January Refashion Month with Lauren from Adventures of Lauren

Lauren from adventures of Lauren, wasn't a total stranger to me, because we were both part from the Refashion Co-op comunity - she's actually one of the editors - but it was only when we competed together at Refashion Runway that I started following her blog and all her creations. During the entire competition, I was amazed at how much creative all my fellow contestants were, and Lauren wasn't an exception. It's a pleasure for me to have her sharing one of her stunning refashions, with a tutorial!

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I am so excited to apart of the January Refashion Month over at the House of Estrela! I am so excited to share my refashion with you. First off, my name is Lauren and I blog at The Adventures of Lauren. By day I am a scientist studying cancer chemotherapy resistance and during the nights and weekends, I find my creative side with refashioning and sewing.

I really enjoy challenging myself. One year while trying to save some money and unleash my creative side, I gave up shopping only to thrift or sew it myself. This year is no exception. I am setting a goal for 99 refashions and again no more shopping just sewing and refashioning! So 2014 will be a fun year! Here are some of my favorite refashions I have done in the past.

Today I am show what I did with this blue sleeveless button down that I thought I would wear as is. On the hanger it looks great. 

On me not so much....

What's wrong? The neck is too small and I can't button it up.

Too tight in the hips.

There is a funny thing going on in the armholes. They are too big. They open up.

So I need to make these arm holes work for me, add some wiggle room, and fix the choking aspect of the neckline. I wanted something different than adding to the sides of the top, I want to add it to the back of the shirt. So away we go!!!

1. Unpick the neck band with my seam ripper.

2. Fold top in half matching up the shoulder seams and cut away a new neckline. I went right below the first button but above the 2nd (#3).

4. Now we have a new neck. We will finish it tomorrow. 

5.  Mark the armholes on how much need to be taken in. 

                                6. & 7. Sew making sure each side matches. 

8. Measure how long the back is. Mine was right at 26 inches

9. Mark center of back

10. & 11. With filler fabric, mine was black satin, create a triangle using the length. I folded mine in half to make sure I stayed even. The top was around 3-4 inches across to account for seam allowance.

12. After the triangle was done, inhale & exhale and cut straight down the center back of the top.

13. Unpick the top part in order to get the fabric out in order to attach the fabric.

14. Match right sides together and sew

15. To clean up, I serged each side. But if you don't have a serger you can do a zigzag or overcast stitch. 

16. Shows the side on how nicely the satin connected to the blue cotton. It also shows the start of my serging of the shirt bottom but my pictures got mixed up and I'll refer to this later.

17. Pull the fabric through the top placket that we unpicked earlier to pull out the fabric. Now time to put it back together.

18. Sew

19. Done

20. Now to fix the bottom hem. I used my serger to cut off the hem. Alternatively you can cut with scissors and do a hem.

21. Refer back to 16 to see what my bottom hem looked like. Fold over and sew (22). 

24. Now to finish the neckline. I prefer to use the bias tape method to give a clean edge. Helps me keep my sanity. I found a piece of like colored bias tape, in case of any sort of showing. 

25. & 26. Pin the opened bias tape to the right side of the neckline. Sew along the fold. 

27. Fold the bias tape to the wrong side and iron. You should see nice curves. The heat will help you achieve the curves.

28. Top stitch the neckline. You will grab the bias tape. See 29.

30. Now this was longer than usual so I folded under (on the wrong side of fabric).

31. Resew the neckline again. A little farther away. Normally I don't use extra wide bias tape, this instance I needed to accommodate the extra width. 

32.  Done. We have double lines. 

33. I always save the ends for last. Fold the bias tape under

34. Pin and sew

35. Done. Nice clean edge. 

36. Last but not least I did not like the white buttons now that I have a black stripe down the back. I took them off and replaced with black buttons. See 24 for what they look like.

Done! Now I have a shirt that fits me. Something casual to go run errands in.

No more neck hazards here... And fits the hips

Hey check out those arm holes.

Now for the surprise in the back. 

Now for the obligatory cat picture b/c my cats love attention. But it also showcases the fact I have more wiggle room to move with my shirt now.

Hope you enjoyed my little tutorial. I am honored to be a part of this series! Thank you Magda for having me!

