Fall Floral Dress

 Hello Readers. When I saw this dress at a swap I loved the colors. It also seemed perfect for the early days of fall. That mustard yellow seems perfect for fall to me. This time of year is a transitional time from summer to fall. I want fall but it is still so hot, I am trying to transition my mind and my clothes to the new season.

 The dress was a good size for me but the shape was just not great. It didn't really have a shape. It did have this big keyhole opening at the neckline that was really too low for me. I wanted a new shape and completely covered cleavage. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so.

 I decided to make that new shape I wanted. I would make a more defined waist and keep the full skirt. I cut the dress across the waist, where I thought the waist should be. Basically I made a cropped shirt. I cut it at an angle so the waist was a bit smaller than the chest. I sewed the newly cut sides back together.

I put the shirt and the skirt together with the right sides facing each other. 

I connected the top and bottom of the dress back together. I stretched the top while I was sewing so that the skirt was evenly gathered around the waist. 

I liked the new shape I got from the dress. 

 

What would I do about that annoying keyhole? I needed to fill it in because it was too low on me. I could not just pull it together and sew it closed because it would make the top too tight.

 

 

 But I had those little scraps from earlier. I was hoping the wild pattern would make this little patch blend in.

The final result was much less revealing. The pattern is so wild that the keyhole isn't that noticeable. My new dress had a waist and all the cleavage was put away. That was just what I wanted.

I know florals are not really for fall but this mustard yellow is fabulous to me. And it matches my favorite sweater.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-This dress was so cute. Why didn't I wear it again???

Money Bag Purse

 Hello Readers. I am going through a yellow phase this week. I am loving mustard yellow. You can imagine my excitement when I was given this bank bag from my mother-in-law. She worked at a bank when she was younger. It's mustard yellow!

I do not know much about banking. I am not sure how she walked out of the bank with this bag? And I did not ask. It has been a long time so....I'm sure it's fine.

 It is very sturdy, it locks and it has some kind of number on it. I tried to Google for more information and could not find anything quite like it.

I did some consulting with my daughter and came up with a plan. I wanted a cross body bag and I had a shoulders strap I could use. (Also from mom-in-law!) I needed something to attach the shoulder strap to. I wanted gold to match the hardware of the bag. The only thing I had was this men's belt. 

I cut the belt away from the gold buckle. I knew the rings would be strong and sturdy in my new bag.

I had some help from my husband bending the rings open. They were tough. If you don't have a husband handy try a dad, boyfriend, neighbor, teen-aged son, strong friend, random dude at the gas station... just kidding. (Please do not approach random people at the gas station!)

How would I attach them to my bag? I needed to make holes. I used this cutting set to do that. It has a tool for buttonholes and a round tool to cut holes. It is great for belt holes but today it is helping with this purse. This small cutting mat will make sure I do not stab through the whole bag and table.

I measured to make sure the holes would be evenly placed. 

You can see how the tool cuts a clean hole through this thick leather and canvas. O made the holes in the leather because I knew it would be strong and never fray. A nail and hammer would probably do the same job in a pinch. 

 I forced the opened rings through the holes. It was not hard, it just required some wiggling. I then had husband bend them closed again.

I attached the shoulder strap to the rings so the purse folded over. The bag was very tall and this made the bag visually smaller. The shoulder strap I used matched the dark brown of the handles and the zipper really well. 

My new bag and I are ready for fall. And a Target run. (Not an ad. I just wanted some chips.)

 I wish this money was really in my purse!

 Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. ***Note-An Instagram friend found a bag like this. It was called a "locking mail bag". 

***Chickie's Year End Review-This bag is an all time favorite refashion. I love it.

Scarf Refashion

 Hello Readers. How do you feel about zebra print? I love it. This scarf came from my sister-in-law and I always loved the print. I didn't wear it much because it was in the way at work. I thought it would make a cute little jacket that would be easier to wear. So, I got busy. This was an easy project, I know you can do it too. 

 This scarf was a large rectangle. (I added that orange line to mark where I am going to make the shoulder seam. It will appear on the pictures as you read along. I hope it helps you understand what I doing with this scarf.)

I started by making a seam in the middle of the scarf. This will be where my shoulders go and I need the shoulders clearly marked for me. I folded the right sides together, pinned it and sewed down the middle. 

 My next step was to cut one side open in the middle. This will be the front opening of my jacket. I used my serger on the cut edges so they would not fray. I had already made that shoulder seam across the top. The fringe will hang off the bottom of my new jacket.

I used a straight stitch to sew these cut sections down to the front panels. They will be facing in when I am all finished. They will make a nicely finished front to this loose open jacket. I turned the edge across the back of the neck in and stitched that down too.

 

Here is a close up view of those front seams that make the opening of the jacket.

My next step was to cut some simple sleeves for this jacket. I wanted a loose fit but I didn't want the sleeves to be so loose that they got in my way. I made the sleeves when the jacket was turned inside out so the seams would be hidden inside. When I turned it right side out, I got what you see here.

 You can see the sleeve really well here. The edge of the scarf made the end of the sleeve so I did not need to do anything else to finish the sleeves.

I thought I had enough fabric in these 4 scraps to make something else. 

I connected the 4 scrap pieces and had a cute little scarf.

This tiny scarf was a nice bonus to the whole refashion.

This is a lot of stripes all at once. I don't think I will wear them at the same time.

This black dress was perfect for summer but it was a little too loose and low and long. 

The dress just needed a little tweak. I used the existing seams as guides for where to make new seams to make the dress a little smaller on the sides and at the shoulders. I also made the whole dress shorter.

I liked how the flowy jacket came out. It will be easy to layer on and you can see that cool print so well.

The slightly edited back view.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I love this loose little jacket. The zebra print is fabulous.

Easy Fixes

Hello Readers. It is so hot and humid outside. I hate the heat and humidity. Is it because I lived in Florida when I was young? And always got sunburned? Maybe. The point is, it is still summer so I am going to make and wear shorts because it is still summer where I am.. 

I have to make shorts because these Capri pants are killing me! It is just the worst look I could wear. They were hand-me-downs, which I love, (Thanks Sue C.!) but this length just cuts my legs off visually. This is not a good style for me.

  I cut the Capri pants into shorts. I tried them on and marked the length I wanted, but I made a mistake. OOPS! I didn't leave any excess to turn the edges under and stitch them down. Oh, no!! If I made a traditional hem these shorts would be really short. What could I do?

It's OK. I had an idea to fix my mistake. I used bias tape from my drawer of sewing "stuff"
to cover the edges. It would look nicely finished but it would not make the shorts any shorter. 

 The bias tape makes the hem of the shorts look sporty and fun. It was also an easy fix.

I took the waist in a bit and my shorts were done. I finished the inside seams with my serger but a zigzag stitch would work too.

 The white pockets were making the shorts seem a little see through. Beige underwear did not fix this problem because the pockets were so white. (Please note-This is NOT my bum!)

I have found white boy shorts style underwear fix this problem for white shorts or pants. 

I liked this loose sleeveless top my daughter gave me but it was a little too low in the arm holes and in the V-neck. I knew I could fix this with a simple adjustment at the shoulders.

 I used the existing shoulder seams as a guide and made new seams to make the shirt shorter. I just sewed about an inch away from the seam. That made the arm holes and the V-neck higher and less revealing. 

My new outfit was all set and it was perfect for the hot weather in my part of the world. I live out in the rural suburbs. The shirt was great for the hot day and because I fixed the shoulders, the armholes do not reveal half my bra. And the V-neck is not revealing all the bits and pieces I want to cover.

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

***Chickie's Year End Review-I liked these a lot and will be getting them out in summer.