Basically what I did here was cut out the vest pieces of the costume. When pinned to fabric, I cut along the pattern to the waist line, then stopped. As shown in the picture above. This allowed me to use the top portion only, and make it into a dress instead of a vest. Keep in mind how low this neckline is, if you want to do this, I recommend adding some to the top if you don't plan on wearing much under it. I then made a pleated skirt, and a belt area to connect the 2 pieces. I used a 22" zipper in the back. The top and belt area are lined with black calico fabric. The skirt is unlined. I sewed together the vest pieces, then added the skirt with belt. I then took the complete lining section and sewed it on the vest/belt area with right sides together, adding in the trim for the chest. with the exception of where the zipper was to go and at the bottom of the lined piece where it would cover the skirt seam. I then added the zipper and hand stitched the bottom of the lining over the skirt seam. Then sewed the left over seam from the bottom of the skirt to the zipper, added the trim to the skirt, and finished the shoulders. I don't have enough detail to make this a how-to, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
