Cute skirt upcycled from an old dress

My daughter and I love to snoop around in second hand shops to see what we can find.  A week or so ago, we found this dress

The fabric was so pretty, and crisp, too, like brand new.  We knew it was unwearable as a dress, with basically no top on it, and the skirt far too short for our liking, but we bought it anyway ($3.75) just for the fabric.

After thinking it over a while, I decided to make it into a cute summer skirt for my teenage daughter.
The bodice seemed like it would make a very nice wide waistband if I reshaped the front to match the width of the bodice back.

First, I cut the front even with the back, leaving a small seam allowance.  My daughter wanted a lining to give it more modesty, and a prettier drape, so I made a slip from an organic cotton muslin sheet I had in my fabric stash. The slip is nearly as wide as the skirt, but not quite, and it is 2 1/2 inches shorter than the finished skirt.  I attached it where the skirt joins the bodice, inside.

In order to get a nicer fit, I tapered the upper edges of the bodice so they angled slightly in at the top (like an "A", instead of out like a "V'), so they would fit a waistline. I did that by taking small darts along the side of the front bodice. The side of the dress already had a zipper, which I left intact. 

The top of the dress had very pretty tuck and embroidery detailing, which I think made a very nice waistband.  You can see that, as well as where I attached the lining (the row of stitching just above the gathers), on this photo:

All together, it took less than an hour.  The best part is, my daughter really likes it : )