Workshops - The Venue Has Nothing to Do With It.

Yesterday I remembered the reason for the delay in making the decision 

to offer workshops again 

was because I didn't think the new studio space would be suitable

after all half a garage under a 1970's suburban palace 

is a far cry from the garden studio under a flowering Jacaranda Tree

however now that they're a happening thing 

 I'm reminded that it's not the venue that makes a good workshop 

it's the people that do 

with their busy hands

and curious minds

l=r Kate & Rennae

who are open to being courageous 

that creates an atmosphere

infused with laughter & shared experiences

which will make any venue perfect...
and how lucky am I that you guys think so too! 

l-r Marie, Leonie, Jenny & Alex

If you'd like to join us for the next round of classes 

the details are over here.

Update - there's 1 spot left.

MakeOver Monday - The Twice Rescued Butterfly Frock REinvent

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REmake items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

Sometimes it's not diffcult to work out why something ends up in the oppy

[ugly pink piping]

and not for a moment did I think I'd ever wear this linen frock as-is

when I rescued her

[ugly pink piping] 

however it wasn't until the girls in the Wednesday class 

started rummaging through the sales rack

[I have a sales rack for rescues I wont use] 

and Kate nearly bought her

that I remembered what attracted me to her in the first place
[quality linen, colours & print]

so I rescued her for a 2nd time...

*

*

*

first to go was the pink piping

which ran down the front & around the hem

once these & the sleeves were removed 

 the front bits were sewn back together

allowing me to open up the shoulders

revealing what I was now able to work with

if you've been following my REinventing over the years

you'll know exactly where this is headed

a Fisherman Frock 

is my go-to wardrobe staple

partly because I like/suit the style

but mostly because I don't need a pattern

which usually equates to a quick-fix

however with all the cutting done intuitively 

this doesn't always mean it's actually going to be quick 

as proved by the amount of time spent getting the straps just right

 however with patience, pins & some handmade bias binding

while remembering not to cut anything off until absolutely sure

I got the straps just where I wanted them 

 and am now looking forward to wearing her heaps... 

once I work out the best colour to wear under or over her...

who'd have thought I wouldn't have a cardy ready to go?!   

MM - The 33min Cardy REfashion

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REmake items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

Todays class wasn't starting 'til 9am

and with the brownies baked, jug filled & vacumming done

I decided the pink cardy I planned on wearing 

[with the latest frock REinvent]

needed REashioning

because of the revolting ribbing 

and length

all it took was

 bias binding, scissors

[to save time - mark the finished length & cut 
while folding the bottom edge as you go using it as the cutting guide]  

 a walking foot

[wide bias binding makes a fantastic false hem & stops the knit from rolling]

 and if you take into account the time it took for photos

then a dash up stairs to get the teen to take more

it was really more like 25mins of my time

 to complete the Ribbing Removal REfashion

and if you dislike ribbing as much as I do

 it was 25 minutes well spent!

      

'MakeOver Monday' Cardy Party Show & Tell

The bloke's home

so yesterday I donned my latest REinventions

wrangled two of my greatest creations

sisters

jumped in the car

and we all headed to the hills

 on a road trip in search of lunch 

 Jarrahdale Pub

 and I'm thrilled to report 

that the newly REfashioned Cardy 

passed her first outing with flying colours

working beautifully with the Frock REinvent from a few weeks back

and the first Petal Necklace

although breezes are to be avoided as the petals flip over - hoping some strategic stitching will help.

to re-cap 

here are links through to the posts I did stepping you through the process I took 

to REfashion two cardys I wasn't wearing due to their small sizes

 into one I will wear often because 
now it fits...

• Day 1 - Requirements
• Day 2 - Cutting
• Day 3 - Stitching

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

MakeOver Cardy Party - Day3 [with a video]

Changing buttons is sometimes enough to change a whole garment 

or be the key in bringing a REfashion together

 because the two grey knits I've used are different tones

I was hopeful the right buttons would help tie it all together 

so at the end of Day2 

I swapped plastic buttons for a selection of random silvery grey ones 

which sounds as perfect as it looks  

Day3 - Stitching

This morning with the overlocker in situ, threaded 
and her differential feed dialed in
I overlocked the sides of the keeper
and the edges of the wedges 

please don't fret or chuck a wobbly if you don't have an overlocker
being a knit fabric the overlocker is purely decorative 
as once stitched a knit fabric isn't going to fray

to help with the next step where we insert/attach the wedge
I made a short video 

which I hope helps

because at the end of the day

you want it to look like this.

Now you have ALL weekend to play
[please don't hesitate to ask any questions]

and I'll meet you back here or on FB this Monday
for the 'MakeOver Cardy Party' reveal!

Jody x

Make Over Cardy Party - Day2

I like a grey cardy

a grey cardy goes with most things

unless of course it's too small

then knowing how to rememdy this

is the handiest skill of all

following on from yesterdays post 

you'll have selected two cardigans or a cardy & a jumper...

choose the one you wish to make bigger [keeper]

 and the one you're prepared to sacrifice [volunteer] 

we'll be adding a 'wedge' created from the volunteer 

to gain the extra width needed in the keeper

Day2 :: Cutting

take the folded sleeve of the 'volunteer' 

and lay it along the side seam of the 'keeper'  

to check the sleeves you are about to remove are long enough 

to fit the gap you are about to create

[if it's not you can use the fronts &/or back of the 'volunteer' cardy]

carefully remove the sleeves from the body of the 'volunteer'

  

 open them up along the seams 

because they've had a life you might notice they're a little stretched 

a quick steam/press will help bring them back into shape  

with the 'keeper'

carefully cut up the side seams 

stopping 1cm from the underarm point 

even though you know the 'keeper' is too small

you'll not know by how much until you try it on

and unlike me you wont have to expose your lumpy bits to the world by taking a photo of yourself 

instead you'll use your camera hand to measure the gap

taking note of that measurement 

in my case the amount I needed fell short of the amount I could acheive 

[determined by the width of the sleeve hem]

however I don't wear my cardys buttoned up 

so figured any extra was better than none

and forged ahead

having made note of the width needed for the bottom of the wedge

I measured down the opened side seam on the 'keeper' 

to get the length measurement required

and marked this measurement up from the bottom of the folded sleeves

then ruled a straight line from the top to the bottom 

creating the wedges I'll need.

