Refashion Month with HattieLu Handmade

Denita from HattieLu Handmade was a new to me blogger that joined the series. As I said before, I love that while  hosting this seriess allow me to get to know more blogs, more interesting and talented people from all over. She's the mom to three boys, she sews for them, and herself too. She runs a little shop with the cutest handbags, wallets, etc. Show her some love and visit her. For our series she refashioned for herself for the first time. How great is that?! Look at the cute pair she made. 

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Hi House of Estrela readers! I'm Denita from HattieLu Handmade. I'm excited to show you my first women's refashion!

I'm new to the world of refashion and upcycle. The extent of my knowledge has been taking old t­shirts and making new shirts for my boys. Today, I'm stepping outside my comfort zone to refashion something new for me.

I didn't really know where to begin. Usually I hang onto clothes for an eternity because I think I'm going to wear them again. Eventually, the clothes make it to Goodwill. However, I'm in luck. There was a large box off to the side where I found three shift style dresses that haven't worn in at least five years.

Great, free material...but what to do with the material?? Mental block abound. Then it hit me! I love handbags and need something to carry small things. I've also started to wear more skirts and dresses. Eureka! I had my answer.

First things first! Which handbag pattern should I use? Swoon Coraline was the one!!! Coraline doesn't require a lot of fabric and allows for a little creativity. The accent fabric was a laundry failure that's been sitting on the shelf for a year. True story...didn't realize that denim fabric was in the wash load when washing the flower fabric. Oh well! Works perfectly for this project! 

I measured and marked the length needed to save for a tank top, then cut the remaining skirt portion off the dress. There was a seam on the back of the dress that I wanted to incorporate in my handbag.

Now back to the tank top portion. I have plenty of shirts so I needed to be more creative with the tank top idea. There were three dresses exactly the same except for color. The coral one above was the first, there was a turquoise one, and a lavender one. The turquoise seemed to be the best choice to use with the coral. The colors were contrasting, but complementary.

Surprise! The top and bottom are cut at an angle to give the dress more pop! The dress is hemmed at knee length. On the next refashion, I'll take in the bust darts a little more!

So what do you think? Simple, quick, and easy way to refashion a few old dresses! Not too bad for my first try!

Thank you House of Estrela for reviving up my creative juices and helping me to think outside the box.

From a Box * Rebel and Malice * In a Manner of Sewing * Miss Castelinhos * Threading My Way * Fairies, Bubbles and Co. * Mabey She Made it * Conversas de Hermanas * Lulu and Celeste * Made by Sara * La Folie * Climbing the Willow * HattieLu Handmade * Swoodson Says * Knot so Normal* Friends Stitched Together * Just Another Project * Sew Thrifty