No Sew Fix and a Bonus

Today's fix is a no sew quick fix!  I picked this blouse up at Goodwill over the weekend.  It is a bit blah as is, non descript, probably something you'd pick up at Wal Mart that a million other people have.  But the good thing is the fit is perfect as is, and the print is very nice.  Really I only have two major complaints with this piece, one the scoop neck, two the sleeves are a wierd length with elastic at the cuff.

First things first, to fix the neckline I took a handy dandy safety pin, gathered the front of the shirt and pinned it together.  This changed the shape of the top in a very flattering and pleasing way.  Second fix I simply pulled the elastic cuff up to my elbow and turned it under.  Ta Da!  Very quickly I had a blouse I really liked. 

Now, since I didn't sew today and I feel like that's cheating a bit, I'm going to throw in a past project that is one of my favorites.  Unfortunately I didn't take step by step pictures of this project, this was before I thought about starting a blog.  I will have to do another project like this because it turned out so amazingly well, this is hands down my favorite blouse.

This started out as a robe, house coat kind of thing.  It had a zipper down the front and went to the floor, had an odd collar and long sleeves but the good thing is - it was in excellent condition, no tears or stains, and the pattern was just gorgeous.  There is a kind of cherry blossom branch pattern over the leopard print. 

Major re-work on this one!  I took out the zipper, and cut the whole thing in half.  I also shortened the sleeves.  I took the material from the bottom of the robe and added pieces to create a wrap shirt, including ties.   The end result is FAB!  The shirt is flattering, comfy and gets compliments everytime I wear it.

Just realized the only picture I have of this shirt has the before and after together and they are in the wrong order.  Ah well, I'll have to try for an action shot of me wearing it out sometime.

I have a couple very frumpy dresses I'm eyeing for next week, cross your fingers that I've got a winner in the basket!

Big Comfy Sweater

With the onset of cooler weather I get to bring out a couple sweaters I've had in my project basket for awhile.  I hit a church rummage sale awhile back where you could fill up a bag for $1, and in my bag I got several sweaters. 

The sweater I'm working with today is a big white cable knit turtle neck.  I will tell you candidly I have a generous busom and a short neck, both of which make me the worst canidate possible for white turle neck sweaters.  The good thing is with this sweater - I adore the knit, it is cozy and warm and makes me feel wrapped up and comfy.  Also considering I spent about .10 the sweater is in fantastic condition, I had to repair a couple holes in seams but no stains or major damage.

First things first, that turtle neck has got to go.  This one was sewn on to the body of the sweater so I simply cut it off.  The sweater looked better immediately.

If you have an 11yr old daughter she may choose this moment to do an impromptu Lady Gaga impression.

Now to turn this in to a V neck.  The cool thing to know about sweaters is that you can cut them and change them!  I know it sounds a bit scary, because they could unravel right?  But here is the trick, remember to sew a line of stitches along either side of where you want to cut before you do any cutting.  This insures that when you cut the threads are secure and wont unravel.  I sewed a double line of stitching down the front to the depth I wanted my V, then cut. 

Next I turned back either side of my cut, and turned under the neck all around to give it a finished edge.  I gave this a double line of stitches, about a half inch apart to help everything lay flat.  I then trimmed of the excess material on the inside left from turning everything under.

That's all there was to this one!  I paired it with a matching cami and a pair of black slacks.  I felt very polished and cozy.  The really awesome thing?  I found a really similar sweater on Lane Bryants website for $39.99.  Hmmmm, $40 versus one thin dime?  I think I like my sweater best =-)

Sick!

So frustrating just as I am kicking off my new blog but I have been sick the last few days and haven't gotten to sew. But tonight I will be hitting the sewing machine. I have a big comfy sweater got at a church rummage sale for about a dime, the weather is just begging for a sweater re-do.

Week of Oct 25th Black and White Jacket Re-Do

Todays re-do started out as one piece of a two piece outfit.  My good friend Amber found this outfit at a yard sale for (drum roll please) $1!  The dress part is sleevless and LOOOOONG.  It goes to the floor on my short 5'2" self.  That will be making an appearance another time as it has plenty to work with.  For today I decided that this jacket would be awesome to re-make as a wrap shirt.  Wrap shirts are wonderful for accentuating the positive and camoflaging the not so positive on my body type.  Really wrap shirts seem to be universally flattering on every body type.

Ok, so this started out as a couple sizes to big and it was rather umm middle age-ish?  But the good thing is - the black and white hibiscus pattern is really sharp, and being a couple sizes too big makes it really easy to convert to a wrap.  Lets get started, this is a pretty easy one.

First thing to go is the white band on the bottom and the sleeves (1).  That band on it's own was aging this outfit about 20 years.  Those bands are being re-cycled as ties!  I simply sewed two of them together to make the long tie, and used the other for the short tie.  Standing in front of the mirror I played around with placement and pinned them in place (2).  When creating a wrap shirt you have to create a hole in a side seam for your long tie to go through in order for it to pass around the back (3).  I sewed the straps in place and tested them out, perfection!

I shortened the sleeves just a tad by putting in a nice wide hem, hemmed the bottom of my new shirt and we were just about done.  My last little tweak was to pin the collar down on either side.  I wanted the neck line a little more open and it kept wanting to creep in.  This is one of those things you don't always realize right away and only discover when you really wear something.  I figured it out when I was getting ready Monday morning.  Fortunately I keep some safety pins in my jewelery box and was able to use one on either lapel to keep the collar where I wanted it.


Here's the finished product, I paired it with some black slacks and my fave patent leather heels.  I got compliments on this before I even got in from the parking lot at work!  I also got comments on my heels from a guy on the elevator.  He commented that he didn't know how women walked in those things, I laughed and proceeded to trip on my way out of the elevator, I looked back and said "Apparently neither do I!"  I'm a dork, what can I say?  At least I'm a stylish dork on this particular day =-)

What it's all about

Awhile back I came across an amazing blog where a gal was spending $1 a day and remaking a different clothing item every day for a year. I spend days going through all her posts and getting caught up and my imagination got fired up in the process. Her adventures can now be followed at www.newdressaday.com you should definitely check it out!

The only thing that discouraged me a tad was that the gal undertaking that project was a petite lady who I could guess didn't have trouble finding things in her size. I thought the idea was awesome but didn't think I would be able to duplicate her success. Oh ye of little faith!

I decided to give it a go. I needed a new project to perk me up, and I loved to sew and go thrifting. Very soon I had some wonderful projects to undertake.

Here's my first project, I found a dress at Goodwill for $5. Normally I wouldn't spend that much on a single item BUT I saw that this could become two pieces when I was done with it.

I separated the skirt from the top of the dress first off. Next I turned the top into a nice summer blouse for me by taking off the sleeves. I turned the whole thing around and used the opening in the back to create a V neck, sewed that down and finished the sleeve openings. It was done! The top had a neat button detail on the side that I really liked, so I kept that as is.


For my daughter I took the skirt and turned it into a strappy top. I used the material from the sleeves to create a band and straps, then sewed the skirt onto this. My daughter added the white belt which I thought was a nice touch.

There ya go, two new tops from one very unattractive dress. This was just the beginning, but a good way to launch my new blog.

My plan is to do one item each weekend, and post it Monday. This way every Monday I get to wear something new to work! That is bound to make Mondays a little brighter eh? Midway through the week I'll post a past project, I have a few sitting around.  I will be posting before and after photos as well as more detailed photo stories of exactly what I do with each project.

I hope you enjoy! If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them.

- Lucia