Ralph Lauren Bedsheet Apron

 I hang out in the linen section of the thrift store. It is so satisfying to re-purpose a discarded 

sheet/curtain/blanket and give it new life.

I also had a lot of small pieces of bias left over from other projects. I spliced them together and used them up...I think it gives it a little japanese craft book look.

This apron goes to my sister. Check one name off the Christmas list. yay!!

Happy Holidays.

Melynda

A Handful of Roses, A Pocketful of Dreams

The holiday season is here.  The season to spend cherished time with loved ones, cook fantabulous (read: high caloric, carboholic) meals, shop til you drop, and party, party, party.  Add all of those together and you'll need a very versatile holiday dress...amiright?  Enter rose dress:

 Thrifted rose print dress turned...

 fun, flirty empire-waisted party dress.  Smiling Little Guy makes the perfect accessory.

More details on how this dress got there

here

on my blog

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

Maui Girl

My first blog post!

Hello everyone! My name is Amy, and I am new to Refashion Co-op, though not new to refashioning. I have been sewing and tweaking my clothes since I got my first sewing machine in high school. I have only discovered recently that it is a whole fashion movement, and I love looking at the things other people have made. So far, I have mostly done fairly straightforward refashions, like turning dresses in to skirts. I am looking forward to trying out more radical revisions, though, and posting them here. Here are some of the things I have made so far.

I made this bag for my yoga mat from the leg of a pair of too-long capris. I pulled the drawstring at the bottom of the leg tight to form the bottom of the bag and preserved the buttons above the fly to keep the top closed. A strap made from the excess material makes it easy to carry, and the buttoning back pocket is perfect for my ID and keys.

This shirt is made from a magenta t-shirt and an old maternity blouse. I loved the fabric of the blouse, but it was too much for a whole shirt. I removed the sleeves of both shirts and added the patterned ones to the magenta shirt to spice it up. I love pink and orange together.

When my daughters shirts get too short but are still favorites of hers, I will sew on a quick gathered skirt so she can keep wearing them. I liked how this combination of shirt and skirt fabric turned out.

I added some interest to this plain turquoise shirt by making ribbon flowers and sewing seed beads into the center of each.

Here is a felt-applique robot shirt that I made for my son when he was a baby. I use felt applique to make a lot of stuff for the kids when we can't find the characters they like on store-bought items.

From Bland to Bling!

A shoe make-over

Yes, I promised an upcycling project from my husbands old suit. And I am working on that...
But in-between, let me show you what I did to a dull, worn-down pair of boots that I wear a lot, just because they are so comfortable.

There is a little gemstone in the center of the heel...

Well, they are still comfortable, but definitely not dull anymore.
I posted step-by-step pictures on my blog right here: Of Dreams And Seams.

Add some bling to your life ;-)
Take care everybody!
Best,
Katja

Dress to Apron

$1 thrift store dress made into a new apron.
Full tutorial posted on my blog

the red queen and other stories :)

Hi there! It's been a while since I have has the time to refashion as my exams begin next week!!! I've had a few saved up for a rainy day though so here is the red queen (Alice in wonderland) outfit my friend and I made for Halloween. She was the red queen and I was the mad hatter, unfortunately I only have costume pics but hopefully I will get some of the finished characters soon.The dress is a thrifted skirt sewn on to a primark vest top. We put an old school shirt over the top and sewed on tassels and string to make it corsety.


I also had time today to make this school shirt, I shortened it and made it longer at the back, then potato printed motifs on with fabric paint. Simple but effective :)

Róisín :P

T-Shirt to Fraggle Pants Re-fashion

I found a T-shirt with glitter hands and I couldn't resist making a "naughty" pair of pants for my rascal of a boy. I used the front of the shirt for the back panel and the plain back of the shirt for the front panel. Snakeskin print jersey was used for the side panels and bright red leg cuffs and waist to match the hands.

I created a pattern from a basic 2 piece pants block by basically "smoothing" out all the corners and widening the middle.

I have called these pants "Fraggle" Pants as my little boy insisted on looking like a Fraggle today!

If you are interested in seeing other outfits that I have refashioned and made, please visit my blog:

www.orangewho.com.

