A Tea Shirt

 Hello Readers. I love to sew and refashion but you don't always have to sew to refashion your clothes. No-sew refashions can be a lot of fun and easy to do. Let me show you a couple recent refashions like this.

Before and after.

I am still in my happy yellow phase this month and this shirt was a fabulous find for me. I am a tea drinker and I love a good pun. This shirt had everything I could want in a tea/T shirt. It was a little boxy so I decided to do some quick work on it.

I usually find the round high neck on t-shirts to be uncomfortable. I like to cut the neckband off. The knit fabric will not fray so you can cut the neckline however you like most, round or V shape. Removing the neckband opens up the neckline, elongates the neck which is more flattering on me. It also feels more comfortable to me when I am wearing it. 

My next step was to cut off the end of the sleeves. I cut mine at an angle so I would get a little cap sleeve look.

I pulled on the cut edge so that the fabric would roll up in a curl. I like this look and I thought it would look cute on the short sleeves. I wanted them to be as loose and fluttery as possible.

I cut off the bottom of the shirt. I also pulled and stretched the cut edge to make it roll. Then I cut a slit in the center of the shirt. I liked the curled up edge. 

I tied the 2 corners into a knot in the front. The knot looks cute and it pulls the sides of the shirt in and gives shirt more shape. With no sewing! It's so fast and easy.

*** PART 2 ***

These black jeans fit perfectly and were very comfortable. But they were too long. I am really short so that was not surprising. I wanted to make them shorter. I could have just cut the jeans straight around each leg but I wanted to do something different.

I cut the jeans shorter and made it fun too.

I washed and dried the jeans and I got some great fraying. I cut off the really long strings so they wouldn't tickle my feet. (No tickling allowed ever! I hate it.) You can cut off as much of the jeans as you want. Have fun with it. 

The shirt was easy to wear and felt light and open. I tucked it in for this picture. The jeans were now the right length and I liked how the back of the leg is longer than the front. I really liked the fit of these jeans. They are Gloria Vanderbilt from Kohl's. They make my mom gut seem to disappear. (Not an ad. I just like them.)

I like the knot detail on the front out as well. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

*Year End Note From Chickie- I love this and will forever. A "tea" shirt! Come on now, that's funny.

One Shoulder T-shirt

 Hello Readers. I wanted to make a top to go with my wrap shorts that I showed you in the last post. I really needed one shoulder exposed. Why? Read on and I will tell all.

Before and after.

This was just a navy blue men's t-shirt. It was not fancy or special but it was perfect for what I wanted to make.

I cut a basic one shoulder shape and saved those excess pieces for next time. The strap is as long as possible so I had enough to tie at my shoulder. The tie will make it easy to adjust the fit. If the top is too low cut tie the knot tighter at the shoulder, it's is so easy to adjust.

I sewed up the sides with my serger so my shirt would actually hold together. You could also use a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to stitch up your sides.

I tried it on and worked with the shoulder tie to make sure that the important bits were covered. 

The purpose of this shirt was to expose this one shoulder. When I was 25 I got this small shamrock tattoo and it is so faded. I turned 50 this year so I decided to get it refreshed. I knew it would be easier in this style shirt. And it's great with the wrap shorts.

Here is a look at the freshened up tattoo. I highly recommend the Blue Heron Tattoo shop. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- This was a great combo with the shorts. And it really worked for the tattoo situation.

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. 

*Year End Note From Chickie- I loved the color of this dye. The jacket is wearable all year round.