Fixing the Neckline, Uncomfortable to Comfortable Pretty Purple Shirt

This Shirt.

I bought it over a year ago because a) it's purple, and b) it has some really pretty lace inserts on the sleeves. Unfortunately, while it mostly fit well, it also had a really big neckline. It was always either too low in the front or falling off my shoulders. Very annoying to wear! For the past year it has mostly stayed in my closet. Then last week I wanted a purple shirt to wear with a new skirt I made, so out this one came.

The neck binding looked like it would work for an elastic casing, so I made a little snip in it, right above the tag, being careful to only snip through one layer of fabric. Through this little hole I threaded some 1/4 inch elastic, cut to the size I wanted my new neckline to be.

Once that was done, the shirt really did fit perfectly! Now it should be seeing a lot more time out of my closet. 

I wore it with my brand new skirt on a trip I took with my mom and brother over the weekend, and I'm happy to say I was comfortable the entire time! To see how my skirt was made and some pics from my trip check out my blog.

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd

Socks, Made From a Sweater

For a while now I've wanted a pair of wool socks, unfortunantly I'm too cheap to pay for them. Finally, after this most recent cold snap and cold toes and idea hit me. I could sew myself some socks out of a wool sweater! So off to the thrift store I went.

I found this soft, thin-ish and stretchy, 100% sweater. It was perfect for what I had in mind, so I brought it home and cut it up. (yes, I forgot to take a pic until after I started cutting, oops, sorry about the missing sleeve)

Less than an hour later I had a very comfy pair of wool knee socks. (My favorite kind)

This wound up being a very easy project, so once these were done I sewed a couple more pairs of socks. To see those and find out about the pattern I used check out my blog post here!

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd

Shirt to Tunic, With the Addition of a Skirt

Back in September I got a little obsessed with re-fashioning men's button down shirts for The Refashioners. I completed 6 shirt refashions during the challenge, yet somehow didn't get burnt out. Once the challenge ended I still had a few more shirt refashion ideas up my sleeve. First off, my mom wanted a tunic like this one I made for my sister.

So I found this XL, blue, button down shirt, and got to work. 

This shirt to tunic refashion is really easy, it only takes about an hour.

Before long my mom had a tunic, but it was a little plain. She wanted some embellishment.

She found a cute, but out grown, skirt of my sister's, and asked me if I could use the skirt to embellish the the tunic.

I turned the skirt into a ruffle at the bottom of the tunic. The remaining skirt fabric became a belt.

I have made three different tunics like this, with different embellishments on each. This easy shirt to tunic refashion is perfect for adding your own personal flair too! Check out my original blog posts on these tunics to see how they go together, and a couple variations I've made. 

Happy Refashioning!

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd

New Year, New Look for Sweater Dress

Happy New Year! Mostly because I'm stubborn, and like the idea of sweater dresses more than the look, sometime last year I bought this sweater dress from Goodwill. My best friend told me not to. I should have listened. The dress hung unworn in my closet, up until a few days ago.

I finally figured out how to make this dress wearable. I cut it open down the center front.

Then used some fabric from an out grown black velvet skirt of my sister's to finish the unfinished edges.

Some decorative stitches, a bit of elastic, a covered hook and eye, and I had a very wearable long cardigan!

Check out the whole process in my original blog post!

Happy New Year!

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd 

Men's Shirt to Babydoll Top

Less than 2 weeks till Christmas! Eeek, I've got several gifts to get sewn yet! I'm excited about all the Christmas gifts I'm making, but sadly this means I have no time for refashioning. So, I figured I'd show you one of my favorite refashions I made for The Refashioners Get Shirty Challenge back in September. I started with this plain blue Men's button down.

I put it on my dress form, made a few chops, then re-sewed the shirt together.

In the end I had a very ruffley, wearable, babydoll top.

This was one of my less elaborate refashions for Get Shirty, but it has certainly been the one to get the most wear. It's one of those every day shirts that just makes me feel pretty. To see the step-by-step process for making this shirt check out my original blog post at The Sewing Goatherd.

Until next time,

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd

Two Shirts Become One

Ever had a mystery item just appear in your laundry? A few weeks ago, while folding laundry, my mom found this blue shirt.

For some reason part of the back was cut out. She asked me if I knew anything about it. Nope, but once I saw it I had a few ideas of what to do with it!

First I evened up the cut out section on the back, then I got to work figuring out what to fill it in with.

My first thought was a vintage doily, but I wasn't too crazy about that idea once I started digging through my doily box, nothing was quite right!

