The Thrifty Garde Robe

A little embroidery….

2011-10-16T14:23:00.001-05:00

can transform a boring skirt into something a bit special.

Take one 70’s stretchy skirt…

…add an old embroidery transfer…

…and play around with stitches you got from an old embroidery book.

It looks better on me than on the mannequin, but I never take photos of me if I can possibly help it! The stretchy synthetic fabric was the devil to embroider neatly and I should have used some stabilizing fabric to stop it puckering, but overall I think it’s pretty cute.

Beccy @ wipster

Purple and dots dress refashion

2011-06-18T02:23:00.002-05:00

From this:

My friend E's late grandmother's dress.

To this!!!!:

Loooveeee!!!!

Hi everyone!
It's been a long not sewing/refashioning time...But now it's time to get creative again!
I hope you are stitching up many nice things. :-)

Ciao!

Barbara

Swimwear for Fun & Poop Containment

2011-06-06T14:17:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking about making a swim diaper for Penelope over the last few weeks. I wanted to make something like a Swimmi. Last weekend I went to Joann's and lo and behold, they had swimwear fabric in their clearance bin,and since all of their clearance fabrics were 50% off, the 1/2 yard that I bought only cost $1.25 plus tax. Can't beat that with a stick.

Since I had enough fabric, I decided to make a matching top. I went with a long sleeved, envelope neck T-shirt. I wanted the extra coverage for sun protection. I used McCall's 6103 for the top, but you could easily make a pattern yourself using this Made tutorial.

I guess I wasn't the only one thinking about swim diapers, because there's a great tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew! as well. Their swim diaper is either a pull-on, or a side snapping diaper. I don't like the idea of a pull-on, and I don't have a KAM snap press/pliers (yet!), so I decided to go ahead with my original idea. You should go over there and take a look at the pictures. They can be really helpful if you've never used fold-over-elastic.

I used the Chloe Toes free diaper pattern to make the bottoms. I made the preemie size, because it's just going on a bare butt, no prefold or other soaker layer. The fabrics I used were a swimwear fabric outer, an inner layer of *polyurethane laminate fabric (PUL), and a layer of mesh. I got the mesh at Joann's, in the utility fabric section. You don't want to get the netting that they have in the apparel fabric section. It's not sturdy enough. You will also need hook and loop tape and fold-over elastic (FOE). You can get all of your supplies at Joann's, that's where I got mine, with coupons of course.

Cut a patter piece from each of your 3 fabrics. I wanted some butt ruffles, who doesn't, so I cut two 1" wide strips from the selvage edge of the fabric. The selvage edge was white, so I thought it would look cuter than cutting the strips from the printed part.

Sew a long running stitch down the ruffle strips (the length and number of strips you will need will vary depending on which size diaper you sew). Lay your PUL, shiny side up, and put your outer fabric (in my case, swimwear fabric) right side up, on top of the PUL. Arrange your ruffle strips on the back end of the pattern and pin. Sew a straight stitch down the middle of the ruffles.

Place a strip of loop across the front of the pattern, and sew down both long edges using a straight stitch.

Both the ruffles and the loop tape are sewn to the outer fabric and the PUL. Don't sew those two things just to the outer fabric, especially if your outer fabric is a knit, because it won't be as sturdy and it could warp the shape of your outer fabric.

Pin the mesh pattern piece to the other fabrics, so that the mesh is next to the PUL. Don't pin the back wings of the pieces together.

Cut two 1" pieces of loop tape and sew them to the back wings of the fabric. Only sew them to the mesh and the PUL, leaving your outer fabric free. These will be your laundry tabs, and will keep the hook/loop tape from snagging anything when washed.

Pin all three layers together, marking the elastic placement points noted on the pattern. Sew your fold-over-elastic all the way around your fabrics, making sure to stretch it between those elastic placement points. Check out the tutorial I linked to if you have never used FOE. There are also some great video tutorials on youtube showing how to use it.

Cut four 1.5" pieces of hook/loop. Two pieces from loop side and two pieces from the hook side. Round one end on each of the pieces, and do a nicer job than I did.

You will sew these on to the ends of the back wings. The loop part will be on top of the outer fabric and the hook part will be against the mesh, so that the wing is sandwiched between the two pieces. Sew all around the tabs using a straight stitch and then zigzag around to keep the hook/loop tape from fraying.

Here's an action shot of the laundry tabs. Pretty neat, huh?

Here's Penelope modeling her new swimwear. From the waist up, she looks like a Duggar.

*You can get PUL at Joann's, in the utility fabric section. I've heard that their PUL is of crappy quality if you use it for covers which require constant washing. Since this is just a swim diaper, I think their PUL would work.

From Eema-le.

Feelin That Cloth Diaper Love

2011-06-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

I've been hard at work, sewing fitted diapers from various free patterns that I found online. I'll post a more detailed description later.

This fitted was made from a regular prefold. I used this tutorial. I like the way it turned out, but the leg edges are a little too stiff for my liking. I might make a few more from larger prefolds.

Here's Penelope in the prefold with a fleece cover on. I made the cover using Katrina's pattern, and then washed it with some fabric softener. The softener helps the fleece become more water repellent. It actually works. I wasn't sure that it would work, but she had a good pee and nothing got wet. Notice that Penelope is enjoying her new taggie blanket.

Here, Penelope is modeling another fitted diaper that I made. It's one of the ones that I'll blog about later, but I thought I'd post a picture as a teaser.

I also made a bunch of doublers to use at night. I bought some microfiber car towels, eight for $4 at Walmart, sewed another fabric on top of them, and then turned and top stitched them. I used flannel on half of them and a knit on the other.

From Eema-le.

Taggie/Teething Blanket Tutorial

2011-06-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

There are loads of different taggie blankets out there. I wanted to make one for Penelope because she's been putting everything in her mouth and drooling like crazy. This should satisfy her need to gnaw on things and sop up some of that drool.

Materials; ribbon (I used grosgrain), 2 different fabrics (I used a flannel and a terry), some thread.

Cut;
One 10"x10" square from each of the fabrics (2 total).
Eight 5"x2" pieces from each of the fabrics (16 total).
Eight pieces of ribbon 4" long.
One piece of ribbon 2" long.

Sew the 5"x2" pieces, one of each fabric, right sides together. Leave one short end open for turning.

Turn the rectangles right sides out and lightly press. Fold the ribbon pieces in half and lightly press as well.

Cut off one corner from the larger square pieces. I went in 2" on either side of the square.

Pin the ribbons and rectangles onto one of the larger squares. It's really easy if you have a gridded mat. The shorter piece of ribbon should be pinned to the lopped off corner (bottom right hand side in the pic). Baste all 4 sides.

Layer your second piece of fabric over the basted piece, right sides together. Stitch all the way around, leaving a small opening for turning. Turn right sides out and topstitch, making sure to close the opening that you used for turning.

I knotted a few of the rectangles to give Penelope some thing to really gnaw on. I also added a split ring from another toy to the short ribbon in the lopped off corner.

From Eema-le.

Pintucks in corduroy?

2011-05-18T04:53:00.001-05:00

This skirt was waaay too big, and dull. You can see where I had put a box pleat in the front but I didn’t like it very much so I unpicked it and started again.

I saw this idea in Sew Subversive and thought it might work even though the cord is very bulky.

I kinda like it. I sewed the pintucks down with contrast stitching so they face the middle and yeah, it is a little bulky but I much prefer it to how it was before. I might dye it a more chocolatey colour too because it is at the mousey grey end of the brown spectrum.

Beccy from Wipster

saving my (thrifty) Hungarian bag

2011-04-11T02:23:00.001-05:00

Hello again everyone!

It's been a while since I post something in TGR. Here's my latest project, saving my dying thrifty Hungarian Bag, purchased on a flea market for 60 cent on 2000. The labels sewn inside says "Made in Hungary", "Hand Embroidery" and "55%wool 45% cotton". Even the labels was handwritten! I don't have picture of the original bag, but it was something that looked like this :

I got bored with tote bag and on 2004 I change it to a sling bag with cotton webbing strap. But the bag looked uneven due to stretchy woolen material the bag was pulled to the north a bit and the bag never seen the day again.

Until last week, I was tidying up (switching our summer clothes to winter clothes) and I saw this poor old thing. A bit snip in here and stitch in there, I got a brand new bag which I really really love. I can wear it as shoulder bag or sling bag.

The complete Tale of the (thrifty) Hungarian Bag can be read here.

Old sheets into a tablecloth and summer skirt

2011-04-03T11:55:00.001-05:00

Hello! I've just joined you all and wanted to introduce myself. I'm an American in Paris, mommy of two (and thus blogging as "Mommy en France") and have recently returned to sewing after a very long hiatus. I am interested in refashioning, adapting ready to wear to my own shape and style, and in extending the life of my kids' clothes. I'm also slowing starting to sew "properly" from patterns, although this terrifies me a bit. Oh, and I blog over at Two little cabbages & cie.

