waistcoat

Have been away from the world of refashioning this past month due to 2 new adopted greyhounds, so I've been left with very limited spare time and I think it shows!! My attempt at chopping up a winter coat in striking green kermit colour and trying to transform it into a waistcoat with a frill made from the coat lining, perhaps could've done with a bit more time. Oh well, still got lots of coat left for next project and with winter fast approaching, I think the new dogs with be needing a coat of their own......

Transitional wardrobe changeover

It being the beginning of September (although still very humid and muggy) I'm waiting in anticipation for proper autumnal frosty mornings and the brown leaves to kick in. I've slowly been changing over my summer wardrobe to include some knitwear and warmer cosy jumpers. I have this lovely apple green angora mix long jumper that I found hidden away and although the feel of it is lovely and soft, I was no longer keen on the high neckline and there was a hole in the middle of it that had been chewed by a moth whilst in storage.
I cut away a soft curved neckline where the ribbed collar part began and used some odds and ends of left over material to work on giving the neckline a shabby chic style. I fused together some tweedy type strips with some light green chiffon pieces and some raw green silk strips and sewed them onto each other. I created a loose corsage on the left had side of the neckline and pleated some pinky red curtain type material on the other side. To disguise the moth hole, I let the strips hang down the centre, sewing them halfway down before letting them hang freely. And, voila, this is the completed article and I'm pretty pleased with it, may wear it to the wedding I'm off to in October in Cardiff. xx

80's vintage sweater to cute shopping bag

Hi, I'm new to this blogging malarky, but not to upcycling or refashioning clothing, which I totally love as it helps me to relax and chill out whilst being creative. I'm a 100 mile an hour kind of person who always has to be doing something active, so this totally works for me as I can stay in one room for a while whilst using my hands and my imagination, the right brain part doing lots of work. I love that transforming and refashioning clothing means that I will be recycling stuff and wearing something unique. Fabric is so lovely. I will often chop it up, sometimes I sew it, or on it, or paint on it with some fabric paints or use some dyes. Sometimes I use my new hot glue gun and stick quirky findings on. I like the fact that there needs to be no plan, just see where the flow goes with it all. Sometimes an item of clothing sort of tells you what it wants to be in its next life. Jackets are a favourite, hmmm, and dresses and tops......
I like to visit second hand places for clothes, I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a 'real' shop to buy my clothes and even my day job involves setting up and managing new charity stores which means lots of my inspiration comes from donated fabric and clothing screaming out for a makeover. I love quirky and unusual fabric and vintage bits and pieces.

The sweater I decided to use for this project came from a second hand shop, it's early 80's vintage Jaeger and really it needs to have a nice batwing (but doesn't) and when I got it home I realised the colour didn't suit me at all. I tried to dye it a pillarbox red, hoping for a purple outcome but the dye didn't take, so the sweater was asking for the chop with my lovely sharp scissors. I like deconstructing clothes, I really enjoy looking at the individual pieces that make up a garment.
With the long stretchy arms cut off, the arms sewn together became the bag strap. I sewed up the sweater base in a gentle curve with my sewing machine, back and fowards a few times to make it nice and strong so I can carry my veggies from the market on a Thursday. The ribbed hem line chopped in half became two flowers at the base of the strap and the heart detail on the front I cut from some corduroy. I attached the heart to the pretty fabric underneath and made it into a pocket that sits on the front of the bag so I can hook some pens in there in case I forget something I need to write on my shopping list. xx