The Tough Guy Leather Jacket

Hello Readers. Have you been outside today? Outside of my front door is some chilly, cold weather. I had a great faux leather jacket that someone gave to my daughter and when it didn't fit, it came to me. (Thanks Carmen!) I liked the length and the color. (And it looks like I could jump on my motorcycle and ride off because I am such a tough guy. Like I could start a bar fight and win in this jacket.) It fit really well until you look at the arms. The arms don't look so good. Tough guys don't have jackets that hang over their hands like this.

 

 

My hands are in there somewhere. There is too much sleeve to roll up here, so I can't just roll the cuffs up and wear this jacket. It was nice and soft, surely I could just shorten the sleeves right? I have sewn through real leather before. It would be easy to sew through this faux leather, right?

Spoiler Alert: No, it wouldn't be easy at all.

 

 

It was easy to cut through the sleeves. They were so long that I just cut off the snaps and zippers that were at the cuffs. I turned the sleeves under and started sewing on my machine. That is when I realized it wasn't going to work as easily as I thought. The faux leather kept jamming up the presser foot of my sewing machine. It was so soft that it was almost sticky, and my machine couldn't handle it. It refused to sew smoothly. I finally got each sleeve finished and had two puckered wrinkled sleeves. I didn't want to try again because it would just jam up my machine again.

I was really bummed that I had ruined the jacket.

 I decided to try and cover the edges with trim. It would hide the problem and hopefully the trim would be smoother and wouldn't get stuck in my machine.

It worked!

 

 

I wore this jacket to a fabulous place in Frederick, Maryland. It was a bakery called Cakes To Die For. It was amazing. They do a lot of vegan baking as well as avoiding allergens like gluten and nuts. I can't eat wheat or gluten so I was SUPER excited to find treats at a bakery I could eat.

 

 

I wasn't exaggerating when I said I was SUPER excited. (Look at my face. Lottery winners are less excited than I am in this picture.) I had a chocolate cupcake, a chocolate macaroon, a piece of chocolate fudge cake, and a peanut butter cookie. It was a huge sugar rush and I loved every bite.

 

Thanks you for reading my blog and letting me share my refashion obsession with you. Now go make something fun for yourself.

 

I'm Going to a Wedding

Hello Readers. I don't get really dressed up often but I was invited to a wedding recently. I needed to dress up and I wanted to wear this dress. It was so pretty, but it didn't fit. Do any of you have clothes that have become too small as you got older? (Life, age, children, cookies have all played a factor in this. At least for me.) I really wanted to make this dress fit.

 

 

You can see from this picture of my dress form what the problem is. The zipper just could not zip up to the top. I was just too big. The waist fit well and it was such pretty material, I thought I could save the skirt. 

 

Here is a view of the other side of the dress. You can see a waistband that is a separate piece of fabric. I decided to remove the bodice of the dress with my seam ripper and keep the waistband attached to the skirt. It was really pretty easy to do.

 

This dress also had a lovely collar/neck piece with some big fake jewel stones attached. I really liked it so I removed it from the bodice too. I really wanted to incorporate it in the new top.

 

To make a top to wear with the skirt and collar, I used this plain black T-shirt. I cut the sleeves off at an angle towards the neck. My plan was to make a top in the shape of a triangle, with the collar at the top. It was sort of a halter style top.

My T-shirt top is the same shape as the original dress but the new version has more coverage. I can wear a regular bra with it and it is also very comfortable. The knit T-shirt material has more give than the original top of the dress.

 

Regular men's T-shirt.                   Inside-out view.

 

Here is what it looked like as I worked on the fit and the collar attachment. I gathered the top a little in the front so the fit was not too tight across the chest. The skirt and top are two separate pieces and can be worn together or separately.

 

 

To keep the zipper intact I folded in and stitched it down on each side. I cut off some of the excess and it works great. I have done this a few times on different skirts and they always stay up. A hook and eye closure would add more security if it was needed but I have never needed it.