I have a great stash of old sheets from my French mother-in-law and I have been starting experiement with dying some of the less ornate ones, then turning them into things. This weekend I dyed a few green and made a tablecloth and a skirt.

The tablecloth was very simple. I just folded a large sheet in half, ironed it flat, sewed around almost all four sides, very close to the edge, then turned it right side out (like you do when making a pillowcase), ironed it flat and sewed shut the opening. It's a lovely colour and a nice heavy old cotton fabric and looks good on the table, without being too fancy. The kids can spill on it, I can throw it in the wash and it will be fine. It's lasted at least 75 years as a sheet, so I'm sure it will make it a bit longer as a tablecloth.

The skirt was more fun to do. I used another sheet I'd dyed green and this "Super Easy Patternless A-line Skirt" tutorial from Sarah at Boulevard Designs. The sheet itself had a cool pattern of embroidery and cut outs along one edge, so I used that as the front hem. I recycled a hidden zipper from a dress in my "refashion" pile and I made a tab to cover the top, using buttons I already had and an old hair elastic of my daughters. So the cost of supplies was almost free - I only had to spend money on the dye. Thirteen euros (about 15 dollars) for a box of Dylon, which resulted in a tablecloth and a skirt. You certainly couldn't buy them here for that price!

More importantly, the skirt looked pretty good and it only took me about two hours. I'm sure it would take a more experienced seamstress even less time.

A shot I took myself of the front hem...

...and a shot my husband took. As you can see, the fabric wrinkles easily. But the skirt is a nice shape! Please excuse the boots - it poured earlier today, so we all wore our wellies to the park this afternoon.

Knit Wit

2011-03-21T23:27:00.000-05:00

I was told by my midwife to take it easy and just cruise on the couch. That's not an easy thing for me to do, so I've been knitting. I found all of the patterns on Ravelry, but since you have to have an account (totally free and well worth the few seconds that it takes to set on up) to view the site, I've linked to the original location of the patterns.

Pixie Baby Hat

Baby Bonnet with Ears/Horns

Baby Bubbles Smock, Saartjes Booties, and DROPS Bonnet

Lucille Cardigan and Bonnet

I've also finished Charlotte and Penelope's outfits for the open house that we're having in April. I wrote about the projects here and here a few months ago. The total cost of materials was probably around $15. The denim came from 2 clearance remnant bits, the lining was a donation from my mom (more than 15 years old), the lace was from a skirt I got in 8th grade (I'm almost 34, you do the math). I also used snaps, thread, elastic, hooks, and thrift store zippers, that I already had on hand.

McCall's 5791, a combination of views. The denim is not this dark in real life.

The jacket is View E from Simplicity 3513, and the skirt is McCall's 5461 (discontinued).

I found a spot of time for some sewing…

2011-03-14T05:24:00.001-05:00

I saw a girl the other day wearing the most beautiful jacket – it was navy with white piping, with big white double-breasted buttons. It was fitted and lovely.

I pointed her out to my friend, and realised that I had that jacket, or at least I could have it if I took in the shapeless 60’s ‘land ahoy!’ jacket below…

It was a bit of a faff, because I had to remove the lining, add multiple darts, reset the sleeves and then hand sew the lining back in, but I think it came out ok and is much more wearable now. I may never look like that lovely girl, but at least I now have a similar jacket!

Pop by my blog for more refashions!

Beccy

Patched Jeans

2011-02-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

I patched a pair of Trinity pants last night. It's hard to find stuff that fits right...she's really hippy. (these are Old Navy) I have another pair doesn't have holes yet but she wants me to do.

The owl and 3 (you can only see 2) flowers at the bottom were iron on patches I found at Jo-Ann's the knees I just cut different size circles. Before I added the circles I reinforced the knees with those old school iron on patches. I did that on the inside of the pants. I also used interfacing on the circles. I hand sewed them on with embroidery thread. I also stitched around the iron on patches because they always seem to fall off. I think they ended up kinda cute :)

The Bookshop Bag with PDF pattern download

2011-02-17T20:01:00.006-06:00

I know I haven't posted anything in a while and that's becuase I haven't really made anything in a while!

I decided to make a bag out of some fabric salvaged from an old men's suit jacket that I bought at an estate auction. Actually I got an entire closet of handmade vintage wool suits for $2.50. lol I used some scrap for the liner, two free buttons and some trim that a friend gave me. I'd say maybe the whole thing ended up costing about 60 cents.

I liked it so much that I made a free downloadable PDF pattern. You can get it on my blog!

Old Jeans Into an Apron

2011-02-10T19:10:00.003-06:00

I made this apron for my mother in-law using an old pair of jeans and some thrift-ed lace and heavy duty strapping.
For the flower I cut out graduated circles and cut into them to make the rough petals. I squeezed each one and rolled it around in my hand to get them frayed, stitched the pile together, made a running stitch along the lace, tightened it up, stitched it down and added the button while securing it to the apron.

See Art, Adventures and a Toddler for more projects and other stuff...
Thanks, Tamara

Swap-o-rama-rama Report #2

2011-01-30T17:32:00.003-06:00

Took my daughter and her friend to another Swap-o-Rama-Rama yesterday, this time just for kids' clothes, at the Re-Discover Center in West LA/Culver City. The idea was the same as the last time: bring a sack of clean decent clothes to donate, then pick through the sorted donations for some garments to take as-is, or alter at the various DIY stations in the swap space. Because this one was kids' clothes, the garments were sorted by size. The girls had a grand time putting together outfits and modeling for each other, giggling and posing. But they also took advantage of the alteration stations and the kind wise women who were available to share a skill or a tool.

Me, I did some handstitching, to reverse-applique a t-shirt, and to make myself a yo-yo headband from scraps of a tie-dyed shirt:

Kasia skirt number two…

2010-11-17T04:50:00.001-06:00

I should really make use of the iron more before I take photos! And I know we all say this, but it honestly looks much better on. I’m just camera shy.

This is the Burdastyle Kasia skirt I started an age ago, made from some of the fabric from these curtains I found in a charity shop for £6. I made Burdastyle’s Coffee Date Dress from the same fabric ages ago and decided to try and use it all up. That £6 is stretching far and I’ve got loads of the fabric left. Matching hat? Scarf? Coat? :) Maybe not, the look might be not so much Scarlett as the Von Trapp family.

This is my second Kasia, but I don’t think I’ll make any more. I just about managed the waistband first time round (but I was so involved in getting it right, it didn’t actually fit and was too big), but this time I lost my mojo and botched it together (but it fits). It’s an arse. Consider that a warning chaps! It’s probably easier to just do it the way you think it ought to go together. You’ll probably be right, it’s just the instructions that are confusing.

More info and chattiness on my blog, Wipster.

Beccy

Sewing For Baby

2010-11-05T22:16:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to taking some pictures of some of my baby sewing.

I made onesies, using McCall's 6103, out of some old t-shirts and a baby blanket.

This was an old long sleeved T that Rick gave me a while ago. The patch on the arm is actually the tag from the inside of the shirt. I used leftover bits from another t-shirt for the binding.

I highly recommend buying elastics online. You can find a great selection of styles and colors, and it's much cheaper than buying it in a brick and mortar store.

This, and the next two tops, are just peasant style tops that I made using my own pattern. This blue and white fabric was a vintage thrift store find. The pants are made out of old T-shirt sleeves.

I tie-dyed this fabric myself.

This adorable zebra fabric was in a huge box that I got from a friend of a friend. Gotta love free fabric.

I used this tutorial for the kimono top. The pants are made from old sweater sleeves.

I used this tutorial for the little dress. The orange fabric came from an old maternity top, and the flower from a vintage sheet.

I made these leg warmers out of some clearance bin knee socks from Target.

I a car seat canopy using this tutorial. I bought this Alexander Henry fabric about 2 years ago. I bought a bunch because I loved it and it was on sale. I still have a ton left. The yellow fabric was in the same box of free fabric that the zebra fabric came from.

The diaper bag was made using Ikea fabric for the exterior, and an old sheet for the interior. The zipper is a vintage thrift store find. I used this tutorial.

Hope you like,

NinjaEema

Elizabeth Bennet, Zombie Hunter

2010-11-01T12:59:00.000-05:00

For Halloween this year I decided to be Elizabeth Bennet, as a Zombie Hunter form the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I made the dress out of an old bed sheet, and I really like the way it turned out! I have more information on how the dress was made, and more pictures on my blog Farah Makes Stuff.

Thanks for looking!

Thrifty man’s shirt refashion with a mini tutorial

2010-11-01T12:29:00.001-05:00

I made this cute shirt-for-that-meeting-with-HR-I-have-next-week…

…from this big old man’s shirt.

If you’d like to see how I did it pop by my blog, Wipster and say hello!

Beccy

Mummy Me!

2010-10-21T18:53:00.000-05:00

We kicked off Halloween this past weekend with Zoo Boo. Our local wildlife zoo decorates the zoo for Halloween for 1 day and all ticket proceeds go to feed the animals through out the winter. I made my costume out of a tea stained sheet, a cream colored table cloth, 2 t-shirts from the husband, and a pair of Ralph Lauren white corduroy pants found at the thrift store!

