Plaid wool blanket throw pillow DIY and long lumbar

1.25.2021

Plaid wool blanket throw pillow DIY and long lumbar

It's been a loooong, long time since I did an "upcycle" of a vintage or older garment/home decor piece into something new. That used to be half my posts, back when this was a sewing blog! But I didn't need more and more homemade stuff all the time, and my style changed, and I have way less time for sewing now. But, back to my roots! I recently rename a vintage wool plaid throw blanket into three, unique throw pillows and I LOVE them!

Oh, but not only that--I also made a custom down-filled extra long lumbar pillow using fill from two old pillows we had. It was very messy, but so cool!

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Trouser flare jeans makeover!

10.04.2016

Trouser flare jeans makeover!

This post feels like a throwback! But it's not, it's brand new. I used to share jeans and thrift store find alterations all the time. But now, years later, I'm still modifying unflattering jeans using simple techniques I honed all that time ago, before I wrote a book about it! In fact, this project is in DIY Wardrobe Makeovers (the take-in-jeans project on page 70) but this is a great variation!

So last week I made this pretty ruffle-edge trim loose top out of a fun print. I thought, wow, this would be perfect with 70's-ey high-waisted flares. But I didn't really have those. Saturday morning I went to Goodwill to look for stuff for the new house (I've decided I should just regularly pop into the Goodwills near me to see if the perfect furniture, lighting, etc. shows up!) and instead I found these HUGE trouser jeans. Huge in the legs, that is. I'm not a short person but these were too long for me even on high tiptoes! And the legs were massively boxy.

They were nice quality, with top stitching on the inseam and outer leg seam, so I definitely had to use the technique I describe in DIY Wardrobe Makeovers for demo-ing and recreating the seams when you want to take them in and change the shape! I added shape to the knees and reduced the flare a little. I also redid the hem, of course... I didn't think trouser jeans needed a typical, small jeans hem so I gave them a 1.5" (I think) standard hem which also works better with the scale.

Here's another before/after. Before: comical. After: Great for wearing with tall wedges!

Before... (seriously, who were these made for?!)

After!
Yeah, that hem looks way better!

As you can see, they worked great with the printed top!

On these side views you can kind of see where I started the tapering and redid the side seam. Luckily I had a heavy navy thread that matched almost perfectly!

You can pin for later! You may want to do this to a pair of jeans sometime!

If you like the look of these jeans, I did find some similar ones you can shop here. And if you think you'd like to DIY this or other easy, common clothing modifications and re-style projects, PLEASE check out my book, DIY Wardrobe Makeovers! (You can now get a new copy for only $10.99!)

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Shimmery blue sort of retro party dress!

1.26.2016

Shimmery blue sort of retro party dress!

A party is a reason for a new dress, right??

This year my company's winter party was WWII USO-themed, held at a very cool old building at Fort Vancouver, complete with cake walk, air raid sirens (you know, before announcements), and swing dancing. (We even held a bake sale at the office a couple weeks before and raised a ton of money for some local veterans' organizations!)

Now, I'm not going to lie--yes, I was on the winter party committee and yes, I may have suggested the retro theme because it's fun to dress for it. Last year we had a ski theme which everyone got really into and was super fun, but I didn't get a chance to wear a pretty dress!

This year almost everyone got into it again, with lots of red lipstick and several people (me included) attepting victory rolls (see how I actually looked at the party here). I wanted to make a dress that would fit with the theme, but also be something I could wear again later.

Not a lot of careful planning went into the dress--I looked at my fabric stash and found a shimmery blue-purple changeable poly that was actually a massive curtain swag I got at a secondhand shop. Tons of yardage. I had been picturing it as an overlapping bodice, full skirt--I pulled out Butterick B5319 and planned to lengthen the bodice pieces a ton and make the midriff panel into just a waistband.

For the skirt, I wanted something really full and had enough fabric for a circle skirt, so I used the skirt from Butterick B4792, a 50's vintage reprint with the circle skirt with front and back concentrated gather areas. So cute. In the shimmery drapey poly, the skirt doesn't look like the ones on the pattern cover but is still super fun to wear and dance in!! I tried a puffy petticoat underneath but it was too long and too full for my taste. Would have made it more 50's New Look, anyway.

The circle skirt took absolutely forever to hem, but is so fun!!

I realize now that it's done that it doesn't look 40's retro at all, but it doesn't matter. It was pretty and fun to wear. Of course I dressed it up with pearls, red lipstick, a vintage fur shrug, and my attempt at victory rolls in my hair! (See here.) It was perfect for the party!

