Blue & White

 Hello Readers. Look at this blue and white dress. I love blue and white. It is simple, classic, calming... My house is almost all blue and white. When I saw this blue and white dress I thought it was fabulous. 

Before and after.

It didn't seem to close well. But I thought it could be a cute jacket style layer.

I found these marks after I brought it home. I was disappointed. 

I had to cut the dress off. It was going to be a tie-front top. 

The dress had a fabric belt attached around the waist so I could use that to make ties.

I made a bunch of short ties. 

I measured to make sure that the ties were placed evenly on the front of the shirt. 

I sewed the ties to the inside of the front of the shirt. 

I was glad I could still wear this and I liked how the ties turned out. 

The top is a nice second layer as the weather gets a little bit cooler. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- This top turned out so cute. I liked this one with blue jeans.

Wrap Top to Tie Front Top

 Hello Readers. This faux wrap top was a hand-me-down. (Thanks C.M.) I liked the denim color but I thought it would be fun and easy to change this top into a more trendy tie front top.

Before and after.

This top was cute and it had a little string waist tie. That would come in handy later. When I looked at it I saw an easy refashion. I could open the front and use the waist tie to make the ties to close the front. 

 

I used a seam ripper to open all the seams and stitches that held the wrap front together. This took a little while but it wasn't difficult.

 

When the front was open I could see the front pieces were wider than I needed. I wanted the 2 sides to meet in front but not overlap. 

 

I folded the 2 sides under and ironed them to get a straight edge. I cut off the excess.

 

I used my serger to finish the new edges. This will prevent fraying. Using a zigzag stitch on a sewing machine would work as well. 

 

Now it was time to use that waist tie. 

 

I wanted 4 bow ties on the front of my shirt so I needed 8 equal sized sting pieces. I cut them all as equal as I could. But honestly I just used my eyes, not a ruler or yard stick. 

 

Now... I did use a ruler or a yard stick rather. I wanted the 4 ties to be evenly set in place down the front of my shirt. I measured with my yard stick to make sure they would be evenly placed. I marked where I wanted each tie in chalk.

 

I used my sewing machine to sew the edges of the front panels closed and attach the ties at the same time. 

 

I tied knots in the end of each string. This would prevent fraying and look good. 

I liked the new shirt. The ties are a fun way to close the top and it had a built in peplum. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update***- This top is like a pair of jeans. It matches everything. I love it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dress to Tie-Front Top

 Hello Readers. I made some new bedding from clothes and had some left over pieces. I don't like to waste fabric scraps so let me show you my new top that I made from a dress. 

Before and after. 

In my last post I showed the pillowcase I made from this pretty linen dress. I only used the skirt of the dress. So what did I do with the top of the dress?

The first thing I did was remove the lining by unpicking it stitch by stitch. I hate nylon. It is so hot and sweaty. I don't need this lining for my new top. 

I threw the lining away. I couldn't think of a use for this fabric. 

There was a zipper up the back of the dress. I didn't want the zipper so I cut it out of the dress too. 

I folded all the cut edges under and stitched them down. I also used the scraps to make small strips of fabric to use as ties. 

 

I folded these strips of fabric in and stitched them down so the ties would stay folded up.
 

I planned to wear this backwards. It has a boxy shape and it looked about the same either way. The back that had a zipper is now the front with ties to close it. I attached 3 sets of ties and didn't think it looked right. I put elastic through the ends of the sleeves as well. It gives the sleeves a more feminine shape.

 

I added 2 more sets of ties. I like this loose shirt/jacket. It is such a fun color and the linen is going to breath and be comfortable in warmer weather. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

***Year End Update***- I love this top. I wear it a lot. The colors are so pretty.