Embroidered Denim Jacket

I had intended to merely shorten this dress to a jacket and call it a day...

I did indeed shorten the length and the sleeves... but I still just wasn't too excited with this refashion. To spice things up a bit I added some embroidery to the back... and then to the front :-D

I could still wear this jacket out and about, but I thought it really dressed up our store dress form at my place of work.

So there it will stay to showcase our Embroidery machines :)

Click here to see my blog tutorial.

~Laura

Metallic Thread Accent Shirt

This one's super easy, guys and gals. I bought this shirt brand spankin' new (something I've not done in a while...). Loved it in the dressing room but then immediately had buyer's remorse when I wore it out. Am I the only one that happens to?

Anyhoo, I figured out it was the sleeves that annoyed me. So I simply shortened them and used Gold Metallic thread to "go" with the pretty gold zipper.

Much better, right? :)

Click here for my full tutorial up now on the blog.

Keep it simple.

~Laura

Easter Dress and a Bolero

Every Easter I like to wear a "new" dress to church. I bought this Maxi Dress (for .99 cents) and intended to wear it as-is, but there was a little problem...

A lil too much skin in the back...

I decided to cut some length off from the dress and make a Bolero shrug to cover the crochet.

I've been on a Maxi Dress kick for a while, but I do like the new high/low hem. Sometimes Maxi dresses can be too hot in the Summer.

What I like the most about this bolero is that it's completely optional. Instead of inserting a modesty panel in the back that I would've been stuck with permanently, I can wear or not wear the bolero (to fit the mood of my modesty du jour) :)

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Click here if you'd like to see my full tutorial

~Laura

Yellow Sundress: Part 1

You may or may not have been aware but April just-so-happens to be "National Serger Month". In honor of that I've been purposefully utilizing Sergers in all my refashions this month to showcase how easy they are to incorporate in "everyday sewing." :)

I found this Old Navy Sundress for .99 cents and loved everything about it... except the bottom ruffled tiers.

All I did was cut the tiers off right at the seam.

I finished this new raw edge using a Serger and set it up to do a rolled hem.

Because the material is stretchy it curls the hem a bit (something I actually, personally, like on certain garments).

A super simple Cami is born!

Click here if you'd like to see my full tutorial (And why this is Part I...)

Happy Easter! (And Serger Month) ;)

~Laura

Easter Kimono

We're getting close to Easter (My favorite Holiday!). And I was looking through all my refashions through the years that I've done specifically for Easter.

This Kimono was a favorite and also a knock off from Leanne Barlow. 

It's a very easy tutorial to follow and I definitely recommend it if you're Pattern-challenged like myself :)

Click here to see my tutorial (of Leanne's Tutorial...)  :)

Happy Almost Easter.

~Laura

Always a bridesmaid...

It's fun to go shopping in your own closet for new refashions. I found the bridesmaid dress I wore in my brother's wedding.  It was stashed away in my mom's closet, actually. I was much larger then, but I did like the dress. As far as "bridal party" gowns are concerned I thought it was quite lovely...

It didn't fit too well, though, so I made a few changes and updated it to a shirred bodice sun dress.

For my full tutorial on the process, feel free to see my original post :)

Happy Refashioning! 

~Laura

An Imagine UNtunic alteration

Today's refashion is simple: Mine typically are... What makes this somewhat unique, perhaps, is that I refashioned this tunic using ONLY a Serger.

This is not a flattering silhouette for a "hippy" gal such as myself...

I use Sergers all the time (Yes, you saw right. Plural. Sergers.). My job/livelihood is selling sewing machines and giving lessons on how to use them. I may not be the best seamstress, but I know ALL about how machines work and how to best utilize them for certain "looks." (Not bragging... just illustrating that even though I'm a horrible seamstress I'm still knowledgeable. Those who can't do, teach, right?) :)  I've found that when it comes to sergers, people can get quite flustered. But there's really NOTHING to it.

Exhibit A:

For this super simple refashion, I used our Baby Lock Imagine Serger to "UN tunic" this sweater.

This is what the side seams looked like with a 3 thread overcast stitch on the Imagine:

This is so much more professional looking than a zig zag or straight stitch

And even though I did like the striped linen fabric trim, it sadly went bye-bye when I finished the bottom edge with a rolled hem (done on the same Serger).

Still only 3 threads, but a completely different look.

This alteration was SO simple. Seriously... just 3 stupid little seams and it was all done on a Serger. If I can make a refashion look good (or at least not "home made" looking...) by using a Serger any one can.

I think this is much better on my, uh, curves...

I bought myself some Tieks for Valentine's Day :)

If you've contemplated getting a Serger, I would highly recommend them. They really polish up your projects and they sew at lightning speed so you can get your sewing done much faster too. It's a win-win :)

Happy SERGING ;)

~Laura, the Accidental Seamstress

TBT: Peasant Top

I'm digging way in to the archives for this #TBT post, you guys. Lately, I've been focusing on sewing for other people (something I NEVER thought I'd do...) and have not refashioned for myself much.

