Softening Denim & A No-Sew Cold-Shoulder Top

Hello Refashion Co-op. I like to try new ideas. I read online that you could soften and break in denim by soaking it in salt water. I decided to try it with a pair off heavy denim jeans.

I cut the jeans into shorts. No sewing needed.

 

 I tried soaking the denim shorts in a bucket of salt water. And I tried washing them in the washing machine with salt. This was a bad idea. Neither method really had any effect and my washing machine stopped working. DO NOT PUT SALT IN YOUR WASHER!

 

I cut the t-shirt into a cold shoulder top. I cut out the top of the shoulders. I used little pieces of the scraps to tie the sleeves and neckline .

 The ties made the shirt into a sort of tank top with narrow little bow sleeves still attached.

 

 

I like the top well enough but the denim shorts never really got softer and I almost killed my washing machine. 

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

Palm Tree Scarf to Shawl Refash

I was so excited when I found this big and beautiful palm tree scarf for .50 cents! I love the yellow pom-pom edging.

So, this is obviously a super cute scarf all on its own, but summer is coming soon and I’m not too fond of wearing scarfs during the summer, even if they are a lighter material.

I laid out the scarf so that yellow pom-poms are on each side rather than the top and bottom. The pom-poms were around top and bottom, but I was making this into a shawl and the pom-poms would be better on the sides. I cut along the bottom of the laid out scarf to make a new bottom.

I sewed that to make a new bottom hem.

Now onto the sides. I sewed up the pom-poms about 3/4 the way up to make arm holes.

Once the bottom and sides were sewn up I only needed one more thing to complete my scarf. I found the middle and cut all the way up and sewed each side making an opening for the shawl.

Happy Refashioning!!!

Check out my stash of refashions on my blog!

The Dressy Bathing Suit

Hello Refashion Co-op. I didn't have a bathing suit top that I liked and fit well. I did have a dress that felt exactly like the nylon/lycra/polyester that bathing suits are made out of.

You can probably guess what I did.

 Super pale, no tan is possible. I can only burn & freckle.

The dress had 2 layers, like a swimsuit. You can also see here on the inside, it had a big seam  just under the bust.

 

I cut a small slit in the inside layer of the dress, just above that big seam. I inserted  molded breast cups that I had taken out of a bralet a long time ago. 

 

 I hand stitched the insides all closed and stitched the cups to the inner layer fabric so they wouldn't move around. (That would be awful!) I cut the dress much shorter so I could wear it with these bathing suit bottoms I had already. It looked and felt like a bathing suit to me. I shortened the straps so the top fit really well.

 

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

Hot shoe shuffle

Wow, it's been a while.  A room renovation has taken the place of clothing renovation and I've only just cleared a path to the sewing machine.  Which gave me even more time to think about this project.
 

For the longest time I have been afraid to cut into these shoes.  Just because they were shoes, what do I know about altering shoes?

Plus my sew-jo has been MIA for about 6 months.  Also, I still liked the way they looked - but they killed my feet about 30 minutes after I put them on.  Those elastic straps that cross over the top of my foot would leave red welts by the end of the day, even if I spent the whole day adjusting their position.

Then - how to fix them?  I tried them without the straps (pre-cut) but the back has no structure and they wouldn't stay on and were difficult to walk in.  Eventually I tried ballet shoe type ribbons - and then it was time to cut.

Which I thought about for another 6 months or so....

Finally, the chicken shears.  That was some serious thick heavy duty elastic to cut through.  Over to the sewing machine.

Which I ended up not using for this project in the end.  I attempted to get these shoes near the needle but figured I was going to end up with punctured fingers. So, hand sewing.  I think I will be taking these for short test drives to start with because I am afraid of my stitches not holding up.

In total, <mumbles> years thinking time, about 30 minutes cutting and hand sewing time - problem solved.  They are now comfy to wear and I like the new look too.

And with my perfect project planning I have finished them just in time for winter here.

Happy sewing!

The Hawaiian Romper

Hello Refashion Co-op. Sometimes I see clothes and the fabric appeals to me more than the actual clothing. That is what happened with this blue floral dress. It looks so tropical, and I love blue. I thought it might be better as a romper, or maybe a fake romper.

 I basically cut the top of the dress off and took the sides in  a little. I didn't change the shape.

 I used a simple pattern to make shorts with an elastic waistband.

 When I put them together they look like a one piece romper, but it is easy to wear and get on and off.

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

Logo t-shirt refashion

I bought this new t-shirt from a local charity shop, it was obviously a promotional item which had been surplus to requirements.  I thought the logo was small enough to be eliminated without too much drama.

Fabric was 100% cotton and this t-shirt had side seams, leading me to think it was slightly higher quality.

I have done a logo t-shirt refashion before when I basically just covered up the logo with a piece of scarf but this time I wanted to take it up a level

The white background meant that the addition of any other fabric was possible, so enter another t-shirt from my stash in a bright orange stripe.

The plan was to convert the logo t-shirt to a raglan sleeve with the orange stripe fabric continuing over the sleeve.

I downloaded a free pattern for a top with a raglan sleeve and used this to cut out my pieces.

I had preserved the original neckband to add it back in later, but had to add some gathering at the back to make it fit.

A fortunate and unplanned consequence of the gathering is that the t-shirt can be worn with either side as the front.

There are more details and photos here

A Zero Waste Refashion!

I've had this 100% rayon dress in my stash for a long time!  I really liked the color and feel of the fabric.  I also liked the pleats and button detail on the bodice.  It was a lot of dress, though, and I had other plans for it.  Originally, it was just going to be cut off into a tunic.

But, I was also able to get this cute skirt from it also.  

For the simple details, please visit my blog, Second Chances By Susan.

Thanks!

Quick Project, Long Story

Hey, long time no see. How about that Game of Thrones?
I know; if you hear one more insufferable fanatic rambling on about the Battle of Winterfell you'll go Stark raving mad!
Arya ready for a refash? I won't go dragon this out, I'm sure you have a Mountain of things to do.

Look at that pillow sham. I hate it. Last week I was picking through the Goodwill bins at the outlet and this caught my eye. It immediately reminded me of this:

Daenarys Targaryen's fur coat for her time in The North. The calendar might say May, but it looks like winter is coming. And I Ned that look!
Just what I needed for my wrestling show costume! I was short on time, so I decided I won't go Tyrion it up. (Get it? short?) This one's a simple no-sew; no Needle necessary.

It's a little cape/shrug thing! Look, I'm running out of puns to Hound you with...please feel free to check out the full post on my blog, Craft, Thrift, or Die.
Just be aware that the post is long and full of spoilers!

The Sweatshirt Dress I Didn't Need

Hello Refashion Co-op. I found this great sweatshirt dress at a clothes swap. It was a great cozy dress, but I didn't need a sweatshirt dress. I already had one. What I did need was some comfortable shorts and maybe a shirt too.

I cut the skirt off to make a pair of shorts. The drawstring would be a perfect waistband. I didn't need them as long as this skirt so the extra fabric at the bottom would be useful for making the shirt longer. It was very short at this point.

Here is the drawstring waistband. It looks like it was always supposed to be a waistband of some shorts.

Here is the shirt. You can see the horizontal seams where I added the fabric to make it long enough to meet the waistband of the shorts.

 This turned out to be a great exercise and/or leisure outfit.

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