Posts Tagged ‘clothing’

More Dyed Projects

August 15th, 2011
15 Comments

Here are a couple more projects that I dyed with Rit Dye. I still need to post details about our little party, but I have to finish one more thing before I do that; la pièce de résistance. Can’t wait.

outfit details here

There’s no before of this top, but the yellow background was originally white & it was HUGE. I dyed it yellow & took it in using one of my favorite tees as a template. The yellow is a big improvement. I feel like it makes the top look 30 years younger. I LOVE this length of sleeve & I want to ask y’all – WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND?!? Cap sleeved stuff is everywhere, 3/4 length sleeve is everywhere, but where the hell is the half sleeve? It’s way more flattering than the cap & not nearly as stuffy in summer as the 3/4 sleeve. I might feel a little passionate about the subject. Asos knows where it’s at.

outfit details here

I did it. I dyed my swim cover-up. A few of you told me not to, but I feel like this looks more like a professionally made article of clothing now that it’s not white. Also, I’m not nearly as afraid of wearing it now that it’s not bright white. I’m notoriously horrible with white. For more pictures of each item & outfit details, check out the fashion blog.

Dye courtesy of Rit Dye.

Handmade Paper Bag Skirt

August 1st, 2011
9 Comments

I made two of these skirts a couple months ago. The first one was for my sister’s birthday present and after I made hers; I was a bit envious. I had to make one for me! The hem (unpictured) was just a satin stitch all the way around. I had to be pretty careful sewing the satin stitch, but I think it still was faster than if I had done a traditional hem.

Also, the fabric is completely sheer, so I doubled it up. I like how the stripes move & play with each other since the fabric is so transparent.

I made this skirt exactly how I made my Easter skirt. It was super simple & took about 30 minutes to make from beginning to end.

This skirt is a very unexpected color pallette for my wardrobe. I’m not entirely sure what drew me to the fabric, perhaps it was my subconscious telling me that I needed something different in my wardrobe. I bought the  fabric on clearance at Walmart (gasp) for $1 a yard. I made two skirts for $2. Not including my time, I can’t even find skirts at my local DI for that little.

This outfit cost under $10, see outfit details here.

This weekend we partied in Provo & listened to my cousin perform. He’s fantastic. Their band is fantastic. I was impressed by James’s percussive skills on the Ableton pads & the lead singer’s vocals. Here’s a little clip of some video I took at the show. And, yes, I’m totally having a blast playing around with my new camera.

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Stained Shirt Refashion

July 19th, 2011
8 Comments

As I mentioned earlier, I unfortunately lost one of my favorite shirts to a very obvious chest stain. It was quite sad. However, the color of the top & the sweet beaded shoulder details reminded me of something feminine about the Minikin Tutus. So, I made a little bow skirt for Penelope. Here’s the before:

I loved how simple this jersey top was. I got it at H&M in New York for $10. I also loved the beading on the shoulders. I deconstructed the beading (with the help of Jill – that part was rather time-consuming) and attached it to the bottom of Penelope’s new skirt.


Et voila! I did this refashion in under 20 minutes (minus the beading) using my adjustable bow skirt technique. It was incredibly easy & really fun. Penelope loves that she has two new twirly skirts in her closet! I like it, too. She’s outgrowing a lot of her skirts, and most of them are just glorified bum covers. It’s nice that she’ll have a couple of skirts she’ll be able to wear for some time.

May Showers Bring June Flowers: A Refashion

May 18th, 2011
40 Comments

It’s been raining cats & dogs pretty much on and off for the last week. Mostly on, though. I’m ready for spring to come!! Sheesh. I took this rainy opportunity to tailor a trench coat I bought last year. I had plans to alter it back in April of last year, but then mysteriously lost motivation to work on projects. *ahem* Felix *ahem*
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I was drawn to the trench for it’s soft, spring color; albeit rather 90s. It takes me back to ninth grade. Like most coats at thrift & vintage stores, it was too large. It fit just fine in the shoulders (besides the heinous shoulder pads) but the arms were very baggy, as was everything else. The length creeped me out a little. Like a purple-people eater.

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While the alterations were pretty straight forward, it took me all day to do them. I had to take out the lining, clean up the edges, take in the sleeves & sides & hem the bottom. Taking in the sides took two House episodes as the seam in the sleeve & the seam in the bodice weren’t lined up. The hem took about two House episodes, too. I don’t like hemming & the bottom was rounded, which is more time consuming. That’s okay though.

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I’m thrilled with the result. Now I’m headed out to jump in the puddles with Penelope.

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Have I mentioned I’m going to be speaking at Sewing Summit in October on Refashioning clothing? I’m SO EXCITED to go! If you’re into sewing, it’s going to be like a giant sewing slumber party here at Salt Lake City’s Little America. Fun, hu? Let me know if you’re coming! I’m trying to think about what to do for business cards for this conference. I’m desperately needing to update mine.

XXL Shirt Refashion

May 6th, 2011
27 Comments

When I go to thrift stores I never have time to try things on unless I’m sans kids. I found this top while frantically surfing through the women’s section on my way to the kid’s section. You can’t really tell by the photo, but it’s somewhere around an XXL. I was swimming in it.

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It’s a great, simple handmade top with a sweet pattern. It’s a simple pattern, so I thought it’d be pretty fun & easy to refashion. I was right! It took me a few weeks to get around to it, though. Here’s what I changed:

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  • The back of the top had a keyhole opening, I lowered that & made it the front.
  • I took in about 8 inches off each side
  • I ruched the sleeves at both the outer & inner seams
  • I added vintage lace to the neckline & sleeves

Overall, pretty simple fixes. I love this top; it’s the perfect colorway to go with black or brown. To see the whole outfit, check out the fashion section by clicking here.

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