Then I found this white lacey shirt in my closet. I picked it up a year ago at a thrift store, but it's a bit small so I never got around to wearing it. I decided it would be perfect combined with the blue shirt. I cut the back out of this shirt, and finished cutting the back out of the blue shirt.

Then I sewed the two together. I cut the sleeves off to half-length, then used the scraps of blue fabric to fill in under the lace, saving me from having to wear a tank under this shirt!

Not to bad for a cut up shirt found in the laundry, huh? Now if only we knew how it got there to begin with!

This was a fun and easy project to get done before I submerse myself in sewing Christmas presents. to see some more of my currant projects visit me at The Sewing Goatherd!

Alyssa,                 

                   The Sewing Goatherd

A New Bodice for a Very Sparkly Pageant Dress

My childhood bestfriend got the chance to be in a pageant this fall. She found the perfect, extremely sparkly, second hand formal gown.

There was just one issue, the bodice didn't fit right, and definitely showed signs of wear. So, I cut off the original bodice and sewed a new one for her, which she got to design.

She looked stunning, and did very well in her pageant! I really enjoyed getting to refashion this dress for her, and hope to get another chance sometime to sew a formal gown. They're such fun, pretty, projects! For a full account of how this dress went together, check out my blog, The Sewing Goatherd.

Alyssa,

The Sewing Goatherd

Skirt and Jeans to Purse

Currently I'm working on refashioning a bunch of my clothes that I like, and really don't want to get rid of, but never wear. Black skinny jeans that never get worn? But I never know when I will want to wear them! Fake leather skirt I made in high school? Of course I'm never gonna wear it again, but I made it! I want to keep it!

Then I decided to make myself a purse, and these two items were the perfect fabric for said purse. So I cut them up.

Then sewed them together, into a purse.

Now those black jeans and that pleather skirt are getting plenty of wear! They go with just about every outfit I own.

To see the full transformation (and find out about the awesome pattern I used) visit my blog!

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd

Fixing a Favorite Shirt

Ever had a shirt that you wore and wore, and wore, then part of it got worn out? Yeah, for me this was that shirt.

This poor favorite shirt of mine wound up with quite a collection of holes near the bottom, where it rubbed against my belt buckle every time I wore it. 

I had no plans to stop wearing this shirt, but it defiantly needed some help! So I cut off the bottom of the shirt, just above the holes.

Then I sewed a band of gray woven fabric to the bottom of the shirt.

This left me with a very wearable, much less worn out looking. favorite shirt!

And the new band of fabric? It's two layers, so hopefully it will stand up to my belt buckle for a while!

Now back to my closet I go to see if anything else needs fixing! Meanwhile, feel free to check out my blog to see more of my projects!

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd

Making a Shirt Fit

I was given this shirt in a bag of clothes from a friend of a friend.

Green is my favorite color, and I really liked the style, so I deemed this shirt worthy of adding to my wardrobe. There was just one issue. The elastic that was supposed to hit me under the bust? It hit me midbust. So I bought a quarter yard of coordinating fabric, and chopped the shirt in half, right above the elastic. 

Then I sewed in a strip of my coordinating fabric, lengthening the bodice so that the elastic hit me where it was supposed to. I also added another strip of elastic on the inside of the shirt to make it a bit more fitted.

Then it was done. Much better fitting and way more comfortable!

This was a quick and easy refashion that made this shirt go from maybe I'll wear that to, yes I'll absolutely wear that! To see more of my work visit my blog, The Sewing Goatherd, full of refashions and other sewing projects.

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd

The Ill-Fitting to Wearable Red Shirt.

I was given this shirt. I really liked it. Except for two things. It didn't fit right in the bust or the sleeves. It was too short. 

I considered leaving it be, and just wearing it as it was, too short and uncomfortable. I had no idea how to fix it. I was afraid of messing it up. Then I decided that was silly. After all, it wasn't going to get much wear as it was. What did I have to lose by attempting to fix it? Nothing. So out came the scissors.

I started by cutting off the sleeves to elbow length. This gave me sleeves that were a comfortable length plus fabric to lengthen the bodice with.

Next I cut the shirt in half just above the waist band.

And lengthened the bodice with the fabric from the sleeves, making it the perfect length.

I added some elastic to the new seam so that the shirt wouldn't ride up while being worn.

There was a little leftover fabric, which I used to finish the sleeves with.

To complete the look, and hopefully make the shirt appear a little less altered, I sewed some tan buttons (from my awesome thrifted stash) down the front.

I also added a button to each sleeve, so that they would be a bit more fitted at the elbow.

Then, it was done.

And totally wearable.

Success!

To see more of my work visit my blog The Sewing Goatherd.

Until next time,

Alyssa, The Sewing Goatherd