Posts Tagged ‘refashioned’

Sewing: Gathered Tulle Skirt

April 11th, 2013
32 Comments

At my church we have two weekends a year where we listen/watch a broadcast of our general church leaders from home, and I love it. Growing up we have a tradition of crafting/making/sewing while we listen. So I made a skirt on Saturday.

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I’ve had the idea of this skirt in my head for some time. I was going to make it a gathered skirt with a jersey underneath, but Miriam convinced me that I make it out of a thinner woven material (that she then gave me). I liked her idea. Then I decided to make it with a real waistband with a zipper and everything. I’m so glad I did.

The tulle that I found (thrifted) is really soft with a very drapey hand. I’ve not found anything like this except for a floral netting I came across at Joann a while ago (they don’t have it listed online, but I’ve seen it in stores). Does anyone have a good way to describe this kind of fabric?

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The pink color is my absolute favorite. So soft and romantic.

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I used the same template as I used in my woven maxi tutorial for the underskirt. I did change the zipper to the back rather than the side. So I measured at the half-point and added a seam allowance and cut the back pieces accordingly. I then gathered about 4x my waist measurement worth of soft tulle (I think this may be classified as a lace more than a tulle?) and attached it to the bottom of the skirt. Then I attached the waistband.

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I added extra width in the waistband so I could attach a button (I’m getting much better at sewing button holes!) for the final enclosure. I didn’t have a matching invisible zipper on hand, so I used a regular one. This just so happened to match perfectly.

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I love the way this skirt flows. It’s my new favorite!

Outfit details:

Button provided by LotsOfButtons.com. Use code: BUTTONS4CHARITY for 10% off your purchase.

 

 

 

Sewing: Granny Sweater

February 21st, 2013
11 Comments

My dermatologist says I need to wear long sleeves more often. And by more often, he means all the time. That’s right. A little nuts perhaps? Maybe. But if it can make my skin look awesome when I’m 40, I’m going to give it a try.

Over the last 6 or 7 years, I’ve started taking better care of my skin. I should’ve started doing it 13 years ago before I went tanning in a tanning booth for the first time, but late is better than never. I’ve really come to embrace the pasty skin I was born with.

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With that in mind, I’ve been on the look out for fun light-weight sweater knits. I found this funky grandma-esque sweater knit (similar here) and knew I wanted to make something with some serious length in the back. Last night as I got started, I thought I should really make a test muslin first but the part of me that was looking for instant gratification won out. I had to make it now, I could alter the fit later.

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I used an old sweater of mine as the “base”, and sort of winged the details. Miracle of miracles, the sleeves were perfect as was my pattern matching. This project couldn’t have gone any smoother. Really.

I also wanted it to be loose, but still have some shape to it, so I sewed a leather “belt” of sorts on the back. I think it’s a nice detail.

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The odd thing about this fabric was that the most stretch occured opposite of what you would assume. I liked the horizontal chevron more than a vertical zig zag, so I just ignored where the stretch went. It’s a slight issue at the sleeves, as I wanted a tighter fit, on the arms, but not that noticeable.

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Originally I had front hemline at a point with the high-low, but it looked funny, so I rounded off the bottoms. I think it drapes better this way. I also wish the colors in here were less subdued, but they’re still lovely. I love the coral in there. And browns look pretty good on me. I think. Now that I have a pattern I know that works, I really want to make more of these. Making this cardigan (drafting the pattern, included) was just over 3 hours. I’m sure I could whip one up much faster now.

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Outfit details:

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Sweater knit provided by Fashion Fabrics Club.

 

Style: Comfy Shoes

August 20th, 2012
5 Comments

I’ve had these shoes in my closet for some time, and they don’t get as much attention as they should. They’re so comfy.

 

Style: I’m Ready for Fall

August 8th, 2012
4 Comments

I just don’t feel like wearing summery clothes at the moment. The shoes don’t really match, save for the little hint of yellow in the necklace. These shoes are looking very ratty, though. They need a bit of a makeover at the moment.

Style: House Dress

July 26th, 2012
8 Comments

No make up yesterday. We ran serious errands so I just wanted to be comfortable and cool. I love this stretchy belt. It gives my dress shape, but because it’s an elastic belt, it breathes and is far more forgiving than my other belts.

dress: thrifted + refashioned

belt: thrifted

bracelet: handmade

shoes: c/o blowfish

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