Removing Revolting Ribbing REfashion

'MakeOver Monday' 

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

There's nothing like the desire 

to wear your newly op-shop-sourced favourite cardigan

to the last class of an 8wk workshop

that needs a Ribbing REfashion 

to get the creative mojo pumping!

I dislike ribbing because of the way it drags the front of the garment to the back 
and sometimes the length of a cardy is too long.

With an hour up my sleeve 

the ribbing came off

and some recently handmade bias binding went on

and even though I didn't have time
 to hand stitch the ends or replace missing buttons 

she was perfect...

 not only does she now sit comfortabley at the right length

looking good with the tunic I made last winter

she also does a great job of showing off one of the new
 Frippery Pebble neckpieces.

and just in case you'd like to do something similar

there's new workshop dates/times up on the Website 

....and there's still a few Fripperys left in the Shop.

'MakeOver Monday' - Dressing Gown to Fisherman Frock

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

This was a love-at-first-sight-brand-new-off-the-rack-impulse-buy

which has sat in my wardrobe for 3yrs

unworn

because it turns out I actually don't wear dressing gowns...

which made her perfect for my latest REinvention

After much deliberation and the tossing around of ideas

sewing machine cover, bag, jacket, quilt

I went with the obvious choice of 

frock

{my favourite Fisherman Frock}

***

The sleeves were removed and the shoulders opened up 

so I could then lay her flat & folded in half 

so the front, underarms & back could be reshaped to resemble the pinafore shape that is the Fisherman Frock

I decided to keep the front band 

and rather than seam it shut opted for top stitching one on top of the other 
because the extra bulk created by a seam wasn't neccessary or desired

removing the excess band from underneath before any stitching took place was so I could get in with the overlocker before it got too difficult

and at this stage I was thinking maybe that the band would be handy in the straps

once I was happy with the shape,

{trying on at this stage is required}

ie. not too wide across the 'bib', not too deep or shallow under the arms and not too high in the back
it was time to add a facing in the back for some elastic

before I could thread the elastic through the facing

it was necessary to apply the bias binding

ah bias binding 

my friend

REinventors L.O.V.E bias binding

and because there's too many reasons to list here I'll go with

~it does the job of securing raw edges effectively & efficently~
and write a list another day
however in the mean time I did a little video to show you how easy it is
to Ditch Stitch wide bias binding to things
and who says REinventors can't use couture techniques!

I could then thread the elastic through the back

and to work out how much elastic I needed

I held the end of the elastic at my side 

[roughly where the side seam would sit]

and pulled it firmly across my back to the other side [seam]

I ususally find I need to trim another 2-3cm off the end 

as during the act of threading & holding up the fabric it looses some of its stretch

it was about now I realised the bit of band saved from the front 

wasn't going to be enough for straps

so I chose to cut up the belt the gown came with

not an easy decision 

because yellow that close to my face isn't someting I feel comfortable with

[all things that need to be taken into account

 because there's not point if at the end of the day you don't wear it 

because yellow drains the colour from your face 

and you look like you died a week ago]

however lucky for me it's more a wheaty yellow which it turns out's okay 

plus it suited the overall look of the garment 

in this next image I wanted to show you how I work out the length of my straps

turns out it's alot easier to do than it is to photograph

but I think you'll get the idea

there's bound to be some trimming of the straps to get them to the perfect length and angle so it's a good idea to keep them pinned and try on until you're happy

another thing you might notice around this time
is some 'stretching' through weaker areas
added to the inevitable shape required for certain areas i.e. the bust
for me the underarm and top of the bib needed attention
and I figured I had two options
elasticate the underarm or dart and see what effect it had on the top edge
so I pinched in & darted at the bust which magically got rid of both issues

and when it's not 42ºC

I'll wear her a lot 

cos she's not only super comfy

she's perfect for layering.

***

~Next Week~

the plan is to REmake

the unused sleeves from the dressing gown

and a pair of perfectly faded jeans

into a jacket...

