Dec 23, 2018

A Christmas Dress


In searching my photos for the "before" picture of this refashion, I realized that this one started over two years ago!!  I had picked it all apart, set it aside, and then went on to live my life for over two years.  Well, with Christmas upon us I decided it was time to wrap this one up...no pun intended!


I really liked the red plaid rayon fabric, however, I didn't like the gunny sack fit, the length, or the the front patch pockets.

Dec 3, 2018

A Simple Fix


I have a thing for black and white, and a thing for buffalo plaid flannel.  So, when I can find a new dress with the tags on for $3.49 at a thrift store that incorporates both of these "things," you know I have to get it!  The only issue was, though, it was too short for my liking.  A simple fix was in order.

I made a trip to the fabric store and picked up 2/3 of a yard of gray flannel.  After pre-washing it, I opened it up wide and folded it in half and laid it out flat.  I now had a piece of folded fabric measuring 12x45 inches.  I laid the bottom of the dress skirt on top of the flannel to mark my cutting lines.  After marking my lines, I added an extra 5/8" along the top edge and side seams for my seam allowances.  Then it was just a matter of stitching the side seams of the addition, pinning it to the skirt hem (right sides together), and stitching it on.  Once that was done, I completed it with a rolled hem.







I don't know if I'm completely sold on the addition of the white fur vest, but I thought I would try it.  Maybe if I'm making a trip to the North Pole this holiday season....



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Nov 25, 2018

Men's Henley to Women's Tunic



Recently, my daughter and her family came to visit for the holidays.  She brought with her a dress that needed a bit of alterations.  Specifically, it needed some fabric added to the backside of some lace to make it modest.  I happened to have a navy blue t-shirt top that had been in my stash for a while.  I had always meant to do something with it, but never got around to it.  In anticipation of fabric needed, I also grabbed out of my stash, a men's henley t-shirt incase the first t-shirt wasn't going to work.  Well, the first t-shirt did work.  I cut off the bottom half of the shirt, which left the top embroidered piece untouched.  After all of the holiday company left, I decided I wanted a little sewing perk.  Looking at the two pieces, I decided they would work together to make a fun tunic.

I made cuts as shown below to the men's henley.  The bottom half of the sleeves were cut and reattached to become a better length.  The straight cuts up the sides left enough width to be comfortable at the hips and to provide a dropped shoulder.  I didn't even cut a curved armhole.  I just stitched the straight cut of the sleeve to the straight cut of the body, matching the center of the sleeve to the shoulder seam.  After that, I stitched up the side seams.

Oct 31, 2018

Harvest Carnival 2018

Every year our church puts on a Harvest Festival with a chili feed, costume parade, and indoor trick-or-treating for the kids.  Most of the rooms have an activity, or game for the kids to do.  This year, we went with a pirate theme.  I had such a blast coming up with ideas for the room.  Of course, much to my husband's dismay, it means more props stored in the barn!

Just outside the room, the guests were greeted with a "BEWARE" sign, and a poster that would determine their pirate name.  I found the graphic on the internet and printed it at a local print shop.  The pirate mask came from the dollar store.


Oct 29, 2018

A Pirate's Life!

It's that time of year again!  When I was a kid, this was the time of year when we opened up the large steamer trunk to an explosion of costumes!  I have always had a thing for costumes.  Now that I'm older, though, I don't have a steamer trunk...I have a whole room!  With the kids leaving the nest one by one, I commandeered one of the bedrooms recently and turned it into my very own costume room.  I love it!

Now this year, I could have just went to the room and picked a costume to wear to our annual church Harvest Carnival, and even though we decided on a pirate theme and had enough pirate attire, I just felt the desire to update it a bit.

I really wanted a leather corset to wear, and since I had recently picked up two leather coats for $1 each, I knew that it was going to be on my list of things to do.

The main coat was black, had big poofy sleeves, and two-toned leather inserts.  The other one (not pictured) was a men's bomber style jacket and was only going to be used for trim.


I thought about ordering a pattern from Harlots and Angels, but since I was repurposing I thought it might be hard to follow the pattern with everything that was already going on with the coat.  I did use one of their corsets for inspiration, though.  


If you're not repurposing, I highly recommend buying a pattern...they have some really awesome designs!

I figured that since the shoulders already had some curve to them, they would make a good start to the bodice.  So, after opening all the seams to make the coat lay relatively flat, and taking measurements to get the right size and shape, I made the cut from each sleeve.


This became the front of my corset.  The back of the corset was cut from the back of the coat.  From there, it was a matter of placing it on my dress form and working with it to get the right fit.  I wish I had more process photos, but this was a trial and error kind of project.  It took some time, but I'm very happy with the results!


