A skirt to....a more different skirt

First of all, I have to apologize (again) for my absence--between learning to re-balance my life to accommodate a new dating relationship over the last couple of months, and an insane from-scratch sewing project that pretty much sucked up the first two months of this year (I made a fully lined and underlined and waterproofed raincoat), refashioning is one of those things that just kind of fell to the wayside. So I'm grateful that I'm still allowed to be a contributor to this wonderful community!

Ok, enough sappiness. On to the good stuff.

For me, a frequent source of things to refashion are my own older sewing projects. I'll decide that I can get something to fit better, or that the style just isn't working for me anymore. This skirt falls into the latter category.

This was my original skirt-- I made it years ago as a knockoff of one that I saw and loved in the Anthropologie catalog. I wore it fairly frequently for years, but it was getting to the point where the problems with it outweighed the good stuff. The skirt was cut on the bias, so the waistline stretches quite easily, and I was already having to take it in every 2 years or so. And there were issues with the lining--the internal finishing wasn't that great, so the rougher selvedge of that sheer "petticoat" bit where it attached to the lining had a tendency to snag and pull at whatever tights I was wearing underneath. (I get cold easily. Tights-less in the winter isn't an option for me!) And the style was kind of limiting, as in I literally have about 1 shirt I could wear this with.

So since it was at a point where I had to take it in again anyway, I decided to go one step further and make this fit my wardrobe better.

This is how it ended up. It was a little more complicated than a simple shortening job, since I needed to tweak the fit as well. So I started by entirely dissecting the skirt--I took the zipper out, I detached the lining, and I completely undid both side seams.

Then I used the wide yoke pieces from this sewing pattern that I already had around and had made beforeto cut a new waistband from the top. (The original skirt didn't have a waistband, just complete facing from the lining.)

Since I didn't have enough of the original fabric to line it in the same suedecloth, I cut the lining from a scrap of fabric in my stash that was fairly close in color. I also cut it on the straight grain to help off-set any stretching that the bias-cut yoke would want to do. (After seeing this pic, I probably should have interfaced that lining, but I already downgraded a size from the original pattern cutting and I was concerned that interfacing would make it so it didn't fit.)

Like my ribbon loop? That's my tag so I know which side is the back--they look identical, though the yoke was not!

I also decided to play up the suede look of the fabric. So I topstitched the yoke, and machine hemmed it-- I knew from experience that it wouldn't hem well by hand. To avoid the bulge at the bottom, I used this ribbon that I had on hand--sewed one side to the fabric and the other down as the hem, and it gave a really nice, clean machine-stitched finish! (I know the coloring isn't the best, but the ribbon I used for the "tag" was way too wide. I tried. And this particular type of ribbon took the curve of the hem better.)

As for that petticoat layer...I have plans for it. Stay tuned.

So that's it for now-- thanks for looking!

Bite me, winter.

One of these days, I will do some complicated, amazing refashion that will make all of you wonder how on earth I came up with the idea of turning that into this. But today, it's once again all about the simple fix. Besides, I needed a quick project that I could just knock out to give me a mental break from a rather complicated from-scratch project. So here we go!

I found this lovely piece while thrifting with my friends on Saturday. It was pretty good as is, though a bit big just under the arms. But I wasn't really a fan of those shoulder ruffles.With the embroidery and the asymmetric hemline, it was just too much.

So I took them away, and took in the top about 4", and I think the cleaner look suits it much better. Now I just need it to get warm so I can actually wear it!

There's a little more detail here, if you're interested.

Reconstruction, revisited.

About 3 years ago, I did a quick-n-dirty reconstruction on this dress:


....to turn it into this shirt.

From

Which I was never really satisfied with, and I haven't been wearing it. So I decided to revisit this one. It was fairly quick to fix, though it took me a couple of weeks since I was working on it in between tweaking a recent from-scratch dress that used the same color thread, Christmas gifts, and all that life/work stuff.

This is what it looks like now-- I took off the ribbon and inserted a slightly ruched waistband made from the leftover skirt piece from the original dress. I also did a few fitting tweaks, since it was a bit big for me. I think this is definitely nicer-looking, and I think I'll be getting much more use from it now.

