|day 2| Refashion Month Guest: Ari from Max California

I'm not really sure when exactly I found my first guest blog, all I know is I became a fan right away! Today I am introducing you the creative lady behind Max California. Ari was the winner of Season 6 of Project Run & Play and we have competed together for the Sew Off too, her boy designs are the best always, so check out her blog if you don't know it yet!!! 

Hello! I'm Ari from Max California! I was super stoked when Magda asked me to be a part of Refashion July, as recycling and refashioning clothes is a MASSIVE part of my DIY aesthetic. I was cutting up band t-shirts and re-constructing them into  new shirts or skirts for myself and my friends when we would go to gigs (pre-motherhood!). Most weekends I would be found on the floor of my sewing space hacking up a t-shirt last minute literally as everyone was walking out the door to jump in the taxi to take us out! These days, I sew less for me and more for my kids, but I still have a huge pile of clothes that I use more than fabric meterage! During Project Run & Play I made friends with an awesome little lady who will be showing her stuff off here later this month, Suzanne from Winter Wonderings. She wrote an amazing summary post about the cost of competing that really struck a chord with me, and made me more determined to refashion old clothes instead of buying new clothes or new fabric. Since the competition I have bought only a few metres of lycra for a costume commission and some fleece for Vince's Sonic Hoodie, All my sewing since February has been out of my stash of fabric and clothes! Today I'm going to talk about the two ways I go about refashioning! The first way is to see a shirt, or a pair of pants, and cut them down to size. Resizing them to fit you or your small ones. Finding a dress that is a few sizes too big and cutting it down to a dress that will fit you. Or doing the reverse! I have found kids tees I loved, then adding fabric to make them larger and fit me! Of course it's not all just complete resizing. You may see a skirt that you like the buttons and features on it, and re-use those features into something completely different. The second way is to view the clothing you are going to refashion as fabric. This is the way I use mostly and the way that I am going to demonstrate to you today! When I got to the op-shops things that catch my eye mostly are the patterns on fabrics. Or even just plain fabrics, it's easier to find a colour I want in a second-hand shirt than new off the bolt at the fabric store. In my stash of 'clothes to cut up' I had this old singlet from my sister with roses on the front, and this nightie I bought from the op-shop when I was pregnant (It was super comfy but it needs new life!)

I decided to make Edison a few Bimaa Sweaters, since I love the cowl-neck on her and we are heading to New Zealand in a month for a family vacation! It is going to be FREEZING and the Bimaa Sweater is my go-to layering piece for her wardrobe. (PS. I'm not affiliated with Lou Bee Clothing at all, I just really dig Sarah's patterns! I was not paid/bribed to pimp her stuff, it's just seriously that awesome.) I decided that the singlet would be the main body of the shirt, and the pattern on the nightie would be for the cowl and cuffs. I wasn't sure if I was going to manage to squeeze out the sleeves from the singlet as well, but the side-seams were very flat and on the *outside* of the shirt rather than the bulk being on the inside. So I cut the sleeves out of the side-seam sections that I normally would discard.

Check out my scraps! The white singlet is on top, and as you can see there is HEAPS of the maternity nightie left! The finished result? Well, see for yourself!

 You can see in the sleeve up there the side seam of the original shirt!

Now I have heaps of leftovers for maybe some little matching leggings?

You can check out other things I have recycled and refashioned by checking out my Recycling Clothes tag on my blog! Thank you so much for having me Magda!

Refashion July 2013 edition!

I've been pretty excited here, and I am so happy to kick off today with my first blog series. It all started as a self challenge last year, as said here, and when I realised I was already inviting a few of my favourite blogger to be part of this with me for this year too.

I was able to put together lots of talented ladies! Some have big/popular blogs, others don't, but I am sure you will love them all equally! So don't miss every single one of them.

Max California - Alida Makes - Feather's Flights - Nelesc Designs - Threading my Way - Serger Pepper - Refashionista - Mammy Made - Carissa Knits - Do Guincho - Sewing Mamma RaeAnna - Made with Love by Hulibug- Winter Wonderings Wanderings & Whatnot - Theresa's To do's - MellySews - Mikelina Makes - Charity Shop Chic - Sew Chibi - Wunderbar Life - Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy! 

I hope this will be a source of inspiration to everyone! Follow and sew along, you can share your refashions with us in the flickr group.

And to start it I bring you a simple no sew refashion of my own for today! I had these jeans I loved and fitted me so well, but they were stained and I always wore them around the house and maybe to the grocerie a few steps away from home. It was breaking my heart that I couldn't wear them more often, to other places too. 

I forgot to take a before picture. It happens to me much too often, and it really bothers me, but I couldn't remember to take that photo until I had the jeans all covered in bleach! That's when I get the autch moment! Lucky for me, I was wearing them back in 2010, when we made a little fashion show with kids. They were all wearing refashioned items.  

Here's how they were before (sorry not too good pictures in this post!!!). 

I had seen a lot of bloggers bleaching their jeans and getting wonderful new pieces from old ones, but I was always a little too scared to try and do it myself. I realised that I had nothing to lose though, my jeans were ruined already so why shouldn't I give it a try?!

And I did it! I bleached my jeans. They were left in the mix of water and bleach for a whole day and night, and from light blue they have turned white. They weren't totally white after dry and they still kept some stains. 

But then I dyed them in my washing machine and they turned out a new pair of jeans, brown, which is a colour I've been loving more and more lately. 

I guess I will be able to wear them a lot more often now! And if I get sick of the brown colour, I think I can re-do it all over again.

It's such an easy process I'm still amazed why was I so scared to try it. And I loved the look of the contrastic thread on the brown of the pants. Don't you?

