Button Down Three; The Striped One

Hello Readers. I hope you are well. I am on my third button-down refashion. It is actually a combination of two shirts.

This striped shirt was was large and the sleeves were too long. I cut it from side to side, under the arms. I used pinking shears to help control fraying.

I have had this super stretchy black T-shirt for years. It has gotten a little small through the body (baby weight and all) so it is perfect for a refashion. I cut it the same way. (Sorry for the picture quality, it's awful. A new camera is on the way.)

The black shirt was smaller than the striped shirt. That's OK. I put the right sides together and stretched the T-shirt as I sewed the two together.  When I was finished the striped shirt was gently gathered all the way around. This left the striped shirt nice and full through the body. That's good for the look I want.

 I planned to wear a belt with it to cinch the waist. Without a belt this looks very maternity and I don't want that. I got this idea from Pinterest, it linked me to a blog about fashion called Cowboys & Angels. So, thanks to them for the idea.

 This shirt is one of my new favorites. It is really comfortable with the stretchy arms and shoulders.

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

Button-Down Two; The Lacy White One

Hello Readers. This is the second button-down shirt refashion. I have been holding on to a few of them and decided to try several different refashions. I like to try out different ideas. They don't always work out well but you never know if you don't try.

 This white shirt is beautiful quality and it is in great condition. But it's too big and the arms are too long. I have another white button-down shirt so this one can become something else.

I decided to remove the sleeves and make a summer top that will be good in hot weather. I cut off the collar and then the shoulders too. I ended up with a basic tube top. It was at this point that I realized I have made this shape top before but it was too late to change plans.

I wanted to make the top a little different so I am going to use this wide lace as straps. I am hoping it looks feminine and sweet. I am hoping I don't look like a pudgy middle-aged Daisy Duke.  I guess we'll see what happens.

I folded the top edge down twice and made a new finished top seam. I tried threading elastic through the top to draw it in, but it made the top really puffy. It was not flattering at all. This fabric didn't drape well. I looked like a big marshmallow. Instead I took in the sides a bit and made a fitted tube. I pinned the lace in place, made sure everything was even (It's not in this picture.) and stitched it on with my sewing machine.

Here is the finished top. It was a pretty simple project and white tops are great to throw on. No matter what you are wearing with it, it will match. I think I would have liked this top more if the material had not been as heavy. The quality was almost "too good", if that's possible. I wanted it to drape and it is not that kind of fabric. I made it a straight tube and that worked much better.

It was good to wear casually (When you paint your nails, you can see I am letting them dry in the picture below.) or to a sushi dinner with friends. 

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

Button Down One; The Blue One

Hello Readers. I have a small collection of button down shirts that I plan to refashion for the warm weather. This is the first shirt from the series. It is a bit too big. I could roll the sleeves and wear it loose. I like that look. But....

One sleeve has some tiny holes in it.

And the collar has a black mark. 

The damaged parts have to go. I removed the sleeves and collar and that left me with a tank top shape to work with.

I thought I would use this cute colorful bias tape to finish the edges and make it more interesting. My daughter made it and it is perfect for Spring.

That didn't do anything good for this top. It looks like a hospital gown. Or pajamas. Neither is a very flattering look.  I unpinned this and thought of a new plan.

I worked on the fit. I took it in a little under the arms so it wouldn't gape open. I also shortened the straps at the top. I didn't want it too tight but it was big on me so the sleeve and neck holes needed to be taken in.

In the end I chose black bias tape and added a little bow to finish it off.

I used this liquid Fray Check on the ends of the ribbon. It will make the ribbon last longer and look nicer wear after wear. That is what it said on the package anyway.

The finished look is a little retro. I am liking it a lot.

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

An Old Dress Gets a Makeover

Hello Readers. Today I am showing you one of my daughters projects. While she lets me show her work, she doesn't like to show her face. Here is her dress makeover. She found this dress at a thrift store and liked the light weight, breezy fabric. The colors were a bit blah, but she thought she could dye it and bring it back to life.

It is a little faded and the beige is really unexciting. 

She wanted a light pink but couldn't find any light pink dye at the store. She used magenta and thought if she only left the dress in the dye for a few minutes, it would be light pink. That's not how it turned out. She looked like a magenta cartoon character. We do not have a photo, sorry.

She went back to the store and bought some of this color remover. Would it work? It did!

She also decided that a calm neutral color like navy blue would be a much better choice than pink. And the dark blue would cover any bit of magenta that may linger in the fabric.

The finished dress is much better. It always fit great, but now it is a nice fresh shade of blue.

 (If only it was warm enough for a light cotton dress. She was freezing in these pictures.) 

We found it strange that the thread at the seams stayed white but the buttons took the dye very well. She really likes the contrasting color of the white stitching. This dress got a nice refreshing color change, now it is really cute.

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

The Jumpsuit of Possibilities

Hello Readers. Maybe, just maybe, Spring is here. To go out in the warm sunny weather I am going to need some tops that fit. That is what I made with this black jumpsuit. I got it from a clothes swap. The top half of it was in great shape, but the lower half had some worn areas. How did it get more worn on the bottom? I don't understand. It's all one piece. No one could have worn the legs more often than the top. But the fabric was piling in some spots.

It was super comfortable. It was like wearing pajamas. But there was a small problem with the length as you can see below. It is also a bit too full cut for my short legs. 

I could have made it shorter and more narrow. I didn't because it had some roughed up spots on the legs and I didn't want them to show. Pants or shorts wouldn't work.

I thought about making it a dress. I cut open the inseam of the pant legs and saw that there was no way to cover the bad spots. Ugh!

This was going to be a top. It was strapless and I don't like bear shoulders. With "help" from K.C. the Wonder Dog, I cut the top half of the jumpsuit off the legs. I used some of the leg fabric to make two narrow tubes too use as straps. 

I attached the straps and used my machine to sew them on.

It was perfect for a trip to an outdoor antique fair. I got some sun. It is roomy and comfortable. Great top for warm weather. 

Thank you for reading this post and happy sewing to you.

A Little Black Dress From a Track Suit?

Hello Readers. My project today is something I started a while back. It began with this black velour track suit. It was a bit big. The original post is here.

I kept the jacket and shorts for exercising and lounging. I still had those legs leftover. What could I do with those. I decided to make a dress. 

I attached the two legs together and made a BIG tube. The bottom of the legs would be the bottom of the dress. That gave me a nicely finished hem. I am using a wide striped elastic as trim and straps. Why? I liked the stripes and I couldn't find any ribbon I liked.

I pinned it around the top and used my machine to attach it to the big tube that was my dress. It added a couple inches and hid the raw edge where it had been cut.

I then added straps. I attached them at an angle to cover my bra straps. I want to wear a normal bra and not worry about it showing. 

Here is the front with straps attached. I am hoping the stretch in this elastic will make it very comfortable and hold up well in the washing machine. Once the straps are attached, I can start trying it on and making final size adjustments.

I kept the fit loose and casual. I would wear this in a lounge chair by the pool. This is relaxed and I like the sundress vibe. I am going to be ready when Summer gets here.

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