Quick fix for a low or high neckline

Hi everyone, hope you all had a great summer! (And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, summer is coming:)). This time I'm sharing 2 quick fixes. The neckline of one of my older tops was rather low and a bit overstretched. It looks a bit sloppy and at a certain age, too much cleavage is overrated:). But I'm also not a big fan of high necklines, which is the issue of the second top. I definitely need more air in that area. So I'm tackling 2 tops, with different neckline issues.

If you have been following my posts, you may have noticed that I love quick fixes. I've had sewing lessons for years and years, but it doesn't seem to have changed my approach (limited effort, optimal effect). And yes, I've had the occasional frowns from the teachers. So maybe this post is for the like-minded creatives among you:).

To tackle the issue with the low stretched neckline, I stitched along the lower half of the neckline with elastic thread on the bobbin.

For the second issue, I gathered fabric at the center front and simply gave it a few stitches with my sewing machine.

No, not this one. I found this kitschy sewing machine was found on a vide grenier at the Opal coast in France this summer. You probably love it or hate it:)?

No whirrrrrs...

As you can see on the 'after' photos, the new neckline on the left is a bit smaller, due to the elastic. And on the right you can see the created v-neck on the purple shirt. Both jobs took me less than an hour and it was worth the effort!

If you're interested in more details (Dutch and English) and/or a small recap of my cycling holiday in France, you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com!

Dress to Apron to Shorts to Skirt

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I found this fun blue dress at a thrift store and it was full of possibilities.

I bought this dress because it was hand-made. When I see hand-made things at the thrift store I usually buy them. Someone put a lot of work into it. 

 

 I liked the color but it was too tight for me. 

I shortened the dress and opened the center back seam to make a cute apron. 

When I shortened the dress I had enough fabric to make a pair of summer shorts. 

I wasn't done yet. I liked the apron but I have an apron. I decided to take the top of the dress/apron off and shorten it even more. I could turn the skirt around and tie the skirt in front over the shorts. 

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

Fabric Scraps to T-Shirts

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I decided to try and use some of the fabric scraps that had piled up in my sewing room. I needed some new t-shirts and went on a t-shirt sewing binge. 

 

I was able to make 10 new tops of all different color combinations. 

 

I used this Vogue pattern, 8062, for each shirt. I put the scraps together and used all the pieces I thought made a good color combination for each shirt. You can see more how-to details on my blog,  I Can Work With That.
 

2 Striped Shirts

 Hello Refashion Co-op. Summer is so hot and humid where I live. I thought these 2 matching shirts would make a great 2 piece set. 

Before and after.

I had a few mis-steps along the way but I made shorts to go with the shirt.

 

 

The outfit was light and great for the hot weather. For more details go to I Can Work With That. 

 

How to make a fitted blouse more fitted

I ran into this cute second hand blouse a while back, it's from the Danish brand Cream. I loved the three quarter sleeve, and also the print with silver and black branches and flowers. The blouse was fitted... but didn't fit me unfortunately. The size was right, but I needed about 3 inches / 7cm  more in the chest area. But there were 2 large darts in the front and 2 in the back. And were there are darts, there's extra fabric! I hoped that unpicking the darts would do the trick.

Sleeve cuff / unpicking darts

A quick fitting afterwards was a bit of a disappointment, the blouse still didn't fit. I needed more space, more fabric! So I decided to shorten the sleeves a bit and cut off a strip of fabric to create a gusset in the side seams, just under the armpit. 

I got company... Checking on me are you?

Above you see the extra fabric pinned in the side seam. Fortunately the extra fabric was enough for a fit! And as you can see, I couldn't have done it without the critical eye of Xommy (one of our 4 cats).

It's a fit!

I also decided to add some embroidery (I can't help it:)), mostly on the collar. You can see the details on my blog!

Thanks for reading along! For a detailed explanation of all the steps, you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com. 

Happy summer!

An Over-All Makeover

 Hello Refashion Co-op. It is the middle of a hot summer where I live. I decided shorts were the only way to go. These over-alls were cute but the distressing on the legs was too much for me. I used some small applique pieces to cover those spots and I shortened the legs a bit as well. To see more go to I Can Work With That.

"Vintage" Beachwear

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I made some beachwear from a thrifted dress. I wanted a vintage look but obviously this isn't really vintage. But it was fun to make. 

Before and after. 

I separated the top and the skirt. I used the skirt to make these shorts. Check my blog,

  I Can Work With That, to see all the how-to details.

Asymetric top from (old) shirt and scarf

 

The weather has been really good here for weeks now. It's only may but it's like summer started early this year. But with the weather in the Netherlands you just never know, it may very wel rain throughout june and july. However the past sunny days inspired me for a (early) summer refashion: an asymetric top. I promise it's an easy one, if you're thinking of trying it yourself, it wil take you around 2 hours!

So here it goes...

Choose a t-shirt with enough stretch in the neckline elastic, because the first step is to pull the neckline over the shoulder, under the armpit. Then pin all the way down until from the neckline. Try to pin a straight line en let it blend fluently into the side seam. If you don't have a dress form you can place a few pins while wearing the shirt and finish pinning after you've taken it off (well, you cán try pinning it all if you want, but ouch....:))

Next, stitch along the pins with a large stitch size so you'll be able to gather the seam. Make sure the length of the gathered side is about the same as the length of the other side, measured from below the armpit to the hem. Satisfied with the length and fit? Then stitch the seam again en cut off the sleeve etc.   

You need a small open space in or under the necklline elastic to pull the scarf through. You can cut a hole if you want a easy solution, but I chose to open the seam between the neckline elastic and the shirt en made an 'eye' opening. To decide the exact spot, I recommend wearing the shirt and then pin where the bra comes out. 

And let's not forget the scarf! I was happy to find one that matched the color of the raspberry on my shirt. Found it on a small flea market nearby, the morning before I started this refashion, right on time!

Hope this sunny refashion inspired you to try it yourself! 

For a detailed explanation of all the steps, incl the gathering and how to make the 'eye', you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com. Until next time!

Maxidress to Bubble Skirt

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I loved the sunflowers on this sundress. The maxi length was fine but it gave me an idea, what if I made a bubble skirt? I thought it would be pretty simple so I gave it a try. (Spoiler- It was very simple.)

Before and after.

The yellow sunflowers were so cheerful. Sometimes we need a little cheer. This dress was it for me.  

Here is the simple secret to this refashion. I turned the skirt in and under. I clipped it to the waistband seam at the bottom of all that smocking and sewed them together. 

My new bubble skirt makes this dress a lot of fun. Thanks for reading along, for more details and pictures go to I Can Work With That.

 

 

(too tight) Dress to maxi skirt

I bought this dress in a summer sale for €15, knowing that it wouldn't fit. It was a small S size, almost XS (nothing to do with me eating too much chocolate easter eggs:)) but I really loved the petrol colour. It may seem strange, but I saw potential: an affordable maxi skirt in a beautiful color. That was a challenge I couldn't resist:).

In case you were wondering... the tailor's dummy on the left is in my size and as you can see the dress really is too tight. On the right you see the beautifull back with gathered elastic. I wanted to reuse the top edge for the waistband. A quick solution with a complete elastic waistband wouldn't work since I wanted to keep using the buttons. 

After measuring the length of the skirt I cut off the top. Then I took off the edge of the top. The combination of elastic with a front hook and eye fastening was perfect for my new waistband. It was a little to long for my waist, so I would have to take it in.

The fastening at the front made it possible to keep using the buttons as you can see on the picture below. Unfortunately I hadn't realized that there could be too much strain/pressure on the hook and eye on the inside. I was afraid the fabric would tear. That's why I added another supporting band on the inside, also with a button-opening. 

Not one but two waistbands!

I may have underestimated creating a solid waistband, but I'm still happy with the result. Still loving the petrol colour!

If you're interested in the complete making off, and/or the unexpected tear I discovered (and how I fixed it), you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com. Until next time!

 

Men's Tie to Headband

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I found these fabulous purple corduroys at the thrift store and wanted something else purple to go with them. I decided to make a headband. (I am trying to grow out my bangs so my hair is driving me crazy!)

This tie matched so well. 

I used the narrow end of this tie. I left a bit of extra length on each side of the headband. 

I used my hot glue gun to attach the tie to the headband. 

I tucked the cut end inside with a dot of glue to hold it.

My headband was done quickly and I liked it a lot. Thanks for reading along, go to I Can Work With That for more how-to info.

 

Dress to Raincoat

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I found this unusual dress that was made from faux leather/pleather/vegan leather/vinyl/plastic. I thought it would make a great rain jacket. 

Before and after. 

I turned the dress around and cut the dress open and added a zipper. 

I added a belt like a trench coat would have. 

This was a fun project and I like the lightweight jacket I ended up with. Thanks for reading along, for more details go to I Can Work With That.

Removing Jean Pockets

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I found these jeans at a thrift store and they were super soft. They felt like sweat-pant-jeans. I loved them and thought hey would be so comfy. 

Do you see something is a little "off"? What is up with these pockets??

 

I had to remove the lopsided pockets. I unpicked the stitches from the inside so I would not damage the front of the jeans. 

 

There were some white marks from the stitches on the front of the jeans. I used black and blue permanent markers to make little dots on the white marks. It sounds crazy but it filled in the missing color really well.

 

I liked the plain dark wash without any pockets (Or stitch marks.) on the front. Thanks for reading a lot, to see more go to I Can Work With That.