Refashioning a Sweater

 Hello Readers. Sometimes there are cute men's sweaters at the thrift store. (Or in your man's closet!) Men's sizes can obviously be larger and longer in the body and sleeves. It can be difficult to find the right fit. But sewing lets you change that. You can make the sweater fit you! And you can add fun details too!

Before and after.

This sweater was a little too large and it was very long in the sleeves. I really liked the yellow color so I wanted to make it fit. 

I wanted shorter sleeves and a shorter sweater. I also wanted to keep the cuffs and ribbed waistband. They make the sweater look nicely finished. I just needed a sewing machine and a zigzag stitch to do that. 

I sewed the sleeves and the body of the sweater at the new lengths I wanted and then I cut off the extra material. 

If you want to make the sweater more narrow you can also sew new side seams to make the sweater fit better. I used a zigzag stitch along the sides of the body and sleeves. You can change the size of the sweater to fit as you want. Removing more fabric will make he sweater smaller.

 

After I made the new side seams I wanted, I cut the extra material off. 

 

 Now that my sweater fits I can add some fun details like pockets, patches and anything fun. This is an optional step. I have had this piece of needle work for ages. It was in a bunch of fabric I bought at a yard sale. I folded all the edges under so it would look smooth and clean when I sewed it on. 

 

My new pocket is cute and it will be so useful! You can't have too many pockets.

 

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

*Year End Note From Chickie- I like this shade of yellow so I wear this often.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Make Rusted Metal Patio Items Look Like new

 Hello Readers. Summer is over but It is still warm in a lot of places. I wanted to fix up my backyard furniture this summer and One item I wanted to fix up most was my rusted metal patio umbrella stand. It was heavy and solid but it looked so rusty and terrible.

Before and after.

I always tried to hide this umbrella in the corner because it looked so dreadful. No more hiding! There had to be a way to make this look better. 

I took the stand out in the grass where I could have good ventilation and space to work. There is also nothing around to get hit with any over spray from the spray paint I was going to use. I used a brush to clean the metal from any dust or loose debris.

I found this special spray paint at the hardware/home improvement store and it sounded like just what I needed. (Not an ad. I just think this is a great product for my project.)

I tried to keep the spray paint moving at all times and cover all the metal with the black paint. I didn't want any bare spots that might cause rust to show through.

It looked like this when I was done. 

 

I let this dry overnight. Then I started painting over. I wanted to have a really good coating of this paint on the metal. I sprayed from all angles to get into all the little holes.

 

I also sprayed under the stand to cover the metal underneath as well. This stand is going to be outside I wanted it all covered.

 

My old umbrella stand looks like new now. It has been outside for a about 2 months now and I still love how it looks. 

 

This is my favorite spot. Now rust-free! Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- My patio looks better. I am glad I took the time to do this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making a Peplum Top With a Scarf

 Hello Readers. I wanted to find a way to use this cool scarf. I loved the fall colors. I thought it would make a fun peplum top with this boring brown shirt. 

 

Before and after.

 

I found this vintage scarf at a clothes swap and I really liked the warm fall colors. Scarves never seam to look right on me so I decided to put this shirt and scarf together to make something fun. 

 

I started by cutting the shirt.
 

I cut about 8 inches from this shirt so I could add the scarf to the bottom. I also folded up the sleeves and marked in white where I wanted to make a new seam. I wanted shorter sleeves but I still wanted the cuff attached at the ends of the sleeves.

This was a men's shirt and I needed to shorten the sleeves. I decided to make the sleeves more of a 3/4 length. I stitched the cuff at a new length and cut off the excess.

 

I cut the extra fabric off the sleeves and turned the cuff down. It looked like a brand new sleeve.

 

I cut the scarf in half so I could attach half to the front and half to the back.

 

I put the right sides of the shirt and the scarf together and got to the sewing machine.

 

I used my serger to sew the scarf to the shirt. I sewed all the way around the shirt. 

 

The scarf made a little peplum at the bottom of the shirt. It is brighter and more colorful.
 

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

*Year End Note From Chickie- I haven't worn this shirt again because I am afraid I will ruin it at work. I need to get over that and just enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

Shortening a Suede Skirt

 Hello Readers. Have you ever tried to sew or alter suede? I was really afraid of messing this skirt up. I left it hanging on my refashion rack for months. What if I ruined it? What if I could not make it wearable? What if... what if???

 Before and after.

I loved this color. I loved the soft suede. It seemed a little long on me and the waist was just a little too big. I needed to take the waist in a little but it seemed like it would be so difficult to sew through suede. Especially layers of suede, like in this waistband. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

Look at the beautiful suede.

I tried the skirt on and used a black marker to mark where I needed to make new side seams. I only needed to take the waist in a bit to make it fit really well. I thought it might be difficult to sew but it was like sewing through butter. Why did I wait so long? What was I so afraid of?

When I was examining the skirt I found proof that everyone makes messy seams sometimes. 

I was afraid to cut this skirt and I worked as slow as I could. It was so slow I had to speed this video a lot. I cut the skirt as carefully as I could and then went inside and cut the lining. 

