Pants to Jacket

 Hello Readers. I thought these light weight pants would be great for the pool or beach this summer. But then I looked inside. I saw something I hate. A nylon lining. What good are lightweight cotton pants if they have a hot nylon lining? I thought about it and decided that the pants would became a lightweight jacket.

Before and after.

You can see the lining hanging out of the pant leg on the left. Nylon is the worst. I had to get rid of it.You can also see the pretty lace trim at the hemline. That was what made me want to do something to salvage these pants.

I cut the waistband off the pants. I wouldn't need that. Removing the waistband made it easy to get the lining out. 

Goodbye nylon lining!

I cut the pant legs apart and removed the center section. What I wanted was straight panels of fabric. That would be the front and back of each pant leg. 

I wanted one full pant leg to be the back of my jacket. I also wanted one pant leg split apart for the 2 front pieces of my jacket. This looks kind of shapeless and boxy but the drape of the fabric will give it some shape. 

I used my serger to put the shoulder seams together and the side seams together. I left openings in the sides for armholes. I used the serger around the armholes to keep the fabric from fraying. 

To finish the edges I turned them under and sewed them down with my sewing machine. 

I did not need to hem the bottom because the hem was already done. I liked the lace along the hemline. Thanks for reading along, now go make something for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- This light weight jacket went with so many things. I am so glad I made it.

Scarf Refashion

 Hello Readers. How do you feel about zebra print? I love it. This scarf came from my sister-in-law and I always loved the print. I didn't wear it much because it was in the way at work. I thought it would make a cute little jacket that would be easier to wear. So, I got busy. This was an easy project, I know you can do it too. 

 This scarf was a large rectangle. (I added that orange line to mark where I am going to make the shoulder seam. It will appear on the pictures as you read along. I hope it helps you understand what I doing with this scarf.)

I started by making a seam in the middle of the scarf. This will be where my shoulders go and I need the shoulders clearly marked for me. I folded the right sides together, pinned it and sewed down the middle. 

 My next step was to cut one side open in the middle. This will be the front opening of my jacket. I used my serger on the cut edges so they would not fray. I had already made that shoulder seam across the top. The fringe will hang off the bottom of my new jacket.

I used a straight stitch to sew these cut sections down to the front panels. They will be facing in when I am all finished. They will make a nicely finished front to this loose open jacket. I turned the edge across the back of the neck in and stitched that down too.

 

Here is a close up view of those front seams that make the opening of the jacket.

My next step was to cut some simple sleeves for this jacket. I wanted a loose fit but I didn't want the sleeves to be so loose that they got in my way. I made the sleeves when the jacket was turned inside out so the seams would be hidden inside. When I turned it right side out, I got what you see here.

 You can see the sleeve really well here. The edge of the scarf made the end of the sleeve so I did not need to do anything else to finish the sleeves.

I thought I had enough fabric in these 4 scraps to make something else. 

I connected the 4 scrap pieces and had a cute little scarf.

This tiny scarf was a nice bonus to the whole refashion.

This is a lot of stripes all at once. I don't think I will wear them at the same time.

This black dress was perfect for summer but it was a little too loose and low and long. 

The dress just needed a little tweak. I used the existing seams as guides for where to make new seams to make the dress a little smaller on the sides and at the shoulders. I also made the whole dress shorter.

I liked how the flowy jacket came out. It will be easy to layer on and you can see that cool print so well.

The slightly edited back view.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I love this loose little jacket. The zebra print is fabulous.

Cropped Tie-Front Jacket

 Hello Readers. My daughter got this loose light blue jacket from a swap. She liked it but eventually passed it on to me. You know I love free clothes to refashion, so here we are. 

This jacket was light and thin so it would have been perfect for layering. The problem was that it was one of those "One Size Fits All" garments. Really, it did not fit me at all. It was just too loose in the arms and body, even when tied. So sad!

I knew this would be an easy fix. I needed to make longer sleeves and a more narrow body to provide a more flattering shape. It did not need to be tight, it just needed more shape. You can see the sleeves I made in this picture. I looked at this picture and tapered the body even more. Sometimes when I refashion, it is one step at a time until I get the fit I want.

I took 4-5 inches out of each side. I used a zigzag stitch to close the new side seams. I did not want any fraying inside my new jacket. The reason I love sewing is that you can remake any of your clothes into whatever you want them to be.

My new jacket was done in no time. Well, almost no time. The tie at the waist pulled the sides in even more and gave the whole jacket a flattering but still loose fit. The sleeves are more defined so I don't look like a light blue blob anymore.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-This jacket was easier to wear after I refashioned it. I really liked it and wore it a lot in spring and summer.

The Flowy Jacket

 Hello Readers. I love layering pieces but sometimes they don't always love me.

 This jacket was just one of those pieces. I loved the colors and the design of the material. It looks a bit like a bathrobe. The material is in great shape but the fun fringe is worn out.

I cut the fringe off. It was a little faded and tangled. It was best to just remove it. Some things can't be fixed. It's OK to let them go.

 I really wanted to make those sleeves more narrow and make the body of the jacket more fitted. I hemmed the bottom after I had the side seams done.

  

What would I wear with the jacket? Well the color of these stretchy pants was wonderful. The thick stretchy fabric was really soft and nice but they made me look frumpy and I didn't like the look of them when I actually put them on. I thought they would make a great skirt.

I cut the inside seams open and folded the pants so the sides were laid flat. You can see the crotch of the pants flairs out. I pinned them to make straight seams so I would have a pencil skirt.

I did some sewing and cut off the excess. I checked the length and made a hem at the bottom.

This skirt was nice with the new jacket.

I was pretty happy with how these pieces turned out. I wore it to the doctor for a boring check-up. My son is very healthy but I found out that his Epi Pen expired 6 months ago. I am expecting my "mom of the Year" award any day now.

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