Cheers

Mary D

Orange Who? At least it's not all Pink and Blue

Jeans Pants Leg to Cute Tote

Ten minutes before picking up the little ones from school I thought to myself I have nothing to wear. I had been in workout gear when I dropped them off at school since I hit the gym in the morning but now that I was all showered and ready to go I needed something to wear. I cut off a pair of my favorite jeans that were just too holey to wear as pants in public and voila fun cut-offs. The pants legs sat around for a few months until I could figure out what to do with them. I was finally inspired to make them into a cute tote for a little girl.

I added a cheery lining from a fabric I scored at a yard sale ( I think I got like 8 yards and I paid $2). I made the straps from a pair of kids jeans (passed along from a neighbor getting rid of her son's old jeans) and that is where the pocket came from as well.

I feel like the tote needs a little punch on the outside to make it a little more fun! Suggestions are welcome.

Cowl Neck Scarf Tutorial

If you've got some random lengths of jersey, knit or sweat or some unwanted jumpers, T-shirts or sweatshirts and looking for a use, then how about making a cowl neck scarf thingy?! Both these pictured are made using my cowl neck scarf tutorial. I plan to make a few of these to give for Christmas. You don't need much fabric or time AND you don't need to know the recipient's clothing size!

Happy remaking and refashioning

Zoe xxx

Cozy Baby Outfit From A Thrifted Sweater.

I promise I will have a cute adult project posted next time. But I had to post this cozy outfit I made from an old sweater for my baby. To view my tutorial on making baby pants from a sweater click here at Sew Country Chick.

A cute fix for a hole in the knee of jeans

I wish this was my original idea, but I found it on Pinterest. I did however, do things a little differently than the original. The original poster sewed hers on by hand, but when I patch a knee, I like to sew by machine (because it's faster, and I am lazy, lol), so I seam ripped open the leg to sew mine on the machine, and I, of course, used felted recycled wool.

Here is the before (not a very big hole, but it would have been quickly!) ...


and after...


Much cuter, eh?

If your little guy is not so little, and this is a bit too cute for your little man, I wrote a tutorial here for repairing holes with the "destroyed" look.



~ Reuse, Recycle, Resweater! ~
www.resweater.blogspot.com

Sweatshirt hoodie to stylish sweater-like pea coat

I have many hoodies. I mean TONs of hoodies. Most from high school, and many just because I'm from the Northwest and sweatshirts are the thing. My husband was excited for me to do this little refashion, even though I'd still have the same amount of sweatshirts in the closet.

you can find a tutorial here

DIY: Elongate a tight fabric belt

Hi ladies, today I have a tutorial for you, this is a vintage belt I found at the thrift store, it's so pretty but it was too tight. After much thought I finally figured out what to do to make it work, here is the tutorial.

Here is the belt, too tight even after breathing in...

First I took the belt loop off.

Then I cut a piece of canvas fabric to the width of the belt.

Next I ironed some fusible interface to the canvas fabric and sewed it.

I put the end of the vintage belt inside the extension.

I stitched it together.

I put the belt loop back on, sewed it closed.

And now I have a pretty belt that fits. ^_^

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! My style blog here.

The Long and Short of It.

I took this skirt I paid 50 cents for at a thrift store and chopped off the bottom tier and transformed it from frumpy to cute and sassy. I like it so much better. I left it unhemmed so that it can fray naturally. I put in a line of stitching 5/8ths of an inch in so it doesn't fray too far. With the material I cut off, I made a skirt for Emily, Age 11. Basically gathered and attached it to elastic and used the existing hem. Then made a couple more to sell at the Christmas market we have at church every year. This was a quick and easy self-gratification project; but it just felt so good to sit in front of that machine again after having the baby and just sew something, anything, and I really needed a new skirt anyway because I'm still not back in my regular clothes. I'm already dreaming of what I can make next. I would like to get back into the habit of doing a little something most every day so I can have regular creativity going on in my life. In time, in time.

Skirt before: (The following three photos were taken by Martin, Age 8)

And after:

(Closeup of hem taken by Emily, Age 11)

Whoa! Look at all of this fabric from the bottom tier! It would be a shame to throw it away. (Photo taken by Martin.)

Three skirts I was able to make from this fabric, one for Emily and two to sell, and a skirt for Emily's sock doll that she has started. (Photos taken by me.)

And now, for the grand finale, the sweet and adorable Emily Callan, modeling her new little skirt. (Photos taken by the one and only Marty Callan, my husband.)

   

Parting Shot:

You may visit me at Sewing With Trudy.