Because I utilized my stash, total cost was under $5! That's nothing to moan about =:} It took 2-3 days for strip ripping and finally sewing. I wasted some time figuring out strip placement so they looked more like bandages and not ruffles. I do believe I'll add a few to tie the top tighter round my middle but other wise I'm happy. It comes off in 3 pieces, hat, top and pants.

Quite comfortable really, with room for a warmer layer of clothing underneath, just like this Mummy likes it.

Daughter's Halloween costume--done!

2010-10-20T20:59:00.004-05:00

We went to Scotland over the summer, and saw a parade with a lot of pipe bands, and this seemed like a doable costume to plan for this Halloween. The kilt and blouse she already had; the vest and hat are mine; we bought the socks and shoes. I made the bagpipes, the sporran (little pouch in front of the kilt), and the tabs on the socks. The pipes are made to be fitted around an alto recorder, so she can still "play" the recorder in its disguised form. Pipes and sporran are made from an old scrap of herringbone wool, a cut-up black t-shirt, wooden dowels, a crocheted belt, an old pin, and some craft felt. Still need to make a strap so she doesn't actually have to hold the thing constantly while partying in costume. ;)

Real Refashions!

2010-10-14T12:13:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of tops that I made for my youngest
This was a xl ladies sweatshirt I found at the thrift store.

This was a polar fleece top found at that same thrift store. The bird was cut free hand from the same pink as the top above and the button is vintage from my stash.

Pattern info is on my blog :)

Thrifted sundress to skirt…

2010-10-11T11:37:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the poor before photos, I took them late last night when I decided to start this project!

I got this dress from a jumble sale on Wednesday, it was 20p (!) in fact everything was 20 or 30p but by the time we got there (approx 15-20 minutes after the doors opened) it was a scrum with ladies elbowing each other out of the way for the chance of a bargain. I got a few things, but I saw some beautiful fabric disappearing into people’s carrier bags *sigh*…

Anyway, I like the fabric but the dress is totally not me – it also felt a bit maternity with that not-quite empire line and huge bump-framing bow in the front.

So I decided to take the top off and make a skirt out of the rest.

The back was shirred so I decided to rip the stitches along that not-quite empire line and cut across the middle of the shirring, making that the waist so I wouldn’t lose the casing for the bow/belt and could use the elastic instead of a zip.

You probably can’t see but there are gold holographic sequins on that top, *shudder*

I sewed bright pink bias binding around the top to stabilise it and added a casing to the top of the shirring to hold a wider piece of elastic. I also pulled the shirring tighter by pulling the elastic and tying a knot in it.

I took about 8 inches off the hem, re-hemmed then rethreaded the belt. All in all, it was about an hour’s work and now I have something I’ll actually wear!

For more refashiony goodness, check out my blog wipster :)

Beccy

Swap-o-rama-rama Report

2010-10-05T16:15:00.002-05:00

So I took my daughter and her girlfriend to the Swap-o-rama-rama in Venice CA last month. Great fun! The girls enjoyed the applique station a lot. Meanwhile, I found some goodies to play with:Sat at a table folding and thinking for a while, then put two items back and cut up the other two. I handsewed the whole thing because sewing machines make me use a lot of rude language :) After I got the body of the garment sewn (just two seams), I sat at the embellishments table and made yo-yos with buttons out of the back of the velour shirt. Then it was ridiculously hot in LA for a week, so I couldn't wear my creation, but today I finally did:
I might play with it some more, but it's wearable now and I like it as a layer.

Gnomey

2010-10-05T09:14:00.000-05:00

How is everyone? It's starting to really feel like fall here, we even gave in and turned out the heat...I hate that bill :) I only have a couple thing to show you today. First up is this little gnome top for my youngest

And a pair of wristwarmers I made for a friend...

All the pattern info and stuff is over on my blog :)

ahoy there me hearties!!!

2010-09-29T22:57:00.006-05:00

Hubby hates skull images/drawing/gothic stuff but me love it so much. Skull with red, navy and stripes will instantly bring you to the pirate world, or is it just me because I had too much Captain Feathersword on my daily dose?? :)

Last night I managed to make a pirate tee for my toddler girl (and I think it's wearable for toddler boy too).. I don't know how hubby will react when I put this on his little girl :D

you can see my other adult refashion to toddler clothing here

Glenda

Scrappy birthday card

2010-09-27T09:09:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I know it’s not clothing, but it used to be! I painted and stamped the background with fabric paints then sewed on fabric houses made from my mountain of scraps. I couldn’t resist the button moon (does anyone else remember the cartoon?)

There are bits of shirts, skirts, and allsorts in there :)

Beccy

www.wipster.blogspot.com

2010-09-15T00:49:00.007-05:00

I bought this kaftan/moo moo for $5 at the oppy. Liked the colours and pattern but all a bit OOTT. so this is what i did to it. I can wear it back to front or front to back. yay, a summer dress. xx kel

Mittens and a Dress

2010-09-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

I've only finished a couple things to show you this week. I made Lily a little corduroy dress and other pair of brown leggings (refashioned from an old pair of pants), this time longer (no picture). I also knitted Trinity another pair of mittens. All the pattern and yarn info is over on the blog.

Have a great weekend!

Merlinthecat

Hello!

2010-09-07T09:07:00.001-05:00

Hi, my name’s Beccy and I’m a bit new here, but you might have spotted me over on WR or on my blog, Wipster :)

I just wanted to share my two newest handmade things!

The cardigan is the Que Sera pattern from Knitty. It’s taken ages because I got caught up in other projects right in the middle. I like the pattern but I realised late-on that I wouldn’t be able to get the button spacing right so I just added an extra buttonhole when I knitted on the neckband. I think it looks ok? The buttons are some vintage ones I picked up at a jumble sale and the wool is some bluefaced Leicester I hand-dyed with weld an age ago. It’s a little bit itchy, but I’ll get over it because it’s such a pretty pattern!

The skirt was one I’ve had for ages, but it was too big and had a bleach mark on the hem:

To fix it I added two box-pleats, one in the front and one in the back to pull in the waistband. Then I hemmed it shorter to get rid of that nasty red bleach spot.

Hopefully I’ll have time to make lots more things to show you,

Beccy

2010-09-07T01:53:00.008-05:00

This dress was a joint effort by Kate from eviegreenpixie.etsy.com and me (Kelly)at fluffnnonsense. It was made from this gorgeous green sheet i found at the op shop for $4. It was a king sheet so heaps of fabric left over.........flares?maybe?

I plaited the straps with strips of same fabric and added doilies. The owl is off a T shirt that i wore twice and ripped a hole in.! its lovely to wear with the shirring making it extra comfy.

A Hat and A Skirt

2010-09-06T08:29:00.000-05:00

The hat is for my oldest. I knitted it using yarn from my stash and the button is from my button book. The flower I crochet out of the same wool I used for the girls mittens.

Trinity's newest refashion is this little jean skirt. I used an old pair of jeans that were starting to get holes in the knees. Really I should have just patched the holes because she doesn't really like the skirt. I think the outfit is too high maintenance for her. She keep having to pull in down and move it around. I was just trying to find a way for her to wear all the damn leggings my MIL buys her. While I love leggings on my youngest I don't like them on Gooey.... I think I might just give up on trying to make them work for her and pack them away or refashion them.

More pictures and pattern and yarn info on my blog.

2 items for SSS

2010-09-02T11:31:00.002-05:00

A while ago I signed up for Self Stitched September and then kinda didn't do any sewing. This has lead to some panicked sewing and finding of things I've already made. Thought I would show you the 2 items so far.

This skirt started out as a tablecloth which I then tried unsuccessfully to turn into a circle skirt. It sat on the UFO pile for a while and then I got my butt in gear, unpicked it and started again.

This one started as a pseudo smocked dress which was s disaster. Then it became another dress but I cut something terrible wrong so again it was consigned to the UFO pile. Now it's a simple dirndl skirt.

I've jumped on the petal shirt bandwagon!

2010-09-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

I've started sorting my girls fall clothing and oldest had stained one of her favorite shirts this past spring and I couldn't get it out. I let her choose how and what she wanted me to cover them up with. This is what we came up with.....

To make the petals I used and old t-shirt I had and cut wonky four leaf clovers. I kinda just bunched them out when I hand sewed them on. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. Other then going a little heavy on the petals on her shoulder I pretty happy with it. And, well, she loves it so that's really all that matters.

If you want to see more pictures of her being goofy in her new shirt you can can visit my blog.

Three into one

2010-09-01T14:02:00.004-05:00

I took those and made this:

Now I need a cardi to go with it. :-)

Ciao!
Barbara

Three headbands

2010-09-01T07:45:00.003-05:00

Hello!

Only little things to share today. :-)

All the material is reused, repurposed, refashioned.
I also made the red flower.

Have a nice and creative time!

Ciao!
Barbara

Mittens!

