Upcycle sweater: I prefer sewing to table top grilling!

 

On the last day of the year, I wanted to share a sweater upcycle that, in my sewing opinion, is perfect for today. One of the alterations I did, was adding the print 'Liever naaien dan gourmetten' (I prefer sewing to table top grilling). Now that, of course, requires a short explanation....

'Gourmetten' is the (unofficial) Dutch national activity during the holidays, and also popular on New Year's Eve. It's sort of a mix of table top grilling and raclette. It's fun, but for the host it involves lot's of cutting and slicing beforehand and a sticky floor afterwards. So personally, I prefer sewing to table top grilling:)!

The template I used was kindly made available to me by Ansje Handmade, a Dutch fabric shop with lots of beautiful sustainable fabrics in (my honest and own opinion!). It was part of a sew-all-in package they offered for the holidays and when I saw the template in a newsletter, I found it quite hilarious and I knew it would be perfect for this upcycle!

Enjoy and happy sewyear! I'm going to bake me some oliebollen:).

You are very welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com for more pictures and other details on this project. You'll find Annika a little in the way, how creative friend G. and better half D. contributed and, of course, a step by step explanation in Dutch and English.

Mother of the Bride

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I was given this "mother-of-the-bride" dress as a hand-me-down. I loved the color but the whole look made me feel like I looked older. The jacket was kind of stiff and boxy. It was also about a foot too long. 

Before and after.

The first thing I did was lose the jacket. I will get back to it another day. I thought this dress would look better without it.

I measured and cut around the skirt and the lining to make the dress shorter.

I used my serger on the lining and hemmed the outer skirt. 

I loved the shorter length and I thought this dress would be perfect for a fancy New Year's Eve night out. Thanks for reading along go to I Can Work With That.

Happy New Sewing Year for 2023!

Do you make sewing resolutions for the year?

I do, usually overly ambitious ones for the amount of time I really have to sew.  This year I thought 4 x significant refashions was a sensible amount, but the year somewhat got away from me in the second half.

So I'm rounding out the year with two mends and two refashions of the simpler variety - but whatever saves an item from landfill and makes it useful in the closet again right?

  

Mend #1 - The very much liked jacket

A favour for a family member, who caught the pocket on a cupboard handle and tore the jacket right across the front.  The check design meant there was no way to match the pattern over the tear 

 

 

 

 

 

I sewed a strip of black fabric over the mend and added a hook detail to make it look like it was meant to be there.  The teen approves (which almost never happens).

 

 

 Mend #2 and Refashion #1 - Back in service

These could not be simpler - a very good laksa left a shadow of soup stains on the t-shirt that were never coming out - and cut-offs.

The circles are scraps of t-shirting fabric left over from various projects.  I bulk fused doublesided interfacing to the scraps and cut out a range of circles using different size lids as templates.  I arranged them over the stain shadows then elsewhere to round out the design, and ironed them on.

 

 

 

To make sure they stayed put after repeated washing I hand stitched around the edge with embroidery floss.

Sorry, I forgot to take before photos but I am sure you know what a stained t-shirt and jeans with holes look like.

Refashion #2 - The better than before dress to skirt

This was a new dress from Shein, tags still on.  Although a large size, the design of the dress put the first tier exactly where it was least flattering ( I bet you can figure out where) and the fabric is tissue thin and completely see-through.  You get what you pay for... (and yes, I did jump in again without taking photos so this is a reconstruction).

Cut off the unflattering bodice under the armpits, salvaged waist elastic (leaving it pre-sewn from previous garment saves time - whoo!) and some very thick white stretch material that's been in the stash (mumbles) long time.

Because the dress fabric is so flimsy I sewed the 'lining' which is heavier to the seam at the top of the first tier.  Then I measured and overlocked the top edge and made a fold over waistband over the elastic.

 

At this point there was a lot going on so I hand stitched the overlocked edge to the top tier seam as these were the strongest parts.  The lining is to the knee but the now skirt is maxi length.  And wearable.

Happy 2023 sewing!

Mimi-made

DIY ladies blazer

 

Hello👋😀, in this DIY/ thrift flip video I sew this simple basic and modern ladies blazer with lining and front pockets . I show you step by step extreme easy sewing tutorial on how to reuse thrifted fabric from bed sheet and refashion it into totally new super comfy jacket. In  first part of the video I show you how to make pattern with many patterns hacks on how to change it into jacket with collar, how to make different necklines, how to change the shape of a coat to be more fitted and so much more. Check out also my blog for far more inspirations and ideas on how to style this ladies jacket . All clothing I show on photos and videos are homemade and you can easily sew them yourself . If you are a beginner ...worry not ! this blazer jacket is perfect project for you , with my help you will sew your dream coat !. See for yourself how super easy it is to create new clothing . I hope this video is easy to follow and you have fun watching it ❗ Let's create something beautiful ❗ 

 

 Step by step  super easy tutorial with pattern making on every size and body type for this super comfy blazer jacket with lining and pockets .

 

 

thrifted bed sheet

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Christmas stocking from fleece top

Hi everyone, I'm hopefully going to add to the Christmas spirit! So nice to see how Aniela already brought in the 'Oh baby, it's cold outside'-vibe and Chickie made the ' All anyone could ever want for Christmas - perfect party dress!
Do we know any songs about Christmas stockings? I made one from an old fleece top. I thought it was going to be a 2 hour project, but it turned out te be a lot more challenging than that!

It all started out easy enough with cutting out the pattern from the fabric. I thought it would be nice to reuse the neckline, so you would still be able to see it's former life. 

So far, so good. But then I wanted to use a drawing technique I recently learned, using soluble foil, and that completely failed... The words 'Merry X-mas' didn't stand out at all!

