Practicing Stitches and Going to Sleep

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I have had this men's shirt for quite a while. I wasn't sure what to make with it. It was so soft, I had to do something with it. I decided to make a nightshirt. It would be very comfortable to sleep in and lightweight in the warm summer.

You can see the arms were ridiculously long. I needed to alter it drastically.

Or I could just cut the sleeves off completely. I also cut the collar off too. I wanted a simple shape for my nightshirt. I thought sleeveless would be good for warm weather too.

I thought I could finish the cut edges with my sewing machine but I also wanted to add something decorative. Lace can be itchy so I decided to try some simple embroidery. I have never done any embroidery before so I watched a video about it on YouTube.

I did some green blanket stitches around the neck and arm holes.

This was a good piece to practice on and I like how it turned out. These are now the softest pajamas I have ever owned. 

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

2 wins and a fail

I'll start with the fail, because that's the way my pictures uploaded.  I wanted to change this oversized, shapeless t-shirt into something that would suit me better.  I trialled a few other t-shirts because it was clear from the start I was going to need some extra fabric.

Got out my TNT t-shirt pattern and messed about a bit... 

 And ended up with this fail.  It's not an epic fail, more a 'meh' fail.  I just don't like it on.  I like the colour combo.  I like the sleeves a bit, apart from the cuff (but I could cut that off).  But, for some reason, it turned out much wider than it should have given I've used the pattern before.  It's also too short and the band at the bottom is just wrong.  This is going to be the problem for me re-fashioning t-shirts - they're always too short to start with.  So if I don't like different bands at the bottom I'm going to have to do some more thinking... back into the re-fashion pile for now.






On to the 2 x wins - sorry, there are no 'before' pictures.  What can I say: a sunny day, a few hours free, I was setting up the dye pot and away with never even a thought to 'before' photos.  These were done in the same navy dye pot at the same time.

The first one was a white t-shirt gone a bit dingy. I scrunched it up and wrapped it with rubber bands until it was a tight ball and threw it in the dye pot to mature.  Voila - stormy sky t-shirt.

The second one was a jumper that has been dyed at least twice before, both previous times a reddish maroon, which have washed out unevenly over time.  It was originally beige.  Now it is a purple, with a completely unplanned but awesome marbled effect from all those previous dye jobs.

Happy re-inventing!

Miri

A No-Sew T-shirt Refashion

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I got a big t-shirt as a gift, I wanted to make it fit a little better.

 

 I started by cutting off the neckband and the hemmed edges of the sleeves and bottom of the shirt. I saved them for later.

I used scissors to cut little tiny holes around the neckline. I cut them about an inch apart. I did the same thing on the edge of both sleeves.

I used the cut off edges of the shirt as string and laced it in and out of the holes. I tied it in a knot inside to keep it in place.

 The way the sleeves and neckline gathered made the shirt fit better but kept the loose fit through the body of the shirt.

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

Dress to Skirt Refashion

I was given this dress as a refashion project.

It was 100% linen and made of several panels cut on the bias arranged in a sort of twisted way, which gave a nice drape.

The obvious direction was a skirt, which would suit me better and retain the drape.  I made one cut to release the top section then cut another strip to make a waistband out of.

I added a zip and button closure to one of the seams and it was done.

There are more details and photos here

Make a Flouncy T-shirt from a Maxi Skirt

I bought the striped maxi skirt with grand plans of remaking it into a dress.  I later found out the fabric was so thin you could see the color of my bra through it.  Time to rethink this project.  Instead of a dress, I remade the skirt into a t-shirt with a flounce collar to hide my bra.

I used an old but loved t-shirt to trace out the bodice.

With the rest of the fabric, I made a circle and cut out the neckline.

Pin the right side of the flounce to the wrong side of the bodice at the neckline.  Sew the neckline and flip the flounce to the front.

The flounce covers my boobs perfectly!

Check out the flounce from the back.  I think the back view is prettier than the front.

Read all about my maxi skirt to flounce t-shirt refashion at my blog www.trevorlovesmommy.com

Scarf to Kimono Refash

I have noticed that gauzy shawls or kimonos are very popular this year, but I can't seem to find any in the stores that I really like. So, of course the better idea would be to make one!
I was excited when my mom gave me this flamingo scarf (my mom knows how much I LOVE flamingos)! To my delight it was made out of a gauzy material. Honestly, I almost just kept this as a scarf....until I unfolded it and realized just HOW much fabric there was....A TON!

\Don't you just love those tassels!?


I started by measuring 10 inches from the bottom and marked it. Then I measured 7 inches from the side. This was to make the sleeves.
After marking my measurements I stitched up the scarf and cut the  excess.


Once I got the sleeves situated, I cut up the middle and stitched up the sides. This was to make the front opening.


Most of the tassels were on the fabric that I was cutting off, so I had to save them.


I reattached the tassels onto the scarf.


To accent my new kimono I made tassels out of pink embroidery floss and attached them onto some earrings.


Mother's Day was nice enough, weather wise, that I was able to wear my new kimono. I took my mom to Mother's Day brunch at the Detroit Zoo! As it turned out the food was fantastic and the weather was so nice we were able to have a full day walking around the zoo after our brunch!




I was so happy to be able to make this the best Mother's Day for my amazing mom! She deserved it and much much more!

Happy Refashioning!!!

Check out my stash of refashions on my blog!

More Florals For Spring

Hello Refashion Co-op. I was attracted to the material of this dress. The flowers were fresh and pretty. The rest of the dress seemed like overkill to me. The big ruffled collar and the full cut bell sleeves just seemed like too much.  

I just cut off the top. It wasn't worth saving. I just wanted the skirt. It had an elastic waist that I kept and used to make this a really easy refashion.

I really liked the simple skirt. The soft floral design and flowy material were the stars of the show. 

   

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

Striped Jumper to Striped Tunic!

I found this striped jumper the other day at a thrift store and really liked the cotton stretch fabric, the button front, and the stripes.  I didn't like, however, much of anything else.  

I thought with a little bit of rearranging, it would make a fun and comfortable tunic.  I cut away the skirt and used the fabric to lengthen the bodice and add sleeves.

I thought that changing the direction of the stripes on the added piece would make things interesting.

I made the back addition slightly longer than the front.

It was a pretty simple transformation, but now it's much more wearable!

Florals For Spring?... Groundbreaking.

Hello Refashion Co-op. I found this dress at a clothes swap and liked the floral and polka dot fabric. It was way too long as you can see.

I basically made it A LOT shorter. I took the sides in a bit too.

It was an easy fix to adjust the length. It is more fun and wearable now.

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

Re-refashion, or cleaning rag?

Sometimes, I feel the need to revisit refashions that didn't turn out well......(though, sometimes they just become cleaning rags).

Years ago, I bought a soft, bamboo knit tunic dress from a sample sale. I wore it a few times, but it was an awkward length, and the open neck always slipped off my shoulders. 
At some point, I had cut some off the bottom and used that fabric to make a neckband. I apparently also chopped the sleeves shorter (and left them raw).

I came across this unloved garment the other day, and decided to try again to breathe life into it.

I grabbed another knit top from the pile - a wide, fluid cardigan – a spontaneous purchase that I thought would give off an effortlessly chic vibe. 
Huh, turned out I looked like a middle-aged woman in an ill-fitting boxy cardigan!

So, off with the old neckband, and on with a new contrast one cut from the cardigan. 
I extended the band length to tie at centre back. I also added bands to finish the sleeve hems.

Now... I just might have a wearable garment. I’ll take it for a spin and see!