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Mickey & Minnie Drawstring Bags

One week away from my daughter's birthday and I still haven't done anything else but the invitations, and started sewing her outfit!!! Oh well, but that's not what brought me here today! 

I came to show you the finished drawstring bags I was ordered from a friend. They were a total of 26 - 13 each, and although I got to get a few calluses from my eyelet pliers, I got burnt with my glue gun and being up until late a few times, I finished them in time to send it to my friend, as party favours for her son's birthday. She got it a couple of days ago, that's why I waited a bit to show them here. I wanted her to be the first to see it. She said she loved it, so I'm quite happy about it. 

Note this is not my original idea, she showed me what she wanted and I just had to recreate it! I'm glad this project is done. 

I also kind of crossed one of my pinterest challenge items. Kind of because it was a sewing failure! I still plan to share it here and try again. 

WIP: sneak peeks!

I know it's been quite silent around here. I've been busy... pretty busy. This is my daughter's birthday month. And even though it's only by the end of the month, I love to get started pretty soon. Last year I started planning it 6 months ahead. No kidding! But I figured I should save that anxiety problem this year. Project Run and Play and all the other challenges have kept me quite busy so far, to think about that. But it's getting closer, and I have to put my hands on it soon. 

I hurried to get the invitations done by the end of May, so I could focus on all the rest and have an idea of how many guests we were having... 

BUT, June is a busy month for me... not only I have my daughter's birthday, I also got an order from a friend for her kid's party too. She ordered 26 drawstring bags (20x30cm). 13 Minnie like and 13 Mickey like. I am finishing it already (thanks god, I can't stand that many bags anymore! hehe), but I still have to sew 13 ribbons for the Minnie like ones. 

Before this order, I had started doing my kids clothes for her own birthday. A couple of months ago I discovered Marta's blog (DoGuincho), exactly by the time she posted about these pleats. Ever since I wanted to try it myself. By looking at her pictures I didn't think it was hard so it was always on my mind for a future project. And I was really happy when Marta wrote her own tutorial for them, it really made my life easier, so Obrigado (thank you!) Marta!!!

When I thought of what to do for G.'s second birtday, I first thought of a dress, but then I went back... wait... ANOTHER dress added to her already growing-up-fast-list of dresses? No way! I had to donate a few fitting ones because they were just too much, how would I make another one?!

I decided I would do something different this time, but since I know that at least one of my readers will be at the party, I won't show or tell you what my idea was. Not yet, you'll have to wait until after the party!

The only thing I can tell you is that I am finally doing the pleats! And boy... they are time consuming. I think I might have spent about 3 to 4 hours on them already ( I can't tell since I didn't do them all straight), and I still have about the same amount to do... 

sorry for the blurry picture!

And there's more... yesterday I got invited to a Christening of my cousin's kids with two weeks ahead the event. I won't be sewing anything for baby G. but I'd like to sew myself a skirt, and I'd like to sew something as a gift for my little cousin B. She's almost 3 years old but she's wearing basicly the same as my daughter, so size should be an easy issue - I guess. 

Not all yet... on the 17th there's our little niece's first birthday too. And I'd love to sew something for her too... just not even sure what that'll be yet! Any ideas?!

And last... I have to get started on my own project(s) for July's Refashion Month... are you with us?

Pinterest Challenge

I liked to take part of the pinterest challenge a few weeks ago. It motivated me to get around to do some of those things I pinned and were forever waiting for me to give it a try. So I decided I will start my own personal pinterest challenge monthly. I will have to get 5 of my pins done each month. And I have created a board on Pinterest, just to collect all the pins I've done.

So, for June here's my pick - not necessarily on the same order:

#1 - A Piñata Cake for my daughter's second birthday

#2 - Harem Pants for my daughter

3- Potty Training Pants

4 - Old Fashioned Lollipops

5- Something similar to this

I just feel like I'm going through a fase when I need to get challenged! Let's hope I get everything I wish done!

Tutorial: The Emerald Dress

Does any of you remember the Emerald Dress I've refashioned for the Sew-vivor sewalong? Ever since, I've been planning to share the tutorial on how I made it, and it's been postponed ever since.

I am a petit size, so that means I could use the existing dress/skirt to make a petit size refashioned dress. The fabric I used was just enough for the new dress to be at all fitable. So, make sure that you have enough if you're refashioning too.

Wait no more! Here it comes.

1. Lay your pieces flat and draw the pattern pieces. I had a 1cm allowence because I had no more fabric to use, but you can make it bigger.

2. Cut your pieces. For this dress, I needed 4 pieces front and 4 pieces back. I flipped front and back from the original dress, so my buttons will be on the back. Since I was reusing them, I didn't have to leave a seam allowence for the center back.

3. Pin all your pieces together.

4. Sew seams on machine. Press them open on the front center, and the rest to the sides. 

5. On the right side of the fabric sew a paralel stitch (I used my foot's width). 

6. A look of it all stitched down on the front. 

7. Mark your button holes. I used the existing ones, but they weren't enough, so I had to add a couple more. 

8. I traced the pattern into the lining from the original piece and had it cut by the waist. I've used one the original stripes to make the new different one, which was sewn between the two layers of fabric (sorry I was so involved with it at this part that I forgot to take some photos). It was then pinned and sewn to the outter pieces. First right sides together. Turn around and press.
9. Sew a stitch line as close to the edge as possible to keep it in place.
10. I've closed the side seams by hand.
11. Just a look at the finished back.

12. back to the button holes, since my thread was different and contrastic to the original, I had to sew button holes over the existing original ones. you can see it clearly in this picture below.
13. A look at my finished dress, back and opened.
14. For the belt, all I had to do, was sewing a piece of lace to the other stripe from the original dress, add a button on one edge and a button hole to the other. And it was done.