Patterns: Butterick B5319 (bodice) and Butterick B4792 (skirt)
Modifications: 

• Made bodice almost full length and made midriff panel into waistband
• Cut skirt as long as I could from my fabric but it ended up shorter than called for

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New knock-off: J.Crew leather patch pocket pullover tutorial

1.13.2015

New knock-off: J.Crew leather patch pocket pullover tutorial

This is a fun, dressier DIY clothing makeover/knock-off!

Inspired by the J.Crew Factory merino pocket tunic and the J.Crew merino leather pocket sweater (both from more than a year ago, I think), I put together this tutorial for a simple patch pocket detail on a plain sweater. Here are the originals...

J.Crew merino leather pocket sweater (sold out)

J.Crew Factory merino pocket tunic

And here's what you can make!

Leather Patch Pocket Sweater Tutorial

You will need:

• Crewneck sweater or long sweatshirt
• About 1/4 yard leather or faux leather (mine was super cheap fake leather, but since it won't bear much strain, that's fine)

Here's my "before" sweater and finished project.

(Note: this sweater had a funny balloon shape so I took in the sides majorly before using it for this tutorial--gave it an even more dramatic before/after, eh? See my method for taking in a lightweight sweater here!)

1. Try on the sweater;. TK

2. Cut approximate pocket pieces. You pick the proportions; this will depend on your size and the length of your sweater. Cut two identical. Mine ended up being about 7.5" wide by 10" long.

3. Fold over one corner for hand angle. Lay your hand on top of the piece, imagining 1/2" will be turned under on all sides. I did a right triangle, but it could be more steeply angled like the original.

4. Topstitch the top pocket edge. Start with a row of stitching just over 1/4" (typically the presser foot width) from the edge. (Remove pins before you reach them.)

Then sew a row less than 1/8" from the edge. If you can tell up close on the original, there are two rows of stitching which adds to the quality look.

5. Trim the excess pocket. Leave a small seam allowance outside your first row of top stitching. It's not like it will ravel!

6. Pin or clip under 1/2" all the way around. Leather and fake leather are difficult to pin, so you can also use sewing clips like these--very handy for thick projects, too.

7. Pin pocket in place. Approximately on top of the hand position you marked, pin the pocket down on one side. You'll probably be able to align it with the grain of the sweater to keep it vertical and straight.

8. Top stitch on the sweater. With about 1/8" of the folded seam allowance to the right of the needle, top stitch all the way around the pocket.

9. Match the other side. Fold the sweater in half lengthwise with the sewn pocket facing down and line up the second pocket's edges to put them in exactly opposite places. Pin carefully (repeat step 7) and top stitch (step 8).

Easy!

P.S. My suede flats are from Lands' End and I love them. Great price, real leather, even come in wide! And sparkle.

Try it at home!!

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Little Fixes: refashioning kids' clothes!

9.26.2014

Little Fixes: refashioning kids' clothes!

I think it is so exciting when fellow bloggers write books. I love seeing beautiful books in the sewing section of Powell's by names I recognize, and I love seeing the behind-the-scenes on blogs and social media! Writing a book was always a goal of mine, too, and I can't wait to share my book with you when it's out in May of 2015, but until then, I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing about this refashioning book for kids by Disney of Ruffles and Stuff.

I've been reading Disney's blog since, uh, right around the time I started blogging, I guess! Sometime in 2009, back when her now 7-year-old was very small. Disney does fun party decor, headbands, clothing and home refashions, and projects for her cute daughter. She now has two foster toddlers living with her, so even more experience working with and for kids!

Disney just came out with a book about reusing, recycling, repurposing, and restyling kids' clothes to make them last longer. A whopping 54 projects for boys and girls, toddlers to teenagers, for clothes that are too small, too big, damaged, or out of season. And with a great name: Little Fixes: 54 Clever Ways to Extend the Life of Kids' Clothes!

Disney sent me a PDF copy to read and enjoy.

I don't have any little ones to sew for, but I sure do appreciate good refashioning ideas! I love some of the ideas for covering stains and rips - the faux plaid shirt is very cool, and the polka dot sweater patch project is totally something I would wear! The t-shirt transplant is another great idea, and I love seeing her photos of the reverse applique method.

Having just written a sewing book myself, I can totally appreciate the work Disney put into the projects (and she did the styled photos herself!). The introduction has some great basics on supplies and techniques that will help you with the projects.

Plus the kids are really cute. The book features 12 models, which I can assume are friends of Disney's, and they totally lend their personality to the shots (and quotes!).