If you'd like to see more MakeOvers 

pop over to Instagram using

#sotl_mymakeovermonday

'MakeOver Monday' - Shirt Refashion #2

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

The other rescued shirt needed to be REfashioned for exactly the same reason as her sister
only this time 
I was prepared to bravely go where I mostly avoid going these days 

~sleeveless~

like any good REinventer who is always thinking ahead
I'd already noted I could throw a T-shirt underneath 
or a cardy over the top

or I could just be brave...

once I had all the bits [carefully] separated
and could see what was what
my orginal idea to use the length of the sleeves to construct a deeper false hem
with longer pieces meaning less joins and a tidier finish

went straight out the window

it seems that whilst [not-so-carefully] unpicking an inside tab

 I'd left a teeny-tiny but unmistakeable hole in the middle of a sleeve

plus most of the gorgeous ruby red & dusty charcoal flowers

weren't in the middle of either sleeve

so option two 

the one where I cut strips along the sleeve and join shorter pieces together to make a band giving the impression of a deeper false hem came quickly into play 

complete with a groovy little vent 

fashioned from the original sleeve openings

before I go on I should mention a little bit of housekeeping that happened 

I always like to REstitch the end of the seams I've cut through

 it's a little thing that can make a big difference 

no one likes it when their seams start to unravel

the only other time I'll use the word housekeeping in this post 

is when I stay-stitched my armholes

being that the fabric is quite fine 

and the armholes most definately did not need to be any bigger 

it was a judgement call to help them keep their shape

and while I'm being all 

'the devils in the detail'

I have a confession to make

I can already hear everyone who has ever been in one of my workshops tut-tutting saying under their breath "oh really Jody?!"

as I admit to not using bias binding on the armholes

instead trimming & stitching the original cuffs into a straight-grained binding 

which by way of an exercise is a good example of why you use bias binding on curved edges 

 straight grain puckers around curves

however I figured it was only a skinny strip

no one would notice

and besides it would have meant a trip to buy beige bias binding

which would've been less rewarding than the feeling I got 
when the only things left over from both REfashions were these buttons



and I love her

without sleeves

or with

and either way I'm feeling brave.

***

{Next week}

an impulse buy bought brand new 
which has sat in my wardrobe unworn for approx. 3yrs because it never fitted as well as I'd hoped and as I sit here typing I've no idea what she'll become but I'm looking forward to finding out...

'MakeOver Monday' - Shirt REfashion #1

'MakeOver Monday' 

... sharing how I cut up items from my wardrobe

in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

I nearly didn't rescue this gorgeous light-as-a-feather frilly bibbed cotton blousey shirt covered in masses of pretty indigo/charcoal hydrangreas 

because 

even though she fitted beautifully around my widest bits, the colours were great & the style perfect

she fell way too short in length

which meant unless I was prepared to REfashion her

I'd need to adopt a permanent stoop

or risk revealing parts of my anatomy which I'd rather not

to diagnose the 'issues'

I wore her as-is around the house for a day 

and found that along with being too short 

the sleeves turned out to be a tad tight...

which was the answer to the dilemma of where to get the extra fabric needed for length 

I should mention at this stage that I also rescued her sister during the same op-shop visit

and because I want to show two different REfashions (not in the same post]

I opted to keep a cap sleeve on this one

and work with what I had 

once everything was separated  

there was also a length of elastic creating a ruching detail in the side seams 

which needed to be removed so I could work with straight hemlines 

- the elastic could always be stitched back in if I wanted cos the effect was quite sweet

sometimes there's a teeny-tiny bit of science involved in REfashioning

where it's neccessary to work out how deep your strips of fabric can be

[measure twice or 5x and cut once!]

- essentially it's at this point I knew my vision was either going to work or 

crash & burn

it turned out I had plenty to play with

especially if I didn't get too pedantic about trimming away original seams

there aren't photos for each of the next steps

as I wasn't sure how descriptive you'd like me to be - if you'd like more detail please don't hesitate in letting me know for future Motivational Mondays

- once the strips were stitched end-to-end forming a circle the seams were overlocked

- along with the top edge 

- then I read my overlocker manual and changed the settings in order to achieve a rolled hem along the bottom edge

- back to the sewing machine and two rows of gathering stitch were sewn along the top edge [longest stitch length on your machine] and gathered in the desired amount

- the overlocked edge was slipped under the original hem stitching and stitched in place, from the top

to finish the sleeve edges the original cuffs and tabs were deconstructed, joined together, ironed, trimmed and stitched in place

