hard time to work straight through to many layers.I think it is very well visible on my little model Anna. She is getting more and more patient with posing hahahaha It took about 30 pictures to get those few and we both got very tired of chasing each other around the room.This is going to be super nice dress for summer days and it wasn’t really hard to turn old clothes into new. You need a bit of imagination, that’s all. Funny part is that she didn’t want to take it off later on, so we chased around the room a bit more.I was so happy with results I have fix another dress in a bit different way. You will have to customize your designs as each dress, or maybe a top, may have damages in different places and you will have to get creative and come up with solution to it. Try to use similar type of fabric or at least similar thickens of it. Play with colours, you may get better design result than the original clothes used to be. This plain pale blue dress was so boring before, sorry I didn’t take a picture before I have turned it into a new one.Sweet, sweet Anna, so adorable on her little bike in her gorgeous flowery dress. I have to go over other boxes stashed with clothes, maybe I can show you more tricks on how to turn old clothes into new.