Disney succeeded in making a fun, colorful, practical, easy-to-use sewing book for moms and kids! Please check it out on Amazon if you're looking for some new projects, or as a great holiday gift!

Little Fixes: 54 Clever Ways to Extend the Life of Kids' Clothes

This is not a sponsored post and I received no compensation for my review. I just like sharing successes of fellow bloggers with you!

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Some modern but classic all-American prep inspiration, plus How to Wear DIY - a modified colorblock dress!

7.01.2014

Some modern but classic all-American prep inspiration, plus How to Wear DIY - a modified colorblock dress!

I've had a magazine page binder for many years now. As much as I enjoy Pinterest and websites and my computer file structure, I'm so glad I've kept my inspiration binder to save gems like this piece. (Although I've also realized I can scan these magazine pages, and share them with you! There's just nothing like the printed word and photos to share a brief article with great images, is there?)

I pulled these pages out of my April 2014 Glamour magazine, and was immediately reminded of a dress I made last year and reworked this summer. I'll let you see the piece first!

In short, of course, Zooey Deschanel now has an apparel line, teamed with Tommy Hilfiger. I think her style has gotten a little more classy, classic, dressed up, and style-versatile in recent years, although many of us probably still think of sterotypical quirky and adorkable 2010 Zooey when we hear her name. But, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw these highlights of her line with Tommy. Not to say I'd wear all of them, but they did remind me of some of my own creations!

I was immediately reminded of this red and navy colorblock dress I made last year. I love cotton sateen solids for dresses--perfect weight for both bodices and skirts, totally wearable, not too wrinkly, bright and with a little sheen, but still 100% cotton. Great for a preppy, primary colors look. But, I didn't find this particular dress, I think because of the sleeves. Cute, but not great for layering or super warm days. Funny because I just removed the sleeves from this striped dress (also preppy!) and enjoy wearing it a lot more sleeveless! So I did the same thing to this dress.

Although, instead of turning the bias binding inward and topstitching on the armholes, I let the navy contrast bias binding show.

And wore it over the weekend to a get-together! So for the How to Wear DIY portion of our post today...

Luckily bias binding tape comes in lots of colors, and the navy was pretty easy to match to the navy of the skirt!

Bag, belt, shoes: Target/Target via Goodwill. Dress: DIY, here!, made over

Again, hooray for remaking clothes I already have to make a more wearable dress. 

And thanks, Zooey, for the red, white, and blue inspiration - perfect for the coming holiday weekend!

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A modified striped dress - much easier to wear this DIY!

6.03.2014

A modified striped dress - much easier to wear this DIY!

I made over a dress!

Last spring I made this navy/white striped knit dress, a simple, classic fitted bodice and short sleeved style (worn in a How to Wear DIY post here). I love the classics! Navy + white, nice stripes, simple pattern (Simplicity 1873 and the short sleeves from Simplicity 2444). I liked the bodice shape, but because the skirt was short and not too full, it was more of a sporty look than the girly cap sleeves allowed so I didn't wear it much.

I think I've been seeing a lot of simple tank dresses like this one around this spring, and I wanted something as basic and easy to wear. Rather than make something new, I decided to modify my old one!

Source

It's actually really exciting to me to remake something in my closet because I don't need anything new most of the time, just to maximize what I have by making it more fun to wear. So I remade my sleeved stripey dress... into a playful tank dress to match the classic stripes and summery length!

Modifying a sleeved dress bodice into sleeveless

The bodice was lined in self-fabric, so I knew I had to be careful keeping both layers together as I turned it into a sleeveless dress. So, I put it on my dress form and allowed the layers to stretch evenly as I sketched the approximate line I wanted for the armhole. (I only did it on one side!)

I put some pins around both sides of the line and on the other shoulder side and then, at the machine, sewed directly over the purple fabric pen line in a large basting stitch.

Then I cut 1/4" from the purple line to allow the seam allowance of the bias binding I used.

Then I had a "pattern" of the right sleeve and I pinned it in place inside out on the left side and drew 1/4" from the cutting line to make the left side match; then sewed again in a straight basting stitch to secure the fabric on that side.

Then I installed this single fold bias tape as a bias facing. Here it is inside out so you can see!

That stuff is so handy! Perfect for armholes, especially in an existing dress!

Then I got a chance to wear it over the (mostly nice) weekend to an outdoor grilling party. Big hat necessary!

Shoes: Target (similar/similar). Hat: Old (similar/similar) Belt: Came on pants (similar) Dress: DIY, original here!

So much more fun and wearable now!

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