Tomorrow we plug in the sewing machine!

MakeOver Cardy Party - Day1

Welcome to Day 1 of the first ever 

'MakeOver Cardy Party'

where we're going to smash out a gorgeous signature cardy which fits

from two annoyingly small ones...

lets do this!

Day1 :: What We Need

I've thrown together the items I know I'll be using along the way 

with the exception of my sewing machine

and I'll probably use the overlocker aswell 
[couldn't fit them in the picture] 

the walking foot is my preference for sewing knits

however a regular foot is perfectly fine

you might just have to adjust your tension

 according to how the fabric is feeding through the machine as you sew.

Requirements

• minimum 2 knitwear garments which are a size too small, of similar weight & thickness i.e. like with like. The garment to be sacrificed to make the other bigger [can be another cardy or a jumper] needs to have a long or 3/4 set-in sleeve [not a raglan sleeve].
• sewing machine with size 70 universal needle.
• walking foot or straight stitch foot.
• sharp pins.
• ruler & tape measure.
• sharp scissors.
• unpicker/seam ripper.
• fabric marker.
• matching thread.

If you haven't any cardys in your collection ready to volunteer themselves 

keep your eyes open in the op shops 

or spread the word amongst family & friends that you're in need of a couple of donations.

Tomorrow we'll pick up the scissors & plug in the machine!

Jody x

ps. please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
pss. you'll find this post on cutting up cardys very helpful aswell.

'MakeOver Monday' Party!

You're invited to the first 
'MakeOver Monday Cardy Party' 

I've come up with a way to share 'MakeOver Monday' so you can do it too!

Having realised I've a small window of opportunity in which to create next weeks offering  

because I need to get organised for workshops starting up again...

it's April already?!

From my collection of cardigans I selected two grey ones which don't get worn due to their small sizes

and was going to go ahead and REfashion them on my own

 when in a flash of brilliance 

I thought why don't we all do it!

Starting tomorrow & for the following 3days 

I'll share detailed instructions on how to transform a couple of unwearable cardys into one that'll be a favourite...

the Course Outline will go something like this;

• Day1: where to start
• Day2: the first cut...& more
• Day3: putting it back together 

which leaves the weekend to play, in time to share your creations next Monday using one these options;

• Blog - on the Linky thing I'll put up.
• Facebook - if you haven't liked my page you so should.
• Email - send your images and a little story about how you went and I'll share them with everyone.

Hope you can make it!

Jody x

'MakeOver Monday' - Smock-to-Frock REinvent

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REmake items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

The idea of having a throw-on-walk-out-the-door Smock Top 

was so appealing it meant I hung onto this one way too long

even as gorgeous as the soft & floaty dove grey 100% cotton fabric covered in beautiful floral displays was

due to an uncomfortable cut the style never looked good or felt right

which had to be the reason she ended up in my favourite oppy in near new condition

sometimes magic happens and a design comes to mind immediately 
that's so not what happened here

I had to get over my disappointment of not being able to wear her as-is
 before I could fathom what else she could be 

she was on the verge of heading downstairs to be filed-for-another-day
when I remembered an up & coming event requiring a special frock 
so decided the timing was perfect to volunteer her for the next MakeOver Monday.

***

With an idea in mind for a vintage look

the first to go were the sleeves

which once removed 

were opened up along the seams

so I could play with the idea I'd envisaged

it was round about now I was reminded how lucky I am to have a dedicated sewing space 

because when in the 'zone'

I can't be worried about getting in anyones way with sewing stuff  

or worse still upsetting anyones sensibilitites 

when it comes time to disrobe...

I took one look at these and knew I'd not be needing them again for a while

with a good feeling I was on the right track with the vintage-style idea

I went about reshaping the fronts & backs

when it became apparent I'd need to employ other fabric to help with the shortfall

ie. back bodice and false hem feature to gain extra length 

I scurried around in the small[ish] 'fabric shop' on site

and opted for the vintage rayon to the left

this was not a straight forward REinvent

where everything falls into place

because you've done it or something similar before

this was a first

which meant a whole lot of pinning & unpinning 

plenty of unpicking

[cold] cuppas

and eventually help from a commercial pattern with the bodices

which in true REinventor fashion 
I couldn't quite bring myself to use entirely as is meant

thus leaving room for adaptation

and darts

it was around 5pm the project nearly came to a screaming halt 

when I thought it a good idea to venture outside 

and combine sitting down, ball throwing & hand stitching with a cool drink 

note to self: 

don't open the bar while in the throws of a great Reinvent

have I mentioned bias binding yet

once again it saved the day by finishing off the back neck and armholes to perfection

don't you hate this

note to self: under no circumstances is it okay 

to put a threaded needle or other metallic objects with your pins

after all that 

the very last thing to happen was applying the false hem feature

which not only gave her a tad more length it gave her more weight

helping with overall feel of the finished garment

and in balancing out the detail at the centre front

even though she turned out way better than I'd first imagined

she's not quite right for a cocktail themed tropical wedding

although 

maybe when worn with my newly purchased

spanish sandals

she'll be perfect for the morning after brunch.

Next Week:

It could be one of two things...I'll let you know once I decide.

Jody x