Cheers,

Lauren 

Adventures of Lauren 

January Refashion Month with Bonnie from Thrifting, Crafting, Personalizing

When I first mention a new edition of Refashion Month, I had a couple of bloggers stepped in and saying they would like to guest post for us. Bonnie, from Thrifting, Crafting, Personalizing was one of them. Back then, I didn't know her yet... or so I thought. After visiting her blog, I realised I had been there before, I recognised her Project Run & Play projects from the last season. Bonnie has been refashioning for her boy and most recently for her one year old daughter. It is my pleasure to introduce her to all of you.  

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Hi guys! I am so thrilled to be participating in Refashion Month!
Today I want to show you a quick refashion I did for my daughter. I was pretty conflicted on what to do my post on even though I have been refashioning most of her wardrobe and her brother's wardrobes recently and I kept forgetting to take pictures so finally my husband asked me about this last one-if I had before and after pictures (I do) and told me "Go With That" so here I am.
She grows like a little bean sprout just like her brothers and money has been tight this past year with my husband fighting to get disability so I was seeking ways to "Extend" her wardrobe as long as possible and when she was born my best friend gave us a huge box of 0-3 months sized clothes with a few 6-12's in there. Length seems to be the biggest fitting issue with my daughter since most baby clothes are knit and forgive her chunky baby belly and thighs; but her torso, arms, and legs are longer then her RTW size.
In light of that I wondered if I could refashion one of her footless sleepers into a basic cardigan.
I have done this now to 3 of her outgrown snap front onsies; 2 were originally 0-3 month sized and the pink striped one was 6-9 month sized and is actually pretty big on her.This is the most recent one I have whipped out-this is truly a quick sew from onsie to cute cardigan!

First you make an even cut straight across 1/4 inch underneath the bottom most snap (right before the front snaps turn into crotch snaps)

Take an old outgrown knit onsie or knit baby pants in a complimentary color (newborn and 0-3 month pants usually have a good amount of fabric for this unless they were closer fitting styled pants.) and cut them into even strips however wide you want your bottom band to be; you may have to piece the strips together to get a band long enough to go all the way around the bottom of your cardigan.

Then you will want to sew the short edges of your waistband in 1/4 inch to the same side so when you fold it in half it will hide the edge finishing and give you a clean look to the ends of your waist band.

 Fold it in half (top to bottom not lengthwise) and pin to your cardigan's bottom with the folded side up towards the top of the cardigan and pin along the outside of the cardigan so when you sew up this seam to connect the two you can then press the raw edges up towards the inside of the cardigan and topstitch to keep the band in place.

With the turquoise cardigan removed the longer sleeves and leave the puffed ones, and with the pink striped cardigan I used the cut off leg parts to lengthen the arms and I also used fabric markers along my cuff, neck, and waistband seam lines as well as the center of the snaps and the faux pocket edges to give it a little more red to match some refashioned pants I will be making her soon.

Anyways, I can't wait to see what the other Refashion Month ladies have in store for us and I sincerely hope this little post might help someone extend their growing kidlet's wardrobe just a bit more :)

Cheers!
Bonnie MS

January refashion Month with Max California

When I thought about another edition for the Refashion Month, it was obvious to me that I had to include Max California in it again. I was happy that she was excited about it too. I can't tell how much I love her blog, most of all because of her creativiness. I am always surprised by her fabric choices and the little details she sometimes adds to her creations. 

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Hey guys! It's Ari! I was here last year with this cute little bimaa sweater for my daughter Eddie (oh man she was so little!) and today I am here to show you my favourite skirt! I didn't think it would be so amazing when I made it, but everytime I wear it I get so many people talking about it. That makes me feel so good ^_^ It's not a particularly amazing skirt, but I think it's the fabric that gets the attention!

I went opshopping a while ago and found this awesome satin dressing gown that had my first comic book crush all over them. The Ghost who Walks, Kit Walker, THE PHANTOM! Oh man I was so so in love with him and would spend hours reading Phantom comics when I was a kid. So you can imagine that I may have made a little squeak when I saw the Phantom fabric of the dressing gown peeking at me from a rack.

I used the original hem of it, as well as the front pockets of the gown. I'm so clever I didn't take a before photo, but it was a basic satin men's dressing gown. I overlapped the centre front and stitched it shut, then cut the bottom of the gown so it was the length of the skirt I wanted. Then I constructed it basically like my first ever tutorial I ever wrote! Hah, the Underbust pinny (i was pregnant with Vinnie!) just without the straps! And without the bow, obviously.

