The Dress is Too Small

 Hello Readers. Sometimes clothes are just to small. That's life, but sometimes I try to salvage part of a dress if I can. That's what I did in today's post

 I really liked this black and gray dress, but it was too tight in the gray top half of the dress. The black skirt half of the dress was plenty big enough. AND IT HAD POCKETS! Pockets are worth saving for sure.

    

 I did what I had to do. I cut the gray top away from the black skirt. It was just too tight and not worth trying to fix. I was just going to replace this top with something else.

 I chose this champagne pink sweater vest top. I like it but it looks weird on me with that low hanging front. It looks like a loincloth or something. On the plus side, it was soft, pretty, and BIGGER! That was really the most important thing.

    

I used my sewing machine to connect the 2 pieces. I didn't want to make a skirt to wear with a shirt. I wanted them to be a complete dress. I also wanted to cut off the bottom of the sweater that I didn't like. Once they were sewn together, I cut off all the excess material.(Including the loincloth.)

I liked how they went together. I was concerned it might be a little long on me. I was going to shorten it a little but.....

    

Someone else liked it too. Someone taller. Someone that lives in my house. Someone I love.

My daughter liked it and I gave it to her.

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

*Year end update- This dress didn't turn out as I planned and I always wanted to work on it more. Maybe next summer?

Old Dress to New Top

Hello Readers. I love dresses and I love to wear dresses. But every once in a while a dress comes along that is just an awful mess. Today's dress is one of those disasters. 

This dress had the shoulder pads that were mandatory in the 80's. It also had some elasticized shirring that had seen better days. It was misshapen and made my chest seem....asymmetrical. It wasn't good.  Other than that, the material was a nice rayon. It also had a sash that tied in the back. The sash came in handy later.

    

I decided the best thing to do was cut the top of the dress off and say goodbye to it.That top was stretched in a crazy way.

I turned the skirt piece upside down and cut out a boxy shirt shape. The top of the shirt is actually the hem of the dress

I used my machine and connected the side seams and the seams under the sleeves. I left the shoulders open. The edges are finished because that is the finished hem of the skirt.

I ironed the sash and cut it into 6 pieces. I am going to use these little pieces to connect the front and back together.

I attached the little pieces along the back of the shirt. (It looks like a curtain.)

Next, I attached the little shoulder straps to the front of the shirt. It is sort of an off-the-shoulder shirt and sort of a cold-shoulder shirt. It's a hybrid shirt!

I also made some cutoff shorts. I figured out the length I wanted and after I cut off the first leg, I used it as a guide for the second leg. I would have trouble getting them the same exact length.

I really wanted a pair of denim shorts with a frayed hem. Nothing says relaxed summer like frayed denim.

This is a great outfit for the heat and humidity of August. 

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

*Year end update- This shirt was so much fun. It was great on a hot day, and the shorts were worn all summer.

There's a Hole in My Sweater

Hello Readers. Big dramatic refashions are fun but sometimes just a little change is needed. Today's post is about a simple sweater that needed a little fix.

This sweater is not really very exciting. It's just a plain black cardigan. But we all need some basics in our closet right? This sweater had a little hole on the shoulder. I couldn't wear it like this. If it isn't fixed the hole will get bigger and bigger. I will fix it and maybe I could make the whole sweater a little more fun as well.

    

I decided to add something to hide the hole and the little mending job I did. I chose some giraffe buttons I have had for ages. (I think they were my mothers. Thanks Mom!)
The little giraffe was cute and I love using items I have sitting around. (And that little giraffe deserved to get out of the sewing box and see the world.)

That little giraffe had some friends too. They all deserve to get out of the sewing box. I replaced the buttons on the front of the sweater with these cute little giraffes. The red is a nice contrast with the black sweater and they just look fun.

    

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

*Year end update- I still wear this light weight sweater often it is great to layer over other shirts even in winter. 

T-shirt Mania 6; The Giant Purple One

Hello Readers. This is the last of the t-shirts for a while. I am glad I was able to get through them and clear some space in my sewing area. For the last of all the t-shirts I refashioned this giant purple shirt.

This is the only one I really didn't like.

The shirt looks pink here but it is more of a fushia/purple.

This shirt was SO super soft. That was really all it had going for it. It was too big and baggy and shapeless. It wasn't fancy, but I was sure I could rework it and make it more attractive.

And I hoped, less low cut in the front. 

  

 I cut off the edge of the V-neck, but not the seam. That was easy.

   

I added some bias tape at the neckline. I thought it would break up all that bright purple and dress the shirt up a little.  I made a loop in front to make it more interesting.

