Reversible Kimono from 2-in-1 Dress

I was pretty excited when I found this dress at my local Goodwill. You may be wondering why, since it is obviously just a big shapeless sack on me. Well, let me tell you: 1. The larger size/longer length means more fabric, 2. It was actually 2(!) whole dresses (the outer tank dress and inner short sleeved one) sewn together at the shoulder seams, which means double fabric, and 3. It had a yellow tag, which just so happened to be that week's 50% off color. SOLD.

Since I had a lot of fabric, I thought this would be the perfect time to jump on the DIY kimono bandwagon (seriously, these things are all over the blogosphere right now). Although my sister (who was shopping with me that day) didn't care for them, I really liked the prints on both of the dresses. I played around with the idea of doing a contrast sleeve or back, but then decided to just make two kimonos. This quickly turned into sewing the two together to create a reversible kimono, and voilà!

You can check out my blog to read more about how I drafted the pieces and constructed the kimono, and also see more pictures. My favorite part of this project was the concept, and then after that it was a pretty rough road. Cutting/sewing the chiffon was a nightmare; it's one of those fabrics that I love to wear, but then I sit down to work with it and it frustrates me to no end. I also didn't have quite enough fabric to make the front pieces as long as I would have liked; it's a little disappointing to put time and effort into something that doesn't end up quite the way you wanted. Although it might not be my most favorite make, I do think it will be great to wear during these transitional fall days.

Now, I'm curious to know, which side do you like better? The one with the circle-y things, or the one that's just lines?

One Last Pair of Summer Shorts

Hey ya'll! My name is Sarah Jean and I am SUPER EXCITED to be one of the newest contributors here on Refashion Co-op! I kind of have a lot going on right now; I'm in school full-time working on a degree in Information Systems Technology, I work part-time for a local company called BLOOM as a seamstress, and I blog about my various creative endeavors over at Hey, it's SJ. Even though I sew everyday at work, I still manage to make time to sew for myself, and refashioning has found a special place in my heart. I love being able to take unworn, neglected garments and turn them into something modern and wearable.

I know it's almost October (seriously, this year has gone by way too fast!), but here in Virginia temperatures have still been getting into the 80s during the day, so I figured I could squeeze in one last pair of summer shorts before it's boots and scarves weather.

I started with this lightweight denim tunic that I got a few years ago at Wal-Mart of all places. The whole denim shirt trend had just started and this was one of those, "That's cute and inexpensive, I'm just going to get it without trying it on" purchases. Well, it turns out that it didn't really fit at all; there wasn't nearly enough room in the bust for me and the side tie thing-ys hit in me in a weird place, plus the fullness made it look like a maternity shirt on me. It hung around in my closet for a little while until I decided to scrap the entire shirt idea and make it into a pair of lightweight denim shorts.

I unpicked all of the seams until I was left with 5 main pieces: the two sleeves, two front pieces and a back piece. I decided to use one of my tried-and-true shorts patterns, the Prefontaine Shorts for Women by Made with Moxie, to make my new shorts. I was able to cut each of the pockets from the sleeves, the front of the shorts from the two front pieces, and with some careful placement I got both of the back pieces from the back shirt piece.

You can find more details about the construction and pattern modifications I made here. I absolutely LOVE how they turned out, and I've already worn these shorts more times than I ever wore the ill-fitting tunic. They look dressy and "put together" while still being super comfortable, and the pattern was really quick to sew up.

I so happy to be here, and I look forward to sharing my refashion journey with ya'll!