Moth attack rescue

This is more a rescue than a refashion, because the clothes are about the same before and after.  Apart from the holes... A year or so ago, we moved out of our house while it was being gutted and renovated.  Unbeknownst to me, the house we moved into was infested with clothing moths.  I found out when I pulled my winter clothing out of storage 6 months later and found all the holes.  And the moths had great taste - the cashmere and pure wool items only, none of your cheaper acrylic blends...

 

It's taken a while, and I'm still slowly working through the repairs.  Some I've been able to mend invisibly (Yay!) but then there were some other favourites like these.  I like them too much to just give up and go straight to felting so - into the chest freezer for a few days, washed and dried outside in the UV light, then time to find the holes:

This one has safety pins marking the holes, and is a WIP. 

For some reason only the right arm was damaged on this grey cardigan, so the left side embellishments are just to even it up (sorry the detail is oriented the wrong way).  I used scraps of fleece material to secure and reinforce the biggest holes, then doodled the rest of the planetary orbits in cotton embroidery thread until it looked right:

And this one had tiny holes but the knit is so fine I didn't like the way it looked after mending.  Now it has autumn leaves falling over it.


Happy refashioning (and rescuing)!

Mimi

Anthropologie Inspired: The Collection Necklace

From one pile of broken jewelry . . . 

. . . to one Anthropologie inspired eclectic necklace . . . 

Inspired by Anthropolgie's Collection necklace ($48)

See more details on my blog.

"Iris In Bloom" Denim Jacket

I love denim jacket refashions and they are so easy to do.I first became interested in this style of refashion when I discovered Anthropologie's Kunstenaar denim jacket. I was blown away by how amazing it was and the key to it is creating a stunning visual focal point.
So my project begins..... 
The hardest part is searching for the perfect panel which is going to be the centre piece of your jacket. Denim jackets are cheap and abundant in thrift stores. This denim jacket refashion cost a total of $5.00. On Saturday, I had spent my morning at a workshop run by Erica Louise which was inspirational.Following that I trotted off for my usual thrift shop escapades which resulted in success. I had finally found the perfect panel for my denim jacket refashion.

So I started with this $3.00 thrift store denim jacket.

Added my Saturday purchase of a $1.00 Irish linen tea-towel.

And here is "Iris in Bloom" Pretty good for a $5.00 outlay and cheaper than a bunch of flowers.

To see how easy this refashion is visit me @ my blog

Tom Binns Inspired Colorful Cameos

Tom Binns necklace ($445)

Tom Binns Earrings  ($365)

Tom Binns Necklace  ($515)

While these pieces are very beautiful, they just don't fit into my budget.  

So I created my own  - - - >

This is so easy to do.  All you need is a cameo, some nail polish, and a chain or bead necklace.

This was one of mine before painting.
Paint the cameo with nailpolish colors of your choice.  I used a toothpick to help get the nailpolish in the little nooks and crannies.
Attach to a chain or beads and your necklace is ready to go!

See more photos on my blog.

Lace On Lace Top

This little lace top was made from this XXL thrifted $2 top:

and this lace collar, left over from a previous re-fashion:

See more details on my blog.

back

Shirt Dress Refashion + An Easy Boxy Sleeve Fix

This dress was a $1 garage sale find - bought mainly because I liked the color.

A few snips and new hems and here's my dress now:

Something I'm much more likely to wear~

I removed the sleeves and shoulder doo-dads.  Re-hemmed the sleeve openings and then chopped off about 6 inches and hemmed the bottom.

But I was still left with really boxy shoulder/sleeves.

Luckily there's a really easy fix for that

Before and After

See my blog for a quick tutorial for this shoulder fix

Swimsuit Refashion

Today I have a whole new respect for the swimsuit industry.  I'll admit that there have been more than a few times that I have bad-mouthed them; perhaps even used expletives. 

It just seemed like they could never get it right.  I mean, if the intimate apparel industry can get it right, why can't the swimwear folks get it?  We women are not all the same size and shape.  And, for goodness sake, can't a mom have a cute swimsuit that is actually flattering? 

I give you exhibit A:

This swimsuit looked adorable on the internet model.  And, it looked adorable when I opened it up. When I put it on... well... it was OK.  However, I felt the need to wear a well-fitting bikini top underneath it.

I wore it to the pool.  I was excited.  I got in the water.  I looked like I had a giant wet blanket draped over me.  I was unhappy.

I still really, really wanted to love this swimsuit.  So, I took it in on the sides.  It looked pretty good after that.  Unfortunately, it was NOT comfortable.

The culprit?  These cute little white straps beside the (shall we say) chest area.  They start on the sides and are supposed to tie behind the neck.  The problem?  It really hurts to have a wide slab of spandex supporting your chest when starts below your armpit, goes around your shoulder and ties in the back.

That's when I knew I would have to do something drastic.  I certainly did not want to waste this super cute bathing suit, but I was not willing to be in pain.  And finally it hit me... A BIKINI!!

Yes, I was nervous.  I have no serger or fancy sewing equipment.  And, let's face it, the last place you want to have a major wardrobe malfunction in at the neighborhood pool.  But at this point, what did I have to lose?

You can learn all about my swimsuit overhaul here. I like to think that I saved this swimsuit.  Tonight I am in love with it.  Fingers crossed for no wardrobe malfunctions tomorrow...

My Version of Anthropologie's Mirela Fringe Necklace

My version - made primarily from repurposed vintage bits and pieces.  The green center stone piece was originally an off-white/pearl clip-on earring - I removed the clip-on back, painted the "stone" green using fingernail polish and glued on the rhinestones around the edge.  I did purchase the hot pink rolled fabric beads for .99 cents at a local bead store and found the coral beads for approx. $3.00 at Jo-ann's. 

wearing it out to a lake party

And here's the original from Anthropologie:

$58.00 - and it doesn't get very good reviews.

twobutterflies

Embroidered Skirt

Embroidered denim skirt made from 1 thrifted long denim skirt, hemmed to above the knee, then hand embroidered.

Inspired by these Anthropologie shorts (no longer available):

 seen on Keiko Lynn

twobutterflies

Another silk top refashion-two ways

Hello and happy hump day!

I found this lovely silk top yesterday at one of the local thrift stores for $3.

I liked the pockets but knew the sleeves would have to go!

This is what I did. I seam ripped those sleeves and collar right off! I then took in the arm holes by about 2 inches and took the sides in just a bit for some shape. I finished off the sleeves and around the neck, then decided I'd like to wear it as a v neck sometimes, and buttoned all the way up other times. I found the bottom of the v and tacked it with a few stitches. Now I have to put this on over my head, but it allows me to wear this 2 ways without showing too much!

Gotta love my face in these! I was simply planning to crop my head out, but then decided, hey, let's keep it real. I can show my greasy unwashed hair and un-made up face to my fellow refashioners ;) We all have those days...now, it's off to the shower! Hope you like it :)

Peace,

Andrea

LittleDidYouKnow

Ten Second No Sew Skirt.

Seriously, this refashion only takes 10 seconds. Blink and you will miss it.

Before

After.

Full refashion @ http://recycledrepurposedrenewed.blogspot.com.au/

"Well Travelled Rock Chick" Jacket

My version of Anthropologie's Kunstenaar denim jacket.

Plain thrift store denim jacket

Concept book...Apologies for lack of drawing ability.

After.

Full story @ http://recycledrepurposedrenewed.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/well-travelled-rock-chick-denim-jacket.html

Another Pinspiration

One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday, is find an inspiration picture from Pinterest and try to create something similar using my thrift store stash.

Here's the latest Pinspiration project.

You can find the entire tutorial on my blog.