Kiss Me, I'm (at least a little bit) Irish

I wanted to make something new, and green of course, to wear for St. Patrick's Day today, but with little free time to sew during the week, I was limited in how much I could accomplish. Then I remembered this linen blend tunic from last autumn's clothes swap. It wasn't terrible, just a bit too big, and I wasn't a huge fan of the poofy sleeves. But the color, the lace accents, and the linen fabric will all be perfect for the Texas heat on the horizon.

Don't Sweat It

As an inherently lazy person, I have been loving the recent "athleisure" style. Any fashion trend that makes it socially acceptable to wear sweatshirts in public is alright by me! This thrifted grey 4XL sweatshirt, however, was simply beyond my tolerance for frump. So comfy though!

Asymmetric Stripes

My uniform of late has consisted primarily of over-sized sweaters, fleece leggings, and boots (and typically my faux shearling vest too). I'm all about comfy-cozy as it gets chillier. I found this stripey sweater in the men's section of the thrift shop a few months back and have been eagerly awaiting sweater weather to show it off in its new form.

The Refashioners 2016: Denim Tunic

First things first - thankyouthankyouthankyou, everyone, for all your support during the Refashion Runway All Stars competition! I couldn't have achieved that silver medal without all of you!

I sort of suspected my sewing muscles would be super sore after that 5-week rigorous refashion regimen, and they were, but surprisingly, not as much as I thought they'd be. My machine and I only needed a couple days apart before we pined for each other's company again. Of course, I had The Refashioners community challenge and Portia's "jeanius" theme to encourage a speedy recovery. After all, I am a Texan. I may hate beans and fried things, but I do love me some denim. Hopefully, I'll have time to complete a few different ideas I have floating around in my head before the September 30 deadline.

First up was another tunic. I must admit, that Refashion Runway challenge showed me the light and I am now a total tunic convert! This tunic began with a pair of jeans a friend gave me when they got too big for her. You can see where I added a couple darts for her as she began to lose weight, but soon darts were not enough and she graciously gave them to me for refashioning.

Tunic Tee

In the search for the perfect tunic materials last week, I came across this linen blend skirt from a clothes swap a year or two ago. I never really knew what I was going to do with it until now. I only snagged it at the end of the night because no one else wanted it, and come on, quality fabric and hot pink?

Refashion Runway 4, Week 4: Tunic

For the next Refashion Runway challenge - Tunic - I took inspiration from the traditional tunics of southern Asia, known as "kurtas," which are typically straight cut, loose fitting, collarless shirts that fall somewhere around knee length with slits up the sides. They can be made from a variety of materials, such as luxurious silks for formal occasions, simple cotton or linen for everyday summer wear, or sturdy wool during winter. Rummaging through my refashion closet, I pulled out this skirt and top set in a linen blend, which I brought home from a clothes swap a couple years ago because I loved the pattern and fabric.

Unfortunately, this fabric was a bit thin to be worn by itself, I thought, so I began to ponder my options for a lining. That's when the light bulb went on. REVERSIBLE! Another dive into the stash produced this cotton muumuu with convenient nursing zippers hidden under the front ruffles. This one came from Goodwill a while back for... $3?

Metallic Meh

For last week's Refashion Runway metallic challenge, I had originally planned an all gold outfit, pairing this oversized gold sparkly sweater with my pleated curtain skirt. It's difficult to capture the sparkles, but trust me, they're there.

Refashion Runway 4, Week 2: Metallic

The next hurdle along the Refashion Runway was metallic! Check out my entry below, then go to The Renegade Seamstress to see the other refashionistas' creations and cast your vote for your favorite!

As I browsed Pinterest for ideas, I became increasingly envious of all the pleated skirts I was seeing, so my mind was made up. I scoured the thrift shops for anything pleated I could paint metallic or anything metallic I could pleat, and eventually I found the perfect ultra-high-sheen, gold satin (well, polyester) curtains at Thrift City. There were some holes and snags, but I could certainly work around those. To accompany my gold skirt, I also pulled out a silver metallic lace skirt that's been hanging forgotten in my craft room closet following a clothes swap a couple years ago.