Right now we are in the middle of a heatwave, so it is way too hot to be wearing it! I just want to show you that it's not hard to make something from something else, just find something you love and make it work! I had several Ughhhh what am I even doing? moments while sewing this (because sewing with satin makes me Hulk out), but in the end it all came good, and I am the only person on the planet with a Ghost who Walks Skirt! Swing by my blog to see more inspiration for turning things into other things! Check out my Recycling Clothes tag for some fun!

January Refashion Month for the sewalongers

I am so sorry. I wanted to post this yesterday, but things have been crazy this last few days. I hope you've been enjoying the first week of the series. I surely did! 

Just like last year, you can sew along, refashion anything you'd like and share it on our flickr group. By the end of the series, I will do a round-up of all the guests posts and also will pick and feature some of the sew along photos. So, if you want to join the fun... click HERE, join the group and share your refashion(s) too. 

January Refashion Month with Heather from Feather's Flights

It is also a second time for Heather, from Feather's Flights guest posting for the Refashion Month Series. She's an inspiration when it comes to refashioning and I am always surprised at the clothes she designs and sews either for her or her son. Last year, I found it so interesting how she combined all her origins to create her son's Independence day outfit. This time, she's sharing a maternity sweater refashion, which I will try for myself for sure. I'm starting to need them now! 
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Maternity Sweater Refashion
I'm so excited to be here again! I loved making something for the series last July and can't wait to see all the great refashions this time! I wanted a cute basic maternity sweater without having to pay for a new one. I found an extra large men's sweater at the thrift store to refashion, and it's 100% wool!  It turned out better than I thought it would, and it's a great basic green that can be matched with almost anything.

Supplies
Extra large sweater
Sewing supplies

1. Put the sweater on to see how much needs to be taken it. I did the same measurement from hem to armpit and then I tapered out to the sleeve hem.
2. Because my sleeves were WAY too long I planned to fold the cuff up. When I sewed in the sleeve, I stopped at the cuff. (See the first picture.)
3. Trim and finish edges.
4. Turn the sweater right side out and sew in the sleeve cuffs. Feel free to try on the sweater to see what needs to be taken in. Trim.
5. Fold the cuff up and tack down.

I was planning on added elastic to the sides to give it more of a maternity look, but once the sides were in I realized I loved the length of the sweater. If your sweater is too long, add elastic to the side seams to shorten it and give it the cute, gathered look.

January Refashion Month Series with Heidi from Elegance & Elephants

I can't tell when I started following Heidi's blog, Elegance & Elephants. I can tell though that I loved her talent ever since I came across it for the first time. Not only she has great patterns for sell (who hasn't heard about her gorgeous Bubble Shorts by now?! - picture below), she also has amazing free patterns to share. Her ideas have been so inspiring to me, and the series she hosts Knock it Off is one of my favourites too. It is with a big smile in my face, that I have the pleasure to announce we have Heidi sharing a refashion post with us today. 

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It's a pleasure to be part of the Refashion Month series here at House of Estrela.  I'm a big of fan of refashioning: it's inexpensive, great for the environment, and can make sewing easier when you can use existing finished edges…what's not to love!?

Today, I'd like to share some of my previously refashioned outfits and garments.  Click through for the tutorials and patterns used to make them.  I hope you can find some inspiration to create you own!

Bubble Pocket Shorts

 Zara Leggings Knock Off

 V Neck Cardigans

Three Button Top 

Winter PJs 

Urban Unisex Hoodie

Retro Refashion 

Scandinavian Style Upcycled Legwarmers

Thank you so much for having me here today!  I'm looking forward to more ideas on how to refashion as the series continues.

January Refashion Month Series with Pam from Threading My Way

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!

It doesn't seem too long ago, but it's already 6 months gone since July Refashion Month. A series I'm hosting, with a month full of guests sharing their post about refashioning. 

To kick off this winter edition of the series, I introduce to you the lovely lady behind Threading my Way, Pam. If you've been around for a while, you've surely heard of her before. Pam was also part of last year's guests, and her skirt refashion was quite a success. I am sure you'll enjoy reading about how she started refashioning, and revissit some of her greatest refashions. 