This is a favorite from four summers ago. I bought this dress at a garage sale and had intended to simply shorten the hem and wear it as a Cami.

Sorry it's blurry... 2007 camera phoning it in through 2013...

Stains ALL over the bodice (that I didn't initially notice), however, made me switch gears... Instead I used the bottom have of the skirt. It was loose fitting enough that I had enough material to make long sleeves.

I added elastic to this top raw edge to make a fun off-shoulder look.

I was pretty happy with the result.

For my full tutorial, click here.

Happy Throwback Thursday.

<3 Laura

Refashion Runway Sewalong: Velvet... part 2

Remember this Velvet Maxi dress I made this past Summer for Refashion Runway?

I finally got to wear it to my Husband's office party this week. 

To complete the look I made an easy clutch from the scraps.

To keep the original button from the built-in vest, I simply cut around it, sewed it, and added a lining.

For my full tutorial on the process, click here.

I hope every one has a chance to wear their favorite refashions for the Holidays this season :)

Happy Sewing!

~Laura

Gloomy Fall Sweater

I posted this super easy refashion on my blog right before I left for vacation... and forgot to post it here. My bad.

It started off looking something like this:

I despise sweater dresses with a passion because even though I'm fairly (fairly!) "small" I'm super duper curvy... You don't have to be "plus size" to be "curvy". Just sayin'... Anyhoo, I shortened this to make it more flattering to my gynormous bottom half.

The stripes made this part easy :)

Then, I cut out some material from that bottom scrap and added them into the side seams of the sweater to give me a little extra room...

Sew in one side at a time with right sides together

I left the bottom edge raw because I just didn't feel like finishing it #honesty

Even with the awkwardness of the stripes, I still think it lined up pretty well :)

It's been crazy gloomy in Indiana this fall. I had this sweater finished quite a while ago, but the weather never cooperated with my After photo shoots. I finally gave up and decided to take pics with the gloomy background.

Happy Refashioning!

If you want to see a full tutorial of how I added in the panels feel free to click here.

~Laura

Pregnant Pause No Sew (almost)

NO. I am NOT PREGNANT!

But I still do refashion Maternity clothes :)

This was an easy one: I cut off the side ties and a bit of length from the bottom. 

I could've left this as-is for a perfectly wonderful no sew refashion but... I decided to take it in the sides about an inch or so.

When it got chilly in the evening I paired it with a Maxi Cardigan (another favorite refashion of mine from last fall).

This was super easy and a bit different from what I typically do. Yah for changing it up a bit :)

For my full tutorial (if you can even call it that!), click here.

Happy Refashioning!

~Laura

TBT: Off-shoulder Tunic

Hello friends! I've recently gotten a huge promotion at work and have been crazy busy... alas I haven't had much time to sew for myself :( So in the spirit of Throw back Thursday, I'll have to share with you a favorite from yesteryear.

I purchased this lovely J.Jill piece at a garage sale for .50 cents! I loved it as-is but needed to tweak it a bit to fit me better.

Inspired by a Victoria's Secret piece, I chopped of the shoulders and added a band of fabric (using scrap material in my stash) to create an off-shoulder piece.

I loved the end result!

Happy Throw back Thursday, everyone! Newer refashions to come soon!

Click here for original tutorial :)

~Laura

TBT: All About The Town Top

I have a slight obsession with (well, several things actually...) cold-shoulder details. If I can say this, I like my shoulders. That's a random body part to be fond of but it's one of the few body parts of mine I don't nit-pick to death. So, I actually enjoy showing them off a little bit... Anyhoo, I found this top at a Garage Sale a few Summers ago and immediately envisioned a cold-shoulder top.

I took it in a few inches on each side (lining and everything) and seam ripped out the flutter sleeves. 

I re-added the sleeves in a cold-shoulder effect and a fairly simple Summer top was born.

For my full tutorial click here. Happy Refashioning and Happy Throw Back Thursday!

~Laura

Refashion Runway Sewalong: Swing Tunic (?)

I've been on a Maxi Dress kick lately, so I picked up this gorgeous color block Maxi (for .50 cents!) thinking I would love it as-is...

...and I hated it. 

Though I'm behind the Refashion Runway schedule, I decided to make a tunic. I made a few amputations, added sleeves, cuffs, some bias, and came up with this:

I love the blouse-y swing fit of the bottom hem. The material is super soft and stretchy. I'm not entirely sure this is a "tunic" but whatever... I still like it :)

Happy Refashioning and "Sewing Along." Be sure to tune in to the finale of Refashion Runway this Saturday!

For my full tutorial on my "tunic" feel free to check out my blog post :)

~Laura