Summer Dresses

I will start todays post with a non-refashion.

I bought this two sizes too big dress at the opshop the other day for $5.  Instead of taking it in, I opted to pop a $4 thrifted belt around it for a more flattering fit.  I'm pretty happy with not having to do any sewing on this one.

But moving on...

I don't know what possess me to buy these things sometimes...

Or maybe I do... this material felt nice and soft and cool, and with summer heating up way too quickly this year why not buy this $3 floral frock?

I'm not going through every step on this one, but this photo sums up this refashion pretty well.

I removed the following:

Shoulder pads,

Sleeves,

Collar,

Some width from the sides...

And then some length from the hem.

Then I hemmed it, and finished off the edges where I had removed the sleeves and the collar.

Then with the addition of a couple of belt loops, this dress was done.

Much better.

Oh so girly.

Dress: thrifted $3, Belt: thrifted $2, Shoes: wardrobe item.

Teeshirt and terrible photos

Things were chaotic this week at my place, so it wasn't until I had finished this teeshirt refashion that I realised the photos were all a bit rushed and not very good - but I think you will be able to get the gist.

I started with this.

Wide, with tiny tight sleeves.

I'm making it into a more fitting style, so I used this singlet as a guide.  I then sewed over those chalk lines...

and chopped these bits off.

I then took a little extra width off, and added a curve to the top of the shirt for a better fit.

That was pretty much it.

These photos are taken in our 'study', a space that is used by myself and my girls for sewing, craft, study etc.    It is a pretty chaotic space, due to lack of storage for our ever increasing book collection and sewing projects.  Hubby was nice enough to build a whole lot of boxes for me recently to help overcome the storage problem - you can see some of them behind me housing board games, books and a globe.

This is what my storage boxes looked like before they were loaded full of 'stuff'.  They were made from plywood offcuts and I spent a week finishing them off with a 'vinegar and steel wool stain', sealing them with estapol,  and making and painting MDF backs for them.  But back to the teeshirt refashion...

Teeshirts are actually really easy to modify as the stretch in them is fairly forgiving, and an extra bonus is they don't require the cut edges to be 'finished' because they don't fray.

Teeshirt: Old wardrobe item $0, Jeans: Thrifted $4. 

Scarf to Dress Refashion

I traded this scarf with another stallholder at a carboot market a few months back.  

I love it, but it did tend to bunch up when I wore it, which I felt didn't do the lovely fabric justice.  I decided that because the scarf had so much fabric to work with, it had the potential to be a lovely dress.

Though I must admit I was pretty scared cutting into it - I didn't want to get this one wrong and ruin the material I loved so much.

First up I folded the scarf in half length ways to create a big rectangle.

At the top folded edge of this rectangle I cut a 'neck hole', which I carefully hemmed before the material started to fray.

After I had finished the neck off, I drew a basic dress outline, which I then cut and sewed to create my dress.

I will admit this stage took a bit of tweaking to get the correct silhouette on the finished dress, but I think it was well worth it - I'm pretty happy with this one.

This dress is a really sheer fabric so I have to wear something under it.  I'm wearing it here with a muslin tunic that I've had for years which is also too sheer to wear by itself.

The dress has just come out of the wash in these photos, so it is quite stiff looking around the hem, but it softens up nicely with wear, after which it falls with a softer look than what is pictured here.

I suppose this could be worn without a belt for a more casual look, but I like it this way.

And look how nicely it matches this old piece of costume jewellery.

Scarf refashioned to dress: $0, clothes swap, Belt: $2 thrifted, Necklace, tunic worn under dress, and shoes: all previously owned wardrobe items.