Barcelona denim pleated skirt

 

Hola everyone, this week we're having sort of an Indian summer in Holland. 20 to 25 degrees (Celcius) is not very common here in late September. Great weather to wear a skirt with bare legs before fall arives. Like this Barcelona jeans pleated skirt!

In the last couple of years I've often been inspired by the Spanish brand Desigual because of the bold use of colours and fabrics. Not everything is my style, but I regularly see interesting fabric combinations and funny twists in their garments. 

A while ago, my eye fell on the skirt below on the right and I immediately loved the idea, a pleated skirt with a denim hip piece. I had a pleated skirt (check) and a pair of old jeans from my better half D. (check), so I was ready to get started with my own interpretation of this idea.

I cut the hip piece and ripped the seam on the front below the fly. 

Then I placed the front pieces a little diagonal on top of each other. I had an extra button added (so I would still be able to actually put it on:)) before I closed the front seam again.

Finally, I attached the hip piece on my pleated skirt . As you can see on the photo below I styled with an asymmetrical top, also fabrication of yours truly. The fun part of this top is that I can pull up both shoulders with a strap and snap, or just one, or none:). I tweaked a pattern from the Dutch magazine Knipmode for this top. 

The braided belt was also an 'own make', an upcycle of fabric scraps in 2023. Hope you liked this refashion and hommage to Desigual.

If you're interested in more details on this refashion you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com. 

It's also the place to be if you want to know more about the diy for the braided belt and the pattern I based this top on. 

Thanks for reading along!

Dress to Peplum Top

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I have had this dress for quite a while and did not wear it. It felt too light and too thin. I decided to cut it off and make a top. 

This was a quick and easy refashion. The dress already had an elastic waist. I just needed to cut and re-hem it at a shorter length.

I cut most of the skirt off. 

 

My new shirt was ready in no time. Thanks for reading along, for more pictures and details go to I Can Work With That. 
 

Scarf to Top

 Hello Refashion Co-op. Summer means fun parties and this is the perfect outfit for that. I found these 2 pieces at a thrift store and fell in love with the wine & cheese, martini & olive design. It's so fun!

 Before and after.

I really wanted a matching top. But what I had was a scarf. I decided to make a simple tube top with straps made from the scarf.  

I love a matching 2-piece set and now I have one with a fun print. 

 

You can see more pictures and details at I Can Work With That.  Thanks for reading along, I hope you are having a great summer. 
 

Botanical dress alterations and leaf pouding

 

When I visited the Textile festival in Amersfoort last may, I came across a stand with beautiful botanic printed clothes and scarfs. The maker used second hand clothes for the prints and I couldn't resist this warm greyish dress with yellow branches and flowers on it. 

When I bought it I knew I wanted some alterations to make it more wearable for me, let's say 'more my style'. The neckline was too high and to be honest a bit sloppy. And I wanted the dress sleeveless and a little longer. I have a skin condition that is very visible on my legs and I'd rather not show too much leg.

When I returned home, I discovered a small hole where the price tag was inserted. Such a shame. But... i'd already decided to lower the neckline so it wouldn't be visible again afterwards.
I cut out the neckline, including the seam and only replaced the ribbing. That already made a lot of difference! 

Then I took off the sleeves. I serged the edges, folded it inside and topstitched the seam. 

For the elongation of the dress I cut a strip of 20 cm fabric from a white t-shirt. To match the grey of the dress, I died the fabric, tied together with a few spoons of Dylan Smoke Grey. 

And I also wanted a print of some leafs on the fabric, to match the botanical print on the dress. I've done it before, it's in fact very easy. You keep a flower or leaf between 2 layers of fabric and start pounding with a mallet, while making sure it stays in place. 

Here's one of the prints, I used Sweet woodruff that grows in our garden. Not all flowers and leafs give a good print. You just have to try and see what happens. 

Here's how the strip turned out, with prints of Birch leafs, lovage and Sweet woodruff. The quality of the picture isn't ideal, it looks better in real life.

It was really fun to experiment with prints of different leafs! Thanks for reading along and you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com for more details. 

Until next time!

Dress to 2-Piece

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I loved the plaid fabric of this dress so much, but it did not fit well. I decided to break it up into separate pieces. I thought that would be more versatile and also easier to alter for fit. 

