Black & Blue

 Hello Readers. Do you ever get a hole in your favorite t-shirt? We all do, right? It can ruin a great t-shirt. That is what happened to me recently, but I have an idea to fix that favorite t-shirt and make it more fun to wear at the same time. 

 

Here is my favorite basic black t-shirt. It was easy to wear with everything but it had a hole in the front of it. I was really bummed about it. 

I thought of a way to cover up that hole and make the shirt wearable again. I could use the trim from this skirt I refashioned a couple months ago. I always save my sewing scraps for just such a time as this.

I cut the trim off the skirt scraps. It was in perfect condition and it was black so it went with my shirt. 

I used a zigzag stitch to attach the trim to the raw cut edge of the shirt. The trim hid the cut edge and I did not need to hem the shirt. I just put the trim on top. Easy-peasy! I used a zigzag stitch because it naturally has a little stretch or give to it and works with the stretch of this knit fabric well.

 

My new shirt is ready to wear. I liked the fringe along the hemline. It was fun but I thought keeping it black made it subtle enough to wear to work. 

I paired it with these black and blue pants my daughter handed down to me. They were too long so I made them a bit shorter and made a new hem. 

 

 

 These pants were also a knit material so I used a zigzag stitch to have a little stretch in my hem. 

I was ready to go to work. It was Monday morning, that's never great but my shirt and pants certainly were. 

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I still really like the fringe on this shirt. It's so fun but subtle.

Push Up Your Sleeves

 Hello Readers. I have a quick refashion idea for you. This is a great idea if you have short arms and find your sleeves too long or if you have long arms and find your sleeves are too short. 

 My arms are really short, like really short and my sleeves are always too long. It is annoying and I alter a lot of my sleeves to make them fit my arms better. I can't go to work or do anything with my hands covered by my jacket sleeves. This jacket needs a size adjustment.

I could just shorten the sleeves of this jacket that my daughter gave me. (Thanks H for helping me refashion for free in 2021!) I also like to push my sleeves up. It looks more casual and it keeps my sleeves out of my way. It also makes petite women look taller from what I have read. Of course, I want to look taller. First, I made a small opening in the inside of the sleeve. 

 I got a small piece of elastic leftover from an old project and threaded it through the opening. The color is fine because no one will see the green elastic. I connected the elastic so I had a circle going around my wrist. Basically, I made an elastic bracelet inside the jacket sleeve. The elastic tightened the cuffs of the jacket enough that they would stay up on my arms.

It worked like a charm! The sleeves can be pushed up so I look casual and effortless in my hand-me-down jacket. I thought this light blue color was so perfect for spring.

This was a fast and easy refashion that only took about 5 minutes. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-This was a great jacket to me because I love the faded denim color. It has a little stretch too. It is comfortable and easy to wear.

A Little Green

 Hello Readers. Today is St. Patrick's Day. I hope your day is full of luck and fun. I wanted to wear green today. I am Irish so I always get into St Patrick's Day.

This dress had some king of flap on the front. What was this flap about? It was not a wrap dress. What was happening here? Why? It was really weird. I didn't think it was very flattering. 

 I decided to start cutting. I cut and cut until the flap was removed. It was a full flap-ectomy. I cut the flap off as close to the seam as I could. It won't fray and you won't be able to see that I cut the flap off.

It was a better dress but it was still a clingy across the bum. I decided to make the dress into a shirt. That involved more cutting. There was a seam at the waist so I used that to decide where to make the hem of my new shirt.

Now I had a sleeveless shirt to wear for St. Patrick's Day and also any other day of the year. Check out that visible gold zipper in the back. That is my favorite part.

This green tank is a great layering piece. 

 I am wishing you the luck of the Irish and every good thing today and always. I saw this card and it caught my eye because my grandfather used to say it and this was the toast at my wedding. 

 

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I love green and I really liked that zipper down the back of the shirt. It is great under things in cold weather too.

Dress? Tunic? Sweatshirt?

Hello Readers. Nothing beats a soft cozy sweatshirt, right? I have seen some sweatshirt dresses in stores and I liked the cozy casual style. This blue sweatshirt dress/tunic came from a swap for free. It fit in my plan for refashioning for free in 2021. 

 

This sweatshirt could use a little resizing. The sleeves were too long. (#shortarms) The seams and the long sides made the whole tunic feel a little ... off.

 

 The plain navy blue wasn't bad but can we jazz it up a little? Sure we can. 

 I have been using this black and gray hoodie to make other clothes because it did not fit. I will use some pieces of this hoodie to add some interest. This hoodie was really soft and was a nice addition to everything I have made from it. It was a hand-me-down too.

I started by taking the hood off the hoodie and pinning it onto the tunic. It was easy to sew this onto the tunic with my sewing machine. It would add a little interest to the neckline.

I also added the wrist binding from the hoodie to the tunic too. I cut the sleeves shorter and then stitched the wrist binding on. I have short arms so I wanted the sleeves to be shorter. The binding helps make it all look more finished. And now I can push up the sleeves and they will stay pushed up.