2010-08-28T12:07:00.000-05:00

Here are the first of many pairs of mittens for my girls this winter. My oldest is always outside playing and they never dry fast enough from then last time she's been out. I plan on at least 5 pairs for T and 3 for L....I hope that will be plenty :) Pattern and yarn info is on my blog. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

first handmade onesie!!

2010-08-26T20:31:00.006-05:00

Have you ever heard "Can't find it, Make it?". I have and I did after months of hunting 2T-3T onesie for my 20mth girl. I used my old slevelees tee, color coordinating binding from cotton knit purchased from opshop, snap buttons and spent 2 hours (dont have overlocker). Pretty happy with the result and definitely will make some more :)

More refashion projects on my blog.

Spring has Sprung - nearly!

2010-08-26T07:21:00.001-05:00

I needed a new top and skirt for a couple of reasons which I've blogged about here.

Fall

2010-08-24T12:48:00.001-05:00

It's starting to smell like fall here and I've been bitten by the sewing bug again.

This is a little outfit I finished for my youngest last night. The dress was once a button down and the leggings were made from a lace trimmed tank. Pattern info and more pictures can be seen here. I have lots of plans for this dress and leggings pattern and I can't wait to show you more!

Vogue 8615

2010-08-19T11:08:00.004-05:00

A little while ago I finished the muslin for my Vogue dress. All in all it's not gone badly. The neckline needed bringing in a bit. I know it's a boat neckine but this is so wide you can see bra strap. The french darts had the tiniest pucker and I have learnt that as a bigger busted lady my darts may need to finish much further away from the bust apex than the pattern states. So I tried shortening them a bit. The only other issue must be with me not the pattern. For some reasont he back seam edges of the bodice and the skirt don't meet. The top is much smaller. I don't know if it's a cutting error, stitching error or a combination of the 2. In this case where I sewed the zip on the skirt part seems about right and the bodice was too tight. So I frakensteined up the bodice to get the fit right.

Now there was one other thing but it's not really an issue right now. This pattern has sleeves. Ha! They are supposed to be set in smooth sleeves. Imagine Victorian School Ma'am sleeves and that was where mine were at. They were also far too tight. Now I do plan on leaving them off the dress I'm gonna make but at some point it would be nice to have a sleeved version so I'm gonna have to practice.

Fast forward a few days and I have finished my first version of this dress. I've not got the darts right yet. They are still a tad on the nipply side. I think that this is part sewing error, part lack of a ham to press them right. But I needed to whip a dress up for a costume so here it is. I've not lined the skirt as I plan to wear a petticoat with it. These pics are terrible, my posture is awful and it really needs ironing. But I was tired and just wanted evidence. I do plan on re-making this one so expect to see an improved version soon.

2010-08-13T02:20:00.006-05:00

Hey! here again to show off my latest creation. This is my second custom wrap fluffnnonsense skirt. The brief was: out there! love hot pinks, reds, purples, blue and with a fairy theme.

this is what i came up with. i am really pleased with how it turned out! the butterfly is embellished with sequins for extra sparkle. lots of lovely textures and colours and of course my fluffnnonsense "tie" ties xx

Thought id mention what materials i used. Main part of skirt which you can see amongst the doiley flowers and right of skirt is an op shop doona cover, the back of the skirt has a trim of wide lace that i bought, bottom trim of front of skirt is off a skirt that i thrifted (didnt know what id do with it at the time but..... knew it would come in handy), butterfly is off a thrifted bag, doileys, thrifted,velvet lace and fairy panel bought new. ribbon flower in fairys hair made by my aunty, other fabrics are thrifted, stolen from my friend or were orignially table cloths. fabulous wedges borrowed from a friend ( i soooo wanna keep them!!) and body supplied by me. Smug look on my face.......priceless! xx

In the pink

2010-08-06T15:05:00.002-05:00

I made a second version of Simplicity 4127. I'm still not totally happy with the pattern but think I'm almost there.

For a couple of more pics hop on over to my blog

Ribbon Tee Refashion

2010-07-26T10:23:00.005-05:00

Hi! I'm EmmyLou from Sewn and I'm excited to share some refashions on Thrifty Garden Robe! This is a plain shirt I've had sitting in my closet that I wanted to dress up. I decided to take some ribbon and make random rows of pleats going down the front.

I started in the center & stitched across the top of the ribbon barely above the seam on the shirt. Next I made a loop and stitched across the ribbon about an inch down. I kept doing this until I was where I wanted the row to end. Then I cut the ribbon folded it under and sewed that down. I kept doing a row on each side varying the length & I did more like 1&1/2-2 inches between loops. When I was done I had enough ribbon left to do a bow on one side. To cover up the top of the ribbons you fold the collar part down and stitch all the way around about 1/8" from the edge.

I also stitched up the center of each sleeve on a longer stitch length. At the top I didn't backstitch. Then I took the thread underneath and pulled to bring the top thread under. I pulled the top thread to gather the sleeve the knotted both threads together.

The only thing left is to press down the loops into pleats. I did this on a lower heat so I wouldn't melt the ribbon. If you want it more uniform you could measure out each pleat to be exactly the same distance apart, but I like the random look. Thanks & for more refashions for women & little girls check out my blog Sewn!

That's a wrap

2010-07-24T15:57:00.002-05:00

Thai wrap shorts! I adore Thai wrap trousers, I thin they are so very comfy and they are much easier to sew than fitted trousers. This short version has sat in the UFO pile for a year due to me making the crotch seam too short. But they are finished now and I am really pleased with them. They were made of new material I'm afraid but the ribbon I used for the ties was stash and the white cotton I used to add length at the waistband was also stash.

Strong as steel

2010-07-11T14:01:00.002-05:00

I improved a cheap corset I bought a few years ago by removing the nasty plastic boning and replacing it with flat steel. All I had to do was un-pick the bottom binding, replace the boning and then stitch back up and re-bind. Easy. I now have a wearable corset.

Cheap t shirt fabric and I MEAN CHEAP !!!

2010-07-08T22:03:00.002-05:00

Hi guys,

I've been very lucky and chanced on some great cheap t shirt fabric. Its freezing cold here in Sydney at the moment, and I wanted to buy singlets for my girls. They were $8 each in k mart. I thought, $8 for a singlet for a child?! No way.

So I found this great cheap clothing outlet which occasionally puts out its excess fabric cheaply and got these three pieces for one dollar each.

I made 2 x pairs of pj pants for 10 year old girls with the pink/blue.

I made a long sleeved t shirt for me from the black and white stripe. Adjusted the pattern as it was too short, so I folded up a length and gave myself a nice warm band around the kidneys. I think this is an 'at home' shirt or bed shirt maybe. Its not the most flattering but I'm wearing it now and its warm warm warm.

And singlet for Miss 12 year old.

With superior twin needle skillz...

blogged here, although there's not much more to add.

lore
x

ps - edited to add a singlet from the white, with some purchased trim. All up I cost this singlet out at $1 including 20c for the fabric (very conservative estimate), 40c for the wide trim and 40c for the narrow trim.

2010-07-07T18:36:00.009-05:00

This is one of my first refashions from last year. Ange from "sew i thought" inspired me to see beauty in the not so beautiful.

Saw this jumper in an op shop for $5. It appealed to me because of the cute "aussie theme" and somehow reminded me of my childhood in New Zealand, altho a Kiwi not a Kangaroo, i could quite possibly have had such a creation in my wardrobe back in the 70's.

Standing there in the op shop i had already conjured up and had a visual image of what it was to become.

My beautiful friend Sally moved over to Canada last year and i decided it was to be a special reminder of home so i whipped it up and sent it over to her.

She sent me a photo of her doing cartwheels in the snow on their road trip thru America altho the photo is too small to post so i have my equally beautiful friend Kate modelling the creation.

Firstly the arms had to go, i thought i would be clever and try and felt it so in the washing machine it went and out it came...........to my horror!! there were all these holes in it!!!! Lesson one "you can not felt wool that has elastic running thru it!!"

Thankfully my creative genius was working that day and thanks to the universe, and all the stars being aligned, the southern cross consellation just happened to fit right over the holes!!!!! Blimey! what luck!!! I appliqued those little stars right over the holes and ....tah dah!!

I made a little sweat band out of the Australia on the sleeve too..just for giggles! xx

2010-07-07T18:17:00.008-05:00

Hello my peeps! I've finally finished the skirt ive been working on for a friend. Its taken ages! Lots of interuptions from little people in my life. School holidays Yay!!

Anyway, this is my first custom order for a fluffnnonsense skirt so am quite chuffed. Lisa is into sailing so i thought id do a nautical theme for her. The only requirements were blue and green. what you think??

I will post a photo of my skirt that i have modelled this on. I think the next one ill do will be a tree and owl theme, i can picture it already..........browns,oranges and greens. xx

Please escuse the quality of photos. They are taken by my 9 year old son who was less than enthused about doing it.

