Denim Zipper top with crochet embellishment

There are oh so many things you can do with denim, so I finally decided to make a top from all the leftovers I had!

My goal was to make something reversible, something that you could wear both ways, something without back, or front… I also knew that I definitely wanted to incorporate crochet into this refashion.

I used two different pairs of jeans, cut off the pant legs, traced one of the tops that I had to get the size right, and added the embellishments:

The crochet piece is made of a really thick cotton hemp like yarn. I followed a simple pattern, used a 3.5 mm hook, and after a couple hours and a couple blisters, I think it adds to the piece and makes it very unique!

I sewed the two sides together, finished the edges off with some vintage bias tape (thank you freecycle) and was ready to go! You can notice that in the picture above the zipper is positioned differently that in the pictures below! That’s because I decided to flip it upside down for a better fit and a vest-like effect that can be achieved with this top!

After I finished the top, I went to the Sculpture Garden, one of my favorite spots in the whole world! Hence, perfect for this photo shoot! 

I am wearing:

Skirt – Refashioned Vintage // Boots – Steve Madden // Sunnies – Lucky the Weekender // Bangles – H&M // Bag – Vintage Coach // Watch – Marc by Marc Jacobs

Have a great weekend!

Xo,

Z

http://beingzhenya.com

Vintage Leslie Fay dress refashion

After we moved, I have come to realize how much vintage clothing I actually have. Unfortunately I couldn't wear some of it, because it needed to be altered or refashioned! So I decided to start with this vintage Leslie Fay dress:

I got it at Savers last fall, and never wore it because of the neckline, or should I say the lack of it  So, that collar was the first thing to go:

Then I cut a good chunk off the bottom, lets be honest, I still got some killer leg to show 

I hemmed the raw edges using some vintage navy colored trim that I had, making this dress perfect for the 4th of July!

Please visit me here - BeingZhenya.com

Have a great weekend!

Z

Turn Old Jeans into a Top!

There are oh so many things you can do with denim, so I finally decided to make a top from all the leftovers I had!

My goal was to make something reversible, something that you could wear both ways, something without back, or front… I also knew that I definitely wanted to incorporate crochet into this refashion.

I used two different pairs of jeans, cut off the pant legs, traced one of the tops that I had to get the size right, and added the embellishments:

The crochet piece is made of a really thick cotton hemp like yarn. I followed a simple pattern, used a 3.5 mm hook, and after a couple hours and a couple blisters, I think it adds to the piece and makes it very unique!

I sewed the two sides together, finished the edges off with some vintage bias tape (thank you freecycle) and was ready to go! You can notice that in the picture above the zipper is positioned differently that in the pictures below! That’s because I decided to flip it upside down for a better fit and a vest-like effect that can be achieved with this top!

After I finished the top, I went to the Sculpture Garden, one of my favorite spots in the whole world! Hence, perfect for this photo shoot! So with my Samsung Galaxy
 in hand, I mean in Sam’s hand – that’s what it looks like …

Please visit me at http://beingzhenya.com for more refashions, thrifting and style tips!

Xo,

Z

Florals, Florals Everywhere

Today's refashion is going to be quick and easy and as summery as it can get! A couple weeks ago I thrifted these Guess capris:

What an awkward length!

But what an amazing floral print! Besides I've always loved Guess ;)

The first refashion that I am going to suggest is a no-sew refashion. All you need to do is simply roll up the pant legs like this:

But I already had a pair of summer shorts like this, so I decided to chop the excess off and hem each pant leg!

And the new shorts were done:

My question is - HOW SHOULD I STYLE THESE?

Please comment below :)

Happy Friday,

xo,

Z 

BeingZhenya

Perfect Summer Tote Bag

Today I have prepared an easy and quick refashion that any Costco shopper can afford to make :) Why Costco? Because that's where my in-laws take us shopping sometimes and that's where I found a giant bag of rice that came in a sack, that we are going to use in our refashion today!
Another thin we'll need is either plain fabric for lining, or, like in my case, a cloth bag one of my designer purses came in!
Here is our bag of rice (I've only seen them at Costco, please let me know if you've seen them at other stores! I want to make this easier for those who choose to shop elsewhere!)

And here is the bag we are going to use for lining:

The first thing you are going to want to do is hide all the loose ends, strings, etc! I also got rid of the zipper, because it was junky!
Then I trimmed the cloth bag to fit, kept the handles, because the original sack handles were too short!

