It's Tunic Tune-Up Time

It started out something like this:

tunic top 'B' made in an Asian-esque print

Now it was too small - pretty much everywhere... I found a scrap of similar fabric with red dots and made side inserts that traveled up into and through the sleeves:

view of red dotted side inserts

But first I removed the sleeves because they were too narrow at the cap.  I then re-cut the cap portion to fit, thereby making the sleeves shorter, but fuller:

view of side insert and under sleeve

To see me wearing this version, check out my post, "In and Out of Focus" at Project Minima.
You'll also find a mini tutorial on making a magazine clutch while you're there...

Lil girl Go To Tunic

Hi guys,

I am Petra from Bag of Pretty and I just got gently reminded that it's been more than a month since my last post. Whaaaat? Unbelievable how time flies...
So, let me show you one of my projects from several months ago when I was lucky to be able to test a Go To Signature dress pattern.

I decided to cut my old tunic from Walmart and to use as much of the original seams as I can. Obviously everything needed to be adapted, except for the pocket that fit in the pattern beautifully.

Here is the little sleeve, cut so that the original seem is usable

And a cool downsized hood.

Now, I only have two boys, and the are REAL boys now, so I can not do this anymore, and not everybody is happy to have their kids all over the Internet, hence no photos of a girl in THE dress, but I am sure you get the picture.

Now hop over to see some other of my upcycling projects. See you there.

Petra

Girl's Victorian Nightgown

I made my daughter a beautiful Victorian style nightgown using McCall's Pilgrim Quaker Costume Pattern No. 2337, Version A, leaving out the hat, collar and apron, of course. The ruffle at the bottom of the gown was taken off of another dress that she had outgrown. The gown's body was from a retired bed sheet. The embellishment is my own, basically a ruffle sewn down the center front, bow at the top and strategically placed buttons. Adds that perfect special touch for a very special girl. What girl doesn't want a beautiful victorian nightgown, so dreamy and feminine? She is very pleased and wears it several nights a week. It is very comfy and cool for the upcoming hot summer months. My cost was mere cents, basically the thread, buttons and a little ribbon, which had been sitting in my stash forever. Doing a search online, I found plain victorian gowns without the extra touches for between $60 and $80; so I feel pretty good about this refashion.

 Parting Shot: The slippers is another refashion I did which I will share with you at a later time.

Sewing With Trudy

The gift of thrift refashion

XL thrifted shirt from Savers...


reconstructed to make a Sorbetto blouse (modified with sleeves)....


I wear the blouse to show how it looks now, although it is not actually made to fit me, I've made it as a gift for a friend.

I've removed the sleeves, stitched them back on but shorted their length, moved the front of the shirt to the back of the blouse (buttons down the back), and for the first time, I've made my own bias tape to close the raw edged neckline, with the help of my iron, and a nifty little bias tape maker (thanks Skippingtail for the tip on nifty tape maker, and thanks to Miss P for her masking tape tip too)...

DIY bias strip neckline


Blouse front

Shirt front buttons now reversed, and sit in the middle of the back of the blouse

Do you think it is OK to give a refashioned thrift garment as a gift? More thoughts and pictures over on my blog

T-shirt Ruffle Skirt

Hey refashioners. Erica here (Thursday's Refashion Co-op Editor), I wanted to show you all a project I am doing - making ruffle skirts for little girls out of unwanted t-shirts and jersey tops.

Before

After

Little girl ruffle skirt

I can't take credit for the idea, because I used a pattern and tutorial from LilyGiggle.com, called the Rings of Ruffles Skirt. If any of you are interested in making one of these skirts, I have a giveaway on my blog for a bundle pack of three patterns/tutorials from LilyGiggle.com. Here is the link!

Oh, and there will be be a grown up version of the ruffle skirt coming soon!!

Saved!

I started to make this dress from scratch (Butterick 5606). Sadly there were a few issues from the start. The fabric was a little thin (read "see through") for my liking so I adapted the design to self line the dress.




When I made it up there were several problems.



