Whoa there, don't wear the sewing machine out!!

While I've always loved thrift shops I'm really into refashioning, trashion, thrifting, reconstructing etc at the moment. All basically words for taking one garment and turning it into something else. It's really opened my eyes as to what is useful as opposed to what is in decent conditon and actually fits either of us.

Inspired by Craftster (of which I am only a lurker), I made this oh-so-gorgeous little dress for my little madam with a really basic mens button up shirt. The shirt was rather bland, but the dress looks really cute! Many thanks to Craftster user Cheytown for this really cute, and super easy refashion idea. One thing I did different, was rather than use the curve of the shoulder on the sleeve, I used the cuff, so I didn't have to sew a casing for the elastic. I used the entire cuff on what was a Large JeansWest mens shirt, and no roll elastic measuring the size needed for my kiddos shoulders. Being allergic to latex we have to be careful with elastics so using the cuff as a casing just made my life easier. Best bit was that the elastic was the exact width needed to fill the casing. Woohoo!! Jessica loves this dress. I tried it on her before hemming and she didn't want to take it off.


So, one L size JeansWest mens shirt, now girly girly dress. I had to add a press stud (snap) at the very top corner of the cross over where the buttons are as it fits her great, but that made a slight gape. The stud just keeps it closed and looking neat. I thought I may have needed a trim across the top to keep things G rated but I didn't. I am so stoked at how well this fit when she wasn't even home for a single fitting. 1 point to mummy :D I didn't think to get a before photo, but you get the idea. And it was slightly breezy yesterday so the pics aren't great, and they were taken with my mobile phone cos I can't find the memory card for the camera, and it was way too cold for missy to model. Another day.












I went to the op shop (thrift store) again this morning looking for another mens button up to recon, and I spotted this super cute size 10 ladies skirt. It's so pretty, in pristine condition! Only, I am about 300 sizes bigger than a 10 :( I walked around the store a while and picked up a few other things. Even paid for them. Then decided I HAD to have the skirt and bought it. I have a dress for Jessi in mind. I have no idea if/how to get it to work. One way to find out!!! If I don't ruin it too completely, but don't manage the dress I have pictured in my head, maybe I can make a bag or something.




These are so items I picked up this morning (except the ladies blouse which I got last week) all with the intent to redesign into something else. I have heaps of others I bought recently like a size 10 denim pencil skirt with a slit up only one side, which I see as a dress for Jessica. I am just a little worried about the denim being too harsh on her soft and sensitive skin. That in mind, I was really taken by these lightweight fabrics.

Can't be too hard to turn ladies size M tops into little girls size 3T dress, right? The top one is olive green with that Indian style embroidery and beading, the lower one is a real deep turquoise colour (flash makes it look soo much brighter than it really is) and has zome cute machine embroidery, lettuce hems, and little shirred gathers at what would be the hips. Watch this space!!




This white singlet I bought simply cos I love the beads. For $1 you'd be lucky to buy the beads alone for that. Someone's hand sewn them to a circle of fabric, then, for whatever reason, done a really bad job of sewing them to the cami. It looks ghastly in person. All up I might even be able to make the top into something for Jessi. It's only a size 8 ladies, so perhaps that's being a bit ambitious


Another ultra boring mens button shirt waiting to become a little girls dress. Not even close to convinced I like the fabric so it might get gifted yet. And a ladies blouse of which I have spent ages unpicking the darts. Was really hard to see the stitches with all that busy print. The fabric is really soft, it too is a size 10 ladies, and has a nice silver lurex stripe through the print. I like it a lot. Now to work out what to do with it.


Last week I also picked out a ton of belts which I cut up for D-rings, buckles etc and I'm not sure if I said this before, but a couple of weeks ago when in an op shop in another town I paid $12 for 3 bags, all of which had solid handles which I have removed from the bags for later use. Those handles in the craft store were $15 a pair minimum! One of the bags was black leather so I saved the leather too. Of course :D I always pick up sewing patterns when in thrift stores and have soooo many of them. I spend ages and look at them all one by one, pulling out the ones I want. The most I usually pay is about 50c a pattern, even for those from the 60s and 70s. Now I've also started looking for findings such as zippers (20c each last week), fabric, cottons, buttons, buckles etc etc.

Anyways, I am going to go start unpicking the white skirt cos soon it will be time to get Jessica from school. She has her first excursion with school tomorrow, to a town 1hr away. I am being a brave mummy and letting her go alone.. Scary.. Especially with her allergies etc.


While I am at it, blogger blog GROSGRAIN does some amzaing work! Fields of Gold Frock GIVEAWAY!!!! She actually gives this stuff away?? :-o Too cool! I love looking at her work, very inspiring. Her Pinata Pinafore is so damn sweet! I love the colours and the style and all. Even if you're not interested in her giveaways, check out her work. It's inspiring and her kiddos are the sweetest lil models!