Refashion Runway

I’ve just applied to enter the first ever “Refashion Runway” hosted by Beth at The Renegade Seamstress. It will be run in a manner similar to Project Runway and The Great Sewing Bee, where six chosen competitors will submit refashions each week. These will be judged by readers like you and one person will then be outed from the competition, culminating in the crowning of the first ever Refashion Runway champion.

Floral Dress Updated

A very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

A Happy Easter too. Just getting in early ’cause obviously I’m terrible at this kind of thing. Hope you’ve all had incredible holidays though.

Life has taken over from blogging lately as we’ve been loving this amazing summer. Plenty of beach time, lots of family fun and enough house painting to last, well, 10 years.

Amidst it all, I managed to find a bit of time to update this little floral number. It wasn’t so little when I first got it but after a nip tuck it’s looking much more 2013.

Old for New

 The top on the left had been such a favourite of mine. It flattered, disguised flaws and was gorgeous to wear. It seems I wore it too much though and the fabric began to disintegrate. Farewell dear friend.

Upcycle: Jeans to Quilt

16 pairs of jeans and lots of fabric scraps = an heirloom quilt for Poppets first birthday!  

Refashion Fail

*sigh*.  Well, another valuable sewing lesson learned.  Fortunately (or should that be unfortunately?), the only thing lost was my time and a little sanity.

The idea was to take an old pair of Hubby’s pants and by keeping the existing fly and button, create a cool pair of pants for our Little Man.  Would’ve been a quick way to convert pants, that’s for sure.

The problem is, that the fly required for a grown man is, quite obviously, larger than that required by a 2 year old.  Duh.  So the finished product was hugely bulky in the crotch and made my gorgeous toddler look … um, let’s just say, extremely well endowed.  It was weird.

The other issue was that I had to force Little Man into them so many times to try get the right fit, that now whenever he sees them, a look of sheer determination comes over his face and there is no chance of me ever getting him into them again.  Hence the photo of the pants lying flat rather than lovingly modeled.

So I’m totally over these pants.  Don’t want to look at them ever again.  Hello rubbish bin.

However, This Mama Makes Stuff has a fantastic tutorial (intermediate level) in making slim slacks for boys and she gets around that crotch issue well.  It does involve recreating the pants a little more than I had hoped, but the end result is totally wearable so well worth the extra time.

I haven’t made these yet, but next time I refashion pants for my lad, this will be my go-to.

Japan, I love you

I’ve always had a weakness for anything Japanese.  The language, food, culture … I love it all!

So when I found Kimoyes, I hardly knew where to start.  So many gorgeous kimono fabrics … my heart melted and I felt like a kid in a chocolate factory!  Oh, if I could ever work in a store like that … I’d never want to go home!

The fabrics look even more divine in person and the service was amazing.  Within a couple of hours of placing my order I had received an email saying the fabric was in the post.  They often have good sales too, so it’s worth subscribing to their mailing list to make sure you don’t miss out.

Now I need to decide what to do with my gems.  I’m thinking belts to wear with skirts or dresses, but there’s enough there for a couple of purses too.  I’m almost too in awe of the fabric to chop it, but will keep reminding myself that I can always order more once it’s gone.

Now, if only I could grow a bonsai.  Would you believe I recently under-watered a cactus and killed it?!

Refashion: Linen Shirt to Skirt

 It’s freezing here today!  Not that you know it by the photo here.  My neighbours must think I’m crazy now (or maybe just crazier).  I took the above pic when it was raining and icy cold outside ’cause I didn’t like the light indoors.  I’m sure it’s snowing on the hills behind us today … brrr!!

So after my swift thrift the other weekend, I couldn’t wait to rip into this project.

Before

It’s wonderfully easy and makes the use of an existing hem which is fab ’cause I don’t enjoy doing those much.  In fact, projects have been left unfinished for weeks due to hemming procrastination **turning to view my pile of such projects**.

If I had a garish patterned shirt around, I think this would be the ideal project for it, so I’m on the prowl.

This is a good one for beginners to tackle and, now that we know what we’re doing, would take about 1-2 hours to whip up.

How to Refashion / Upcycle Clothing – the very incomplete guide

I hate sewing zips and buttonholes.  It’s almost enough to put me off a pattern.  So I often avoid them where possible, but realistically, all my clothes can’t be fastened with velcro or snaps.  Darn.

This is why refashioning is so perfect.  All the hard work is already done and I can just update the final look.  Ideal for lazy sewers (me!) and beginners too.

Upcycle: T-shirt to Baby Tights

After making myself a pair of tights, I decided Poppet also needed some to go with her dresses.  It was also a great way to whittle down the t-shirts in my huge “upcycling stash”.

Upcycle: Sleeping Bag to Skirt!

I can’t believe I still have this skirt!  I found it hidden in Poppet’s wardrobe recently and it made me smile to see it again.

A number of years ago, I entered a fun event my church ran.  It was about mixing art and fashion with one of the categories being “recycled”.  So I trotted on down to a second hand store and stumbled upon a sleeping bag to work with.