 

I wore it to a lovely wedding. I added a sweater because it was a little cold that morning. The wedding was lovely. The bride and groom have known each other since they were babies. It was adorable.

 

 

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

 

 

 

Yee Haw! I'm a Cowboy

Hello Readers. You may already know this but tomorrow is October 31st. In most of the US kids will be going door-to-door to ask for candy. They say Trick-or-Treat to the person who answers the door and they are given candy. It is a great day to be a kid.. You get a lot of free candy. A lot of free candy. The only thing the kids have to do is wear a costume. What a great deal!

Some adults like to dress up for fun too. If you need to put together a last minute costume, here is one idea, become a cowboy. 

 

 

 

I found this leather jacket at a clothes swap a while ago. I have been saving it because I thought I could use the leather to make something. I never got around to that so, I had a western style jacket with giant shoulder pads waiting to be worn. It was in great shape but the shoulder pads and all the fringe just weren't my everyday style.

 

 

I knew the leather wouldn't fray so I started to cut it up. I basically removed everything I didn't like. The arms, the shoulder pads, the front collar, and the lining too. Once I started cutting it, the lining was fraying so I just took it all out.

 

 

I kept trimming until it was fitting well and the edges were all flat and smooth. The accessories are all gathered from around the house. I had the boots, the belt and the bandana. The hat is from the kids dress-up clothes.

 

 

Whatever you are doing tonight, I hope you have fun.

And thanks for reading.

 

The Black Sparkly Mini Dress

Hello Readers. Something rare happened recently, I found a fabulous dress that was too short. This is not something that happens often when you are 5' tall. Everything is usually too long, finding something that is too short made me feel a little tall. The fit of this short dress was great so I decided to shorten it even more and make a top. 

I don't go anywhere that I need a sparkly black mini dress. I am a small town SAHM. If I show up at the playground in this, I will look very over dressed and a little crazy. I need to calm this dress down.

There is a generous amount of bling on this knit dress, but it was really comfortable so I decided to embrace it. I didn't want to change it drastically,  I just wanted to shorten it. I measured and marked where I wanted to shorten the dress to make it the right length for me. I cut it all the way around.

I turned it under and gave it a new hem so it would look nice and neat. It was easy as pie. 

I like this shirt a lot. It is basically a soft tank top but the sparkle makes it so much more interesting and fun. (Bling, bling.) Wearing it with jeans helped to make this top more casual.

These jeans were in my refashion stash, I don't know where they came from. I liked the fit of these jeans but of course they were too long. I usually expect to shorten pants, no big deal. 

 

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

 

 

The Cozy Sweatshirt Dress

Hello Readers. The leaves are falling off the trees and the days are getting shorter and cooler. There is nothing more cozy on a cool Autumn day than a big sweatshirt right? I have a great one right here.

My sister-in-law gave me this big gray sweatshirt/tunic/dress. (Thanks J.) It was a little bit too big and shapeless and of course the sleeves were too long. It wasn't very flattering on me. It looked a little like a baggy nightshirt. Some part of the dress needs to fit so it doesn't look so big.

I put it on my dress form and pinned a more flattering fit. It is easier to plan and pin a new shape on the dress form. (The dress form doesn't get upset when I stick it with pins.) It was going to be loose and comfortable but not quite as baggy when I was finished. At least I hoped so, it didn't have any stretch so it couldn't be too fitted.

I did some stitching where I had my pins and created new side seams that were more figure flattering. I wanted it to be smaller in the arms and chest. I made a A-line shape. I thought it would be a simple classic dress.

You can see the arms are shorter and tighter. The shoulders and chest are a little smaller too. I was sad to lose the pockets in my re-sizing work but they weren't really very large or useful anyway. Why don't women get large functional pockets in their clothes? Real pockets would be very helpful in my real life. I have stuff, I need to carry it.... I know, use a purse. I do, but pockets would be nice too.