Refashion Runway 4, Week 1: Velvet

The latest season of Refashion Runway - the All Stars edition - is finally here! And we're kicking it off with a velvet challenge! This fabric has been all over the runways lately, and it's predicted to be all over a city near you soon as well. Once you've read my submission below, be sure to click over to The Renegade Seamstress to check out the other entries and vote for your favorite!

I found this 90s crushed velvet dress at Thrift City recently and knew it'd be the perfect starting point for a makeover. It had giant shoulder pads and was a bit too snug and too long, but I loved the color and the strappy details on the upper back.

Red, White, and Refashioned

When I spotted this skirt at Goodwill a couple months ago, I immediately knew it wanted to be part of an Independence Day refashion. The navy and white stars and stripes would look cute with a number of different colored tops and accessories, but would be perfectly patriotic when paired with red. So I rummaged through my refashionables and came up with a red tunic with lovely cross-stitch details, which I acquired from a clothes swap. Unfortunately, the skirt's elastic was completely shot and the length was a bit awkward. The tunic had damaged ties and a small ink(?) stain, and was a bit too tight around the chest.

Thrift Style Thursday: Back to Basics

As the holidays draw near and schedules begin pile up, sometimes blogging goes by the wayside. Such has been the fate of Thrift Style Thursday over the last few months, with each of us participating in fewer and fewer organized posts. I'm sure you can look forward to a resurgence in the New Year, but for now you'll have to settle for me free-stylin' it this week.

So, I'd been on the lookout for a basic black and white striped top for quite some time when I stumbled on this one at the clothes swap a month ago. It was a little large, but I knew I could make it work. First, I wanted to get rid of those cuffs on the sleeves, so I carefully picked out the little stitches that kept them turned up.

Next, I took in the sides to fit better. I used a straight stitch and then a zig-zag before trimming the excess fabric. If you look closely, you can actually see where this shirt was taken in by the previous owner, about an inch from the factory seam, and then my stitches are another two inches in from that.

I paired my new-to-me shirt with another clothes swap find - this purple pencil skirt - and mustard yellow shoes and scarf to coordinate with the last remaining leaves on our baby [Bradford pear?] tree.

How fabulous are these heels? Check out the little cut-outs on the back of the heel. And soles look like they're brand new too!

I think the half-sleeves look so much better with the boat neck than the cuffed sleeves did. Don't you agree?

Top: refashioned // Skirt: clothes swap // Scarf: $1 thrifted // Tights: $5 Target clearance // Shoes: $6 thrifted

Thanks for stopping by! And hey, if you have a chance, why not go see what the other Thrift Style Thursday ladies have been up to lately, eh? Click their pics below to go see their blogs, or the TST logos will take you to our Facebook page.

From Snug to Swingin'

I feel in love with this Gap dress the moment I saw it at the thrift shop. Isn't that orange print just gorgeous? The problem - it was a little too tight around my hips, and the clingy fabric showed every bump and lump (of which Rosy has none, of course, lucky girl). I decided to turn this into a swingy top that will be much more flattering and comfortable.

Flowy Fall Flowers

This weekend, we got our first real taste of autumn, and It. Was. Glorious. Highs around 80F and overnight lows in the upper 50s. (Don't laugh! That is totally fall weather!) It had me thinking about all the sweaters I'll be wearing soon. So I decided to revamp one that didn't get much lovin' last year. This rusty orange cardigan seemed perfect for the low, low price of $3 at my local thrift shop. Unfortunately, the first time I wore it, I realized the double-breasted button placket was super annoying. The bottom layer kept getting wadded up under the top layer. I decided to turn this into a flowy top using remnants of another refashion from a few years back.

Refashion Runway Sew-Along: Asymmetrical

I can admit it. I have issues. I like things in proper order, whether it's alphabetical, numerical, chronological, rainbow. I sort my M&M's into color piles before eating them. I perform repetitive tasks in multiples of four. And I like symmetry. So as you can imagine, Beth's asymmetrical Refashion Runway challenge this week was just that - a challenge.

Now I'm not saying I've never worn or refashioned anything asymmetrical. My idiosyncrasies are rather tame compared to some people out there, and I try to push my limits and get out of my comfort zone whenever my brain will allow it. I've found I do much better with garments that have structural symmetry, but perhaps an off-centered decorative element. So, with little tolerance for imbalance and little time for sewing this weekend, I decided to keep it simple and make over a basic boyfriend tee that fit fine but could use some lovin'.