Denim Days-Capris

 Hello Readers. It is getting hot and sunny and cropped jeans are perfect, a really high waist would be even better. I didn't have any jeans like that. I did have these tan Capri style denim jeans. Let's refashion!

Before and after. 

I wanted to change the look of these tan Capri's and I had a fun idea for the sweater too. Let's start with the jeans first. 

I have been wanting some more brown in my wardrobe so I got a bottle of brown Rit dye. (Not an ad. They do not know me.) I put the denim jeans and the dye in my washing machine. There are very detailed drections on the bottle. I always follow them.

The color came out great. I took a little out of the waist to make them fit a little better. I also took the stitches out at the cuffs. The jeans were rolled up and stitched down. I wanted them a little longer so unrolling the cuffs gave me more length. Instead of Capri length I had more of a cropped pants length.

This was a very simple refashion. The tan jeans were now changed into cropped brown jeans. But what about the sweater?

 

The sweater was such a loose knit that it was a little see-through. I had an idea to fix that though. 

 

Here is a view of the inside of the sweater. Adding this ribbon filled in the holes and it was a fun way to add some color to the sweater. 

 

I used a zigzag stitch to secure the ends of the ribbon to the side seams of the sweater.
 

I liked how the ribbon looked. It was easy to weave in and out of the sweater. It only took about 10 minutes. I used ribbon that I had on hand. This turned out to be a one of a kind piece. You could use ribbon in your favorite colors and customize it for yourself.

 

This outfit was a great spring/summer combo for me. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

 

 

Denim Days-Dying Dots

 Hello Readers. I have been refashioning denim this month because I love denim and I love a theme to get me thinking. Today's post is about a lightweight denim jacket. I found this jacket at a clothes swap . The purple polka dots caught my eye. 

Before and after.

This jacket was boxy and shapeless and just did not fit well. The sleeves were not long enough to be full length and not short enough to be 3/4 length. I knew I could fix those things but I wasn't crazy about the lavender purple color either. Did the purple look to juvenile? I couldn't quite figure it out but something didn't work for me.

Here is a picture of my actual washing machine and the Rit dye I used to change this jacket into something I would love. (Not an ad. Rit dye doesn't know me. I am just a fan.) I chose this color because I liked it and it was darker than the lavender and I knew it would cover it well.

I was very happy with the color. I pushed up the sleeves and played with the length a little. I thought a shorter cropped length jacket would be better. I decided on a good length for me and just cut the bottom of the jacket off.

I cut the jacket and the sleeves so they would fray and I would have a distressed look. 

This new shorter length was just what I was looking for. 

I really like the look of frayed denim. You can faintly see the polka dots which is OK with me. I didn't mind the dots, I just didn't like the original lavender shade of purple that much. 

This jacket was a great layer for a windy day. And the red wine color really popped!

I like this color a lot so when I dyed the jacket, I also dyed a pair of cotton khakis. Both of these pieces took the dye really well. They were both made of 100% cotton and I used the dye for cotton fabric. 

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

Chickie

Denim Days-Vest to Jacket

 Hello Readers. This little white vest has been in my closet for quite a while. I wanted to add some excitement and add some more room. It was a little too tight.

 

Before and after. 

 

 I liked the white denim vest a lot. But what if it was a little bigger? I liked this lace shirt a lot too. What if I put them together? They would make a great combination. The denim is classic and the lace would add a little something extra.

 

This lace button-down style shirt is the perfect source of the extra fabric I needed to make the vest a little bigger. It is really pretty white eyelet lace fabric. The lace shirt was too big and I could cut some of it off and use it for my vest. 

 

My first step was to cut open the sides of the vest. 

The next step was to cut the sleeves off this lace shirt. I cut around the arm holes and then I cut about 3 inches from each side of the shirt.

These small side pieces are what I needed to make the whole vest bigger around.

 

The pieces went together sort of like a little puzzle.  

The lace sleeves were a pretty way to turn the vest into a jacket. 

I love the eyelet lace with the denim. And I love that is is looser and fits better too. 

 

I didn't stop there, I added some eyelet lace to the collar too. I didn't have to, but why not?

 

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

And if you are wondering about the leftovers from the lace shirt, I sewed it back together. It is still a great summer shirt.

