Wardrobe Refashion

Man's Pashmina Pullover to Leggings

Oh, dear! I have to post a get-out-of jail button. I bought two pairs of new jeans. I just couldn't find any thrifted ones and all of mine were umm...no longer respectable enough to wear for anything besides cleaning sewers or large engine repair.

In addition, this is the first refashion I've done in over a month. But, on the bright side, it was a success!

I used a large man's pullover and converted it to leggings without using a pattern. The former sleeves are now legs and the former neck opening is now the waist band. See how I did it at my blog (instructions and pictures).   

New shoes and the gray top in action

ETA: The rules say that shoes are allowed. Thanks to Nikki for the reminder! So I'm taking back the card. Phew. Now I have a bonus. -)

This is the time when I have to use my Get out of jail free card, I'm afraid.

.....(card taken back)

I didn't buy any clothes but I just had to buy these shoes and boots. To pair with my gray outfits. The truth is that I bought both  for less than the price of the boots I originally wanted to buy. So I'm doubly happy and with some money left in my pocket!

 

On Friday night Z and I went with friends to the opening of the new Museum of contemporary art here in Zagreb. 

This is what I wore for the occasion. Gray outfit and new shoes! Now you can finally see the look and fitting of this shirt. And thanks to all of the ladies who kindly left their comments about it. I really appreciated them.

Excuse the look on my face but it was past midnight..:-)

Ciao!

Barbara

Perhaps I broke the rules... but it's handmade

Because I bought a sari. Or, rather, had my sister buy me a sari in exchange for homemade woolen socks (that are yet to be made...)

I'd gladly put the Get Out of Jail button here just to be on the safer side, but I cannot figure out how to do it. :(

You know, I bought it not as a new piece of clothing, but as fabric. My sister asked me some time ago if I could make her a regency dress. I thought I could. She bought the Sense & Sensibility e-pattern and we agreed that the best fabric to use would be a cotton printed sari. So she bought it, and while we were at it, she also bought one for me.

Perhaps it counts as buying handmade. Because it is.

Look how pretty it is:

- here hanging on the indoor lines after its third wash (it was starched, so it needs to be washed - and ironed - several times before I can use it)

With this type of clothing (or, actually, any clothing), you need to start from the underwear... We're certainly not aiming for 100% historical accuracy - so, for example, I'm going to machine sew it, because such amount of handwork would drive me mad and would take ages - but she was quite keen on the idea of wearing more or less historical bust support. So we were happy to find this "bra" inspired by an authentic pair of braces or what it was. Yes, happy, but I'm really not going to pay that much for it when I can try to make it myself.

Which I'm trying now, for myself as of now, and I'm quite happy about the results. Not so much about the process by which I arrived at the results. Whatever. I'll try to better it before I make one for my sister - the materials are cheap: ordinary hemp cord for the cording (a softer, period-correct alternative to boning) and a just as ordinary old cotton damask duvet cover.

I still need to shorten the straps a bit, add some more cording in the back to reduce the width because it gaps (and I can always do with a bit more support - I love how it improves my posture without restricting my movements) and bind the edges.

I love love love the cording. I'm using the most ordinary hairpin to insert the most ordinary cords into the channels in the most ordinary fabric. And look (again) how pretty it is! I just love it.

This isn't the only thing I'm working on, though. My other sister asked me to sew her another blouse from the same pattern I've already used once for her (I made the pattern myself, using Mrs Stylebook sloper). She's very happy with the first blouse (which was a gift), so this time she told me she'd pay me for it!

So yesterday I bought this pale purple fabric:

- which, believe me, looks much better in person than on this flashlit photo, even though the colour is quite close.

And hopefully tomorrow I'll cut it and start sewing!

May Need to Apply for Parole

I'm pretty sure I'm in Wardrobe Refashion Jail right now because I had bought 3 little onesies in order to make these:

Well, I'm not really sure if my pledge applied to gifts. It's OK, I'll use my "Get Out of Jail" pass here, seeing as I won't actually be buying anything new for myself.

Aren't they cute, though? I love the formal onesies. I saw some of these in a store downtown, and I knew they would not be very hard to replicate. However, I knew that I would have a really hard time making my own onesies - thus the reason for the purchase.

I'm also pleased that I made a lunch bag that my husband is happy to carry:

I'm also really pleased with these undies, made from old t-shirts:

 

Thanks for reading,

Su

I was bad and good

   I have to use this....I went to Target yesterday to shop for my little ones b-day and bought her an outfit and a coat.  Really, I feel dirty now, even with the toys I picked out.  I almost want to take them back and just give her the stuff I've made her. 

I did finish this yesterday also.

 My little one's halloween costume, a little gnomey!  I knitted the hat and socks using stash yarn and made the apron using vintage sheets and a doily for the lace.  I'll post more about it on my blog later today!

merlinthecat

I Almost Forgot to Mention...

  

I'll use my card now, thank you.  I bought two sweaters and a dress at Target, and a pair of slacks that were on sale at jcrew.com.  They're for work, which I understand is technically allowed, but to be fair I didn't NEED them.  

No more new clothing purchases for this period, I promise!

Sienna dress and my last get out of jail free pass

 

I admit it, I've used a jail pass twice, and I only signed up for two months - blah that stinks!  However, the reason I needed to buy some shirts for my daughter was so that I could refashion them, if that makes a difference.  I wanted some shirts to appliqué onto and I've never had luck in finding plain white shirts at the resale shops.  I also got a red shirt for a Christmas appliqué and 1 black and 1 white turtlenecks to wear under jumpers and sweater vests that I bought used that didn't come with the full outfits.

I did however finish a refashion last night, I made my first ever Sienna dress from Lil Blue Boo - I'm in LOVE!  I bought the pattern on a whim not sure if I'd like it enough to actually use, but I discovered that just like everything else, it's customizable enough to meet my tastes even if the examples and others I've seen didn't.  So glad I bought it, I can't wait to rip into my t-shirt stash some more and create LOTS more dresses. :-)

new jeans = jail!

                                       
Hiya! I bought brand spanking new jeans! Naughty I know...I was doing so well! I was in need of a new pair though and these were meant to be mine...1st pair I spotted on the sale rack, I tried them on&they fit perfect so I had to have them!

I've had a couple coments on my "top refashions" wanting a pic of the babydoll on so here it is:

 

 

Ahhh!! I thought I might make it the whole two months without buying anything...anyway, I went to Chicago this weekend, completely unprepared. I showed up with no jacket and wearing a pair of ballet flats and no socks. It was so rainy and cold and my shoes got soggy and I had to throw them away :( I ended up buying a jacket and a pair of boots--they were definitely needed! Anyway, here is my latest refashion, based on a tutorial by My Mama Made It, which you can see here. Here's the finished product:

Maternity pants!

I saw a great idea for maternity pants on CRAFT (a blog i follow) i tried on my jeans but i couldn't find a pair that i wanted to cut that would go over my hips so i had to use my  card cause i had to buy a pair of jeans. i spent $8.76 on a pair of wide legged awesome wash jeans from H&M.

i brought them home and within 30 min had a new pair of maternity pants. i'm in love!