A Classic White Shirt

 Hello Readers. I think Fall is here. There are leaves all over the ground and it is cooler and nicer outside. I love the change of seasons. I also love classic simple clothing that is easy to wear. A white button-down shirt is always fresh and stylish. But I didn't have one. (First world problem, I know.)

What I did have was this white shirt that my husband didn't want anymore. (He doesn't need to wear a shirt and tie to work anymore so he cleaned out his closet.) I really liked this simple white shirt.

This shirt was too big. The sleeves were too long. The whole shirt was too long to tuck in and is close to being a mini-dress. I can't wear a short dress to work so let's make this into a shirt that fits.

I did some re-fitting. I made the whole shirt shorter and made the body more narrow.

 I also made shorter more narrow sleeves. I wanted them 3/4 length. I removed the cuffs, shortened the sleeves and reattached the cuffs. The sleeves were roomy enough to make little box pleats on each sleeve.

The over all fit is so much better. The shorter sleeves make the shirt look a lot better. It looks like mine and not my husbands.

I can tuck the shirt in because it isn't so long anymore.

The jeans I wore with the white shirt are a refashion favorite.

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

And if you are in the US, please go vote!
 

 

 

 

The Flowy Jacket

 Hello Readers. I love layering pieces but sometimes they don't always love me.

 This jacket was just one of those pieces. I loved the colors and the design of the material. It looks a bit like a bathrobe. The material is in great shape but the fun fringe is worn out.

I cut the fringe off. It was a little faded and tangled. It was best to just remove it. Some things can't be fixed. It's OK to let them go.

 I really wanted to make those sleeves more narrow and make the body of the jacket more fitted. I hemmed the bottom after I had the side seams done.

  

What would I wear with the jacket? Well the color of these stretchy pants was wonderful. The thick stretchy fabric was really soft and nice but they made me look frumpy and I didn't like the look of them when I actually put them on. I thought they would make a great skirt.

I cut the inside seams open and folded the pants so the sides were laid flat. You can see the crotch of the pants flairs out. I pinned them to make straight seams so I would have a pencil skirt.

I did some sewing and cut off the excess. I checked the length and made a hem at the bottom.

This skirt was nice with the new jacket.

I was pretty happy with how these pieces turned out. I wore it to the doctor for a boring check-up. My son is very healthy but I found out that his Epi Pen expired 6 months ago. I am expecting my "mom of the Year" award any day now.

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

The Belt Bag

 Hello Readers. I hope you are doing well. I am aware that a lot of people are not doing well right now. There are unemployment and housing issues in addition to all our Corona, hurricane/wildfire and social/political issues. It is really a lot to try and wrap my head around all at the same time. I wish I had some words of wisdom that would help solve any/all/even one of these issues. I really don't, but I am pretty sure arguing on Facebook isn't going to solve anything.

I'm just going to sew for now. I have had this suede vest for ages. It just makes me feel like a cowboy and like I should have a horse, a lasso and be yelling, "Yee-haw!". (No offense to anyone currently in a vest, on a horse, yelling, "Yee-haw!".) It just doesn't feel like me.

Check out this vest from a clothes swap ages ago. It has a western kind of vibe to it. Amazingly, it matched this suede belt from another clothes swap.

I started cutting the vest into pieces. Suede doesn't fray at all so it is easy to work with. I wanted a small bag shape.

I know what you are thinking. How hard is it to sew through suede? Check it out in this short video clip. (Hint: It was super easy.)

 I used the belt to make this small bag into a belt-bag. Waist-bag. Fanny-pack. Butt-bag. Whatever you want to call it, I made one. I remember when these were popular in the 90's and I swore I would never wear one again. But here I am, years later, eating those words.

The belt fits through slits in the back of the bag. I can slide the bag off the belt to wear the belt alone if I want.

I was surprised I liked this bag as much as I did. It would be great for when I want to be hands free. 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When You Can't Button Your Over-Alls

 Hello Readers. How are you? I hope you are well and not lost in an argument with someone online. It won't change anyone's opinion. It will just make you angry. My neighborhood HOA Facebook page is a breeding ground for arguments like this. It is surprising to me how fast an argument can break out. Let's not argue today, let's just sew in peace. 

