Simple fix

As I had said I hate collars. So the collar of this dress simply had to go:

I cut it off with scissors, but I have to sew bias tape to cover the fraying.

Thanks for reading!

Simply shorter.....

While visiting my sister several years ago, she had a cleanout in her wardrobe and gave me a pair of linen trousers. The length was rather unflattering, wide legs and 3/4 quarter length. I simply shortened them and took in the sides as well.
Et voila, another pair of nice wearable summer pants!

Re-wrapping the Wrap Shirt

Hello Refashion Co-op. This shirt is a great color but not a great fit. It's a little big and more than a little low cut. I always needed to wear a shirt under it. Ugh, two shirts in the summer? No, way!

I cut the front on the right where it would meet one side of the V neckline. I pulled it over and stitched it down. I closed up the neckline too. 

Here is my finished top. I like it much better now. It is still comfortable but not too low.

Here you can see the difference in the neckline before and after.

Thanks for reading, now go make something fun for yourself.

I Can Work With That

A top-down tank-top trim

 Before

 

Much like the biking mermaid dress that met a similar fate, this minidress printed all over with the Great Wave of Kanagawa didn't really suit my lifestyle—I was certain I'd get more use out of it if I turned it into a shirt. Also much like the mermaid dress, the best details were all near the bottom, so I couldn't just do a simple chop to make it into a shorter tank top—I would have to cut down the top portion, creating new arm and neck holes.

But unlike the mermaid dress, this one didn't lend itself to raw edges, so I had to take an extra step—salvage all the binding tape from the original, and sew it back into place around my new armholes and neckline.

It was well worth the effort, though. I really like how it looks as a shirt!

After

Credits to my boyfriend for this stunning photograph!

For the full process, check out my blog post at The Unfashionista!

broken umbrellas = child's rainy day circle skirts

Hello!

I often wonder whether I'm doing the right thing by catering to my daughters' hoarding tendencies by letting them keep things like their broken umbrellas, but, hey, they really like them. And they're made out of fun, waterproof fabric, and the shape is perfect for a little kid's circle skirt.

Anyway, here's the sad, broken umbrella. Better off as a dress-up skirt than in the garbage, I think!

 I cut the old metal umbrella bits off, being careful not to cut any of the fabric. As you can see, it has a cute ruffle. I decided to keep the velcro tie tab with the little bow as well as the little plastic nubs that covered the umbrella's spokes - my three year old says those are her favourite parts. Best thing about using an old umbrella - no hemming! Just cut the waist to the right circumference, insert an elastic waistband, sew the casing shut, and you're done. This one's a work in progress, I just started it this evening.

Here's one I made out of our last broken umbrella. (I apologize for the missing before-shot of this one.) I made this quite a while ago but it still fits my five year old, who loves to wear it over splash pants in the rain and slush.

With a side view:

Thanks for reading!
Amy