Probably George

2010-07-01T02:47:00.003-05:00

Now I know this isn't a wardrobe item but it does include some thrifting so I thought I would post it here. Plus I'm mighty proud of it :o)

This is a knitted zebra I made for my darling stepdaughters birthday. She requested green and purple but I had no purple wool in the right weight. So yellow it is. She likes yellow so this is ok. The yellow wool cam from my stash and is Cygnet 4 ply. The green was a charity shop find. I got a massive cone of the stuff for £5. I have so very much left!

To see the rest of George's photo shoot hop on over to my blog.

A Shawl

2010-06-30T10:47:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I've had anything to show you guys. Here is a shawl I finished this week.

Details and more pictures are on my blog.

Brown shorts

2010-06-26T09:27:00.002-05:00

Made with a linen remnant, several different fabric scraps and recycled notions.

Ciao!
Barbara

2010-06-21T19:25:00.005-05:00

Just finished this top up on Saturday.

I used the vintage pattern Simplicity 7458. This item is part of my projects for the Summer Wardrobe Essential Sewalong!

See more here. Who else is participating in this sewalong?

A rosy dress

2010-06-21T12:36:00.000-05:00

I made this dress for my friend S~.

Frankenblouse x3

2010-06-20T18:47:00.004-05:00

I wanted something light to wear over tank tops this summer--and I had a bunch of blouses that didn't work for whatever reasons. So, this is handsewn from three different blouses--the main part was a cotton blouse (opened up the front); the ruffle is linen from another blouse; the sleeve ruffles are silk cuffs from a third blouse. It looks a little pirate-y, I guess, but it works for what I wanted. I might still add more laces and ruffles and such.

A tool from the 1950's that still brings joy in 2010

2010-06-18T12:16:00.003-05:00

I've just acquired these:

See the price tags? Yeah, you saw it right, $2 and $1. They go online for $69.95 and $34.95 here.
Yeah, I'm jumping for joy. Come read about it on my blog.

Sonya from missbossypants

Blackwatch Baby & Delft Darling Dresses

2010-06-18T11:46:00.001-05:00

Neither one of thee are spectacular or overwhelmingly complicated so I'm grouping them into one post.

This dress is actually a much darker, richer green, but for some reason it came outalmost like a teal in the photos. It's about an 18/24 month size and made of good old-fashioned velvet. I bought the dress at a thrift store about a year ago. It had a horrible crispy lace ruffle around the bottom and a HUGE ugly, stained white bib around the neck. I first removed both of those and the cut a new hem ruffle and a small stand up neck ruffle out of some plaid taffeta I had that is similar to the Blackwatch plaid. I hand sewed both ruffles onto the dress myself in a hotel room in Pensacola. LOL. I also hand hemmed the bottom ruffle. I had the plaid as a remnant for under $1 and the dress was thrifted for $1. Total cost of the re-do was about $1.30.

I call this dress the Delft Darling because it is white and blue like a piece of Delft pottery I used a 1970's pattern for the basic shape of the dress but made a few changes. Instead of one skirt, I made two skirts; I felt it added to the dutch look of the dress. I also gave it a stand up ruffle collar instead of a bib and I made contrasting cuffs on the sleeves instead of elastic on a single color. The dress is a small toddle dress, I'll have to dig up the pattern to find out exactly what the size is. One sleeve is NOT bigger than the other, it's just the way it looks in the photo because the wind was blowing it around. I hand sewed this entire piece at the hotel in Memphis. It's made from a pillow case (28 cents at a Salvos in NY) and about1/2 a yard of old $1-a-yard fabric I had laying around. The zipper is new and was about $1.30. The approx cost of the whole thing is $2.80. I plan to add an embroidered scene onto the over skirt eventually, either a design that mimics the fabric pattern or a small dutch pottery scene. It depends on how elaborate I want to get with it.

Jenny at Kerrfect!

Spring Fling Pillowcase Dress

2010-06-18T09:26:00.001-05:00

I completely hand stitched this dress in a Residence Inn we stayed at in Memphis. I was bored and had brought some sewing supplies with me so I figured why not!? It's made from a 50 cent pillow case, about 10 cents worth of vintage lace from a thrift store and some green remnant fabric that I think cost me $1.20, but I only used about 3/4ths of it. The buttons were on sale at Jo Ann's about a year ago and were 20 cents. Grand total of approx $1.70. It's made from a 1960's pattern I had with me. I really liked the exterior fabric, The crisp white and bright flowers really got me. I simply cut the pieces and made it as the instructions said to. The only things I did differently was to add the lace trim on the dress and to substitute drawstrings in the bloomers for elastic. to do this all I had to do was to make the "string" out of the floral fabric by folding it over twice and sewing it down.

Jenny at Kerrfect!

$4.03 dress

2010-06-17T20:12:00.001-05:00

So this dress started out as muslin for fit, but the more I sewed, the more I liked it! I got the fabric for a dollar at a garage sale. Pearl snaps were $2.70, zipper was $0.33, grand total was $4.03. How's that for frugal?

Rather long-winded back story on this dress is on my blog. I love how this dress turned out and can see myself wearing it often.

cheers!
Farah

Rosebud Pillowcase Dress

2010-06-17T12:36:00.001-05:00

I made this dress from a pillow case I bought at a thrift store for 50 cents I think. The pillow case had a yellow cuff at one end and the main body was this white muslin with yellow rose buds. I used a vintage 70's patterns for the main dress shape, but I added the front ruffles, sleeve ruffles and other trim on my own. The lace trim was more thrifted vintage lace from a bag of various type that cost me $2, so I used probably 10 cents worth of that. The zipper is new and was $1.30. This makes the total cost of the dress about $1.90. I sort of had a mini-Marie Antoinette vision when I picked up the pillow case and examined it and so that's what I was going for here. I wish I had a little one to put in the dress so you could see it better but I don't It's a size 2 if I remember right. I made the front ruffles by folding strips of yellow over on themselves and sewing them down with a piece of lace over the seam, then while I was making the top half of the dress I just pined them on in a ruffled way and sewed up the seams, then I came back and hand tacked the ruffles down. I added the neck line lace and hem lace after the dress was completed. The arm ruffles were also added after the fact. They are the edge of the yellow pillow edge, folded just as they were on the pillow. I simple cut them larger then the arm holes, sewed up the under arm edge and ruffled as I sewed. The lace trim went on last to give the arm ruffles a more finished look.

Jenny at Kerrfect!

Election Shoulder Bag

2010-06-17T12:10:00.002-05:00

This bag took me about an hour and 1/2 to make. I used all but two tiny carrot shaped strips of the state fabric. I bought it at Jo Ann as a remnant for 70 cents I think. It was cut crooked so I had to level it up. It was so bright and interesting I knew I wanted to make a bag out of it but I wasn't sure what to do for the lining. I wanted it to be sort of stiff but not terribly rigid so I used a super thick white glossed canvas drapery sample I bought at Lowe's for $1 about a year ago (still have about 1/3 left). They were cleaning out all of the discontinued stuff. I knew I'd be able to use it for something ONE day. It cost me $1. The top trim and strap are made from vintage woven cotton strips that spell out VOTE. I found a whole roll of it at a thrift store for $3. I used a little less that half the roll so I'll value that at about $1.40. The closure is a BIG red button I already had and a loop made from the scrap left of the state fabric. So the total cost of the bag was approx $3+/-. I started by leveling and determining how big the state fabric piece I had was. Then I cut an equal size piece out of the drape sample making it a little bit taller than the state fabric. The drapes had a very pretty side seam I wanted to use as the top-inside of the bag. I folded each in half and sewed the open sides of each together. I worked with the pieces inside out, the state fabric will later be turned right side out but the drapes will stay inside out. Next I made a small fold in the center of the side that didn't need to be sewn up and I sewed it inward, making a pin tuck of crease. Then I did the same thing 1/2 an inch to either side of both side seams; on the state fabric I made them outward facing. Then I did the same thing to the bottom of the bag pieces, creating sort of a squared off shape. I folded and sewed the corners completing the structure of the bag. I turned the state fabric right-side-out, put the drapes inside it, evened thoe tops up so that the state fabric was just below the hemmed edge of the drapes and tacked it down with the machine. The state fabric was slightly larger (fractions of an inch) so I made a tiny fold in the center of both the front and backs of the bag. I cut my trim, lined it up on the top of the bag so that when I sewed it on I could stay in the white line (so you wouldn't see the stitches) and attached it all the way around. I then went around a second time on the lower white line so the trim wouldn't fold up over time. I took the rest of the trim I had cut folded the ends under and attached it to the sides of the bag by sewing a square over it, then I repeated the same on the other side. I finished it up by attaching a big red button on the top-center inside the bag and a folded and sewn strip of the state fabric made into a loop opposite it to work as a closure. I know it's about in the middle of a term so I'm both too late and too early for elections, but I thought it was cute and I would use it anytime!

I'm sorry to post so much in such quick succession, but I have a lot of things stored up like I said. As I am posting things on my own blog I'm posting them over here. Maybe I can make up for 2 months of not posting anything. lol

Jenny at Kerrfect!

