Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Remarkably Unremarkable Refashion

There is nothing inherently impressive about this pants-to-skirt makeover.

Cargo Skirt Refashion

I chopped off the legs of these old cargo pants, cut up the inseams, flattened out and sewed down the crotch flaps in front and back, and used fabric from the chopped-off legs to fill in the gaps. Just your basic pants-to-skirt restyle. It wasn't even done recently. In fact, this was way back in my pre-sewing-machine-ownership days in college, so this was all hand-stitched.

So what, you may ask, is so special about this refashion? Before I turned them into a skirt (and mind you, I didn't alter the waistband at all from the original), these pants were the pants I wore on my sixteenth birthday. Yeah, seriously. That's how much weight I've lost. Granted, I probably had the drawstring pulled a bit tighter *cough*fourteen*cough* years ago, and I definitely didn't have to wiggle around quite as much to get them over my hips, but still. Same pants I wore when I was sixteen. Hells yeah.

Friday, August 24, 2012

In Memoriam

When my grandfather died, I inherited his necktie collection, along with expectations of crafty goodness to come. When my grandmother passed away, I received her button collection and other sewing paraphernalia. More recently, I saw this statement necklace on Pinterest made from a men's tie and a button. "Perfect!", I thought. So I pulled out the last of Granpa's ties (the rest having been woven into a wall hanging years ago, but this one didn't fit into the blue-brown color scheme of that piece), and dug through Granma's buttons in search of the perfect pairing. I ended up choosing two buttons - a large flat pearly one, and a bulbous blinged-out peachy one.

Tie NecklaceTie Necklace - Close-Up

And once again, orange is my couleur de jour, so I love it!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Refash Gives You Wings!

It all started when a friend pinned this image on Pinterest and challenged me to recreate it.



And I just happened to have a grey and white striped blouse in my closet that would work perfectly.

Winged Blouse Refashion - Before

Monday, August 20, 2012

Button-Down Tee

I've had this top for years now. It sits in the back of my closet and rarely gets worn. Yet, somehow, its cute pink and purple stripes have saved it from the donate pile time and time again. Well, it's time to turn this into something I might wear more often.

Button-Down Tee Refashion - Before

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Taking It In... A Lot

I grabbed this skirt at the thrift store last weekend for $3. I love the floral print; it looks like larkspurs to me, but I'm not entirely sure.

Oversized Skirt Refashion - Close-Up

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Mix 'n Match

So, I had these two tops. One is a light-weight woven cotton with pink/rust/orange/beige/cream stripes; the other is a basic rusty orange pocket tee. The striped top is a XXL and has a small hole in the front. The orange tee is an XL and has a large stain of mysterious origin on the back.

Mix and Match Refashion - Before

Monday, August 13, 2012

Shrinkage

The last time I wore this dress, it was...snug. That was 50 pounds ago.


Saturday, August 11, 2012

A Simple Solution

I picked up this cute summery dress at the thrift store this afternoon for just $6. Now that may sound like a lot for a thrifted dress, but this baby was brand new with the tags still on it - originally $29.99. $6 is sounding better now, huh? And look at that lovely embroidery! The only problem: it was a size (or maybe even two) too large.


Friday, August 10, 2012

Pillowcase Dress - All Grown Up

I found a pair of pillowcases at the thrift store for $0.99 each and knew I had to make an adult version of the classic pillowcase case dress. They were this lovely blue and white toile-ish pattern that had a real vintage feel, like it should be hand-painted on a set of china in your grandmother's breakfront. The open ends were trimmed with a navy blue ribbon and ruffles.


Thursday, August 09, 2012

Rag to Ruffles

What do you do when you replace your husband's holey undershirts? Well, you could use them as rags around the house, sure. But what if you don't clean very often? (What? Don't judge me) I have a better idea!


Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Re-Refashion

Today I wore a skirt I made years ago, but recently remade. It all began with a bright red tablecloth from a thrift store. It was a plain rectangle with some textured stripes along the length of it. I cut it into three strips lengthwise. I don't remember exactly, but I must've done some piecing together to make the strips increasing lengths, so my tiered skirt would flare toward the bottom. Something along these lines, I imagine.


The shortest piece should be a little longer than your hip circumference. I folded over and sewed a drawstring pocket along the top edge. Then I gathered the second piece and attached it to the first, and gathered and attached the third to the second. Finally, I sewed up the side seam and inserted my drawstring. And this is how it ended up. I liked it all right, though in retrospect it is kind of an awkward length. And I wasn't terribly fond of the drawstring.


Tuesday, August 07, 2012

No More Nightie

I picked up this lightweight cotton nightie at the thrift store a while back. I didn't have a solid plan for it, but knew the thin fabric would be ideal for summer.


Monday, August 06, 2012

Neon Maxi Dress

Remember that white tee I cut up for my black and white maxi skirt? Remember how I promised to show you what I did with the top half? Well, wait no longer!


Saturday, August 04, 2012

Polo Dress

I had an old polo shirt lying around, a men's 4XL. So I decided to turn it into something cute! I cut and sewed an A-line shape from the body of the shirt.


Friday, August 03, 2012

Neopolitan

Just typing that title makes me want ice cream. It was 106 degrees here yesterday, and the last thing I needed was a long-sleeved shirt and a sweater vest. Well, I know just how to fix that!


Thursday, August 02, 2012

Super Simple or Something Special

I have discovered that skirts made from t-shirts are, by far, The. Most. Comfy. Skirts. Ever. Starting out with tees that already have a built-in waistband just makes the conversion process that much easier.