I used a serger to finish the hem of the lining. It is inside so it's OK that the stitches are showing. 

 

I removed about 6 inches from the bottom of the skirt. It was so much easier than I thought it would be because the skirt had no hem at the bottom anyway. They just cut the suede so I knew I could just cut the edge too. I had it so built up in my mind that this would be a difficult refashion but it was so easy.

 

 The shorter length was much better for me. I thought it was perfect for a big cozy sweater. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

*Year End Note From Chickie- This is a great skirt for winter. It's warm and goes with a lot. I really like this one.

 

 

 

 

Dress Up a Free T-shirt

 Hello Readers. I got a freebie t-shirt recently and wanted to dress it up. Free t-shirt just seem to happen, you can't get away from them. Let's have some fun with this one.

 

Before and after.

 

This was a simple t-shirt. It was kind of boxy and shapeless like they all are and it had a logo on the back too. That's OK, I have a plan for this.

Life Happens! That is for sure. The first step in this project was to mix up some acrylic paint. I wanted to try and match this late color.

I mixed up a color close to the right shade and I started painting over the white and green writing. 

 

Here is a look at the shirt when I was done painting over the lettering. I let it dry over night when I was done painting. The acrylic paint will last forever, it never washes out. It's not perfect but it will work great.

 

When the shirt was dry I used iron on tape to hold the lace on the shirt. You could use pins but I was afraid it would shift around. I cut the lace off a cropped shirt I found at a clothes swap. The shirt was old and tired looking but the lace was still very pretty, so I saved the good part.

 

After ironing I was ready to sew the lace down across the top and the sides.

 

Actual stitching!

 

I used a zigzag stitch on the sides to really secure the edges.

 

I cut the neck binding off and I also cut the sleeves at an angle so they would have a fluttery look. 

 

I cut the logo off the back when I cut the neckband off.

 

 The shirt is casual and fun and more feminine with the lace. It's easy to wear and no ironing needed ever! I love T-shirts. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.*Year End Note From Chickie- I love this shirt for work. I can't really ruin because it's brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fix a Wide Neckline

 Dear Readers. Do you have any weird fitting clothes in your closet? Sometimes things just don't seem to look right or feel right when you wear them. This orange shirt was one of those items. I loved the orange color, but the shirt just didn't fit in a way I liked.

 Before and after.

 

This orange color is so warm and cheerful What's not to love? The weird neckline. I didn't love it. I had an idea to fix it though. 

I wanted to use this silk ribbon to keep the shirt from falling off my shoulders. I have been waiting a long time to use this piece of ribbon. I save everything because eventually I will find a way to use it. Today was the day for this ribbon.

The new shirt was bright and fun and unique with the addition of the ribbon. I just needed some bright, fun and unique pants to go with it.

 

The fabric was so pretty but they are miles too long.

 

I needed to cut off a few inches to make these pants fit better. I turned the cut edge under twice and stitched it down with  straight stitch.

 

My daughter gave these pants to me and they are so wild and colorful. I couldn't resist. They just needed a hem because I am super short. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- I loved these pants but they didn't seem right for winter. They will come back in spring for sure.  

A Piece of Pumpkin Pie Outfit

 Hello Readers. It is October and that means pumpkins are everywhere. And if you decide to drink a pumpkin spice latte someone is going to harass you for being basic. But I don't care, I am not a complicated person. Some of the basic stuff tastes really good to me. So when I saw all these orange clothes I decided to go wild and put them all together. Is it too much orange? I will let you judge for yourself.

Before and after.

I love corduroy and I loved the color of these corduroy pants and they almost fit. I just needed to take them in at the waist and take a few inches off the legs. I am short so this is nothing new for me. 

I tried the pants on inside out and marked them where the new side seam needed to be. 

I made new side seams with my sewing machine.

I always try things on before I cut the excess fabric off just in case I made a mistake in the sizing. 

I have had this pumpkin orange trim in my sewing stash for a long time. It is woven and strong. I think my mother-in-law was going to make purse straps out of it. Is it strong enough to be a belt? Let's see. 

I used my serger because it frayed like crazy when I cut it. I was going to attach one end around the belt buckles. This is a really simple kind of belt to make.

Was it harder than I thought? Yes. The metal belt buckle pieces got caught on my sewing machine and it messed me up. Did I forget to change the thread color on my sewing machine? Yes. But I just went with it. 

It worked out well. The belt fit and the thread blended in. 

My daughter didn't want this sweater anymore so I decided to take it. But it was a little long, more like a dress. I decided to cut out the middle so it would look like a classic pull over. A pumpkin pullover if you will.

I needed to make the sweater shorter. 

Check out these stitches!

When I was done sewing I cut the extra fabric from the sweater.

My sweater was ready to iron and wear.

My pumpkin outfit is complete. Bring on the pumpkin spice lattes, the pumpkin bread, the pumpkin pie with tons of whipped cream... I want it all. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- I wore those pants a lot! They are such a fun color. They got more wear than the sweater. The sweater didn't have as much stretch and wasn't as comfortable as I thought it would be. I need to remember that I love stretch.