These wonderful gray linen wide-leg overalls were a hand-me-down from my daughter. I liked them a lot.

I thought they would fit perfectly but as you can see, I could not button them up. I was not very happy. I noticed that the waist seemed to fit very well. That gave me an idea...

 

 

I quickly cut the top off. It was too small and made me feel fat. It had to go. 

 

 I used a zigzag stitch on that cut edge. This linen fabric would fray like crazy so I wanted to prevent that. I went over the edge twice to make sure it was secure. I turned the edge under and made a wide waistband. There were already buttons in the front that would act as a button-fly.

 

I used my dress form to tweak the waist and make sure they would fit.

These pants are so comfortable and fun to wear. I like how they turned out. They were cropped on my tall daughter but on short me they don't seem cropped at all. I am still thinking about the length I want. Any thoughts dear reader? Should I hem them a bit shorter? I think I like them as is but I am not sure. am not sure.  Let me know in the comments.

 I am trying to show the legs and the waistband without showing my actual pale stretch-marked stomach. 

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

When The Dress Is Too Short

  Hello Readers. How are you doing? I hope you are holding up the best you can. I see and hear craziness in the news and I am sure you do too. Ugh! It can't go on like this forever...... Right?

 Sometimes clothing doesn't fit as intended, it needs a bit of help. Today's post is about a dress that just needed a little change to be great.

 This dress was cute but it was too short on me. This has only happened a couple times in my life. I am really short, 5' is short. Dresses are never too short for me. This dress is a rare find. I could have worn it over a pair of leggings just like this but I can't wear leggings to work so....

 

 I didn't do that. I decided to shorten the dress into a flowy loose top. I could wear it to work with a jacket or sweater and look business casual. 

Here is a look at this new top and my new normal work look. The mask is mandatory at my work place and the ponytail makes it easier to wear the mask. Am I wearing make-up on my eyes and forehead only? Yes! Did I really skip the lower half of my face? Yes! Do I regret it? No! Am I embarrassed? No! I am winning this mask game! Saving time and saving money on make-up.

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

The Leftover Vest

 Hello Readers. Sometimes refashioning can leave you with a lot of fabric scraps. I always try to use everything. I don't like to waste anything. Today's post is about a project I did to make sure I used all material from this red and white dress. 

 I made pajamas from the skirt of this dress but what about the top. It shouldn't just be thrown away.

I started by opening the front where it was connected in the front of the dress. I cut the corners off the front panels and used a zigzag stitch to close up the raw edges.

I turned those zigzag edges under and stitched them down. I added a couple of white buttons to make it look more finished.

The bottom edge was still unfinished. I didn't want the vest to be any shorter so I didn't turn it under to hem it. I added some white grosgrain ribbon to cover the raw edge. The ribbon had a beige stitching design that I thought was cute.

The top of the dress made a fun colorful vest. I like layering pieces like this so this will be a great addition to my closet.

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

Dress to Pajamas

 Hello Readers. This just doesn't feel like the time to dress up. It's time to wear pajamas and hide out. I already voted so hibernation sounds pretty good to me at this point. So, join me for a quick and easy pajama refashion.

I found this dress at a clothes swap back in the olden day when we used to go out and do stuff freely. I thought it was really pretty fabric but it turned out to be a little big and low in the bodice.

This dress was cute but not really needed at this point. It also had a sash to tie around the waist. That seemed like it would be useful for a refashion project.

 I cut the dress in half and used the skirt to make pajama shorts. That seemed like the most useful thing I could make in 2020. (Next time I will show you what I did with the top of the dress.)

My husband decided he did not need a couple black t-shirts and they have been waiting in my stash.

 I took the body of the t-shirt and used the sash from the dress to make a pajama top with wide straps.

I used a pattern to cut out and put together a pair of loose pajama shorts from the skirt. I really wanted to make pajama pants but the skirt was not long enough.

 

I thought the pajamas were cute but mornings are not cute. I am not a morning person. I think mornings are rough. Maybe new pajamas can help? It doesn't look like it though.

 

 

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