Wardrobe Refashion

Hat Today, Bag Tomorrow

e I have made several new wardrobe items since taking the Refashion pledge at the beginning of the month, but I have finally completed my first true refashion (actually I finished it a few weeks ago, but I just got the film developed):

I had made this hat for my husband in December 2005, and he wore it diligently, despite the fact that he thought the colors were rather feminine.  After I made a new hat for him, he returned this hat to me, and I refashioned it into the felted clutch you see at the bottom of the picture.  It's not quite done yet, because I'm hoping to add some hand embroidery, but I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.  You would never know that it spent its first year of life as a hat!

And here is my husband's new hat, which I made in March:

Finally some camera action!

Finally! I’ve got some evidence of my sewing efforts. I’ve been a bit skirt-centric over the last month or so, trying to create the perfect fitting basic pattern for me, to adapt into what ever kind of style of skirt I’m after.

Firstly here’s a skirt I made from blind fabric from Ikea. I totally love the fabric’s colours and screen-print effect. I actually made this last summer, but it wasn’t the greatest shape, and I’ve lost a few pounds since then, so I un-picked it and re-made it. Oh, and did I mention it’s lined?! That’s a phobia I’ve over come recently: making lining patterns. I think it makes skirts sit nicer.

Download blind_skirt.jpg

Take a look at my bird skirt. I can’t tell you how long I’ve had the idea for this skirt in my head, it must be over a year. I was waiting for the right colour and type of grey fabric to appear. When I found this twill it wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but it was near enough to FINALLY get the project underway. The birds are made from black leather scraps that I got from when I worked at a clothing company a few years ago that makes corsets for Goths. I ended up hand blanket stitching them down, which gives the skirt more of a crafted feel than my stuff usually has (I usually aim for as box-fresh as possible). Check the back, with the pleats which are trapped down til near the bottom where they kick out in a cheeky fashion when you walk! I didn’t fancy a back slit or vent and was after something a bit more interesting. This idea is a simpler version of some things I made for my final collection for my degree. Is this skirt lined? You betcha! Now that this skirt is made and the idea is no longer occupying my brain, I wonder what I’ll use that bit of my head for now?!

Download bird_skirt_front.jpg

Download blind_skirt_back.jpg

Thanks everyone for the daily inspiration your post give me. Happy sewing!

Kimono top pattern

I was asked if I used a pattern for the kimono top. The answer is yes, it was made using the instructions for a kosode here

I found the instructions easy to follow and just tapered the sleeves to the width I wanted.. The Jacket used a similar design but without the overlaps on the front.. I spent ages looking at sites which sell second hand kimonos and the like looking at them and coverting the lovely fabrics :)

bridesmaid's dress

My dearest mate is getting hitched on Saturday and as Chief Bridesmaid, I of course have a fabulous dress. Problem was that post-baby boobs were too much for the strapless empire-line design and the decision was made to incorporate more - ahem! - weight-bearing straps!

So I dug out some old ribbon from my own wedding last year which miraculously matched, and beaded it up to make it look a bit more like the dress which it will be supporting. Here's hoping the new straps work...!

pants... and the ensuing book review

I've finally done what I set out to do when I enrolled in Wardrobe Refashion; I've made a pair of pants using the pattern in Wendy Mullin's book Sew U.

This project had it's trials, and some spur of the moment fitting solutions (such as narrowing the legs by restitching the side seams, and ripping out the topstitching in the rear in order to counteract some unattractive pooching) but I'm delighted with the finished, imperfect pants, with their slight jodhpur look. A friend said, "They look store-bought" and made my day.

There's more about my experience using the book at boodely.com.

Pics and a bag

Finally done pictures of the items I mentioned in the last post.
Kimono top in calico (unbleached cotton), trousers were exsiting but adjusted so they were more wearable.
Jacket is made from heavy blue silk and lined with cream linen with blue and grey stripes all from my stash. the tie at the front is plaited from threads pulled from a scrap piece of the silk so mathc perfectly.. This is a trick i learnt a long time ago and also comes in handy when you need a sewing thread that matches perfectly in both colour and weight!

The bag is made from the seat of a pair of jeans that belonged to my 3 1/2 year old which he has grown out of. I am usin g the legs to patch the 4 pairs of jeans he has gone through the knees on that still fit!!
 

I cut, I sewed, I conquered!

OK, so this week's one might need some explanation! 

Hubby and I are avid (well, he more than me) Roman re-enactors: he with his sword and chain mail (rather fetching in a sweaty Russel Crowe kind of way!) and me in my toga and nice jewellry.  Good to keep sexual sterotypes going...  Our 2 month old twins are coming along to the next 'enactment' and I needed to find something vaguely authenticly Roman-looking for them to wear. 

So...I chopped up some plain muslin shopping bags and made t-shirt style tunics with deliberately 'historically authentic' wobbly stitching round the top and sides, chopped up a thinning brown mole skin shirt and made trousers and found some red felt and made some little bag/belty things  in which to carry a dummy (pacifier)!  Hurrah!

Not quite sure why one picture smaller than the other, but there you go. 

More info on the Roman group: roman.org.uk

Until the next time! 
 

my shiny new dress

Here's what I did this week! It's sort of stash fabric, as I'd purchased it last summer with the intent of making a dress out of it, which (like so many of the other pieces of fabric I bought last summer) I didn't get around to before it got cold. But on the heels of the total flop that my hiking pants turned out to be, I wanted to make something nice and springy, so this was the result. It's from McCall's 9370.  There is a recycled element to it, sort of-- the bodice lining is the leftover tan cotton from my last refashion. And the other details are on the blog, as usual. I think next on the agenda is going to be the fabric that I had purchased with the intent of making a shrug to go with this, just so I can have the complete outfit, and then it's back to refashioning for me!

The Age article

Welcome to those of you visiting after reading the article in The Age.  New pledges start on June 1st, if you're interested in joining please email me using the email address in the sidebar over there<--------

Thanks for a great article Miki.

Oops!  In my busyness i seem to have forgotten to thank Bibi van der Zee for mentioning me and Wardrobe Refashion in her article in The Guardian,thanks Bibi!

Update

I made a second dress which could be worn to an upcoming wedding.  It was from new fabric, but the patterned silk was bought at 75% off (plus an extra 10% as a Liberty cardholder).

*Edit - the pattern is New Look 6375, view D.  I made the back straps quite short so that it doesn't dip too much in the front.

I also used a thrifted pillowcase and some cotton from my stash for my Tie One On apron.