A few more detail shots, as well as the link to the original reconstruction post, are at my blog. Thanks for looking!

Not strictly clothes, but clothes-related!

I can't post this on my own blog yet, because it involves Christmas presents. But I figured it's safe over here as long as I don't link it to my own blog!

I make clothes from scratch on a regular basis in addition to refashioning, and sometimes it's necessary for me to do a test version of a pattern. Which is great for the fit and has saved me plenty of tears from ruining pricier fabric, but I really hate chopping up fabric and "wasting" it on something that I can't wear for real. So I've been saving the muslins in hopes of being able to reuse the fabric.

This is the skirt muslin from a semiformal dress I made back in January--needed a "little black dress" to wear to a couple of weddings/the occasions I am involved in classical concerts, and I was taking a class on doing it semi-couture style on Pattern Review. (You can still see where I marked right on this test version.)

I recently found a tutorial here to make some herbal eye pillows. And when I saw that it's a muslin pillow with a pretty slipcover, I knew that this would be a perfect opportunity to use something like this. I did it as called for, except I also mixed some peppermint in with the lavender and flaxseed, because when I was googling this earlier, it said that's great for clearing sinuses and such. (Most of my headaches are allergy-related rather than stress.)

I made four of these pillows--one to test it on myself first, and three for gifts. The skirt had something like 6-8 panels, and I could get one complete pillow out of a panel, so I have some left if I make a few more of these later!

And these are the finished slipcovered pillows. All of the fabrics are 100% cotton prints that came from my scrap bin-- leftovers from a dress, a bedspread quilt, a large fabric swatch, and a bag. I think they turned out lovely, and they feel wonderfully cool and soothing against my face! So hopefully my relatives that I'm giving them to will like them. (And won't mind that I recycled never-worn clothing for them....shh!)

I'll be back to the regularly scheduled clothing refashions soon....just need time to sit down and finish that shirt.

It's amazing the difference a few buttons can make...

I thrifted this cute jacket several months ago-- I loved the color, and all of the pleated and military-style details.

Only problem was, check out the button that's higher up on this sleeve cuff. Or more accurately, what's left of it.

Since the jacket didn't have a spare button, and I didn't have any to match, I decided to go ahead and just replace them all.

So this is my new, much more versatile monochromatic jacket.

I also couldn't find 15 matching buttons that were anywhere close to the right size, so I had to make my own fabric-covered buttons. Check these out...

Much more fun. Since the fabric had 3 or 4 different flowers, I kind of mixed those up-- one type down the front closure, one on the pockets and epaulettes, and one on the sleeve cuffs.

Got to admit, it's getting better...

Is it just me, or is mending way less interesting than actually sewing something? I have a serious tendency to procrastinate on it. But since I have some time basically off of work (the part-time job that I supplement my music work with is seasonal, and this is kind of the off-time, and I haven't found a replacement job yet), I'm trying to use this time to catch up on some things. Like my ginormous mending pile. So I'll probably be posting here much more frequently for the next few days, as I fix some things and do some basic refashions that I've been putting off.

So today, I did your basic shorten-the-skirt refashion.

From this somewhat unflattering lower-calf length....

...to a much cuter knee-length skirt.

I also am trying to make some improvements to some of the things I've made over the past few years.

I made this shirt a couple of years ago, and love it-- it's nice and warm, and a simple enough design that it's pretty versatile. But since this was actually kind of a reconstruction of a different shirt I sewed (I had enough fabric leftover to recut the body to a nicer fit, and recycled the original sleeves), the second time around I made the facings too narrow, and they always pop out of the neckline.

So I just hand-stitched them down so I won't have any more neckline woes. I know it's not the most interesting thing for me to post here, but sometimes something small like this is the difference between something being wearable or not, so it still counts as stretching my wardrobe!

I also sewed a button back on a jacket, and fixed some trim on a shirt where the stitching had come loose. So not bad for an afternoon's work....four things down, 36 to go! (Yes, I made a list....)