Yellow Rose Childs' dress

2010-06-16T20:38:00.002-05:00

Here is another new dress I just put the finishing touches on this afternoon. This one too is made out of a vintage twin bed sheet I found in Memphis; it was $1.98. The vintage lace trim is also from a Memphis thrift store and cost about 30 cents. The buttons, chiffon for the sash, elastic, biastape and tulle for the petticoat are all new, but were things I already had (except for the tulle, it was on sale 50% off at Jo Ann's. The total cost of the dress & petticoat is about $4. I used a vintage 1959 Simplicity pattern (3413) in a little girl's size 8. I've found a pretty good way to make the petticoats I think, This one is slightly different than the one on the blue dress I posted earlier, but was much more simply made and seems to give me more poof. I've really lucked out with having just the right amount of trim for the dresses I've made so far! LOL. Hope to have some more stuff to post tomorrow as well.

Jenny at Kerrfect!

Lavender & Roses Dress

2010-06-16T14:43:00.002-05:00

This is my latest completed project. The muslin I used for the body of the dress was a vintage twin sheet that I bought at a thrift store in Memphis for $2.50. The lavender lace trim on the neckline, hem and covering the belt buckle was also bought at a Memphis thrift store and cost me about 10 cents. The zipper and belt buckle are vintage, salvaged from old items. The only things that are new are the grommets and interfacing I used on the belt and the netting on the petticoat. I used about 2 yards which I just got on sale 50% off at Jo Ann Fabrics. The elastic and the ribbon I used for the petticoat were things I've had for a while, lol but they were used when I got them too. I'd estimate the total cost of making the dress to be about $5. To cover the buckle I simply wrapped the lace trim around it until it was completely covered and then I secured it with a few stitches. The dress is a child's size 8 and made with vintage McCall's pattern 5428 from 1960. The petticoat is of my own devising!

I am sorry I haven't been posting very much. I've been neglecting my own blog as well. I am trying to get into the local monthly downtown market as a vendor and I've been trying to build up and put the finishing touches on some of my items so that I can (hopefully) sell some of them and get more people interested in Upcycling items!

Jenny at Kerrfect!

A successful failure?

2010-06-14T22:07:00.003-05:00

This is my first posting after reading this blog for quite a while. Finally, I've appeared in a picture, wearing a piece of clothing that I have made!

I found a really super comfy dress at our local thrift store, and I had to have it, since it had these really great blue and green hues. It is so comfy, and fits well, so I thought I'd try to copy it. Here it is:

My local fabric store had this great purple linen blend on sale for $3.50/metre, so I thought, hey, I'm not losing much if it doesn't work out! So, off I went, tracing sections of the dress in my haphazard sort of way. The waist is empire-style, with an elastic waistband. The waistband looked pretty blah, so I thought it needed a nice sash to cover it, and to give the dress a little pop of colour. The front and back, where they meet at the shoulder, didn't really.... meet.all.that.well. So, I wrapped the shoulders in turqouise grosgrain ribbon, and sewed on a turquoise button, just for the fun of it. (I even put the buttons on with my sewing machine! Yay for figuring that out!)
So, here's the failure side of it all: I think it's a bit short, the front gapes in the chest area (good thing I had good coverage with the camisole underneath!), and overall, it makes me look pregnant!!! Whenever I tryo something on in front of a mirror, I tend to stand tall, suck in and smile. Stuff always looks good when you do that! But 10 minutes later, out in public, my gut relaxes and the posture slips, and the empire waisted dress turns into a quasi maternity dress.

.....but it's oh so comfy. What's the verdict, continue wearing it, or file it under "fail"?

Finished skirt!

2010-06-13T20:17:00.003-05:00

About a week ago, I finished the skirt I mentioned in my introduction. I'm very happy with the way it turned out!

The process of making it wasn't without snags. I made the size that corresponded to my measurements, but I ended up having to take it in about 4 inches so it would fit my waist! Unfortunately, that was after the side zipper was in and the yoke was attached - serves me right for not trying it on sooner! It also looks more poofy that in does in the pattern picture, but I think it still works. I don't think the pictures below really do the skirt or the fabric justice, but I hope you get the idea. :-)

Close up of the fabric. There are some really pretty gold flecks throughout that don't show up at all in the picture.

Next up, re-doing another skirt that didn't fit right (I love skirts!) and then I'm going to go crazy making tops. I desperately need more tops!

Sunhat

2010-06-12T01:43:00.004-05:00

Hello, everyone!
It's been some time since my last post and I'm glad to see the list of TTGR contributors growing!
I've been sewing, a lot. But not quite refashioning, though. I have a ton of muslins to put together as refashions. Hopefully they will be wearable.
A little thing to show you would be this summer hat I finished yesterday (started last year, heh..).

I used linen and taffeta scraps to make it. The pattern is from Burda.

Ciao!
Barbara

2010-06-11T18:10:00.008-05:00

Hello my peeps!! its been long.........too long since i posted. Only have a coupla minutes to post before my husband catches me on this damm computer again (bit of housework avoidance!!).

Got a coupla piccys to show you. next week is my kids school fete and a friend of mine Kate (eviegreenpixie.etsy.com) and I (fluffnnonsense.etsy.com) are doing a combined stall. Kate makes amazing clothing from retro fabrics, lots of patchwork and groovey stuff. I.... well i do a bit of everything, For the stall i am making large "cheap and cheerful market bags" made from recycled curtain fabrics. so far i have made 28 of them. im hoping they will sell!!!! otherwise i will have them in my etsy shop afterwards.

Anyway!!.......our stall comes under the "umbrella name" of "Retro Groovers" which kinda sums us up really. a little retro, a little bit groovey! i made this amazing bannner to go on the marquee last night, im right chuffed about it and have been dancing about thinking im "all that"!!

i think i have had a little too much coffee and not enough sleep!!!. the bright orange and pink fabric is like a velour like you get on towels except its not towellin on the back. weird stuff but beautiful and lovely and slippy to work with. got a roll at an op shop for $8 it has printed on the edge, 1967. TRUE retro!

also got a couple of links for you that id like to share, just some groovers doing cool things out there. www.craftzine.comblog:newdressaday and http://www.theuniformproject.com/

and finally......... this ones for you Penny L Richards!! found these shoes at op shop for $4!!!! arent they totally da bomb!! could just see them stukkied or "Pennyed" as i call it. Im thinking how cool a green tree would look on them. totally obsessed with trees me. To bloody lazy to fancy them up myself but one day you may find a pair of shoes in the post!xx (with return address of course!!) xx

Will post more pics after the fete is over, its seriously taken over my life the last few months and will be glad when its over!

Well my friends, thanks for listening. Feel like ive just sat down with friends and a cuppa except without the cuppa and...........well.... no ahhs and mmmss and ooohhs! comming from my virtual friends. xx kel

Doona to a dirndl and thrifty red skirt

2010-06-09T06:33:00.000-05:00

Hi and thank you so much for allowing me to join this community.

I'm so glad to meet you all and look forward to this being the 'sew retro' of the refashioning world !

My name is Lore and i blog over at sew red hot. I sew clothes / aprons / quilts / potholders / bags. You name it. I'm obsessed!

I have two things to share today. My refashioning of a doona cover found in a charity shop.

Into a cute summer dirndl:

Total cost $3.75.

Blogged here

I have a whole side of the mauve/lilac fabric from the doona cover left over. If you live in Sydney visit me and it'll be yours. If you live in the United States - hey there's a big drive on to come to Australia for a holiday - pop into Sydney and I'll take you and show you the sights and you can take home half a doona in your luggage! If I get no takers, I suppose it will be good material for a toile/muslin for a tricky pattern.

And my op shop fabric find for $2.50 some great red cotton and lilac lining.

This is blogged here.

So that's my introduction. Again, nice to meet you and hope to be seeing a lot of you and your creations.

And a big thanks and congratulations to Ninjaeema on this Garde Robe baby and also the upcoming baby!

lore
x

anime cosplay costume from the Stash Closet of Doom

2010-06-09T05:45:00.003-05:00

Ok, this is my first posting here. I hope everything goes correctly.

Back in February, my daughter and her BFF decided what they wanted to be when they grew up, er I mean attend Project A-kon, one of the largest anime conventions in the continental United States. I said, "Sure, sweetheart, I can make that!" They wanted to be Rin and Len Kagamine, some Vocaloid something or another. I don't know, I just sew.

So I did. The tall girl in the blond boy wig is my daughter.

The shirt was made from a vintage 1960s pattern, modified to fit both girls. My daughter's shorts were recycled from my old black jeans. The other girl's shorts are also recycled from old jeans.

The earphones were made from old black earphones, white electrical tape, and a whole lotta love on the husband's part.

All other costume pieces were from fabric residing in my Stash Closet of Doom. The only thing I had to buy for this outfit were belt buckles and fittings for the yellow/orange belt pieces. The girls learned how to measure and mark fabric, and then paint the fabric, also using paint that resided in my Stash Closet of Doom.

