Showing posts with label Clothing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clothing. Show all posts

Friday, May 01, 2009

Wardrobe Refashion - Ready, Set, Sew!

You know those items of clothing you never ever wear? The ones lurking in the dark recesses of your closets and the depths of your dresser drawers? And don't tell me you don't have at least ONE item you never wear for whatever reason. Well, those are the items I'm going to get started on during my 2 months of WR. Bear in mind I'm also sewing from scratch a wardrobe of outfits, so if the Closet Refugees don't get gotten to before the 2 months is up, don't sue me.

The first candidate is the sort of neat denim skirt. It's just HUGE in the waist. I mean HUGE. It rides so low on my hips, it could fall right off if I suck in my tummy. It also has these side button slits with brass buttons that dig into my rump and thighs if I sit down wrong. Tres Uncomfortable. So that's going to be my first victim.

To begin with, I'm going to revamp the waist and put the zipper in the side. Front zippers are mannish. Side zippers (or back ones, even) are sexay. Then, I'm going to rotate the skirt around so that the button slits are front to back not side to side. The back ones will be removed and the front ones will be expanded to get some sexyfront (as opposed to SexyBack). The inset pockets will be removed and either replaced with patch pockets on the front or foregone altogether. It depends on just how much fabric is left when I'm done frankensewing this thing backtogether.

[Forrest Gump]


One thing is for sure: those brass buttons are never going to dig into my but-tocks again.


[/Forrest Gump]


Before & After Pictures Coming Soon!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Cruisewear Progress Report #1

Remember this dress?



Well, here it is 90% finished:



I'm pretty happy with it. Just have to sew the bodice to skirt, hem it and then put the buttons and buttonholes on.

On second thought, maybe it's only 75% done...

Monday, April 13, 2009

Wardrobe Refashion

2 month pledge


I've decided to take the plunge and join in the pledge not to buy any new clothing. I wish I could say that I was able to make the pledge for life, but I'm chicken. REALLY chicken. So I'm going to join up for 2 months and see how I make out.





The Pledge



I Nina, not a llama, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of
"new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge
that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my
own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge
that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted,
recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so
that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!



Signed Nina, not a llama.



I'm determined not to fall off the wagon.


This all gets under way May 1st, so check back!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Cruisin' Together

Not the sappy song by Huey Lewis, either.

August 31st we embark on a 5 day cruise from Jacksonville to Key West to Nassau and back to Jax. It's the first vacation since our 1st anniversary that didn't have a child along (including in-utero). I'm so jazzed about it.

And of course, something this momentous (did I mention it's our 9th wedding anniversary?)




deserves a complete new wardrobe. Lucky me, I got in my shopping spree *before* Wardrobe Refashion starts. Sneaky me, I know.

Anyhow, one is not permitted to look like a hobo stay at home mom at dinner. Apparently ratty yoga pants and stained snarky t-shirts are inappropriate. And here I was looking forward to wearing my Cthulhu for President t-shirt. Shucks. I'll just save it for 2011. I break it out for election season because you know, why vote for the "lesser" evil and all. But my rant on the two-party political stranglehold is a post for another day. Today it's ALL about the amazingness that is the fabric I have and the patterns I have to create a wardrobe worthy of the most fashionable diva the Love Boat ever saw.

The nominees (in no particular order) are:

Butterick 3052 from Patterns From The Past. Hi Michelle!



This pattern will be sewn up in views A & B. View A will NOT have the detachable frilly business because I have a cool grey, yellow & black patterned fabric that doesn't need it. View B is a silky butterfly adorned print that will go with my Lutterloh flounced skirt (not pictured).

Butterick 4369 that I picked up at a rummage sale.

This is being made up in a coordinating black, grey and yellow print from the same collection as the blouse above. I'm making the shorter version.

Vintage Vogue 2636 from LanetzLiving.


This is getting made up in a nice poly blend that is green with orange flecks, courtesy of my mother in law.

Simplicity 4044 & 9978 (sadly out of print) from my local fabric shop.


The skirt will be yellow (surprise) and the slacks will be grey to match the blouse above. Mix-n-match is a beautiful thing.

I'm making the skirt/midriff top at the lower left in a cruise-themed cotton. Now I just need to tone the midriff...


New Look 6244, 6521 & 6669 also from my local fabric shop.

Skirt: brown. Blouse: View A with the ribbon. Turqouise cotton with sheer turquoise/brown print overlay/sleeves.

Top: View A in yellow and pants in charcoal.


Dress C as shown on model with a white/pinkish cotton embellished with sequins with the strappy one underneath in plain white.


Some of these patterns I've had FOREVER and never got around to making them up. Well, the time is NOW.

I'm also making up Lutterloh 205, 154 & 155 (maybe I'll scan them in) also. Lucky me, there's the skirt pattern. Not having much luck finding the capris/top online. But well, there you go.


Once all the fabric is washed, I'll take pictures so you can see the fabulousness that is my biggest project to date. Now, I just need to finish my daughters' Easter Dresses. You know. That they have to wear in less than 48 hours. Pressure? Me? Naaaah.....


