Worn Out T-Shirt to Halter Top

There are many tutorials out on the interwebs about turning a regular t-shirt into a halter top. It's easy and quick.

I started with this worn out tshirt that Charles was going to throw out. NOTE: THROW IT OUT? Excuse me, but I bought this for him in Hawaii when we first started dating. Has he no sense of nostalgia? I saved it from the garbage bin and put it in my "projects" box in the sewing room.

I don't remember which tutorial I followed but there are lots of them out there. It's good to use chalk to mark your cut lines. And know that once you cut, this is what the back is going to look like. Yikes.

I needed to put seam up the back to pull that together. (Yes, my dress form wears a slip, don't ask...)

The seam in the back helped make the front hang smoother as well. All set for the beach.

From maxi dress to fun summer top

I popped into a consignment shop that was new to me and discovered this dress for more than I would normally spend (about $21) but I figured I'd get a cute summer top and a skirt for it. And I could probably do something with the mammoth sleeves as well.

 The first thing I did was get rid of the sleeves, but kept the round yellow neck-line. I love round necklines. (I take terrible photos, sorry.)

 Then I stitched all around to make sure there were no raw edges from cutting.

 Next, I pinned the sides and sewed up to make it fit me better and close up the arm hole a bit. No one wants side boob.

 I could have been more careful with the next part -- where I chopped off the bottom half of the dress. In this picture, I've already cut out the bottom yellow hem, which I needed to finish off the bottom hem of my new shirt. I plan to use this piece to make a simple summer skirt.

So, I took the bottom piece and sewed it to the top. You need to put both pieces right sides together and sew it. I didn't get pics, sorry about that. But here it is inside out after I sewed it.

And here is the finished product. I actually work this to work yesterday with some black ankle-length pants and did get some compliments, so I'd say it was a success.

BEFORE AND AFTER

My First Free-Hand Embroidery Project

Back in November 2014, my husband and I spent a month in Hilton Head. While there, I picked up a small embroidery kit from the craft store. I loved it. I ordered another one from Amazon. And then a book. And then we traveled to South America and I stopped embroidering for a while. But, I'm picking it back up.

I bought a couple of grey flannel (felt?) clutch bags on sale at Joann Fabric ($5) and some fun, sparkly yarn. I figured I could make a couple of gifts for my nieces. Here's the one I managed to finish (note, this was meant to be a Christmas present, and is now a February birthday present.) Finishing projects is not my strong-suit.

 It's hard to see, but this stitch has a bit of weight to it. I first spelled her name using gray yarn using a backstitch. I then used my sparkly pink/purple yard and a tiny satin stitch to go over that, so the name is actually a bit raised off the bag. The flower is just a glued-on notion I also got on sale. It has a bit of bling which I love.

On the flip side, I was inspired by a design in my embroidery book.  If I weren't lazy, I'd get up and take a picture of the page in the book. (To the Google...scroll to bottom of this page for the idea.)

I honestly think it looks better in person. My photography and lighting skills are terrible. But you get the idea.

So - with all this stitching, the inside of the back was pretty ugly. I know that people who do embroidery and cross-stitch well probably have "back sides" that look good. I don't. I used some fusible interfacing to line the inside of the bag to cover the stitches inside the bag.

We'll slip in a gift card for some store-bought (EEK!) accessories, and there you go -- a pre-teen birthday gift!

Pinterest-inspired Pillow

This isn't a refasion, but I actually made something I pinned on Pinterest.  This felt applique pin was the inspiration:

I happen to have some soft fleecy off-white material, and a tin of beads, sequins and notions from long-forgotten craft projects. I picked up a package of assorted color felt (about $4) and dove in.

Mine isn't as ornate, but I like it. It will probably become a Christmas gift for my niece.

Closed-Toe to Open-Toe Shoe Refashion

I've been away for a while -- literally, I took a year off from work to travel in Asia and South America. But now I'm back and thrifty as ever.

I got this idea from Pinterest (of course) -- and think it turned out pretty okay. So if you've been thinking about doing a shoe refashion, don't fear cutting off the toes to open up those shoes for summer.

A basic pair of loafers with heel. My standard shoe choice. 

You can see the scuffs on the heels. 

I got to cutting using this thing -- a box cutter? And scissors. 

One down, pretty easy. 

For this step, you can see my first post on shoe refashions. Basically, I use newspaper to trace a pattern of my shoe, then transfer that to fabric. 

Taking care of that heel. This is more of a mauve than the pink it looks in these photos. 

I had to switch to another bottle -- it took a lot of coats to cover the black heel. I should have use a different method. 

I think they turned out pretty cute. 

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Before

After

Pajama Refashion - Cowl Neck Sweater

Inspired by this tutorial I decided to try my hand at making my own DIY V-neck-with-cowl-collar. The original looks pretty sharp 'cause her cowl neck fabric matches the shirt. I assume she made the shirt and had left-over fabric. I don't have the resources on-hand to be that matchy-matchy. I'm working with what I've got laying around.

I've had this green v-neck sweater in my "refashions to do" bin for a while. It doesn't fit me anymore. Seeing how tightly it stretches across my dress form should inspire me to get to the gym more often. But it doesn't.

This used to look so cute on me...

Then - I needed cowl-neck fabric. Back to the bin and I pulled out these old pajama bottoms.

Soft, decent color. You'll do.

I need the entire leg to wrap around the neck-line. So it was just a big chop.

Just a leg.

Then, I got to pinning. I folded in 3 pleats. Let me jump ahead and say it wasn't enough. I like this project and would do it again, and will use more pleats next time.

Three pleats -not enough.

 Then, I sewed that in place. It was a bit difficult to get those pleated areas through -- it was pretty thick. The, back onto the dress form to wrap the rest of the fabric around the neck and pin in place.

Once sewed in place, I was left with a weird end. I consulted the original tutorial and tried my best to mimic it, but this was a bit tricky. I ended up putting in behind the original portion and sewing it down. But, it was lumpy. I had to undo those stitches and try again.

Not quite right...

Better.

At this point, I tried it on myself. Even though the sweater was too tight for me, overall it was pretty cute. I like to wear infinity scarves a lot, so this was like having one built in. I decided not to do any buttons because without the pleats, they just didn't look right.

Overall, good project. I'd do it again. And if you're looking for a 30 minute project, give it a shot.

More pics...

Out of the Attic

My sister-in-law (who is also one of my best friends from high school) recently gave me a box of clothes that belonged to her mother. Her mom had attended Fashion Institute of Technology, though when I knew her she was an English teacher by profession. Several dresses in the box were made by her, probably in the 70's. I knew that a few would become great refashions. I started with this one - I LOVE the print of this fabric.

Great print - just needs a few quick updates.

 However, the long sleeves and length needed to go. This became a super-quick refashion. Also, it was a bonus that it fit through the bust, waist and hips.

I used my seam ripper to unpick the sleeves -- took about 10 minutes.

Bye sleeves. I hope to use you in another project some day.

Then, I just pinned all around and sewed those raw edges down.

Next, all that was left was trimming off the bottom of the dress. I did that on my dress form and followed the line of the pattern. Luckily, it was even. And while I usually don't like hemming, I knew I had to do it. So I followed it over twice, pressing and pinning as I went and then ran it through the machine. And done!

Cut, but not hemmed.

From the back.

The finished product. I'm practicing the pose I see other bloggers doing. It's weird.

Post-ponytail. I look a mess, but the dress is cute.

After - Fabulous for today.

Before - Fabulous for it's day.