I decided to make the dress a bit narrower on the sides. I also wanted the whole tunic to be even along the bottom hem. It was longer on the sides than it was in the middle. 

This is a fun casual tunic. I added leggings to keep it all covered. And check out these giant pockets. I liked to comfortable roomy fit of this tunic.

This tunic is perfect for being active and going for a walk. Spring? Is that you? Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-I wear this sweatshirt a lot. I like it when I am walking especially because of those pockets. I am a sucker for big pockets.

No-Sew Sweater Refashion

 Hello Readers. Have you ever washed a wool sweater by accident? I think we all have. It is awful to shrink a favorite sweater and not be able to wear it. My sister-in-law shrunk this navy blue sweater. She passed it on to me knowing I would make something new out of it. (Thanks J!) It was a free hand-me-down that fit well into my plan to refashion for free in 2021. 

The sweater was so shrunken that I couldn't even get my arms into the sleeves without a serious fight. 

 

The first thing I did was cut the sleeves off the sweater. They were too small so they had to go. Since my sister-in-law washed this sweater the wool tightened and shrunk. That means I can cut the material and it will not fray. People wash sweaters on purpose so they can make things out of the felted (washed) wool. You can see more in this old post where I made a bag from a shrunken wool sweater. 

I also decided to go all out and have fun with this sweater. I cut a scalloped edge along the bottom hem. I wanted the sweater to be shorter so I decided to make it different from anything I already have in my closet. No hem is needed because the wool won't fray.

I liked how the scalloped edge looked and cut the same edge at the collar. 

 I also added a button to close the front. I wanted to get more of a vest shape. I used a needle and thread to attach a button from my sewing stash. I cut a tiny hole for the button to come through. Did I make an official button hole? No. I don't need to because the material is so tightly woven and shrunk together. 

The new vest was soft and warm. That is a big plus because it is colder than cold where I live. It hurts my face when I go outside. The wind is like a slap across the face today. I am looking forward to spring.

I like how the big scalloped collar turned out.

This will be a nice layering piece. It is warm and the scalloped edge makes it fun.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I loved the scalloped edges of this little sweater. It got very little lint balls all over and I need one of those shavers for sweaters so I can fix it up.

Shawl to Sweater

Hello Readers. I love the idea of a shawl. It can be warm and cozy but also dramatic and chic. But a shawl can be hard to wear if you are being active at home or on the go. So what could I do with this pretty blue shawl I found at a clothes swap?

 

 

This shawl was a beautiful aquamarine blue. I love this color. The shawl had a lettuce leaf hem all around. That wavy little hem really appealed to me. This shawl was a little big. It would be great if I was curled up with a book and a cup of tea. I rarely have time for that. Let's make this into a piece of clothing I can wear more and get more use from. 

 The back of the shawl was plain and looked ready for a refashion.

I started by using a sliver of soap to mark out a sweater shape. Could I make a cardigan style sweater?   I could try! Does it look lopsided? That is OK, the soap marks can be adjusted and will wash out easily.

After I made new side seams and cut the excess away, I had 4 little pieces leftover. You can see how much of that wavy lettuce leaf hem is there. What could I do with these pieces? I cut the wavy edges off and connected them all together.

I stitched all the edges together and had a long skinny belt shape. 

When I was done I had a cardigan shape and a tie for the waist. But did it look a little too much like a robe? I thought it did but that is OK too. Lounge wear is an important part of my wardrobe in 2021. I thought this new lounge sweater was perfect for feeling cozy.

I can also wear the sweater without the belt. It hangs open and looks more like a loose jacket or cardigan without the tie at the waist. 

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

* If you are tracking along with my zero cost refashion year, so far I am on track because it has all been free. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-I like this sweater because it is very soft. I wear it a lot at home when it gets chilly after dinner. Its not too heavy or hot.

Fun With Flannel

 Hello Readers. I have been having fun swapping parts of clothing with parts from other clothing. Read on and you can see what I mean. 

I started with a few items that all had black or black and white as the color palette. The flannel shirt and the hoodie just didn't fit well in the sleeves. I needed about 6 inches of arm. I was having the same problem with the hoodie. Short arms are a serious problem in my everyday life.

 I decided to do some cutting and swapping. I shortened the sleeves of the flannel shirt. I went for a 3/4 length sleeve. It was more flattering and I could use my hands. Win-win! I used the waistband of the hoodie to reshape this flannel. It is narrower, shorter and it is pulled in at the waist a little. I can pull it over my head.

 

This black skirt fit but it was SO full. It felt too twirly. Is that even possible? I guess it is, because that is how I felt. I liked the length though.

 I decided to do some more cutting. I took a big chunk of fabric from each side. It looks like a bat here but I promise it is a skirt. It is still full but not quite as puffy.

I thought the new fit of these clothes was great and I always love separates that I can mix and match with other clothes.

I am still working with the rest of that hoodie. You will see it in a future post. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-Where is this shirt. I love it and I haven't been able to find it for a while. I have no idea what happened to it. Very sad.