Oh yeah, the blue rectangular shaped piece on the armbands? From my mom's Stash Room of Doom, bits and bobs left over from my prom dress made ahem years ago.

How do sheep protect you from the sun?

2010-06-06T15:47:00.004-05:00

Hey all. Man it's been a long time since I posted. Sorry about that. I've not been up to much. Not for any lack of ideas, mostly just apathy. I'm in the middle of knitting a zebra for Spadgersdottier's birthday so most of my energy has gone there. I do have a dress underway for a friend and as soon as I get my dress form finished I should be back up and running for myself. There are a few other things but I'll wait until I have pics for those.

Today I do have for you a hat. I made it using a pattern by Vegbee (find it here) which I scaled up to a bigger size. It's for a shepherd at the farm I go to hence the sheep :o)

The sheep fabric was a gift from the girl I'm making the dress for, the lining and interfacing were from the stash.

Favorite Jeans Reborn

2010-06-06T13:30:00.008-05:00

Old jeans ripped at the knee:

A little refashioning imagination:

New skirt:

The tutorial can be found here on my blog. Come join in the fun; another blogger and I are having a denim skirt challenge - show us your creative side!

Another Shoe Reboot (ha!)

2010-05-31T08:53:00.006-05:00

I love my black Doc Martens maryjanes--got them at a thriftshop a few years back, wore them constantly. They're sturdy but they got scuffed pretty badly. Probably could have just polished them, but....
I went a little past shoe polish. They've been painted and collaged and sharpied. I never had blue shoes before. Now I do, and they feature Christabel Pankhurst, suffragette--so, bonus.

(While looking up that link, I found out that the very English Dame Pankhurst is buried in Santa Monica, within half an hour of my house. Should take the shoes to visit her gravesite? Macabre, photo-op... or macabre photo-op?)

Redo Fail

2010-05-29T14:35:00.005-05:00

Well this didn't quite turn out as I imagined. Its not by far the worst thing I have ever made but it feels entirely uncomfortable!

I got this pattern at a local shop.

Its a great design for a hot season here in the desert.

I had gotten this fairly ridiculous suit set thing for a buck a week ago and I thought perhaps it would work for a short cut on this pattern.

I just took in the skirt from the set and cut the top of the dress from the jacket and attached the two but alas the top of the dress just does not fit me at all!! I have a small chest but I feel like im spilling over the sides and the darts do not hit in any sort of flattering area. Plus because I didn't add the buttons in the back the dress is extremely difficult to squeeze over my shoulders.. ugh

So this is going back to the redo pile where it came from. I will probably end up ripping the top off and keeping it a skirt of some sort. I still like the idea of this pattern and I will definitely try to make some adjustments and try again. Read more here on my blog.

Another Halter

2010-05-29T09:52:00.000-05:00

Here is another one of those halter tops that I test sewed this week. This time I used an old tank top that doesn't fit anymore. I dyed it using tea. That was kinda fun. I've dyed my far share of yarn and fiber but never fabric. I think I'll be have to play around more with dyeing fabrics. I still have tons of different colors! Anyway. I like how this one turned out, but I do wish I would have had more fabric to make the ruffles longer.

More pics and pattern info on the blog :)

merlinthecat

Hello and introduction

2010-05-28T10:40:00.003-05:00

Hi! Thanks for letting me be a part of The Thrifty Garde Robe!

I'm Melissa and I live in Maryland with my husband and our 4 kids. I love to sew and I try to find time to do it as much as I can, which isn't easy. My mom taught me to sew when I was a little girl, but it's only been in the last few years that I've taken it up seriously again. I signed up with Wardrobe Refashion last year, but my 3 year old son became sick soon after my term began, so I ended up not doing much sewing, let alone posting about it. Now, nine months later, his treatment has ended and he's recovering nicely, and I have a little more time. I thought about re-signing with WR, but was disappointed by the new changes. I am glad I found The Thrifty Garde Robe and the opportunity to be a part of a community of such talented people! I've lurked occasionally on some of your blogs and have been so inspired.

I'm finishing up a skirt using McCall's 5631. I hope I can get it done soon to post about it!

Hi I'm new here

2010-05-25T17:58:00.000-05:00

Hello...Hope you don't mind if I join in!

My name is Farah. I enjoy my hobbies very much (sewing, knitting) and would love to have more time for them, but alas...i'ts not always the case. When I do make something new, I blog about it at http://farahmakesstuff.blogspot.com/

My newest pattern is New Look 6972, a little dress for my little girl. Bought the fabric and the pattern on sale, and I love the results. Check my blog for more details.

Thanks for looking,
Farah

More stuff for my youngest

2010-05-24T11:18:00.000-05:00

Up first we have a super cute dress.

And next I got to do some test sewing, a little knit top. I've always enjoyed test knitting and this was the first time I've ever tested a sewing pattern. It was fun.

More pictures and pattern info over on the blog!

merlinthecat

Orange polkadot doily top Burda 5/2009-103A

2010-05-21T15:02:00.003-05:00

Used - orange polkadot knit remnants, a small pareo and a cotton doily.

Ciao!
Barbara

Women's Halter Top with Built In Shelf Bra

2010-05-20T13:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I figured out how to make this great halter top...

...and how to line it with a shelf bra (made from a recycled t-shirt)

Pop on over here to my blog for the full pattern-free tutorial.

- The Sewing Dork

Sigh No More DIY Skirt

2010-05-18T13:13:00.004-05:00

So I got this huge dress for a buck and it still had the original tags on it. I loved the color and it is the softest knit fabric.

I used a great tutorial on recreating this Burberry draped skirt.

You can find the link on my blog. Don't forget to enter my giveaway which ends tomorrow.

Thrifted Shoes Upcycled

2010-05-17T18:07:00.003-05:00

Before (thrifted, Dansko, my size, good condition and comfortable, but I have enough red shoes):

After some paint and collage and modpodge and spraycoat:

T-shirts to Tanks

2010-05-16T08:19:00.002-05:00

I took these flash dance style toddler t's

and turned them in to super cute tank tops.

Visit my blog for the details and a tutorial (my first).

Merlinthecat

Cardigan refashion from Hazelnuts

2010-05-16T02:41:00.000-05:00

It's taken me ages to post over here but at last I have something to say so here I am! I'm Jacqui from Hazelnuts. I've been participating in Elsie Marley's Kid's Clothing Week Challenge and did this cardigan refashion for my daughter as part of that.

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My daughter Hazel's size 110cm (about a 5T) cardigan.

Originally it looked like this:

I see that the original photo was taken way back in October last year so it's taken me awhile to get around to it! I was inspired by a clever cardigan refashion by Tiny Happy who told me it wasn't that hard and actually it wasn't! This is what I did:

Cut off the sleeves and tried it on Hazel and pinned where I thought the shoulder seam/side seams would be.
Unpicked the neck facing or whatever it was called. I managed to get the overlocker seam to unravel by pulling random threads (is there a trick to knowing which one to pull? I only ever find it by accident or when it's unravelling clothing I want to wear in which case it's very easy). This meant that, except in a couple places where I nicked it, the edges didn't unravel. I undid the facing along the back and on the front just past about where I thought Hazel's shoulder seam would be.
Found a shirt pattern for a V-necked button-front shirt and matched the pattern pieces for the arm area and arm to the pinned positions as best I could. I do wish, however, that I'd had a good cardigan pattern to work from that was designed for knits as this one ended up being too big and the cardigan needs taking in.
Cut the pieces out and resewed with an overlocker. After I tried it on Hazel I discovered it was fine along the neckline despite being too big around, so I went ahead and attached the neck facing and added the ruffle and buttons. I sewed the ruffle on with a twin needle to give it a bit of stretch along with the knit neckline. I tore the ruffle in long strips from the fabric so it still has the raw, slightly fluffy, edge.

Mat thinks the buttons are a bit OTT but the originals were so... late '90s know what I mean? The only problem I ran into was that the original facings overlapped more than I'd assumed they would so I had to shift the buttons way over to the edge so the right ruffle there wasn't covered over!

The flower was made from a tutorial at Pink Paper Peppermints that I found via a lovely little dress on My Sewing Circle. It's on a bit of felt attached to a pin. This is the one I prefer; but I had made a smaller one from the stripy fabric that Hazel likes best so she can have that one on it (too matchy for me!) and I'll have the photograph and the memories...

Ruched Halter Top

2010-05-12T15:18:00.005-05:00

I stole Hubby's big tshirt and made something for myself.

It is made basically by using the body of his shirt, adding a casing and elastic at bust, then adding a long strip gathered at both sides. (Sorry about the scary white Canadian-winter arms.) I posted an actual tutorial here on my blog if you'd like to make your own.

Rompers & Undies

2010-05-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with this pattern a few weeks ago at one of our local thrift shops. I have so many pictures of myself as a kid wearing this style of shorts and tanks, typical 80's kids wear. I knew that I had to make a speedsuit (romper) for Charlotte.

This interlock came from the remnant bib. I LOVE remnant bin shopping. I used bias tape for the binding and ties since I couldn't find any fold over braid at the store and I didn't feel like ordering any.