I dressed it up here with a belt and some dressy boots but I can also imagine this with some leggings and a cozy scarf on a cold day. Now with 3/4 arms and more fitted shoulders, and chest fit, it looks much better. I didn't resize the bottom of the dress, I thought it was great the way it was.

(I think this will be perfect for lounging, watching Netflix, and snacking too. With no belt, this would be a great Thanksgiving dress.)

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

Refashioning a Refashion

Hello Readers. How are you today? Have you been refashioning lately? I like the constant change and creative fun of sewing. It doesn't always make sense but some of the things I make get worn over and over and sometimes, an item just doesn't get worn at all. I usually try and correct that by refashioning the piece again.

I made this gray top out of a big men's T-shirt. You can see how I made it here. I liked it when I made it but I didn't wear it often. I don't know why I didn't wear it, it just seemed to hang in the closet. It wasn't fair, it deserved to get out a little and have some fun.

Why didn't I wear this? I don't know. It was cute. I'm crazy.

I have had this skirt for a few years. I have always liked it. It is a heavy weight knit and it fits fine. It was very simple and classic. I like the heathered fabric. I decided to jazz it up a little by combining the shirt and skirt. 

I cut the ruffle off the bottom of the shirt. Snip, snip. It was done. I didn't have to worry about fraying because knits don't usually fray at all. 

I used my machine to stitch the ruffle on the bottom of the skirt. I can tuck the shirt in the skirt now with the ruffle removed. The ruffle at the bottom of the skirt is just fun. I am crazy about it. If at first you don't succeed (with the refashion) try, try again. Happy sewing to you, wherever you are today.

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

The Easy Way to Un-BeDazzle

Hello Readers. It is actually, finally getting cooler outside. I am going to need a light jacket. I found this cropped denim jacket for 25 cents. I thought it was a great little jacket. It was soft and broken in. The only problem was the gold studs on the pockets. It reminded me of the "BeDazzler" from the 90's. Do you remember the BeDazzler? (Click here to see the commercial.) It was a device that attached rhinestones and studs to clothes. A LOT of rhinestones and studs! The commercial will take you back to the 90's with its hairstyles too.

 I didn't really like the studs. I don't like a lot of sparkle or extra bling on my clothes. I thought a plain and simple look would be better for this jacket. It doesn't need a lot of extra "stuff" on it. So how would I take them off?

I decided to remove the flaps on the front pockets. That's right,  I just cut them off. I could have forced the studs off. I didn't want to fight with the studs so... I didn't. I think it looks fine without the flaps and it was fast and easy. I cut as close to the edge as I could to keep it looking neat. 

BOOM!, I was done. Or was I??????

Check out the back of this jacket! More gold studs, woo-hoo.

Party's over studs! I wrestled them off with these large kitchen shears. It only took a few minutes. It was a great way to blow off steam.

The back looks cleaner, better, simpler without the studs on it. You can see the tiny holes across the back but they don't look bad to me. The blend in really well with the fade pattern of the denim. And I like distressed denim anyway. I love this jacket and I am probably wearing it today. 

***  BONUS TRACK  ***

BELTS

I have been trying to make a couple thin belts to wear with jeans to smooth over the waistbands and front button. Sometimes the front button opening doesn't lay smooth. Could I make a belt? Well, I could try. I started with this piece of faux leather that I cut off the purse in the picture below.

I made the strip narrow enough to used the buckle I had in my collection of odd sewing stuff. 

I folded the edge over and stitched it down.

I also had a cotton belt that was bright orange. I got it at a clothes swap and it was in great shape but it was orange. I didn't really need an orange belt. I decided to dye it red. That would be easy, right?

Well, Here are both finished belts. The black belt doesn't look very impressive but it is nice and thin. It keeps the waistband of my jeans flat and smooth. The orange belt didn't become the scarlet red I thought it would. It is a very orangey red. Fabric dye is never an exact science. 

I still have some work to do to improve my belt making skills.

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