Softening Denim & A No-Sew Cold-Shoulder Top

Hello Readers. I wanted to do an experiment. I read online that you could soften denim with salt water. Was it true? (Short version - Not really, no. Don't do it.)

I found these stiff jeans at a clothes swap and it turned out that they were not very comfortable. They were young men's jeans and very heavy weight denim. I thought I could break them in and make them more comfortable. I also wanted to do something with this shirt that was making me look 5 months pregnant. I liked the stripes but the fit was awful.

  

Why shirt? Why do you hate me?

I cut them off into shorts because they were so thick and unbending to wear as pants. I figured less denim could only help.

I followed the directions I found using Google by adding salt to a gallon of water and...

soaked the shorts for a few hours. I couldn't feel any change to the fabric. I soaked the shorts longer.  And longer. After 3 days of soaking, I gave up.

The directions also said you could use your washing machine. DO NOT DO THIS! I added salt to the wash like soap and washed the shorts. My washing machine got very upset and refused to work at all. I eventually got it working again but I thought it really might be dead. The shorts didn't feel much softer to me. I can't call this salt idea a success.

DO NOT PUT SALT IN YOUR WASHER!

I wanted to make the shirt a cold shoulder top. I cut the shoulders out and used scraps of the shirt to tie at the neck and sleeve to gather the fabric.

The shirt is like a tank top with little sleeves that hang down. They look like little bows with the ties on them. I took the sides of the shirt in a little to help it fit better too.

Are the shorts softer now? Maybe, but not much, but it was not worth the fear I experienced thinking that I broke the washer. They just look like basic denim cut-offs. All I can say about them is, "Blah."
 The shirt was fun and different for summer. With the shirt resized and tucked in I don't look pregnant anymore.

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

But DO NOT put salt in your washer!

 ***Year End update-All I can say is I learned not to put salt in the washer. I ended up with plain out cut offs. I was not impressed.

Why Not White Jeans?

Hello Readers. I found some beautiful white jeans from Banana Republic at a clothes swap. I was happy because the seemed like they had never been worn. I like the look of white denim but I would never buy white jeans and I would never buy them from Banana Republic. I will happily take them for free though.

Why not buy them you ask? Because of these 2 rascals right here. Combined they are a sweet 200 lbs of mess and mud.White clothes are going to get dirty quick so I wouldn't spend money on them. (And Banana Republic is fabulous but a little too spendy for me.) So what a treat to find these white jeans.

They are both watching a cat outside.

I also found this super-soft red and white striped shirt. It also looked to be in great condition and I thought it would be a bright fun spring outfit. If only the jeans fit a little better and the top didn't make me look 4 months pregnant. Loose flowy tops can be difficult for me to wear. This faux pregnancy look is usually what happens.

Tunics are not my friend.

It is warm enough for short sleeves so I made those and hemmed the edges under. I also took in the sides of the shirt. I made it a little smaller and tried it on to see how it looked.

I made the jeans fit a little better. I thought I would want to keep the straight legs you see in the picture below but when I tried them on I changed my mind and went for skinny jeans. I usually try things on and even wear them for a day to see if I like them. I decide to change things quite often.

I liked the jeans but after wearing this top for a day I wasn't sure about it. I liked it tucked in but it was still so long, there was a lot to tuck.

 

I decided to shorten all the way around, leaving 2 long pieces in the front. I tied a  little knot it in the front. It gave it a more casual vibe.

***   BONUS TRACK   ***

My daughter had 2 seersucker items in the same fabric and felt like it was too much.  People might think she had some weird seersucker obsession.

She bought some gray dye. And...

It changed the look of the skirt enough that she was happy.

So, no seersucker obsessions, but we might be obsessed with dye.

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

 *Year end update- I still love these white jeans. They are one of my favorites.

Horizontal Stripes and Dye

Hello Readers. I have heard many times that horizontal stripes are not flattering but I had a men's shirt with gray and wine colored stripes. It was soft cotton and my husband put it in the give-away pile. That means it is mine to use.

I found a pair of wine colored jeans at a clothes swap. I had been wanting some denim in this color so I was pleased. But these pants need help. The fit is awful. It doesn't show in the pictures as much as real life but they are a little faded too. That's OK I can work with this.

The first thing I did was refresh the jeans with wine colored dye. It is very easy to use the dye in the washer.

After using the dye and freshening the color I made the jeans smaller and more fitted. I sewed along the side seams and I also shortened the legs too. It took a few tries to get the size right. These jeans didn't have any stretch so I had to be careful not to make them too tight. Tight jeans with no stretch mean you can't eat and keep breathing.

When I was done with the jeans I got to work on the shirt. It was too big and the horizontal stripes made it look even bigger. And it made me look bigger. I decided to make it shorter, smaller and I thought 3/4 length sleeves would be more flattering.

I thought I was done. I put these clothes on and took a picture. When I looked at the picture I decided that I wasn't done at all. The shirt just looked too big. I thought the extra fabric in the shirt and the stripes made me look bigger in the upper body. I may be a little crazy but I just wasn't happy with it. The jeans were also a little baggy in the calves. Back to work!

I made the shirt a little smaller and shortened the sleeves. If there were less of the stripes that would look better right? I just wanted lees of this fabric.

I was honestly getting tired of these clothes. They were just taking a lot of time for some simple alterations.

I was done! I liked the short sleeves and the overall fit of everything. Finally!

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

*Year end update- I still think these colored jeans a fabulous. I honestly don't remember what happened to the shirt...it probably got eaten by the bad washer. We replaced that washer eventually because it was so destructive.