Pulled From the Donation Pile: Refashioned to Fit

To be completely honest when I purchased this RTW cotton knit dress I had no clue where the Northern Mariana Islands were located and I didn't give it much thought past the USA printed on the label.  This Jones New York dress is decades old, purchased a long time ago, predating the Fashion Revolution Movement.  I had no idea about this New York Times article about labour practices in the fashion industry on the Northern Mariana Islands.  Exploitive labour practices in the fashion industry is something that is often associated with places like Bangladesh and China rather than hiding beside the USA lettering.   Let me be real for a moment, Canadian companies have a way to go in cleaning up their own act in the fashion industry.  It is a global issue that has an impact on the way workers and the environment are exploited in the name of capitalism vs. our need to clothe ourselves.    

But here I am looking at the label of a dress that I was so ignorant about in the past wondering if someone was exploited in the creation of this item.  I'm a different consumer and activist than I was back when I found this dress.  But still it's here and it doesn't fit.  What do I do with it?  

I'm trying to save things from the donation pile since often charity and second hand stores can't keep up with the amount of donations that walk through their doors.  Billions of fast fashion clothing end up in land fills.  

By thinking of garments we wear as short term tools rather than long term investments, we contribute to wasteful consumption patterns that inevitably lead us towards drastic climate change.  (Source)

So, I'm refashioning this dress to fit because that was the only thing that prevented me from not wearing it.  The cotton knit was in perfect condition, the shoulder and armscye seams were perfect for my frame, and even the neckline was comfortable.  I just needed more ease around the mid-section.  Well, actually I need to lose weight, but that is another topic.  

The side seams were opened up and side godets were cut in black denim scraps left over from this project.  

And it was coming together until

The hem of the sleeve got caught and cut while serging the interior seams of the godets.  

So I went back to the cutting table to hand mend the hole I accidently created and to cut a denim patch to sew at the sleeve's hem.  

It wasn't the only miscalculation that I made in this refashion project.  The godet length was uneven and there wasn't enough to do a traditional hem.  I did give some consideration to giving it a frayed look but in the end decided to do a machine rolled hem edge for the denim pieces.  

Loved clothes last.