More shoe clips

Another weekend, another wedding to attend. And this time it's a formal evening wedding, so once again, I need fancier shoes.

So I took my basic black dress shoes....

....and, in a similar fashion to the brown shoes I fancied up for this month's other wedding, I made clip-on embellishments. This time they were made using some extra-fancy buttons and some chiffon ruffly ribbon, as well as the earring clips. (I had to buy all of these materials new because I had nothing on hand that would work, but this sort of thing could easily be done with stuff around the house.)

A close-up view. What can I say....I'm like a magpie in my ability to resist sparkly objects.

And, just like the other pair of shoes, these are completely removable. (Which is good, because I'm probably going to end up wearing the shoes plain for the rehearsal dinner tonight!)

In-progress skirt alterations

October has been a really busy month for me. Between work, hunting for a new job to replace my non-music part-time job, and an unusually busy social schedule for me (including 2 weekends in a row of visiting out-of-state friends), I've barely had any time to sew at all. :-( What little I've had has been mostly dedicated to making a from-scratch bag for a friend (she's paying me to make it, and I can't turn that down!) But I did at least start a new refashion, so I wanted to share that. Mostly for the selfish reason of making sure I get a post in this month so I can stay here with you all!

Another friend recently gave me a bag full of clothes--some with the request that I repair them for her, (including one that needs some definite refashioning so hopefully I can share that here before too long), and some for me to keep and do whatever I wanted with them. That's pretty much the perfect bribery for me to want to sew for other people! This skirt is one of the latter:

It's long, and denim, and was brand-new--tags still on and everything! And it has some really neat details.

Like a subtly two-toned zipper.

And the back, the shaping of which gives it the effect of having a train without the actual inconvenience of walking around in one. Love this!

The skirt was rather large on me, though. (No before shots of me wearing it, but it's pretty much the effect of the "after" shot in a diet ad.) I like the skirt as is, so all I'm doing is taking it in.

So far, I've managed to untack the facings and undo the topstitching around the side seams. Since those aren't topstitched down the length of the seam, I figured that would be the easiest place to take it in.

Then I put it on inside-out and pinned it to fit. As you can see, I do have to take it in pretty significantly at the top of the seam, but it'll taper out to the side seam pretty nicely.

So I have to actually stitch that down, take in the facing to match, and then redo some of the topstitching. Hopefully, I'll get to this before too long, but at least the seam-ripping and pinning was a good project for having about half an hour to do something between packing for the latest weekend trip!

blinging up my shoes

I have two friends getting married next month, and am currently working on my outfit for the first wedding. (The second wedding is covered, since I'll be participating in the ceremony as a musician and will therefore be wearing a black dress I made back in the spring.) The dress, which is from scratch and will therefore not be posted on here, is coming along nicely. I was having an issue with shoes, though, since I realized that I really didn't have any that would work with either outfit. So I went out shopping yesterday in hopes of finding something that would work with both dresses and two different levels of formal (I'm playing in an evening wedding, and attending a morning wedding.) But I have a hard-to-fit shoe size, and between all of the shoes being too narrow and the current trend of 4" stiletto heels that I would surely break an ankle if I try to dance in them, I wasn't successful. So I decided that, since the friend I was running errands with needed to stop at the fabric store anyway, I'd just embellish some shoes I already have. This is still in process, but I have one shoe done, so I made a tutorial to share with you all. (Plus this will help me remember when I get to the next shoe!)

I started with these shoes--just a basic brown Mary Jane-style. They're perfectly nice shoes as is, and I didn't want to do anything permanent to them. So I decided to do shoe clips. I had to purchase most of the materials since I knew I didn't have anything on hand that would work this time, but you could easily use things you have already.

I got a pack of clip-on earrings, and after my friend and I were playing around with them, we discovered that bending the curved-in part (the part that goes against the back of the ear) out flat made for a much more comfortable fit inside the shoe. I used three of these for one shoe, but how many you would need would depend on the style.

I took a scrap of thin fleece (to help protect my shoe), and marked the curve of the edge onto it...