The top and skirt can be worn together or separate. 

I took the dress apart at the waist seam. 

 

I changed the straps so I could use the excess straps to finish the top. I shortened the skirt and made an elastic waistband. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Logo - be gone!

I found the perfect post workout pants to cycle home in this winter - or so I thought. I did notice the bright red logo at the hip, which I thought would be easy enough to cover with a patch if not hidden by my top. I completely failed to notice the huge logo down the side of the one leg and alongside the ankle zipper. 

I haven't posted before photos but the logo was for a local sports team and in bright red and yellow. Hard for most people to miss but I managed it. You can see the size I needed to cover in the after photo though. I was going to return them to the thrift shop, but would anyone else want them? Or were they destined for landfill?

Worth trying to get rid of the logo. I dug out some acrylic paint left over from other projects and got to work. I laid plastic inside the leg so the paint wouldn't bleed to the other side. Watering down the paint made it settle in the fabric better but required a few coats to cover the logo. I couldn't get a navy to match so decided to make the paint design intentional and used black. Waited for that to dry.

It said night sky to me so I search the internet for images and found some YouTube instructions for how to paint a galaxy scene. First the swirly background with multiple layers of very watered down paint, and then the Earth. When that paint was dry I used a toothbrush for the stars and painted the large ones with a bamboo skewer. I've ironed over the top to (hopefully) set the paint and I'll wash carefully(ish). 

Saved, not only practical but different.

Happy upcycling!

Mimi

Visible mending with silver patches (and did you know about the Red Dress project?)

 

Hi everyone! A stain on smooth fabric like this, in the chest area, well, let's say is hard to miss. And though lots of mending and upcycling techniques are focused on 'hiding' stains or other issues, I thought it would be nice to try the 'visible' approach. I had just the right thing for it: a set of cute shiny silver patches / spots from Humade. I bought it a few months ago in this cute store in Metz (France) and this just seemed the right project to try it out!

A small job like this was just what I needed since I've been having some trouble with my arm and hand lately (long story, better focus on fun projects:)). The package contained 15 silver patches to choose from, all kinds of sizes, and a piece of parchment paper to iron with. It looks like the paint is still dripping...

It seemed wise to try it out on a spot a little less conspicuous, just in case..., so I started with a sleeve. 

I chose a small spot for the sleeve and cut it out. The fabric lay flat on the ironingboard, parchment paper on top and I kept the iron on it for 15 seconds, with hardly any pressure (no ironing back and forth).

It was very easy to remove the plastic layer and there it was, a beautiful silver spot!

And I didn't stop there... if you want to find out more about the other patches, take a look at my blog Vermaakster for the details! Because I also want to take the opportunity to share something completely different with you: the Red Dress project!

About the Red Dress Project

Last week, I visited the textile festival in Amersfoort (NL) and one of my 'must see' goals was The Red Dress Project by British artist Kirstie Macleod, displayed in the Netherlands for the first time. It's such a special project: more than 360 women from all over the world embroidered on this beautiful dress, from 2007 to 2023. Here are a some pictures I took.

At museum Flehite, Amersfoort NL

Look at the beautiful embroidered details!

The Red Dress is accompanied with a beautiful documentary, showing the women who contributed to it and their stories. The dress has already been exhibited in galeries and musea all over the world, but it's still traveling! So if you're interested, check out the dates and places. For instance, the Red Dress will be displayed in the UK and Australia this summer. Visit reddressembroidery.com if you want to know more about the project!

Hope you enjoyed the visible silver patches (you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com for more patches:)), and appreciated my short report on The Red Dress Project. 

Until next time!

Lace Dress to Top

 Hello Refashion Co-op. This dress got shorter or I got taller... either way, it seemed too short. I decided to make a top so I could still wear that lace, I liked it so much. 

New top.

I cut that beautiful ruffle off. I saved it for later. 

 

I gave it a new hem and I was done. 

 

That eyelet lace is too pretty to let go. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

I do! (want this peplum top made from a wedding dress)

I started volunteering at a social enterprise eight months ago, a workplace where participants get the chance to follow a workfit program in an accessible and inclusive environment. Textile is one of the products they work with and make marketable products of. It's a really nice (work)place to be and contribute to.