This interlock came from the thrift store. I've been really lucky at finding great fabrics at my local thrift stores.

I also made another batch of undies for Charlotte. Three of the pairs are made from thrift shop fabric and the other two are made from remnant bin fabric.

I used fold over elastic for this batch and I think that the edges look fantastic. They really look professionally finished.

NinjaEema

I was wondering

2010-05-11T13:22:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I picked up this little cutie for my 6yo who has been bugging me to learn to sew for over a year. I works, but I can't get it threaded right. I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I've googled and you tubed all morning and haven't been able to find a thing. There are more pictures and info on my blog.

Thank you :)

merlinthecat

Dress & Cardi

2010-05-10T06:17:00.008-05:00

Hello my people!! I haven't posted for a while, too busy fluffing about!. Have a whole heap of half finished bits and pieces and a HUGE stash of op shop finds waiting to be "reconstructed/deconstructed.

The crochet top (now cardi) is in the yummiest shade of cranberry. I cut it down the front and added a mens paisley tie that ive zigzaged and rouched till it made a lovely frilly type edge on the cardi. The photo isnt much chop coz my husband reluctantly took the photo (hes not talking to me because i got grumpy at him..............long story, we wont go there!!)

The other photo is my gorgeous friend Karen modeling a "work in progress" denim dress that was previously a pair of jeans and a mens tie. This will be in my Esty shop which is NOW OPEN!!!! arrrgggghhhh YAY!! fluffnnonsense.etsy.com CHECK IT OUT. xx Kel

mother's day project

2010-05-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

I had some free time today, and this is what I made,

A non-slip baby changing pad! And I did this on Friday,

Come see me at my blog for more details and how to's! Thanks, and happy mother's day to all! Anne

Using T-Shirts

2010-05-08T09:20:00.003-05:00

Jersey is great for the quick fix as it does not require finished edges. I like the raw look. I'm drawn to the organic-ness of it. Plus I feel less inhibited... if I make a "mistake" while trying to save the shirt it will somehow be less noticeable. So far this theory has worked for me. So, here are a few shirts I saved with the use of old T-shirts. This grey shirt had the best long sleeves but also came with a bleach spot along the neckline. I simply cut out some leaf shapes from a scrap t-shirt and sewed them on. Added a few buttons and yay! I've a shirt I will wear out in public again.

Now this brown beauty I found at a bag sale and when home I saw a tiny hole near the lower front and center. Turns out Teo saw it too for he proceeded to stick his finger in it to show me. Something had to be done! Using another scrap t-shirt I cut out leaf shapes and long strips. (Leaf shapes, organic, raw edges... all connected.)

Placement required pinning since I had to use care around the gathers in the neckline and bust. (A dress form would have been helpful, nothing brings on swearing faster than sticking a pin in your boob.) Well, I liked the "vine" look and so I kept it going over the shoulder onto the back. I wear this shirt often and without profanity.

I've also played around with headbands. Now that my hair is growing out I'm wearing them again. My favorite way to make a headband is to recycle a t-shirt sleeve from one of my husband's old t-shirts. Cut off the sleeve and simply sew long strips in a circular pattern around the band letting the raw edges do their thing. (However it won't hide silver hairs.) I've known about them I just didn't notice how noticeable they were. Curly hair hides a lot. Except from above I guess.

It's snowing here today. I dislike it as much as poking myself with pins.

Cloth Pantyliners

2010-05-07T15:23:00.001-05:00

There are tons of free patterns/tutorials for making cloth pads and pantyliners. This is my version.

I used a disposable pad to trace a template. BTW, the best disposable pads out there are Always Infinity pads, they can soak up a gallon of windex and still feel dry.

Here's my pattern. You might want to make your pattern longer or shorter depending on your own preferences.

I cut the top layer from some suede cloth (it's supposed to be really good for wicking away moisture), the bottom layer is printed flannel, and there are 2 more layers of plain flannel for the center of the pad.

Sandwich your fabric with the suede cloth (top fabric) right side up, then add the flannel (bottom later) wrong side up, then add the 2 middle layers on top of the flannel. Sew all around the edge, leaving a 2" gap. Turn the pad right sides out and topstitch along the edge closing up the 2" gap.

I added another row of stitching around the center of the pad. Add your snap.

Here's the pad folded up. You can also just layer the fabric together as follows; flannel wrong side up, 2 middle layers, suede right side up. Then stitch around the edge, zigzag over the edge, add an inner row of stitching and add your snap. It's faster but gives you a less finished looking edge.

NinjaEema

Cut two, Sew one

2010-05-07T06:53:00.000-05:00

From this aargghh!!! boat neck!!

And this

To this, cut two lines, sew one, all done dodgy pics again lol more at my blog.

http://bluemarvell.blogspot.com/

Blue Summer Dress

2010-05-06T20:15:00.002-05:00

I spent a couple nights earlier this week working on a new summer dress for myself. I wanted something flirty and comfortable to wear. I adapted the original pattern to have tiny little cap sleeves, raise the neck line, added a waistband and a ruffle on the bottom. I love how it turned out. Now if only it would warm up a bit more so I could wear it!

Grand total for this dress was the cost of a zip and thread. Can't beat that!

To see more pictures and read about the sweet story behind the material visit my blog here.

Cheers,

Ruffled Feathers

2010-05-06T20:05:00.003-05:00

Got this dress from Buffalo Exchange a while back but I had to do something with these crazy poofy sleeves.

So I chopped them off. A simple quick fix. Just had to hem the dress and the armholes.

All better now.

More here.

Tshirt Love

2010-05-06T05:52:00.001-05:00

gifted tshirt, the bows dont do much for me, add ruffle to the front, with fabric from the ties.

shorten the ties and add buttons...perfect

I couldnt stop at one, this one is from 'the stash'

This one was made from a too short tshirt, see how on my blog

http://bluemarvell.blogspot.com/

Recycled Tshirt Dress

2010-05-05T21:40:00.004-05:00

A bunch of my tshirts recycled into this dress. Now that I've tested this on baby, I'm going to make one for me! (Dress pattern courtesy of Lil Blue Boo).

The Sewing Dork

My Reversible SunHat

2010-05-05T07:18:00.000-05:00

I was so proud making this. I'm working on a Custom Order from my shop. I don't have a tutorial for this yet, but people are interested I could make one. I've been MIA for a while because my youngest had the start of pneumonia, but she's getting better. Thank, God!

My lastest creation:

Have a GREAT Wednesday!

~*Nomie*~

Hello There

2010-05-05T06:53:00.002-05:00

I am finally here. I am so new to blogging and posting. Took me hours to sort myself out but I persitted and here I am. Persistance is going to be my motto with sewing. I did a short sewing course 15 yrs ago and loved it. Unfortunatley I have not made sewing a priority until now. I have set up my little old sewing machine on a computer desk in my laundry for easy access. I have noticed that some of you have only been sewing for a few years and produce such great work. That is so motivational to me. I have dedicated my Friday nights to sewing. I have decided to joining the Australian Sewing Guild as it will be cheaper than doing a dressmakers course. I also plan to do some refashioning. Thnx for reading.

Why Hello There

2010-05-04T17:41:00.006-05:00

Well Im a bit late on the introductions but better late than never.

Im Angie. Im a twenty something nursing student from Az. I blog at SewIThought.com

Here's my first project.

I got this dress from a thrift store a couple months ago for a buck. I liked the print but obviously it wasn't gona work without some real effort.

The drop-waist style added a bit of difficulty if I wanted to keep this as a dress so instead I cut it in half and made one elastic waist skirt and one sleeveless blouse.

Now I have two pieces that can be worn separately or together. Endless possibilities!!

You can see more on my blog. I am having a giveaway this week so come on over and add your input!!

Coral cardi

2010-05-04T14:34:00.005-05:00

From this

To this

Ciao!
Barbara

Happy May!

2010-05-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the new month, I made myself a new bag. I really love it! It is so springy!

More details on my blog! Have a happy day everyone!

Kimono PJ's and an Appliqued Dino

2010-05-01T16:33:00.007-05:00

I managed to finish the pj shorts I was planning for my son. I bought the fabric originally to make him a banner for his birthday. I bought a little extra, but I wasn't sure what I would make out of it. I revisited my kimonos thinking about summer pajamas for my boy. The ties/trim were some bias tape I bought at the thrift store. I used a thrifted pattern for the shorts and cut out the pieces last week. Being the airhead that I can be sometimes, I didn't realize they included pockets (not really important for pj's), so when I went to sew them today, I had to cut the pockets out of an old t-shirt. Plus, I used my serger for the first time! I did pretty well, and now I'm motivated to take it to more adventurous projects. Oh, I used the blind hem stitch for the first time using my regular machine. Stay tuned for some more pj's and a robe, too. (I've started them.)

The dinosaur shirt was a 75cent find at the thrift store. I added the applique. You can see a pretty lame tutorial I did for them here. Fun! And, they're great for covering up spots on your kid's clothing.

Peace, Tamara