Monday, March 16, 2009

The Amazing Adventures of The Intrepid Seamstress

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to sew. She sewed Barbie clothes from scraps of fabric and colthes for her tribe of Cabbage Patch dolls from remnants. When she grew up she longed to sew clothing for herself but alas and alack, she was unable to find someone to help her fit her garments to her body. She consulted the magic portal known as Google and found that there were many ways indeed to create a doppleganger that would enable her to create beauty and wonder from the bolts and bolts of fabric that were beginning to pile up.


The first quest was to create the "Duct Tape Double". It was, sadly, not that great. It did indeed look like the intrepid girl, but sadly the adhesive that caused the duct tape to adhere to her underthings and create the replica of her form also made it impossible to pin into and thereby tailor anything. So Hildegarde the Duct Tape Double was relegated to the bin.


Later that year, the girl had a birthday. While sojourning in the land of Google, she found yet another amazing invention known as the Uniquely You Dressform. Which in theory was ... well ... unique. It's squishable foam made it an ideal candidate to replicate the girl's shape and form. Unfortunately, the instructions that came with the dressform were written in some arcane language that the girl was unable to understand.


Many years passed and the girl became a woman and bore children. Which, as could be expected, made many changes to her body. It's shape was barely discernable as that of the girl's. "But that's not a problem!" cried the girl. "I can just alter the cover of yon dressform and in two shakes of a tailor's chalk the form will be as mine own!"


But the dressform gods are capricious and hid the intructions for altering the dressform to fit. And so, the girl once again ventured into the land of Google and acquired a second copy of the instructions. Fearing that some tragedy would befall the slip of paper on which they were inscribed, she put them into a "safe place". Which as everyone knows is really a black hole from whence they will never return until after a period of 20 years or the original item has long since been sold or given to the local charity shop.


After a period of 4 years, the girl rediscovers the dressform - known only as Brunhilde - and decides that indeed to attempt once again to create a doppleganger is a quest most worthy. And so she ventured again into the land of Google to learn the alchemy that would create the perfect double of her body in latex foam rubber.


Again, as before, the dressform gods ridicule her attempts at creating a cover for Brunhilde and in her desperation, the girl consults every oracle she can find to learn the secret to taming the latex foam rubber shrew.


Will she tame the latex foam rubber beast? Can she create her perfect double? Or will she die the death of one thousand and one straight pins?


Tune in next time for the continuing adventures of "The Intrepid Seamstress"!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Arts 'n' Crafts for 2009

This year, I'm trying to make at least one new thing per month. Either for myself, the kids or to sell at Etsy. The idea is to make up all the fabric and yarn I currently have into something before bringing more into my tiny home. The other thing I'm trying to do is re-purpose things and recycle more.

Two projects that I've been working on so far in '09 are a fleece jacket for myself since I haven't had a jacket in about 6 years. With the record lows we've experienced lately, it was imperative I get something other than a long-sleeved t-shirt. So with my 40% off coupon in hand, I headed to JoAnn's and came home with a lovely fleece in ivory and two shades of green. Using McCall's 5252

I ended up with this

Originally it wasn't going to be lined, but the fleece turned out to be insufficient alone. It's lined with a nice organic cotton knit and features an MP3 player pocket on the left side.

My current project is a lacy tunic sweater by Patons Classics


I'm very pleased with the outcome thus far. I've been working on the body for a few days and I'm ready to begin the back. This is by far the most agressive crochet work I've ever done in my life. And I've only had to rip out a few rows and start over a few times. Here's the progress so far


As a side note, these photos were taken with a Nikon D70 in daylight and barely corrected in Photoshop.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Even More WNTW

Why has fashion run so amok that only skinny sticklike figures can find clothes that look ... err ... I hestitate to say "decent", but maybe "hip" will do? I made my Target run last night to pick up my meds and noticed that all the clothes for reasonably youngish women looked like maternity wear from last year. Or at least they would on anyone with an ounce of fat.

Now I'm really comfortable in my skin. My clothes are getting looser (never mind the numbers) and I'm happy with that. I can do tons of push-ups and I lift weights occasionally so I know I'm fairly fit. But I am MORE than disgusted with what I'm finding in the stores. Case in point: Dress Barn. I used to work for DB as an assistant manager back in the day (1996) and back then the QUALITY of their merchandise was exceptional for an off-price retailer. NOW? Fuhgedaboutit. I went in the local DB a week ago today and tried on 15 things. NONE of them fit ~properly~. Properly is the key word. The workmanship on the items was pretty shabby. Fabric was bunched up in seams, padding was not even in two tops, zippers were put in "wrong" so that they BUNCHED (this one is a real no-brainer to do right, actually). And for the prices ($30 for a polyester knit top?) I expected better. I was DO disgusted that when the lady helping me enquired as to how I was doing, I let her know that I was unhappy with the workmanship and would have purchase XYZ except it was poorly made. Whether or not she cares, I don't know. But maybe she'll pass it to her DM (district manager). Or not. It's a dangerous thing, knowing how to sew PROPERLY.

Oh to have time to create my own wardrobe. But that day is coming. When we travel overseas in the winter, I'll be having a custom wardrobe made. I LIVE for this.