 

 

 

Denim Days-Shorts

 Hello Reader. Some times clothing just needs some simple resizing or restyling to be great and fit well. 

 

Before and after. 

 

There just isn't anything good happening here. I mean, yes, i am wearing clothes. That is important. But these clothes are not great on me. They are shapeless and adding about 20 lbs. (I am American an I do not know how many kilos that is, sorry if you are anywhere else in the world.) The point is, this could be better.

These denim shorts were nice and classic but they just needed the sides moved in a little. I turned them inside out and stitched along the sides inside the side seam. Then I cut off the excess fabric. I didn't want the shorts tight just better in fit. Now they fit great. But what about that top?

I wanted to refit this shirt but I also wanted to save that little tassel detail on the side. I cut the bottom 2-3 inches off. That was going to be a new waistband.

I cut some of the shirt off at the sides. I knew it all needed to be more fitted so I cut the new shirt I wanted. I used the side seams as a guide and cut an inch inside of that seam. (3cm?) I also cut some of that new waistband off, about 4 inches. The waistband needed to be smaller around than the shirt to pull in at the waist.

You can see here where I did my sewing. I used my serger and some rainbow thread so it would be easy to see. This shirt was stretchy so it was easy to put the fabric together for sewing. Making a waistband let me save that little tassel and it gave the shirt a different shape. My new casual summer outfit was ready to go. Go where?

To the beach! This was my last day of a weekend at the beach with my family.

 We stayed at a house with a hammock chair in the living room. It was fabulous. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

Denim Days-Overalls

Hello Readers. I am working with denim all month. Today was a fun project. Do you like overalls? I have been wanting a pair of overalls for a while and decided to make some for myself. 

Before and after.

These jeans had elastic in the back of the waist. They were a little too big but I realized that would work perfectly for overalls. Overalls are usually loose and that was what I wanted.

I actually had a second pair of these exact jeans that I refashioned last year into paper bag style waist shorts. I had saved the lower legs from those pants/shorts. I am glad I did because I used the legs as the front and back bibs of my new overalls. The denim matched perfectly. I turned the old cut off pant legs inside out, stitched the ankles closed and turned them right side out again. Those were my front and back bib pieces.

I also had the legs from a denim jumpsuit that I refashioned into a romper and I decide to use these legs to make shoulder straps. (I am trying to use all the scraps I have been saving.) I cut out my 4 shoulder straps. They were just 4 long strips with 2 sides. I cut them from the sides of these pant legs and stitched them closed while they were inside out. Then I turned them right side out to hide all the stitching.

 This video walks you through all the separate pieces I had to work with.

I connected the 4 straps to the bibs at the corners.

I connected the bibs at the center front and back. 

I sewed the bibs onto the pants by putting the right sides together and stitching on the inside. I attached the straps to the bibs in the same way.

These overalls are so comfortable and fun. I liked the shoulder straps. The bows added a feminine touch. 

 

I was perfectly dressed for a day at the beach. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

Denim Days-Star Wars Jeans

 Hello Readers. It's Star Wars Day! May the force be with you. I decided to refashion denim all this month and I was so excited to refashion these jeans. Are you a Star Wars fan? I definitely am. I remember seeing the first movie when it came out way back in the summer of 1977. I was 5 years old and my mom had to read the intro script to me because I couldn't read yet.

 

Before and after.

I found this small drawstring bag at a clothes swap. There was a yellow side...

And a green side. I love green side with all the schematics of the space ships. 

 

I cut the bag apart and made 2 square shapes. I wanted to make the squares into pockets for the back of a pair of jeans. I did not cut the top of the squares. That is where the drawstring was. It is colorful and nicely finished. It will make quick pockets if I do not have to sew the top of each pocket.

You can see the squares are larger than the original pockets of the jeans. I wanted to cover those original pockets completely so my new pockets will have to be larger. I could remove the original denim pockets but that will take more time and it is not necessary when I can just cover them.

I measured to make sure my pockets were the  I needed and the same size as the other. I folded the raw cut edges under and ironed them to get them precise. I clipped them to the jeans so they would not move while I was sewing. I used the original pockets as a guide for placement and angle. 

This video shows the pockets and how I sewed them on the jeans very clearly.

Here are my jeans with the new pockets. They are so fun. 

I wore these jeans to the beach. They say Star Wars but they could go anywhere. 

It was a beautiful day. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.