Black Corduroy

Let's look back at a past refashion I did in 2021 for Dressember.

 Hello Readers. It is cold outside and what is better in cold weather than corduroy. It is thick and warm. It's perfect right? I got this black corduroy dress at a swap and I knew it would be the makings of a great refashion. (And if you are counting this corduroy dress is the fifth refashion in honor of Dressember.org for this month.)

Before and after.

This dress wasn't perfect. It was shapeless and boxy. It didn't flatter me in any way. Honestly, it was pretty boring. That corduroy was really nice though. And black is always great. It goes with anything and no matter what your kid or dog smears on you it probably won't stain.

I cut the bodice off and separated it from the skirt. I kept the seam attached to the vest. That gave me a short vest and a big piece of fabric that was the skirt.

The vest seemed very short so I used a denim jacket to give me an idea of the length I would like. I knew I liked this jacket length so I knew it would be a good "pattern" to follow for lengthwhen I was making this new vest.

I cut some fabric from the bottom of the skirt so I could add it to the vest and make the vest longer. I used the center of the skirt so I could line up the opening and save myself some time.

I connected the additional fabric to the vest and I had the length I wanted. It opens down the middle, just as it should.

What about the big piece of fabric that was left over from the skirt part of the original dress? I wanted to make a skirt to go with the vest. I thought I had just enough leftover after the vest to make a new shorter skirt.

I didn't have enough fabric to make a casing so I had to sew the elastic waistband to the skirt and leave it visible. This elastic was not cutest but, it was black and I didn't have anything else I could use. I have been trying to avoid shopping all year and I have definitely run out of some supplies. 

The vest and skirt are much more fun and flattering than the old dress was.

My new corduroy suit is ready for wear. I really liked the new look. And I can break it up and wear the pieces separately too. It's like 2 for 1.

*Every December there is an organization that does a fundraiser to fight human trafficking. The organization is called Dressember. The challenge is to wear dresses or ties everyday this month to raise money. The funds go to help rescue and care for victims. This is a worldwide issue. Human trafficking is a billion dollar industry.  You can learn more at www.dressember.org

Corduroy Joy #2

 Hello Readers. Its been over a week since the first post about a pair of corduroy pants. Are you ready for more corduroy? These are corduroys are chocolate brown. That has to be good, right?

This tunic was pretty but felt a little long on me. These brown corduroy pants were too loose in the legs. I needed to make some corrections. 

The pants were and easy fix. I liked the color and the waist was almost right. I just needed to alter the legs to make less baggy and more of a straight leg fit.

This tunic was pretty but I thought it was too long on me. I cut it shorter and made the sleeves a bit shorter too. I thought 3/4 length sleeves would be good.

The red collar didn't seem right to me and I realized the sequins were not sitting right with me at all. I know, picky-picky. 

 I could not remove the red trim but all the sequins came off easily.

While I was sewing I turned the shirt inside out and realized it had a great color scheme inside. I liked it even better because there was no red trim. I decided to wear it inside out. It's my shirt so I think it's fine

I liked the end results I got for both these pieces. I usually tuck in my shirts so that was my final look.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I wear these chocolate brown corduroys a lot. I ripped the shirt on a road trip and it is no longer with us.

Corduroy Joy #1

 Hello Readers. It is getting colder. That means it's time for warm fabrics like corduroy and flannel! I love them both, they are so warm and cozy.

 I got this tan pair of corduroys as hand-me-downs and I am so glad I did. I thought maybe they would be a good match for this cozy flannel shirt. (I have no idea where I got the flannel shirt..) I did not like this outfit as it was. I look like a basic suburban dad. I look like my dad. (No offense to dads. I just don't want to dress exactly like my dad.) Let's get to work. 

The first thing I did was customize these corduroy pants to my size. This was easy. I just stitched my way down each side and gave them a new hem. Quick and easy!

I still wanted to do something to jazz up this flannel shirt. I wanted to try a bleach effect. I mixed a cup of bleach into a gallon of water and soaked the bottom of the shirt and sleeves in the water.

I let it sit about 45 minutes and I got a surprise. It turned pink! I did not expect pink. I thought it would get lighter and tan colored. I thought it would match the tan corduroys in color. Things don't always go the way we think they will. That's just life.

I liked the pink but I didn't like it with these tan corduroy pants. It just did not look the way I thought it would. 

I put the flannel shirt with some off-white pants and I think it worked better. 