1. It was too big



2. The 'wrap' hit me over the hips and was not at all flattering



3. The instruction of the pattern was that the wrap was only single layered and unfinished on the edge (there can be no wrong side since the wrap is supposed to be able to go different ways)



4. I had no extra fabric to double the wraps and give it a polished finish.



5. It did not suit me at all. The dress looks way better on the doll than it did on me. I guess the doll doesn't move and I'm not covered in fabric, so the dress doesn't adhere to me like it does the doll.



I put it down, sighed and almost chalked it up to another failure when I had a lightbulb moment

I loved the colour of the dress. I liked the shape of the dress, although it needed refitting.

SO...I cut off the wraps to make it more streamlined and took the dress in to give it a little shape.

So when summer arrives (it is still a little chilly in Australia for this ATM) I can wear it like this.




Or, here is the light bulb part, I crocheted this dress a little while ago but had nothing to put under it. Low and behold, it is perfect!






Happy days!



http://www.mccalls.com.au/Patterns/Butterick/B5606



p.s. I dont want this pattern anymore, obviously it doesn't suit me but it might suit you. If anyone would like it just pop over to my Lollean facebook page and leave me a message. I am happy to post it to an Australian address for free. If you are overseas we can chat about the postage cost. I have cut it out as a large, which is 16-18 according to the instructions. It is a large large though.

Further adventures in underwearland

This is my third post on this blog featuring underwear made from other clothing. It's also my third post total, so that seems to indicate a certain... obsession. Well, it is something (most of) you wear everyday so I suppose this is still helpful. I also may have promised a tutorial more than two months ago, which I am not going to give you today. This is because I have made grandiose plans involving a video camera and a certain friend of mine who has a lot more experience with filming than myself. Unfortunately, my fabulous friend and I both have insane schedules that don't overlap very much. Instead, I have uploaded lots of pictures of recent underpieces made from thrifted tees. (By the way, I am careful to only buy ones that are holey or poorly made or just plain ugly because of their design. I don't want to take cute wearable t-shirts out of circulation!) I will also share some tips that I've learned from making what is almost an entire drawer full of these. (Seriously, I am sometimes too sleepy/lazy to do laundry so I'll sew up a pair to wear the next day.)



For my pattern base, I use Jalie #2568 (low-cut hipster version). I'm sure there are tons of great patterns out there, but this one is my personal favorite. However, I have modified it in several ways. First, I added an extra inch to the top of the front and back pieces because the low-cut felt just a little too low for me. Then, I extended the lining an extra inch or so because it seemed too short, although this may be an anatomical anomaly in my case. I also widened the crotch area in general.



I first used the Jalie pattern with fancy new cotton interlock which is generally much stretchier than t-shirt fabric. So, when I use the pattern to cut from a tee, I add 1/2 inch to each side of the front and back pieces. This will definitely vary depending on the tee and on what size you are, but you will definitely want more give! The following pair I was cutting while talking on the phone and I accidentally forgot to add the extra fabric. After feeling upset for a minute, I realized that I could add strips to the side cut from a contrasting fabric and use a matching piece for the lining. I liked the result even more:



My final tip is to make sure to adjust the crotch area depending on the type of elastic you are using on the legs. If you are simply folding the fabric and sewing over it or if you are using picot trim, your pattern probably has this calculated into the measurements. However, if you are using fold-over elastic, you need to narrow the crotch or it may be too tight on your thighs. Again, this is all about individual tastes and sizes. If you're like me at all you'll probably make lots of mistakes but just keep trying because it's totally worth it in the end. Speaking of mistakes, always soak your elastic in warm water unless it's very light-colored! Anyway, I hope these tips are helpful.

Thank you everyone for your awesome, inspiring posts!

Summer dress to Winter top

I spotted this dress at the thrift shop. The first thing I noticed was the pattern in the fabric, I fondled the silky soft material and then after a quick sigh for it being far too small for me, I knew it had to come home with me for a refashion adventure.

