I like a good wedding as much as the next girl. Or guy. Or small child. After 10pm. Who doesn’t love to spend money on a new outfit, put time and effort into getting ready, and dance the night away? I hope there’s free booze.

I’m a cheapskate, but I’m not going to look like one. I mean, I’d much rather give you an expensive gift than spend the money on myself. Who wouldn’t? (This is extremely sarcastic, as I would totally rather spend the money on myself. Again, who wouldn’t?) I will make you a nice gift to go along with my expensive outfit, do you like popsicle sticks?

Because it is not socially acceptable to spend more on my outfit and less on the bride and groom (at least in my world…), I decided to get a little crafty in the sewing department (not my best crafting skill). I bought this dress from Dailychic.com and thought I could make it a little more “me” (i.e. not so long!). By the way, I got the dress for $19 shipped after a coupon code I had. Some may say that’s the definition of cheapskate…I prefer “thrifty.”

I grabbed my needles, pins, and thread and went to work. I used the pins to find my ideal length, pinned the crap out of it, and used a tape measure to be sure it was equal length around the dress. Then I just sewed it by hand. Now, if you look closely, you can totally tell I am not a sewing machine, but who’s going to notice that from afar? No one. In fact, the two people that knew I did it myself couldn’t believe it. To be honest, neither could I.After I finished sewing, I put it on again to be sure the length was good. All was well, so I took a fabric scissors and cut off the (large) piece from inside. It turned out super cute, and I bet no one could tell I hemmed it myself!And now that I know I can sew by hand I’m having a hard time imagining all the possibilities!

My hemmed dress (!) and my hot date (!!!).