    

This all turned out to be a big mistake. The bias tape was too thick and heavy. The thin knit of the shirt didn't go well with the heavy trim. It made the neck very stiff and ruined the soft relaxed feel of the t-shirt. 

I hated it.

***   PART 2   ***

I knew I would never want to wear it. I admit I was a little frustrated. (ANGRY!) And I cut the entire neckline with the trim off. I cut the seam out of what was left of the shoulder (But left the sleeve intact.) and tied a little knot at the shoulder to again raise the neckline. I cut the shirt up in haste and now the head hole was way too big again. 

I decided to let this t-shirt spend it's life as a beat-up exercise shirt. It was soft enough that it would be a good match with soft leggings when I am working out. (Reality Check - Walking at a moderate pace like every other mom out there.)

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

*Year end update- This shirt was fine for exercise. It wasn't a great refashion success.

T-shirt Mania 5; The Accidental Pajamas

Hello Readers. I started out trying to make summer clothes. When I was done I realized I had actually made what looked like pajamas. I actually needed some pajamas so it was a happy accident. (I think most of my life has been a series of happy accidents, but that is a story for another time.)

If you have read this blog before you might recognize this shirt. It was a freebie from the rec center. I wanted to use it for parts. This is the last free t-shirt in my refashion pile. I used them all!

I was going to combine the white t-shirt with this blue tank top. I wanted a tank top with more coverage than this racer-back shirt had. That open key hole is just going to get me sunburned for sure. I used the plain white back of the white t-shirt and made a new back for this blue shirt.

   

I cut off all this blue trim and used it to finish the edges of my new shirt so it would look nicer and more polished. I was still thinking that this was going to be worn out in public during normal daytime activities and I wanted it to look good .

Things didn't work out as I had planned, but keep reading to see the shorts.

   

***   PART 2 -  SHORTS   ***

I also had this seersucker shirt from my mom. (Thanks Mom!) It was so thick I didn't think I would wear it in the heat of summer. It felt almost like a light jacket. I really loved the material though.  Could I make a pair of shorts from this shirt? I could try!

  I cut the arms off the shirt and opened the shoulders to make the shirt lay flat. I folded it in half and saw it wasn't big enough for the pattern. I cut open the arms, and attached 2 little squares of that fabric. You can see it on the left side of the picture below.

It was just enough fabric to fit this pattern. Just. Barely. Enough. I cut out my pieces and started sewing. I rarely use a pattern to make clothes. I'm not sure why. But making shorts from scratch was fun too.

I didn't know they would look like pajamas until I tried them on and looked in the mirror. This definitely looks like pajamas to me. (My little guy decided to roll around on the floor in his pajamas for this picture.) Some days are meant for pajamas and relaxing right? Now I am ready.

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

*Year end update- These were perfect summer jammies. I will wear them again next summer too.

T-shirt Mania 4; The Tank Top

Hello Readers. This week was the week of the Fourth of July and all around the U.S. there were fireworks, barbecues, parades, and of course the red, white, and blue. The holiday and a couple of free red t-shirts directed this whole outfit.

The red shirt was yet another freebie from the rec center. It seemed to be from a soccer event. I didn't want the white design on my shirt, but a red shirt would look great with those shorts.

I cut the neckbands and the sleeves off the 2 shirts.

I also cut the fronts and backs apart. I was going to connect the backs together to make one sleeveless red shirt.

 I adjusted the neckline a little and I was done.

These shorts had the colors of the July 4th holiday. They were really nice. My daughter gave them to me because they were too big for her. They were too big for me too. The length was great but they needed to be a little smaller around.

I made new side seams several times to get the size just right. I wanted them less baggy but I didn't want them so tight that they would be uncomfortable.There was no stretch in this fabric so I had to get the fit just right.

 I thought this lightweight little gray jacket was nice but it was so long on me. The front was much longer than the back. Was it supposed to hang down to my knees in the front? It seemed to have big pockets on the front but I couldn't even reach them without picking up that side of the jacket. It just didn't fit well.

 I decided to cut the jacket the same length all the way around. I started in the back since it was the shortest and used a yard stick to keep it all even. That left a small piece of the pocket on each side. I cut that off as well. When I was done it was like they were never there.

The little jacket is shorter but still loose and drapes nicely over the more fitted red shirt. I can also tie it in the front if I want. I like how the whole outfit turned out together.

   

This is a busy week, you might be watching the World Cup too. Whatever you are doing, I hope you have some fun.

*Year end update- I love all these pieces and wore them all summer.