Daddy's sleeves = son's shorts

I know I've been silent for quite a while. I had plans to make at least one refashion every month but things haven't exactly gone as I hoped to, and I haven't been able to keep up with my goals. 

Indeed I did a few refashions that I haven't posted yet, but they are rather boring and simple refashions so I've been wondoring if I should share them or not. I guess I will. Starting with these shorts I made for my son out of the sleeves of his dad's shirt. The patches from the elbows, turned into knee patches. I used a pattern to make them, the Orbis Skinny Harem by Sofilantjes Patterns, I just love the design. For the waist and leg bands I used scraps of rib knit that I saved from some men hoodies I refashioned into stage outfits for a local metal band, a couple of years ago. 

So sorry I don't have the original shirt's photo!

Jeans revisited

I refashioned a pair of jeans that either my mom or my sister gave to me to make my daughter a new pair in size 6. It starts to get hard to refashion adult jeans this way for her, but these were big enough. Even though, I had to make a few adjusts to the pattern I used. More specifically, I added an elastic knit band at the waist, and even though the crotch was a bit too long. The fun detail in the hem was recreated from a pair of pants she had when she was younger. 

You can read more about it HERE.  

Wonderful Vintage Fur

It's been a while again. How's everyone doing? I have been low on refashions, but I have this cool one I have been wanting to show you for a few weeks, but I just couldn't do it before. 

You see, when I was a baby, my father was working in Germany (we live in Portugal) and when he was back, he brought my mom, this amazing fur coat. She might have wore it once or twice though, and a few years ago she finally thought about getting rid of it. She wasn't wearing it at all, but it was one of those things we hold on to. 

She gave it to me as she does with all her unwanted clothes. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it since the start, but I too was too sentimental to cut it apart, and I kept postponing it until a couple of weeks ago when I signed for a blog tour and one of the sponsors had this fur vest I could use. 

I signed and sighed... there's no going back, I had to cut it. And I did, and it became a new vest for my daughter. I used only the sleeves, and kept the rest, it will make a wonderful vest for me and it's life will be extended for many years - hopefully.

Here's my daughter wearing hers. You can read more about it HERE. 

refashioning for men

This is my very first time refashioning for my husband. He often complains I sew for everyone in this house but him, so when the chance to make something for him came along, I just took it. I made him some beach shorts out of an old pair and a jacket. Read more about it HERE.

New cardigan for my daughter

Hey all! I feel so happy I've been able to keep up with the sewing mood, using my refashion pile too. This month (I am aiming for a monthly refashion at least!!!) I was able to turn a pullover from my husband into a new cardigan for my daughter. She was in need of a not so warm one, that fitted her properly (all the ones she had were getting too short). 

To complete I used a scrap of wool knit I add in my stash. You can read all about it though, by clicking HERE

In a black mood

My soon-to-be 6 year old girl, decided that just like mom, she's now into black. I confess that's what I wear the most and what I like the most, but I've always put all sorts of colors in her wardrobe (except for soft shades of pink, I would avoid it anytime I could!). Recently though, I sewed her a flowerish fabric with a black backdrop shorts, and we styled it with black tights, top and kimono as you can see here. She loved it so much, she started saying her favorite new color was black. Ok then.

So, while she is in the mood (one never knows how long they last), I sewed her another black garment. It wasn't really planned, I wanted to knock off a navy skirt with little white flowers, but all I had in my fabric or clothes-to-refashion pile, that looked a bit like that, was this dress my mom gave me, in black, of course!

Read more about it all HERE!

Forcing my sewing and refashion mood back

Hey everyone. So sorry, it's been a while since my last post.

My sewing  mojo has been low for way too long, and all through this time I've been wanting to do things, but my body would just not respond to my wishes. Pdf pattern tests are my way to get me doing something. Having a deadline to complete a piece makes me actually start and finish something. That was the reason I've recently tested the Arthur Chinos pattern for Suco by Susana. 

Of course, when I have anything to sew, my first source for fabric is my to be refashion pile of clothes. So far I am getting away with it, since my youngest is still two years old and I can fit shorts and pants pattern pieces into adult sized (larger sizes only) ones. That said, that's just what I did for his newest Chino shorts, with summer in mind already. This is a first test for the pattern, which has been recently released, and even though it was the first test, it was already perfect. I am in love with them. I used  a man's pair of pants (pictured above) for ths refashion. I made size 3, which is the smallest one in the pattern, he's still wearing 18M-24M when it comes to bottoms, but I guess he'll grow a little until it's good weather for them.

If you want to read more about this refashion, come by House of Estrela for a visit.  

Toddler's refashioned Pajamas

Long time no see, right? Sorry I get to dissapear every now and then. 

I knew I wanted to be bac sooner, but I just couldn't find the time to sew at all. 

I finally managed to turned some pieces into my boy's new pajama, colder days and nights are here and we didn't have that many that actually fit him well. They are either too long or too short. 

A fellow portuguese blogger has just released her first PDF pattern, guess which one it was? A pajamas, of course. And since I was invited into her test group, I was actually motivated to sew, instead of just planning to. I do work better under pressure, do you?! 

This is not rock science here. I just grabbed a shirt from my husband that I thrifted a while ago, while it was never my husband actually, because it turned out a bit too lose on him and went right into my refashion piles. So, I used that shirt to make the pajama's shirt body and shirt and leg cuffs. I wanted to use the pants fabric for the shirt's cuffs which I used from an original men's pajamas I was given a while ago. The fabric didn't have any stretch though, and I had to gave up on my plans. 

Do you like it? You can read more about it and see more photos over HERE. 