Sep 23, 2018

Girl's Camp 2018 - The Beads

I had a great time coming up with beads for Girl's Camp this year.  The Alice in Wonderland theme was a lot of fun to work with.    Some of the beads were ordered off the internet, some were made using Fimo clay, and some were hand painted.  Here are a few of the beads...


Camp Kick-Off Bead

Sep 13, 2018

Girl's Camp 2018 - The Bead Table




During free time, the girls can pay me a visit and collect the beads they have earned so far.  I like to make the bead table a fun place to visit.  With this year's Alice in Wonderland theme, and since we as adults were the Mad Hatters, I chose a tea party themed table.

Sep 11, 2018

Girl's Camp 2018 - The Campsite

This year was my 23rd year at Girl's Camp.  I now serve as the "Bead Specialist" and love it!  Our theme this year was an Alice in Wonderland theme, based on a quote by the late Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "Choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong."  The theme had a great message to it considering all of the choices that the girls are confronted with each day.  It also made for some fun decorations.  I was asked to decorate the campsite for the adult leaders, a.k.a, the Mad Hatters.  It was a fun job!

I was able to reuse this chalkboard sign that I had previously used at our Relief Society Tea Party.  It was perched on a rustic easel that was originally made for my daughter's Romantic Country Wedding.  I love it when I can get double duty out of a prop!

Jul 10, 2018

Taming those sleeves!

This refashion wasn't a big one, but it made a big difference to me!  I really liked the colors and details of this tunic, but the sleeves just weren't going to work.  They were a bit too open and exposed more than what I was comfortable with.


Jun 12, 2018

The Topsy Turvy Polka Dot Dress

I really like a good red, white, and blue combination, so when I saw this shirred, strapless dress, I knew I had to pick it up!  Plus, it's polka dots...bonus!!  However, strapless was not going to work for me.  My first thought was to make it into a skirt.  It would be a simple transformation, but also a waste of some of those lovely polka dots.  After some thought, I came up with a different solution.


Jun 9, 2018

The Fuchsia Tunic

This fuchsia tunic was a pretty simple one.  It started with a lightweight gauzy dress I picked up 
for $1.  I loved the fabric, the color, and the potential!


The first step was to cut a new length and add a hem.



Jun 5, 2018

Striped Jumper, the sequel!

The same thrift store visit that netted me the striped jumper I used to make my last tunic, also netted me this striped cotton jumper.  Wow, two blue and white striped jumpers in the same visit, with two completely different looks in the end!

I loved the crisp blue and white stripes and the 100% cotton.  
The shape was somewhat less desirable, though.
With a few adjustments, I was able to get a fun dress that will be great for summertime!

May 16, 2018

Striped Jumper to Striped Tunic!

I found this striped jumper the other day at a thrift store and really liked the cotton stretch fabric, the button front, and the stripes.  I didn't like, however, much of anything else.  


I thought with a little bit of rearranging, it would make a fun and comfortable tunic.  I cut away the skirt and used the fabric to lengthen the bodice and add sleeves.


I thought that changing the direction of the stripes on the added piece would make things interesting.


I made the back addition slightly longer than the front.


It was a pretty simple transformation, but now it's much more wearable!

I like to link to these great parties!


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May 8, 2018

Another wedding...five down, three to go!

Recently, our son and his lovely bride were married for time and all eternity in the beautiful Portland LDS temple.  It was a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful day!




Our son, opted to forego the traditional boutonniere and instead made his own using copper pennies.


The flower girl, younger sister of the bride, was a little too excited about her duties.  A repair was needed for her bouquet.


The reception was held back at our local chapel.  As always, decorating for the event provided ample opportunities for DIY's, thrifting, and repurposing!

Mar 31, 2018

Muumuu to Jumpsuit!

I picked up this cotton muumuu for a couple of bucks and absolutely loved the fabric and the fact that there was so much of it!!  I refashion enough dresses, so this was destined to be something completely different...a jumpsuit!


I used a simple commercial pattern that I found at a thrift store to make the jumpsuit. 



It called for a zipper down the back, but it was loose enough that it wasn't necessary.


Mar 26, 2018

The Retro Homemaker

Here's another dress from my stash of 1970's era dresses that my mom wore back in the day.  For the most part, I liked the dress.  I just wanted to tweak it a little and make it a little more retro.


I cut it at the waist and reattached the skirt to get rid of the dropped waist.


The sleeves were a bit too long and full.  I detached the upper gathered part of the sleeve and trimmed away the excess.  I then re-gathered the top edge and stitched it back together.  I cut the sleeves shorter and reattached the cuff detail.  


It wasn't a huge refashion, but now the dress was more in line with a retro themed party.