Say what?

Next, my new sewing machine started to make scary noises making decorative stitches. I really had to sleep on it for a few nights to find the cause for that problem ánd an idea on how to fix Merry X-mas....

Don't worry, I came up with a perfect acceptable solution to save 'Merry X-mas' and managed to make enough decorative stitches after all. And added some more details while I was on a roll!

If you're curious to find out more about this, how drawing with your sewing machine could actually work, and what feed dogs have got to do with all this, please visit my blog, I promise a happy ending!

You are very welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com for more details on this project. You'll find a step by step explanation there in Dutch and English.

Merry Christmas everyone! 

mittens for cold winter days

 

 

Hello👋😀, in this DIY/ thrift flip video I sew warm winter mittens . I show you step by step extreme easy and quick , it's only 20 minutes project! ,sewing tutorial on how to reuse thrifted fabric from sweater and refashion it into totally new super warm mittens. . 

They are for every size!  from baby to adult size.If you are a beginner ...worry not ! this mittens is perfect project for you , with my help you will sew your dream and warm cozy mittens !. See for yourself how super easy it is to create new clothing . I hope this video is easy to follow and you have fun watching it ❗ Let's create something beautiful ❗

 

   

Step By Step Video On How To Sew This Cozy And Super Warm Mittens In Only 20 Mins

 

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The Plaid Jacket Dress

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I have seen lots of jackets as dresses or dresses that look like jackets. I wanted to make on and this plaid jacket was perfect for Christmastime. 

 

Before and after.

 

I made a belt from these sleeves last year but I still had the jacket.

I cut the shoulder pads out of the jacket and then turned the edges under at the shoulder. I wanted a sleeveless dress.

I stitched the edges under to keep everything in place.

I added Velcro to the front of the jacket at the bottom to keep the jacket closed as I wore it.

This was a fun mini-dress and this quick refashion project was ready in time for Christmas.Thanks for reading along, for more pictures and details go to I Can Work With That.

bunny beanie: hat and scarf in one

 Hello👋😀, in this DIY/ thrift flip video I sew warm winter bunny beanie . I show you step by step extreme easy and quick , it's only 20 minutes project! ,sewing tutorial on how to reuse thrifted fabric from sweater and refashion it into totally new super warm hat. 

This hat is for every size , from baby to adult.

Check out also my blog for far more inspirations and ideas on how to use this winter headwear . All clothing I show on photos and videos are homemade and you can easily sew them yourself . If you are a beginner ...worry not ! this beanie is perfect project for you , with my help you will sew your dream and warm cozy hatt !. See for yourself how super easy it is to create new clothing . I hope this video is easy to follow and you have fun watching it ❗ 

Step by Step Sewing Tutorial  

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The Velvet Cape

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I got this cape by mistake in an Amazon order. (They did not want it shipped back so I kept it.) What could I do with the fabric? It wasn't the best quality material but I don't like to waste fabric. So I decided to use it to make a dress. 

Before and after. 

This is a lot of low budget black velvet.

I used a simple dress pattern. This fabric is a good practice fabric before using pricey fabric. And look, the top of the cape is still intact for later projects.

The pattern called for bias tape to finish the top of the dress and make straps. I used this gold because I had it on hand and this is a party dress so I wanted to add some sparkle.

I was happy with the end results. I would wear this dress out to a holiday party or dinner. Thanks for reading along, for more pictures and details go to I Can Work With That.

cozy pants in 30 mins

 Hello👋😀, in this DIY/ thrift flip video I sew those cozy pants . I show you step by step extreme easy and quick , it's only 30 minutes project! ,sewing tutorial on how to reuse thrifted fabric from bed sheet and refashion it into totally new super cozy pants.

Check out this link CLICK  for very detailed and easy pattern making video for those pants .

Check out also my blog for far more inspirations and ideas on how to style those pants . All clothing I show on photos and videos are homemade and you can easily sew them yourself . 

If you are a beginner ...worry not ! those pants are  perfect project for you , with my help you will sew your dream cozy pantst !. 

See for yourself how super easy it is to create new clothing . I hope this video is easy to follow and you have fun watching it ❗ Let's create something beautiful ❗ 

Step By Step Video On How To Sew Those Cozy Pants In Only 30 Mins

 

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Plaid Overload

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I found this plaid number at a clothes swap and the bright colors caught my eye. But the length and general look of the dress were a little sad. 

Before and after.

I used my dress form to pin the sides and get a better fit. I also gave it a shorter length but I thought sleeveless would be better.

I decided to remove the sleeves. 

When I was cutting the sleeves off I found these interesting shoulder pads. They were not even pads, they were complete, intact ruffles. I removed them and finished with the arm holes so I would have a sleeveless dress.

I pinned the ruffle onto the edge of the shoulder to and stitched it in place.

The ruffles made the shoulders more interesting and made the dress more fun. Thanks for reading along, for more pictures and details go to I Can Work With That.

making vest from pants

 

Hello👋😀, in this  thrift flip video I sew this trendy vest with lining . I show you step by step extreme easy and quick sewing tutorial on how to reuse thrifted fabric from pants and refashion it into totally new waistcoat with lining. In first part of this video I draw pattern which later I use to sew this super comfy vest for women. Check out my blog for inspirations and ideas on how to self draft  patterns for many different kinds of vests and how to style waistcoat with skirt, dress, different tops.  All clothing I show on photos and videos are homemade and you can easily sew them yourself .

 If you are a beginner ...worry not ! this vest is perfect project for you , with my help you will self draft and sew your dream vest !.  

See for yourself how super easy it is to create new clothing . I hope this video is easy            to                                     follow and you have fun watching it ❗

 

Step by step tutorial with pattern making

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