Misaligned button on shirt dress

I found this ill-fitting but cute Talbot's brand cotton shirt-dress at a thrift store. I am a sucker for a shirt dress. I took it home.

The waistline was in the wrong place so I separated the top and bottom and repositioned them.

It worked, but I found that some of the buttons were misaligned with the button holes.  

I've run across this problem before when upcycling - here is the technique I use to fix the problem:

1) Align the packets exactly how you want them to be in the finished garment.

2) Use a pin to pierce the center of the buttonhole and into the placket underneath.

3) Very carefully peel back the top layer and see where the pin is inserted.   

4) The pin should be about the same distance from each placket edge as the existing button.  If not, the pin may have been angled when it was put in.  In the picture it seems to be skewed to the right a bit. 

5) Now you know exactly where to move the button!

Happy upcycling!  Michelle

scarf refashion

Hello

this time, I work with scarfs.

Before :

After

And a second one

Before

After

For more, visit my blog.

In The Pink 3

Hello Refashion Co-op. I am still working on the pink clothes in my refashion pile. (There is a rack and a pile. I collect things from clothes swaps, wash them, and pile them up until I can get to them.)  The gray dress below needed a shirt under it because it was so low in front. I liked the dress but wearing 2 shirts in the heat is an awful idea. 

But I had a plan.

 

 I had the scraps from this pink tunic left over. I was going to use the hem and the triangle pieces from the sides.

I closed up the triangle with my machine and turned it finished side out. 

I pinned it to the gray dress and hand sewed it in place. I couldn't machine sew around the metal beading, I had to do it by hand.

I used my machine to attach the pink hem to the bottom of the gray dress. It added a bit of length and it also added a little weight so the skirt wouldn't be as likely to blow around in the breeze.

My dress was finished. It will be faster to get dressed in the morning since I don't have to find a second shirt to go with it. It will also be a little cooler without an extra layer too.

Thanks for reading this post, for more pictures and details go to I Can Work With That.

In The Pink 2

Hello Refashion Co-op. I am in the middle of a refashion binge of pink clothes. I had these 2 shirts that didn't work as shirts for me. I loved the patterned shirt so much, there is always a way to make things wearable right?

Here is why this shirt is not wearable. What is up with these flaps of fabric? Do they fly around when I walk around? Yes, yes they do. I can't live my life like this y'all.

 I connected all the panels of flying fabric and then cut the top off the shirt. That gave me the blue knit lining and the pretty patterned outer layer.

I attached the layers to an elastic waistband and turned it in to cover the elastic.

 (I think Saga showed this kind of waistband many months ago?)

This pink shirt is very long, and VERY full. It is too full cut and if I bend over or lean down is can drag on the ground. If you are wrestling with a toddler to get him into the doctor's office it can get pused up and reveal way too much. It just doesn't work for me.

I cut off the entire hem and made it into a straight shaped shirt.

Together these 2 shirts made a simple and comfortable outfit I was happy with.

Thanks for reading this post, for more pictures and details go to I Can Work With That.

The Topsy Turvy Polka Dot Dress

I really like a good red, white, and blue combination, so when I saw this shirred, strapless dress, I knew I had to pick it up!  Plus, it's polka dots...bonus!!  However, strapless was not going to work for me.  My first thought was to make it into a skirt.  It would be a simple transformation, but also a waste of some of those lovely polka dots.  After some thought, I came up with a different solution.

This version is much more wearable now! 

For photos and details on how this was accomplished, please visit my blog,

Second Chances by Susan!  

Thanks!