Vibrant Yellow How I love You

I bought this dress for one euro only as both the charity shops I know sell all their items for 1€ (one of them sells kids clothes for only 0,50€). I often find ready to wear clothes I love too. This dress though was beautifully finished, and quite new for a second hand, but first of all, it didn't fit me, and also, I wouldn't dress this as was for sure. 

I loved the vibrant yellow in it though and knew I had to make something new out of it. It spent a couple of years in my refashion-pile before I finally found a purpose for it. And I did so last week, making a new pair of shorts for my daughter. I am telling all about it in my blog, if you're curious to read it, just click here. 

The best thing is that I still have a lot left from this. Can't stop wondering what to turn it into. 

A basic refashion I will always love

Hello everyone!

Is it as hot in your side of the world as it is in mine? I am melting here. 

Today kicks off the annual Refashion Month SeriesI usually host in my blog, and I started it with one of the simpliest ways to refashion a pair of jeans. 

I usually just cut my jeans legs and leave them unhemmed when I want to turn them into shorts.

However, I chose to embellish these ones a little better and added some lace to it.

I've got more photos and also a little step by step on my blog, so if you want to check it out, you can visit HERE. 

From dress to top

Hello everyone! 

It's Magda from House of Estrela again. 

I don't often sew for myself, that's a fact. Since I had kids I focus on sewing for them. 

I want to change that, I really do. So, last month I jumped in at the chance of turning a XXL dress I bought just because I liked the fabric, and tossed it right away into my refashion pile, into a new top for myself. 

You can read all the details about in in my blog, HERE if you're interested. 

BEFORE & AFTER

I wear it all the time, it's comfortable and the subtle golden in it, allows me to dress it up a bit if needed. 

Aren't you so happy when you find XXL clothes to refashion too? 

from my big man to my little man

Do you often attack your husband's wardrobe like I do?

Well, I actually didn't have to this time, he volunteered to handle me this pair of jeans. They weren't that old, but he got slimmer and they didn't fit anymore. After a while in my to-be-refashioned-pile, I finally found a use for them and turned them into a new pair of jeans for my little man. My son is nearly 2 year old and it still is easy to turn daddy jeans into toddler jeans, I find it harder to do so for my daughter though. Pattern pieces don't often fit properly in the fabric I have to use. So, let me refashion from dad to son while it still is possible. 

For this pair, I used the Walker Jeans pattern by Momma Quail Patterns... and I love it.  If you want to read more about this refashion/pattern, please click here. 

Did you miss me?

Hey everyone! Does anyone still remember me? 

I needed to be away from here for a few months, but I am back. I am planning some really cool refashions for the next weeks, and I will be more than happy to share them with you. 

For now, and just to celebrate the fact that I am back, I am sharing one of my most recent refashions... I turned a women's pants into those slacks for my little one. I actually forgot to take a full photo to the before until I was already cutting, sorry, this was the best I got. 

I love their new life on my little man. 

Check all the details here. 

Striped Cardigan

I thirfted this woman's sized striped shirt for 1€ at a charity shop last month. I was happy that I've put my hands on it so quickly and turned it into something new for my little princess. a cardigan. She picked the collar which is made from leftovers from a previous refashion I made for her little brother. 

if you want to read more about it, click here!

Tim Burton inspired

This was the inspiration:

and this is what I got:

you can take a better look...

and CLICK HERE for more photos and info. 

The Purple Shirt I loved

I'm so sorry, lately I easily forget to take before photos of the garments before I cut into them. This is the case again. I had this gorgeous purple wooll shirt in my pile for so long. And I had actually cut sleeves and body apart years ago, but never finished it in all this time. Until I was in a pattern tour, and that said pattern would make a lovely long sleeved shirt for my daughter. I brough the purple shirt to life after so long, and in the pink details I used scraps from a tank top my mom gave me not long before. Read the original post over my blog!

Another Onesie Refashion

Does anyone still remember the Boogie Boogie outfit and the refashioned monster onesie? Well, I sewed up a suit for my baby boy and needed a tie to complete the look but because he was only 3 months old,I figured, I could use the technique again. From a plain white onesie, we got a fun, tie look. He wore it at our niece's wedding and it was a huge success. Read about it all here!

and that's why there ain't a before picture here!

I just realised I don't share anything with you since November. I am sorry for that. Today I am bringing you another refashion I made for my baby boy, using basicly scraps from previous refashions. if you are anything like me, you save basicly every little scrap and again, having a baby boy is the perfect excuse to use those tiny pieces. 

The shirt was made out of leftovers from the undies and a white t-shirt, and the pants were made with leftovers from a pair of leggings that were cut into shorts. 

read more details about this outfit over House of Estrela.

And by the way, allow me to share a special event that's going to take place on my blog, staring today until next friday. I think you'll all enjoy it! Click through the link to check who the guests are.

Refashioning for my baby boy

The best thing about having babies and sewing for them, is that any little piece is enough to make whatever we want to. I created this outfit for my little man refashioning a plain onesie, to which I sewn a green moster into, and using denim leftovers from a pair of jeans my sister cut into capris. 

you can read more about it HERE. 

A princess inspired dress for my own princess

I needed to make a dress inspired in Disney's Princess Sofia. This purple dress my sister gave me a while ago was just the perfect colour for what I needed. I wasn't so short about the fabric though but went with it anyway, and I really liked how it turned out after all. 

I opted for a scalloped hem which isn't perfect - it was the first time I tried to make one - and I even made a matching hairclip. Can you tell she was happy about the dress? 

see more details of this dress HERE