Every now and then we get donations like leftover fabrics, old clothes, buttons, thread, yarn etc.. A while back, someone donated a beautiful wedding gown. I am always in awe of special fabrics like these and it makes me want to work with extra caution. I don't know the history of this gown, but it would be a shame for this fabric to only have been used once, wouldn't it?   

I wanted to turn it into a peplum top and it took some time to find a matching fabric for the peplum part, but I found it! 

I see leafs!

I chose a pattern I also used for a peplum top made from a pillow case a few years ago. The peplum has a box pleat in the front and 2 pleats in the back. 

I discovered an extra challenge in the form of a side seam of the top that had frayed (almost) too much. I couldn't really take in the seams, since the top is small, size S, but I'm pretty sure a drop of nail polish and some interfacing did the job. 

I've never particularly cared for ironing, but such a beautiful sleeve makes a sleeve board really show its use!

Le sleeve & le back

There's still some fabric left from the skirt, any ideas what to do with it? 

Hope you enjoyed this 'bridal' refashion! And you're welcome to visit vermaakster.blogspot.com for more details. 

Until next time!

Long time, no post. Then - pyjamas!

For the longest time, all my refashions went wrong. Not 'this was better in my head' wrong but 'this needs to be ripped apart and put in the scrap box' wrong. (There is still one I have not given up all hope on, but that's for another day). 

When all else fails - pyjamas. Low, low stakes and I'll don't mind wearing them if they look a bit odd. I don't fuss much with the seam finishes either so it's quick. I didn't take photos... because I was sewing something, anything, to get my sew-jo back. Of course, they went like a dream.

I have a large stockpile of stretch fabric that was either salvaged or off cuts, and weren't large enough for a full t-shirt part even for a child. I'd long tossed about the idea of patchworking them together to make larger pieces. There's a rough colour scheme and I overlocked the pieces together.

Tip 1 - It's easier to make a large piece of fabric and then cut out the parts, than to try and patchwork to the right shape. Waste a little more fabric, waste way less time.

Tip 2 - Check the fabric for flaws, worn areas and snags so you don't start mending immediately.

Next up, I wanted to test this pattern draft for pants: Thoughtful Creativity - How to sew basic pants and used an old flannelette sheet I had saved. 

Because when you can sew there is potential in all fabric so everything can be rescued, right? 😁 

Of course, the miracle happened and they fitted perfectly and are super comfy. First time, exactly as drafted. This. Never. Happens. (Your mileage may vary: I tried the basic bodice draft on the same channel and we were not aligned.)

 May your sew-jo never desert you!

Mimi 

Taco Bell T-shirts

 Hello Refashion Co-op. I was given a huge pile of t-shirts from a Taco Bell restaurant. They had a lot of graphics on them but I used the solid black parts to make a dress. 

Up-cycled t-shirts. 

I used the pieces of t-shirt to make a skirt to attach to this cropped shirt I made in the summer. Did I need a French Bulldog dress? Yes, I really did. 

 

This was fun project you can see more details at I Can Work With That. 
 

 

Vest/gilet upcycle embroidery: it's Sunday, relax!

 

Hi everyone! Those of you who've been following my refashion and upcycle projects probably know I like to throw in a a little embroidery every now and then. Well it's that time again!

The inspiration for this upcycle came from the book 'Close Knit' by the Danish Laerke Bagger. This inspiring book brings colourful knits to life with original ideas, modern and fun, and she makes use of leftover yarn. She is particularly encouraging to those who have tried before and given up in frustration: 'forget everything you've learned so far' (I have the Dutch version myself, so forgive my if didn't translate correctly). And yes, this is my honest and own opinion of the book which I bought myself:).

Browsing through the pages, I immediately fel for the funny font of 'Relax' and knew that it was the perfect way to upcycle my kind of boring vest/gilet! 

I chose a bright fuchsia pink as a counterpart to the dusty pink colour of the vest. It has a silver thread in it, which adds to the contrast. And it just so happened I recently dyed a pink second hand blouse in a matching colour!

I really enjoyed embroidering on this vest. When I finished I came up with another idea for embroiderment on the front! Feel free to look into that on vermaakster.blogspot.com. 

Enjoy your Sunday and relax!