Make sure to do some fitting before you start sewing by simply inserting the new lining into the sack:

I also went over the top edges with a thick red thread, to make sure it didn't fray:

How big is your needle? ;)
And finally sewed it all together on my machine! When sewing be careful, because the sack is made of a thick and heavy fabric, I don't want you ruining your machines because of me! And keep in mind - you'll end up doing some hand sewing one way or another, because the edges are thick!

And you are done! Enjoy your bag and have a wonderful weekend!
For those of you who are wondering where I am going next week - my blog is taking me to Chicago! And even though I am going to the Windy City only for a couple of days, I feel like it's an amazing start of something wonderful and exciting for me!
Lots of love,
Z
BeingZhenya.com

T-shirts to Coasters: Crocheting with Fabric

Hello my fellow co-op members! Today I have an awesome DIY/refashion project for you, especially for those of you who know how to crochet! And really the project is so easy, that even beginner crocheters can recreate it in their free time. All you need is a lot of patience :)

I am going to share how to make a set of coasters using this technique. Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis, I hope you remember my newly freecycled coffee table! Well, even though I got it for free, I didn’t want to ruin it by putting mugs with hot tea and coffee directly on the surface, so I started cutting!

Here is what you’ll need:

1-2 large T-shirts that you don’t wear anymore (husband’s will do!)

A pair of scissors

A large crochet hook, preferably number 3 or higher!

A LOT OF PATIENCE!

Start by laying the T-shirt out flat,

You are going to start cutting the shirt from the bottom up! The trick is to move in a spiral, that way the “yarn” of fabric won’t break! Another great tip is to cut the strip about 0.8″ (1 cm) wide, that way you are not going too thin and fabric rips, neither is it too thick and hard to crochet with!

I cut up 2 shirts, and that was more than enough to make a set of 6 coasters! Here is a picture where you can see the giant ball of fabric yarn that I had made:

All you do next is simply crochet a circle and make it as wide as you want! So start with ch 5, then 10 sc into the circle, then 2 sc into every 1 sc of the previous row, keep going, adding sc where you feel like they are needed, so that the coaster looks flat and round!

And…

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone, stay tuned for more DIY posts!

Xo,

Zhenya

http://beingzhenya.com

Shabby Chic Swimsuit coverup from a thrifted tablecloth!

Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by for today’s DIY post!

It’s going to be an easy “Get Ready for Spring/Summer 2013″ refashion/sewing project:

Start with picking your fabric! I got this curtain/table cloth material at Goodwill for only $2.99

Don’t you just love it?

Then I laid it out flat, and as you can see the front is shorter than the back (yes, I intended it to be like that!  ) and placed a shirt on top of it, to see where the seams would approximately go:

Then I cut along the lines, pinned it like so:

And here you have it! A very chic and shabby swimsuit cover up!

Now if only spring would come!

Xo,

Zhenya

DIY Friday: Getting Ready for Spring: Color Block Pillowcase skirt

What better way to get ready for spring than add a couple new pieces to your wardrobe? Today’s DIY is all about that! And we’ll be using an ordinary pillowcase for that!

Here is all you need:

1. Pillowcase

2. A wide strip of fabric to add the color block segment on the bottom

3. Scissors

4. Pins

5. Matching thread

6. Sewing machine

7. Elastic

Start off by laying out your pillowcase, then turn it inside out, cut the seam on one end, now you have a tube! Fold out one end – that’s where your waist line is going to be:

Once the fabric has been folded on one end to form the waistline I suggest you either pin it or fasten with a running stitch. Then decide how long you want the top part of the skirt to be, and cut off the remainder:

TIP: Don’t throw the cut-off, you are going to use it to determine how much of other fabric you are going to need! It’s a perfect “stencil”, that will make your life a lot easier! 

Let’s work on the waistline now. This is where you are going to need your elastic. If your waistline is wider than 1″ you might want to run two rows of stitching, just to make the skirt sit properly. The elastic goes between the two rows:

Now it’s time to pin the other fabric to the main part of our skirt. I used bright fuchsia fabric, which you are going to see in a lot of other refashions and DIYs this coming spring!

It’s also a good idea to add a slit to the back of your skirt, like in the picture above! And your skirt is done and ready to wear! 

Thank you so much for checking out my refashion! I hope this was a helpful and inspirational post for you! Stay tuned for more fun refashions, sewing tutorials, and DIYs, there is also an amazing GIVEAWAY on my blog right now! 

Cheers,

Z, 

BeingZhenya.com