And as for the tan corduroy pants... maybe a plain off-white top? When in doubt, I grab something off-white.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-These corduroys are good but that flannel is a true favorite.

The Red Ribbon Sweater

Hello Readers. It is finally February! Did January seem 17 week long or is it just me? February always makes me think of Valentine's Day so I decided to make a date night outfit in case I get taken out to dinner or something. (If my husband needs a hint, I like Chinese food and dark chocolate.)

I started with this pink sweater. I used the lace from the back in a refashion last November and the sweater was just sitting waiting for some love and attention. The sweater was pretty simple in front and had a deep open V in the back.

I wanted to find a way to make this sweater wear-able and I surfed all over Pinterest to find an idea. I saw some sweaters with ribbon accents and I decided to try that. I had this dark red ribbon in a stash of sewing notions and trim that my sweet mother-in-law gave me. I only had a little so that determined what I did with the ribbon.

I used some pins and then stitched the ribbon in place on the inside of the sweater.

What would I wear with the sweater? I found these wonderful dark red corduroy pants at a clothes swap and fell in love with the color and the sheen the fabric had. I have short scrawny chicken legs and these long pants looked horrendous on me. But they matched that ribbon perfectly. 

I did my basic resizing technique of taking fabric off the sides of the pants. It worked pretty well. I made them into skinny jeans. The fabric had a lot of stretch to it and it was easy to make them fit.

Sometimes when I remove fabric from the out side of a pair of jeans or pants the back pockets can get shifted into a weird placement on my backside. I took the pockets off the back with my seam ripper and re-positioned them into a more central location.

I reattached the pockets and I was ready to go. 

I am ready for a casual dinner date with my Valentine. He is coughing and feverish at the moment so I am hoping he is better by the 14th. I am also really hoping he doesn't spread his germs to me and our kids. I will keep hoping for the best.

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

The Summer Dress in Winter

Hello Readers. I found myself with a pair of soft corduroy pants. I honestly can't remember where they came from. I liked the light blue color a lot though. I also got a striped tank dress in the same light blue. So what did I do? I put them together.

These corduroy pants were great but they were approximately 12 inches too long. This is usually how it goes for me. Short girl=Short legs

My daughter gave me this dress because it was difficult to wear. The racer back was too low to work with any bra. (Yes, I tried it on with all my bras.) I decided it would be better as an under layer. It would be warm and if the bra peeked out no one would know.

 
When my daughter handed me this simple white V-neck sweater, I had an outfit idea.

I took a lot of fabric off the length of these pants and made a new hem. I made them a little more narrow through the legs too. I thought I could remove the pockets from the front but you can see the corduroy was permanently marked by the pockets. Easy-peasy!

I cut the dress in the middle so I had a shirt. It would make a great layering piece and it would fill in the deep V-neck of the white sweater. What about that lower part of the dress?

The bottom of the dress made a perfect infinity scarf. I wear a scarf almost everyday in the winter. I hate to be cold.

The whole combo was easy to wear and cozy in the cold weather.

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

Blinded By The (Neon) Light

Hello Readers. I know what you're thinking? Why is she covered from head to toe in bright neon? She looks like a yellow highlighter marker. Well, my friend, you are right. It's too much. You might also be thinking that "Blinded by the Light" sounds like the title to an old song. Yes, it is. I looked it up on Youtube.

I found these neon corduroy pants at a clothes swap and they caught my eye. Neon is usually a summertime color and corduroy is usually a wintertime fabric, but someone put them together. I also found this neon shirt. It was just way too much neon. I decided to make shorts.

The legs fit well but the waist needed to more fitted. I marked the sides where I took the waist in. I also made two tucks in the back. I make these kind of tucks in a lot of pants because I hate it when the waist gapes open in the back. I can wear a belt but I don't always want to bother. I would rather the waist just fit well.

Here are the tucks from the outside of the pants. The end down in the pockets. It looks neater that way.

I decided to wear a different shirt too. (To be totally honest, I lost the neon shirt. I have no idea where it went.) Unfortunately, this gray shirt is too long on me and it is really low cut too. I fixed that by first  cutting off the arms and the neckband. That made a tank top shape. I also cut across the top of each shoulder strap.

That way I could tie a knot on each shoulder. I adjusted the knots until the shirt fit me and wasn't too low cut anymore.

I was ready to go play outside with the 2 year old. His favorite things to play with are dirt and rocks, so it's good that this outfit is machine washable. 

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