So Much Red

 Hello Dear Readers. Valentine's Day is coming and when I saw this red dress I thought the color was perfect for Valentine's Day.

This red is so pretty but this dress is a little shapeless.

It isn't anymore exciting from the back either. Ho-hum. But that color!!

The first thing I did was remove the pocket. It didn't seem to be in the right location for me. It was very low. It was in between my chest and my stomach. I carefully unpicked the stitches and took it off the dress.

I did want a pocket, just not the red one. I have had these little fabric pieces for ages. I did not make them. They were in a bag of sewing things someone passed on to me. The embroidery was so pretty I have held onto them for a few years. I decided it was time to use one.

I folded and ironed and starched this one square into a pocket. I used MANY pins to secure it in the right location. Then I used my machine to attach it. The pins held it in place while I sewed. Things tend to move around on me so I went heavy on the pins.

You saw that the dress was a very loose A-line shape but that isn't what I wanted. I wanted a shirt. I reshaped and shortened the dress. Right now you are adjusting your glasses and/or the screen on your device. This picture is crazy blurry. I apologize. But I included it because it really does show the shape and the parts that were cut away

The bottom of the dress made a perfect infinity scarf to wear with my new t-shirt. (It's cold out there.)

I loved the shirt and it matched this sweater. It was the perfect off-white to match my added pocket.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I loved this red shirt. Sadly the color bled onto the pocket and I tried to fix it. It didn't work. I was crushed. I miss you red Tshirt.

So Much Pink

 Hello Readers. January 2021 has ended and it's been really over-the-top. Did anyone foresee the Average Joe's from Reddit would rock the stock market and terrify wealthy hedge fund managers? I did not see that coming but I love when the little guy wins. I have a refashion to share with you. Is it as over-the-top as the month of January? I don't think that is even possible but you tell me.

 

 This sweatshirt was very simple and basic but it was really PINK! So. Much. Pink. It was so simple, it was perfect for a project.

 I started by cutting the sleeves shorter and taking the shirt in a little on the sides. I wanted to make a bit of a statement sleeve so I did not want the shirt to be too baggy.

 I decided to use this shirt for parts. I have had it for 4-5 years. It was very pink and it has a pretty scalloped lace hem.

 

 I cut the body of the shirt off the shoulders and made sleeves. I was going for a sort of bell sleeve. I can never wear them off-the-rack because my arms are so short. I had to make my own. That is the fun of sewing.

 I also had these very short pink shorts. I took them from a clothes swap a long time ago just for the lace. I FOR SURE can not fit all of my 48 year old backside into these. They were SO short. My underwear is bigger than these! But the lace was nice so here we go.

 I cut one tier of the lace off the shorts. I wanted to really make this sweatshirt fun and fancy. The more fun the better.

 I added the lace to the waistband of the sweatshirt.

 When I was done I had fancy pink sleeves and fancy lace at the waistband.

 This was a fun project and it was casual and easy to wear for everyday life. And it was warm in this winter wonderland I am in the middle of right now. I am doing well with my plan to refashion at no cost this year. All these pink pieces came from clothes swaps. So, if you are counting, that is $0 so far in 2021. Unless you count thread. I am not going to factor that in.

It just doesn't want to stop snowing.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-This was a favorite of the year. I love the bright color and the added trims. The sleeves are so fun.

Black & Tan

 Hello Readers. This post is not about a beer cocktail of dark and light beers called a black and tan. This post is about a dress and a skirt. I found these at a socially distant clothes swap. I liked the colors and I am a big fan of t-shirt dresses. 

This dress was really short. I am only 5' tall and this dress was short on me. That is rare!

 

The colors of the stripes matched this skirt. The skirt was very long on me. I think it was supposed to be mid-calf length. It was like a maxi length on me and it had some serious fringe at the hem. The fringe was very thick and heavy. It seemed like it was maybe too much. 

I decided to make the striped t-shirt dress into a shirt. It was almost a shirt anyway.

I made it more narrow and a bit shorter. I used the excess for masks. I have a small collection of masks at my house so that there is always a clean mask available for all of us. 

The skirt needed to be shorter and I took the waist in a little as well. 

  I liked to the outfit. Tights, boots and a sweater made this more appropriate for the weather.

The t-shirt and masks were also great with jeans.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I love this whole outfit. I wear that shirt all the time. I love it with the skirt too. This was a winner for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sporty & Casual

Hello Readers. How are you doing? January started wild and totally out of control but seems to have calmed down. That makes me less stressed. Maybe 2021 will be a more stable year? I really hope so. Well, let's talk about sewing. My daughter gave me this dress when she cleaned out her closet.      (Thanks Sweet Pea!)

I loved that the dress was so simple (Boring.). I knew I could make it over a little and have some fun with it. 2020 has made me much more casual, so I decided to make this dress more casual too. 

I have also noticed that I don't have that many shirts. I thought at first that I should make this dress into a shirt. It would be really useful. But the dress was pretty long on me. When I cut the shirt, I had plenty leftover. 

I decided to make a skirt. For the waistband I used some scraps from a sweatshirt. I attached the waistband to the skirt and left an opening for the string. I think this is the string from a hoodie. This skirt will always fit because the waist will be adjustable.

 

  This is now a fun casual dress that I really liked. It has a waist and a more defined shape.

 

I also have a new shirt to wear when layering up for winter. It is really cold and icy out there.

 

 

It looks so pretty but it is SO cold. 

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I love this 2 piece dress. It is definitely a favorite.

Satin Pillowcases

 Hello Readers. You know I am all about refashions and I can't get enough clothing remakes and updates. But sometimes sewing is more practical and less fashion related. This post is all about pillowcases. Pillowcases??? Yes. Pillowcases.

 

It all started when my daughter suggested that we clean out the sewing closet. She proposed that instead of trying to make everything fit in there that we get rid of the fabric that we didn't really like and didn't think we would use. I thought sure, we should do that. While we were organizing all the fabric I found this piece of satin. This really bright fushia satin.We both thought it was so bright that we probably would not make clothing out of it. And who needs satin clothes during a pandemic? But I had an idea.

I have been trying to read up on curly hair and how to style and maintain curls. I have some curls but I do not know how to take care of them. What do they want to be happy curls and not unhappy frizz? I am still learning. One thing I read about was satin pillowcases. From my reading, they are supposed to help with tangles and frizz. I had even looked at the store when I was there but they did not sell them. When I found this fabric I thought I would make my own.

I had just enough fabric to make 4 standard size pillowcases. I used the selvage edge of the fabric as the openings of the pillowcases because if I turned the edge in and hemmed it, it would make the pillowcases too small. I added some trim to try and dress up the openings of the pillowcases a little bit. I didn't use anything fancy, I wanted these to be machine washable.

Here is my bed. It's not trendy or fancy but I love to sleep in it and I hate to get out of it in the morning. Are my pillows small and flat? Yes, my neck hurts if I use a fluffy pillow. I have to use one sad flat pillow and that is it. Getting older is the pits!

 Here is a peek at my daughters bed. I made 2 pillowcases for her and 2 for me. I don't know if satin is for everyone. My 5 year old said they were too slippery. I have noticed that my hair is A LOT less tangled in the morning. I think the satin is doing some good.

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

 ***Chickie's Year End Review-I sleep on these satin pillowcases every night. They really do keep my hair from getting so crazy while I am sleeping. They might be the most useful project of the year.

Tailoring a Sweater

 

 Hello Readers. I hope you are doing well today. My daughter has been cleaning out her closet and passing things on to me. One of those things was this sweater.

 Maybe it's just me but this sweater seems a little off balance. Why is the front so much bigger and longer than the back?

The back of the sweater was a good length and the sleeves fit well. The front panels were made to be loose and drape down in the front so I know they are supposed to be longer. It just didn't suit me. It is so thick that is is bulky. A little too bulky to drape well.

I decided to make this sweater a little more streamlined and tailored. I know what you are thinking, "How can a sweater be altered?". I just cut and sewed the sweater like it was any other fabric.

I just used a zigzag stitch on this sweater and it worked great. It controlled the fraying very well.

The sweater was so much simpler now. I really liked it. What about that shirt I am wearing with it?

My daughter gave me this shirt when she gave me the sweater. I am shorter than her and the V-neck was too low on me. The whole shirt was very long. I looked at it and realized the back was a plain round neck. Could I wear it backwards and solve this problem easily with no sewing? Yes, I could! It was still too long. It was so long that I couldn't tuck it in,

 I shortened the shirt and used the extra fabric to make a couple face masks. You can't have too many face masks right.

 I liked the final result. The shirt was so much better when it was backwards and shorter.

 I liked tucking the shirt in. Sometimes simpler is better. This combo, including the mask, was perfect for work.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I wore this a few times but got tired of cold shoulder top under this sweater. The sweater isn't a favorite but it's OK.