Intro

Greetings!

My name is Sam. I go by Illy Mooncat on the internet (Illy was the name of my first Dungeons and Dragons character... And yes I'm aware how nerdy that sentence is). I'm a wife and dog-mom of a Chihuahua mix and a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. I live in (sunny and way to hot) Arizona and work full time in university enrollment.

I'm a fairly new seamstress; my amazing husband bought my sewing machine for me about 2 years ago. I only have been really using it in earnest for just under a year (our first apartment was so tiny I had no real place to set up). I have a really hard time with 'proper' garment construction (like following patterns) and I don't have a ton of patience (I like my sewing to be instant gratification, thankyouverymuch), so I started researching things I could do with my machine that didn't involve these descriptors. I discovered refashioning and my search for ever-more refashion blogs led me to Refashion Co-Op!
I have been lurking for months and read every post there was, and I frequently check in when I want some inspiration to sew. I figured it was pretty bad when I started writing my own posts in my head and holding up things going "I wonder what the co-op would think of this?", so I humbly approached the editors and submitted my application.

I am thrilled to be here and honored to be among such a crowd of talented people. I love seeing you guys take hideous or ridiculous things and making them stylish and wearable. I've started looking at garments for more than just what they look like in their current state; I look for neat fabrics, unique details, and items that with just a seam here or button there can go from "NO" to "Gurrllll yeeessss!"

And now for some things! I don't have any befores (pre-co-op refashions) and I know the pictures are terrible. My actual camera is dead and we JUST moved a week ago so half my possessions are still floating around where they don't belong, camera charging cord included. 

My BFFL send me some of her old clothes a bit ago. She is a XS to S, and my fabulous Italian/Mexican/melting pot self is a L. Needless to say, some most things she sent me need some refashion love, LOL. The pink stripe was added by me to make the shirt fit better. Now I look cute instead of like a stuffed sausage! This was my first attempt at making a shirt bigger and it's a little messy, but very wearable and pretty dang good for a first try!

This is a Kliben Cat tee shirt that I chopped the sleeves and neck off of to make it less 'unisex tee' and more 'Arizona summer ready'. I have way too many shapeless tees in my wardrobe that I've been trying to refashion because I love them so. [sidebar: though the pajama pants aren't a refashion, they are the first garment I ever sewed. I made them in my high school sewing class and I am still proud of them to this day!]

I added little tabs to make the sleeves a bit more gathered and cutesy, and left the edges raw for fun. This was a minimal-sew refash and made this classic tee a lot more charming I think

(Ugghhh pardon the mess with the whole 'just moved' thing) This was a no-sew; inside this charming little shirt were two layers of lining on the chest and weird floating bra cups. The lining was seamed RIGHT down the middle of each cup, giving this shirt a fabulous (ahem) pointy boob look. I carefully snipped all that junk out and now I have a cute top perfect for my office's business casual dress code!

Seriously though selfies are HARD. Do you know how many I had to take before I looked even remotely acceptable??? I have to say, if I had a selfie stick, I would 100% have used it today!

(I don't always tuck my shirt in, but when I do, it's to show off a cute waistband) This skirt was one tier longer when I found it in Goodwill. That tier not only made it a VERY awkward length, but it also had a big rip in it too. the skirt also had a lining inside made of horrible fabric; similar to what you see graduation gowns made of but more plasticy. Gross. I snipped out the lining, cut off the ripped tier, and then veeerrryyy carefully rolled up a teeny tiny hem on the raw edge (see: tedious). But now I have this cute little thing that I can wear as-is or pair with leggings to make it office-appropriate!

I'm only 5'(barely)2" so above-the-knee is where it's AT for me. Sorry again for the mess/grainy iPhone photos!

Thank you so much, Editors, for inviting me! I'm so excited to be part of the Co-Op! It's like getting to hang out with celebrities! :) Next time I will provide before AND afters, and pictures with an actual camera, so be excited! LOL. 
I'll be away next week in work training and then after than, on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to France and Italy, so I will see you all again in July. My mother-in-law and I have already made a plan to hit up some French thrift stores, so I hope I'll have some fabulous international refashions to show off when I get back!

~Illy