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.

Latest REfashion :: Trials & Tribulations

Where to start

this has been a difficult post to write
I've tried being gentle
referencing my love of certain things
holding your hand as I walked you up to and through my pain
all the while without naming names or pointing fingers
however I've decided brutal is best
because the experience has been that traumatic
and there's actually no way
to tone down
the fact 
that my once favourite dog

'Lola'

ate 
my new favourite cardy

and in case you can't see the extent of the damage 
or can't quite believe it's true 
[as was the case for me]
here's some close ups

 

I've only recently discovered
the love of a long grey cardy
and having nearly worn the life out of the one & only I own
I can't explain the joy I felt
at finding a second one at the local oppy

I know there's bigger things in the world to worry about
and I do

however on a personal level 
this discovery was shattering
she was perfect
teamed with the birthday frock
for a 2nd workshop
I was excited

until...


thankfully I didn't bin her immediately

because through the mist of shock, anger & despair
a REfashion began to form
*
*
*
armed with new found purpose
I selected some filed grey knits
and came up with two options

a once 
vintage crocheted cotton cardy  

or a lightweight similar colour-toned wool blend jumper 

I settled on the jumper 



which I free machine embroidered in place
and because I didn't want to lose any of Lolas impact on the Refashion 
the decision was made to leave all jagged edges & tooth holes as-is
[after it was washed of course] 

sometimes you know
when a REfashion or REinvent is going to work before you start
and this was the case here
I knew she was never going to be the same cardy she once was
however this improved version of the chewed-up-spat-out one
was a very wearable option
 
especially with the little hint 
of vintage floral bias sweetness
created from a slightly tea stained trivet 
hidden on the inside

and yesterday I wore her for the first time 

during a workshop

content now in the knowledge that Lola will 
remain this side of the bedroom door and within sight where possible
unable to destroy any other article of clothing left within her reach

and that was going to be the end of the tale

until when at lunch yesterday I got up from the table 
catching & pulling a thread

causing a hole 

... back to the drawing board!