I toyed with the idea of turning it into a shorter version of the same dress. By removing the top tier it would fit. Since it is winter in Australia I decided against a summer dream and made it into this top. The satin fabric for the body of the shirt was given to me a while ago from a friend (left over from one of her projects, I made one thing from it and still had this piece left) so it is an all round winner.

I used the Vogue pattern 8581 for the top and it was all sewn up within an hour!

I have more photos on my facebook page www.facebook.com/#!/lolleancreations

Upholstery Patch Dress

Progressing from my project last week, utilising some Robert Allen upholstery samples (purchased from a recycle centre for $1), I mentioned I have been scheming up a plan to use the rest of these pretty fabric squares. My second project is now complete; a patchwork dress.


It has taken me the best part of a week to complete. I used a pattern I have from my collection; New Look 6577.








I used leftover cut away patches to sew a fabric flower, backed with eco-fi kunin felt, and hair grips, so that I can either wear it in my hair, or on a band around my waist. I chose a white silk scarf to tie around my waist as a belt, as I felt it looked a little plain without anything.

*click on image for clearer picture*

More over on my blog

Dress for less

Hi everyone! It was really fun to see all your contributions to the around the world in eighty dresses challenge. I'm more of a pants and occasional skirts wearer, so I took a dress apart instead:

I think it was a bridesmaid's dress because the fabric looked and felt expensive but the cut was awful. (Speaking of which, has anyone else seen Bridesmaids?) I used the lining to sew the Madeleine Mini Bloomers (a free! pattern from Collette):

They turned out supercute, but I will not post a picture of me in them because they are also very see-through and the internet is just not ready to see my ass. I recommend this pattern if you get your hands on some gaudy gauzy dresses. I'm planning on making a second pair from the outer fabric with hot pink ribbon ties. 

Hi!

My name is Theo and I live in New York City. I actually joined this blog a little while ago, but have had a pretty crazy April and needed the reminder about required monthly postings to finally prompt me to post.

I've always customized my clothing, using hand-stitching, Rit dyes, and the beloved queen of embellishing - the BeDazzler. This trend was kicked up a notch two years ago when I was laid off from my job and bought a sewing machine all in the same month. The dramatic decrease in income led me to discover the wonders of the dollar bin and refashioning! Here are some of my favorites so far...



Below is a jumpsuit I made out of the two skirts and skirt lining pictured above. I used a vintage pattern from the 1960's that I altered slightly for my thicker thighs:



This next alteration was incredibly simple, but made such a huge difference in how I wear this jacket. Plus, I'd finally learned how to sew a zipper from making the jumpsuit:



Finally, my most recent endeavor has been two pairs of underwear from shirts I no longer wear:



I have found inspiration in so many posts here and I can't wait to see more!

Welcome to the Refashion Co-op

Welcome to the Refashion Co-op!
We are going to launch the site on the 14th February (Valentines day) and you are all invited to come along and sign up as contributors or follow us as readers. In the days following there will be posts where you get to meet the editors and see their favorite refashions and the contributors will join in with their first refashions. We can't wait to see you all!

A bit more about us:
We came together around a shared love for refashioning, or making over old garments into new garments and accessories, to create a space dedicated to refashioning. When Wardrobe Refashion closed down, we were all sad to see the iconic blog end it's run, and this project was set up to keep the online refashion community alive.

This is a collaborative blog, a space for contributors worldwide to showcase their finished projects and share techniques. We also envision it as a place to gain inspiration, and further the dialogue around sustainable fashion, consumerism, personal style, and frugal fashion. Most importantly, we hope this will be a space to connect with like-minded folks by fostering a sense of community among contributors and readers alike.

Our contributors are our most important asset, as it is your ideas and your creativity that drive this site! As Editors we primarily provide logistical support to ensure the site runs as smoothly as possible.

Together, we can take this movement to a new level! Let’s spread the refashion love to more people, encourage one another to take creative risks, and celebrate in our successes along the way.

Welcome to our new space. We hope that you will join us on this journey.

Your Editors,

Bryony
Debbie
Eddie
Erica
Jenni
Jessica
Jillian