I should mention there's quite a bit of trying on goes on during the process

ie. when the sleeves were cut to check they were the right length - I did cut them slightly higher

the strip of gathering got pinned in place prior to any stitching in place just to check it wasn't too long - it wasn't

and when I was working out how the sleeves would look I pinned and checked the band before committing to sewing it

and I'm glad I did 

because I couldn't be happier with the outcome...

not sure when I'll take her off

probably tomorrow 

when I start working on this sweety

 in time for next weeks Motivational Monday

ps.please dont hesitate to comment on what I've shared 

especially if you have thoughts on how I could improve the presentations

- I'd like to keep doing Motivational Mondays not entirely for selfish reasons being there's heaps of clothes in my wardrobe that need attention 

but more importantly 

I'd like to think you'll see the merits in using what you've got
and feel motivated to pick up your scissors 
and start cutting up your wardrobe! x

RE-REfashion - It's Okay to Change Your Mind

One of the best things about REfashioning and REinventing is
you can change your mind
without ruining the design
freaking out over not enough fabric 
or beating yourself up because you hate the finished garment

something drew you too the garment in the first place - try holding that thought
in the case of this frock it was the colour combos
comfort of the fabric 
and I didn't feel she needed to change much in order to make her mine

however I knew as soon as I saw her on after the initial REinvent 
that I wasn't comfortable with the front bodice
apologies to the girls at lunch for subjecting you to what the bloke assured me 
looked like I was wearing my bra on the outside 
it really wasn't flattering 
which meant 
I wouldn't wear her and that's the golden rule
'what's the point in having something if you're not going to use it/eat it/wear it'

so with care I unpicked both bodices 
gave one a quick press and did this:

1.

using the cut off remnant sleeves from the original REinvent

cut them open along the seam line

2.

place the sleeves flat & even wrong-side-to-wrong-side 

positioning the bodice on top

because this is a 2-way stretch I could have placed the bodice anywhere

however size dictated I place her here 

3.

once cut out it's important to copy/transpose any of the original design details

in this case I needed to add gathering under the bust

I then carefully pinned, stitched & overlocked the new bodices in place
- couldn't be happier with the result

and if the whim takes me I can play with some favourite Fripperies

ps. she's now packed in my bag ready for a few days away 
so will report back as to whether or not she will live out her days as-is...
or will become a skirt.

Latest REfashion in 5 Easy Steps

 As much as I'd love to pop down to Coles or turn up at a parent/teacher meeting
  wearing a picture frame sewn into my frock
or wake up every morning knowing I look good in a paper bag
I'm realist enough to know it ain't never going to happen

I need/want clothes that I can throw on
that will allow me the freedom to express my individuality
without being uncomfortable, making those around me uncomfortable
 or breaking the bank in the process

short of turning back time, indulging in plastic surgery
and in the absense of much motivation to exercise or give up sugar
REinventing & REfashioning
are my preferred options for creating wearable wardrobe items

REfashioning by my reckoning is when a garment is altered 
unlike REinventing where it's completely transformed

my latest REfashion happened through necessity - lunch with the girls
and long sleeves in the middle of summer meant having to wait for winter in order to wear a recent treasure rescue
in any event I'm not convinced I'd even wear it with long sleeves
being I like a cardy with a frock in winter

so she needed to go from this 

to this

and in 5 steps this is how it happened:

1.
it's always a good idea to check options before picking up the scissors 
I checked to see if the existing hem detail would work as well as the new hem detail once it was shortened
 realising quickly it wouldn't

2.
I then measured down from the shoulder
the depth I wanted the finished sleeve to be
adding 3cm for hem allowance


3.
with the frock folded in half and both sleeves lying flat & even on top of each other
I marked a cutting line with my trusty soap shard 
99.9% of the time I use 'old' soap to mark lines 
especially when dealing with clingy knit fabrics as it glides rather than grips
4.
I cut 


5.
to finish the sleeve edge 
I overlocked [for stability]
then turned under my hem allowance and stitched with a twin needle

so when finished it looked like a bought one

in 30-45minutes I took a garment I'd not wear as-is
and turned it into one that will feature quite heavily this summer in my wanderings.

ps. lunch was delicious and the company devine. x