Posts Tagged ‘refashion’

Mini Trousers to Skirt Refashion

October 25th, 2012
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While at the Sewing Summit Thrift hop, Carrie came across these adorable pants and suggested I get them for Penelope. It was a no brainer. Especially at a whopping $3.

They were about 3 sizes too big to keep as pants, so I made them into a skirt. And I did this in about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Aren’t these little details just adorable? I love the paper bag detailing on the sides and those little pockets.

I love those little embroidered flowers.

It fits her just above the knee when it’s at belly button height, which is really fortunate because I just eyeballed the length.
Doing this on your own takes very little time. Jen summed up the easy steps on her latest refashion swap tutorial. If the trousers are the right fit in the waist, it takes just one snip, two seams and a little bit of hemming. Seriously, you don’t really need to know how to use a sewing machine for something like this. It’s just straight lines.

 

Refashion Swap Results

October 2nd, 2012
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The pants Carrie made for me arrived on Saturday. I have to admit, the elastic cuffed pants sorta scared me a bit, but I’m always willing to give something new a try.

The fit around my waist is perfect. even through the thighs. I think I might take them in a bit around the knees and ankles for more of a skinny effect, but they’re just fine as-is. Carrie did a fantastic job thinking outside the box for me. Make yourself a pair using Carrie’s refashion tutorial. Thanks for making me something awesome, Carrie!!

As it turns out, the skirt I made for jen has not arrived yet! I can’t wait to see how they fit on her, though. Below are all the ladies participating, see how their refashions fit:

Trouser Refashion Swap + Tutorial

September 26th, 2012
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Another refashion swap is underway! The first swap was with button-up tops, it was so great to see the fun things that everyone made for one another. I’m equally excited about this go around. The idea with this Refashion Swap is to make something out of trousers.

Interesting thing, Chris was about to throw away these tan Armani slacks. They were too small and looking pretty worn in the back. It really was quite a beautiful suit that Chris would wear on occasion while we were dating; I couldn’t bear to just throw them away. Plus, the fabric (besides the backside) was in amazing condition.

I wanted to make Jen a simple skirt, something that could be worn in fall and transition into the colder months. I also wanted to use one of my metal zippers for an exposed zip back.

The skirt is designed to go from true waist to mid thigh. The finished length is 16″ long, perfect for a 12″ zip, a few buttons and a little slit for more movement. I did a slight high-low hemline here. I was planning on doing a cuff all around the hemline, but I wasn’t loving the look. Simple is sometimes the best solution.

I used biased tape for button loops and natural wood buttons that were given to me from NearSea Naturals at Sewing Summit last year. I’ve been meaning to use them in a project. Combined with the leather zipper pull, I think it creates a nice earth-meets-urban feel. I sure hope the skirt fits Jen like I planned! Here are all the ladies participating this go around. Be sure to check out their blogs for their creations:

Read more to learn how you can make your own pencil skirt from a pair of slacks.

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Refashioned: Penelope’s Soccer Uniform

September 13th, 2012
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When we heard a group of kids Penelope’s age in our new neighborhood were getting on a soccer league we didn’t think twice and signed her up. Chris always wanted to be on a league growing up, but between Phoenix Boy’s Choir and music lessons it didn’t happen. I was never interested in team sports. I wanted to be good, but I never was and I was (and still am) totally petrified of the ball. It’s sort of a rite of passage for small kids to play on a team of some sort (at least here in Utah). Soccer seemed brilliant, she always wants to play and she loves running around. Heck, she runs circles around me all day, why not a soccer ball with friends?

She was so anxious to start so we scored some cute soccer gear as early as possible. We found a hot pink ball, hot pink shin guards and polka dot soccer socks! We also found her soccer cleats for $2 at the thrift store. She was so excited to shop for the gear with me, but when it came time to actually play soccer, her head was in the clouds. She spent most of her time just staring at the paragliders overhead. She plays at the most beautiful park, I’m constantly distracted by the mountains, paragliders and view of the city, too.

Unfortunately, all the soccer uniforms are enourmous (I could wear the jersey and shorts with room to spare). For the first couple of games (see top image) I rolled up the waistband 3 times and they were still falling off. It was time for a little fix. You can’t really tell from the picture just above that I changed much, but her shorts are about 6 inches shorter and stay on. Her shirt is still very long (didn’t have time to hem that before the game), but it fits her in the trunk much better. See below for how I did it.

Are you in sports or do you have kids or siblings who are? It’s exhausting to get Penelope to practices and games on time!

Refashion: Not-So-Mini Skirt

August 30th, 2012
11 Comments

I found this little mini skirt in the junior’s section. It was super short, at least I thought so. I’m not one for wearing things too far above my knees let alone something that’s just below my rear. But I love the print! The skirt was on clearance for $4, so I had to have it.

I just measured, zipped up one side with the sewing machine and handed it off to Penelope. She loves the print and the length is great for her, too. At this length, Penelope can still do everything she loves, but her underwear still gets covered. We’re finding that Penelope + short skirts and dresses don’t quite work for Penelope much, as she sits with her legs uncrossed and hangs with boys almost every day.

I should really just make her little boy shorts to go under everything. Next week, perhaps.

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