I was thrilled when Magda invited me to take part in this year's House of Estrela Refashion Month. Last July's month long series was jam packed with fabulous refashioning ideas, so of course I wanted to join in again this year.

Refashioning is not something new. In days gone past, people made do with what they had. Items, including clothing, were kept until they wore out, probably having been mended many times before they reached the end of their life. And when a piece of clothing could no longer be worn, the reusable sections were made into something else.

Out of necessity, people were, in general, more resourceful than they are today and even more so during especially hard times. In the 1940s, my Mum made a skirt from a tablecloth. Here in Australia at that time, rationing was in force. Clothes and fabric could only be obtained via a coupon scheme. There was no such thing as keeping up with the fashion.

Fast forward many, many years and it's become trendy to refashion. I doubt that the word refashion even existed back when my Mum was making clothes from a tablecloth or whatever was at hand. I imagine it was called being frugal... simply a way of life.

Now-a-days we still refashion to save money, but it is not the only reason. The environment most definitely benefits when we recycle or refashion clothes, as opposed to buying them. Refashioning is also a creative outlet, where one can easily make a one of a kind garment that no one else is wearing.

Even though I've been sewing for a long time, it's only in the last couple of years that I've begun to refashion. It was actually my daughter who encouraged me to refashion when she suggested I take a favourite baby doll t-shirt dress and turn it into a bag. My daughter didn't get quite the reaction she had hoped for. I think I was rather negative. But if I make a mistake, there's no going back. I don't have a pattern. And my non-sewing (at that time) daughter, You can do it, Mum. If you can make.... this will be easy. You just have to... And so my first upcycled project was a bag.

Funnily enough, once I'd made the first cut in the fabric, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. My daughter gave me the encouragement I needed to get started with refashioning.

My most adventurous refashion was also at my daughter's request... refashioning her wedding dress. Yes, that's right, cutting into her wedding dress to make a smart, day dress. Again, I was apprehensive, but once I made the first cut, I was off and running. My daughter designed and I sewed. You can read about the process from my daughter's perspective and also from mine.

I don't often sew for myself, but the Rose t-shirt is one outfit that was for me. The blue fabric was once a man's large t-shirt. Often I just make up refashions as I go, but in this instance I used a pattern and was able to keep the original hems for both the bottom and the sleeves.

The shirt dress is probably my most favourite refashion. It's made from a man's dress shirt, combined with a woman's blouse. I redrafted an existing pattern to cut out the bodice and then used a tape measure for the rest of the dress. Whenever possible, I try to keep some elements of the original, and in this case, was able to keep the sleeves and the button placket. Obviously the sleeves needed to be made smaller.

It's not a very good photo, but this gathered skirt was another favourite and was super easy to make. The denim yoke is from a woman's top and the black was once the bottom of a woman's skirt.

Refashions don't have to be perfectly sewn to be successful. Popularity with the little one who will be wearing it is probably more important than what you think of the garment. Turning a woman's dress into a stretch dress for a little girl is probably my most successful refashion, in terms of the number of times the garment has been worn. And it was a very quick refashion, too.

Men's dress shirts are fabulous for refashioning. If you come across good quality shirts, add them to your stash. Yes, I have a stash of pre-loved clothes, as well as a fabric stash. I loved the pintucks on the original shirt and was able to keep this element in the final skirt. If the project calls for it, I am happy to use new fabric in conjunction with the pre-loved clothing; in this case, the purple ruffle. The matching purple buttons were from a woman's cardigan.

If you are lucky enough, you'll sometimes be able to make more than one outfit from the one garment. The culottes and shorts were made from one pair of woman's pants. Using a pattern, the boy's shorts were cut from the legs. The pants were simply used as fabric, because I didn't keep any of the elements of the original pants. The culottes, on the other hand, retained the waistband from the original. I simply cut off the legs, finished with bias and added a bow. The shirred waist is great, as it fits a wide variety of sizes, so there was no need to alter.

If you've never refashioned before, perhaps begin with a pre-loved garment you don't care about. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. It won't take you long to gain confidence and then you'll be hooked.

Thanks for inviting me to be a part of the House of Estrela Refashion Month, Magda. I'm so looking forward to the rest of the series.

... Pam