...and trimmed that shape out. Then I took the first earring clip and centered it on the front of the shoe, with the side of the clip that the earring would get attached to up.

I sewed this onto the fleece, making sure to go through the lip and also stitch through the bar to the back of the fleece.

Then I took a little ribbon flower and stitched through the back of that to attach it to the earring. I used pre-made ones since I'm on a time crunch, but this could be fun with homemade fabric flowers too!

I repeated this process until I had 3 flowers/earring clips on the fleece. I made sure to start stitching the earrings on while they and the fleece were clipped to the shoe, so I could get the flowers lined up really nicely with the edge.

Then I trimmed the fleece to this oddball shape so that it wouldn't show past the flowers, being very careful not to cut the stitching (which you can't really see in this picture, since it sinks into the fleece enough to make it hard to see.)

And this is my now fancier-shoe! Like I said, I still have to do the left shoe of this pair. And I also have plans to do another clip style for my black shoes, so I'll show those too when it's done. Since I had to buy the stuff, I probably didn't save much money (at least this vs. a new pair from Payless Shoes), but I'm happy to not have to try and fit another pair of shoes into my little closet! Plus I already know these shoes fit and are broken in!

It's the time of the season...

...for jeans skirts! I've been wishing I had one on and off all summer, so the seasonal transitions challenge was just the nudge I needed to finally fill this hole in my wardrobe.

So I picked up these jeans, or jeggings, or whatever they are (stretchy things with a horrible elastic waist that didn't deserve to live) at the local Goodwill. Only $2!

And after about 2 nights' work, I had this.

I had this zipper on hand, so I decided to give the exposed zipper look a try. I think it turned out pretty well! More details on how I did it here.

could have fooled me....

I was in the mood for a quick-and-easy project, so I made a top from that free Sorbetto pattern that I've been seeing all over the sewing blogosphere this summer. Normally, I wouldn't post a from-scratch project here...


Except it used to be this. (Also a from-scratch project, but it ended up not quite working out. Looked awful on me.)

Here's the proof! There was just enough length to the original top that I could squeeze the pattern piece on. And the best part was, the edge finishing for the hem was already done!

Lacey camisole

I'm generally not a lace girl, but I remembered after the challenge was posted that I actually had something on hand that would work! So figured I'd play along.

I turned this ill-fitting all-over stretch lace top that wouldn't stay up on my shoulders into two things.

#1, a camisole, fully lined with remnants of a jersey fabric left over from one of my from-scratch projects.

#2, I took the sleeve that was left after I made the straps (fabric-covered elastic) and turned it into a cute little headband.

It ended up being more time-consuming than it probably would have been had it not been lace, because I had to deconstruct it almost entirely to line it. But I think it'll end up being a nice layering piece for the fall. As always, more details on my blog. Thanks for looking!

Finally, an actual new reconstruction!

I'm taking a break from the shoes. I had a free afternoon yesterday, so I decided to play around with this too-big, kind of frilly dress I found at the thrift store.

I liked the main color, but I knew I'd never wear this as a dress. And I wasn't really seeing this as a skirt or top....















....so I turned it into some much-needed sleepwear. Much frillier than I usually wear, but it turned out pretty comfortable. And it was fun to play around with something that I'd not wear in public!  More details on how I did it at my blog.

time to throw in the towel?

All right, refashionistas, I need some advice!

Still working on those shoes I showed in my last post. I finally got the denim all over one of them, and decided to play around with finishing the edges before I move on to the second shoe.

Frankly, it looks awful so far. The ribbon's not laying down evenly, there's all sorts of weird sharp edges where the ribbon goes over the curves, and despite my efforts to be careful, the glue keeps showing on the fabric.

Not to mention the dual problems of getting the ends to not skew to the side/how to deal with the back strap.

I'm thinking this idea would have worked much, much better with a less strappy shoe--or at least one where the underside doesn't show as part of the design. So I'm wondering if it's time to admit that maybe these shoes can't be saved? Or if there's a better solution to finishing these off? Honestly, if this is an indication of how they're going to end up looking, I'd rather go back to deconstructing a shirt or something, and have finished things to share again!

Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated.