The Black Cords That Were Made Of Steel

Hello Readers. I have a great pair of thick black corduroy pants here. (Thanks again, Becky!) I love them. They are warm and cozy in the winter. They could be perfect, but are too long and need to be taken in. 

These pants started as a boot cut style and I want a straight narrow leg when I am finished.

I made new seams down each side. I had no idea it would be so hard to sew through all this fabric. It was so thick and heavy. The waist was the worst and most difficult to sew. I have sewn through denim with no problems before. This was crazy. Are these pants steel re-enforced?

I broke a universal needle and then I bent a denim needle. I switched to a leather needle. I had to operate the machine with my hand, using the knob on the right side. I went very slowly and my needle survived the waistband. I finished the rest of the project using the foot pedal.

I liked the new fit but the length was still a problem. (My toes look weird here. I swear they are normal healthy toes.) I shortened them a few inches.

Here are my finished corduroy pants. I was happy with them once I got through the tough fabric. It was a fun challenge.

As always, thanks for reading. Go make something fabulous for yourself.

Too Cropped For Comfort

Hello Readers. As I write this it is very cold and windy and I need a cozy sweatshirt to keep me warm. That's today's project. I love this pale shade of pink in this sweatshirt..

I actually bought this from the store. That is rare for me. I choose it from the clearance rack at Kohl's right before I had my baby 7 months ago. I thought (or hoped) after the little guy was born it would fit. The problem? It is a cropped style shirt and I will never wear it as is. When I raise my arms all kinds of tummy comes out of hiding. That is not good folks!

                                               

     I used an old black shirt with a similar weight fabric to add some length to the pink sweatshirt. I             will add the pink waistband back on the bottom of the lengthened shirt at the very end. I saw                                              something like this on the Refashion Co-op blog.

I cut the bottom off both shirts. I folded the shirt over on itself as I cut so it would stay even.

I decided to get crafty and use some of the extra black fabric to make a flower. I hand stitched it to the front of the pink shirt. 

Here is a close up of the flower. It is over exposed so you can see the detail. The top flower is smaller than the one on the bottom. The pom-pom in the middle was in my drawer of sewing stuff, so why not use it. This is almost too cute for me. If it wasn't black, I couldn't handle it.

I went shopping with my daughter later this day. It was very windy, as you can see. That blur across my face is my hair.

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

The Mint Maternity Shirt

Hello Readers. Today's project is a maternity shirt refashion. It will be very quick because I am a busy mom today. I have school drop off, a gift to pick-up for MIL, to give the baby a nap, to let my dog out, school pick up and a vet appointment. I am typing this as the little guy naps. I'm sure this sounds familiar to a lot of moms out there.

This mint colored shirt is super soft and stretchy. It makes me think of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Yum! It was nice when I was pregnant and after, when I was still big and round. Now, it is too baggy. I have tried tucking it in, but there is too much fabric to look neat. I plan to drastically alter the shape. The bottom of this shirt is much wider than the shoulders. I am going to make the shape much more fitted. 

When I begin a new seam I start in the machine finished seam that is already there. I sew at an angle from there. It seems to blend in better that way. This material was easy to sew through. 

It is so easy to alter T-shirts. Try it for yourself. I didn't change the sleeves or shoulders, but they look funny in this picture.

Real life baby and dog care.

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

Cargo Pants With A Touch Of Satin

Hello Readers. I love the changing seasons. Whatever season is coming next is my current favorite. The cooler weather means I need some pants that fit or I will be freezing on cold  Fall and Winter days.

I was given these light khaki pants and they still had the tags on them! Brand new pants for me. (Thanks Becky!) As you can see they were miles too long. They are very soft and I liked the fit everywhere else. Clearly, I need about 10 more inches of leg to make them work as is.

These are casual but have touches of satin trim. I am easily distracted by shiny things so, of course, I love them. There was a tie/belt, a loop (for my hammer?) and some trim on the side pockets.

My first step was to take a pair of similar pants and use them as a guide. I put the legs together and marked where I needed to hem. I left extra so I could turn them under twice and sew them up. Don't use the waistband as your guide. Use just the leg for measurement, starting at the crotch seam. Every pair of pants will have a slightly different rise, using the waistband as your starting point could really mess this up.

I narrowed the legs a bit. These were a really wide leg and it was too much for my short legs to deal with. I narrowed them and shortened them fairly quickly.

When I was done, I went for a walk with this little guy. He is super cute and very sweet but I don't think he cared one bit about my new pants. Oh, well.

After wearing them for a little while I got annoyed with the belt. It just hung there and seemed weird. I used it at the bottom of each leg. It tied in with the satin trim already on the pockets and loop. It was so pretty, I couldn't bear to waste it.  

Thank you for reading, now go make something fabulous for yourself.

Dangerous Curves Ahead: Making New Arm Holes

Hello Readers. How are you enjoying your Fall? My Fall is warm in the afternoons and that is perfect weather for today's project. Wear a sweater over it in the morning and then in the afternoon, BOOM! Show everyone your muscles. Or in my case, show your scrawny, yet somehow, still flabby arms.

I started with this Jones of New York blouse. It looks like a pajama top on me. And notice the arms? Those arms need to go and I have a plan to make the shoulders more narrow. That means I need to sew new arm holes. Curves are not easy for me. This could get dangerous.

Ok, not that dangerous. Read on.

First, I cut off the arms. I cut along the shoulder seam and pinned the arm holes the way I wanted.

 This fabric frayed a lot and was very silky and difficult to sew. I had trouble keeping the arm holes smooth when I sewed them up. I wanted to make the shoulder more narrow when I saw the finished product but I am not going to mess with this top again.

Here is an after picture and you can see all the fabric I cut away. I took a little off the sides too.

Ta da! This is my best Broadway pose.

What? Another shirt? This is too much! Yes, it's true. I made one for my daughter. Hers was easier and I liked it better so that is why you are seeing it here. It was a basic button down shirt from L.L.Bean. These polka dots are super cute. I cut the sleeves off before I took this picture.

Here is a good picture of the cut along the shoulder seam. I made her shoulders even more narrow. They looked great when they were done. This fabric was a bit thicker and much easier to work with.

The new arm hole was pinned in place. I used the iron before I stitched it on the machine and hoped for the best with the arm holes. It was easier this time. I think the practice I had and the heavier weight fabric helped a lot.

Here is the finished top. She really liked it and the arm holes came out nicely. She wanted me to protect her identity in these pictures.

I survived the dangerous curves of this project and you can too. Thanks for reading, now go make something fabulous for yourself.

Results May Vary: Skinny Jeans

Hello Readers. The rain is gone and it is a pretty day to throw the windows open and enjoy some fresh air in the house. Today's project is a pair of skinny jeans. They started simple, I made them crazy, but they ended well. Read on.

Here are some classic black boot cut pants. Black goes with everything. You can spill coffee or tea on them and it won't show. All the black dog hair my dog leaves around? No problem. These are nice and soft but just a bit big. I can fix that.

I did what I usually do. I sewed down the sides to take them in a little. I also sewed inside seams to take them in some there too. I wanted the legs to be more narrow. I thought this would make them more balanced than if I just took all the excess out of the sides. I had to do this several times, trying them on in between to get them just right. 

I also made a couple darts in the back to take in the waist. I don't like to have the waist gaping out in the back. I started at the waistband and ended down in the pockets. Darts can be tricky for me. Ending them under the pocket hides any imperfections. 

I should have stopped here. I should have put my new skinny jeans on and walked away before I got in trouble. I didn't. (Life lesson?) As you can see here, I tried to lighten them. I wanted gray. What I got was orangey-black yuck. I was not happy with this. What can I do now?

Well, I am not one to give up. The only fix for this is dye. I have to dye them back to black to cover the orange. These pants are not going to be gray. It just isn't meant to be. I just have to accept that and move on. It's OK, maybe next time. (Life lesson #2?)

I followed the directions and dyed them. I washed them a couple times to get the excess dye out, and here we are. I had to buy the dye and spend extra time on them but after all the sewing, it was worth it. I hate to let go of a project. I don't like to give up. No surrender! (I know, calm down. It's just a pair of skinny black jeans for goodness sake.)

Thanks for reading, now go make something fabulous for yourself. (And don't give up!)

The Perfect Fit

Hello Readers. Today is rainy and only good for hanging out in pj's and sewing. (In my opinion.) Let's get to work. I like to refashion clothes and I also like to make clothes fit well. I am pretty short so most things need adjustment here or there to fit me nicely.

I had these two shirts. (Thanks Mom!) They are exactly alike except for color. I like them both. They fit well through the shoulders and chest but the body is a little loose and shapeless. That is usually how it works for me. 

I have a standard way to take in the middle section. I try it on and decide how much to take in the sides. I measure and mark the mid point between the bottom and the under arm seam. This needs to be the narrowest part of the shirt. Don't make it too narrow, it won't fit over your head.

I sew a curved seam without taking any from the chest or the bottom . I don't want it any tighter across the chest. I also want it to skim over my hips. It won't do that if I make the bottom tighter. This method doesn't always work for extra long tunic tops. It probably won't work for cropped tops either. I haven't tried it. I just had a baby and I am 43, cropped tops are not in my wardrobe. (It's OK. The little guy is worth it.) 

Here it is. It isn't a huge change, but it is more flattering and I don't look like I am carrying 20 extra pounds around my middle. 

Yes, I fixed the red one too. I wore it out when I met some friends. It appears to be a bullet hole next to my head. I'm not sure what went on at that coffee house before I got there.

This is how excited a new mom is to go out.

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