refashioning is not something i’ve gotten into. there are lovely peeps out there who do it almost exclusively—and i think they are amazing!—but i just haven’t gone there myself. however, in an effort to use some of my old clothes that i no longer wear but just can’t give away, i decided to give it a try. and ya know… it wasn’t half bad!
i’ve had this button up shirt since college, and i loved it and wore it a lot. nowadays the fit bothered me: sleeves too wide, main body too wide, shirt too short… hasn’t been worn in years. so i cut it up, made it small and gave it to anastasia. she’s very much not a girly girl so it was a risk giving her a ruffled collar, but it’s small and subtle enough that she’s okay with it.
i had plenty of fabric to work with, so i cut the collar stand on the bias to break up the plaid a bit. for the ruffle, i went with a scant 2:1 ratio and used my serger to finish the upper edge. even though i had plenty of fabric, i made the inner collar stand out of a contrast fabric that just happened to go well with the plaid. i really like this feature on shirts, though i’ve never used it for myself. that may change.
and hey, check out those cute shorts! i used mccalls 6391 again with all the same pattern mods as before. the fabric is a lightweight denim (6-6.5 oz) that was leftover from an older project. actually, this is the second thing i’ve made with the leftovers now that i think of it… i wanted to keep a trouser look so i used black topstitching thread, but to keep it casual i simply hemmed the legs and rolled them up twice, strategically tacking the side seams so they stay put. as you can see, in a size 7 they’re quite roomy. however i expect that she’ll get two summers out of these—our summers are fairly short so that’s a good thing. i also put an adjustable waist on the inside so she wouldn’t have to bother with a belt.
as i constructed the shorts i took many pictures of my fly construction method, but writing up a good tutorial is very time consuming. i should have it up in a day or two (or four…) so watch this space!
—lisa g.
You know, with your fabric layout skillz, you will *rock* at the refashioning… That outfit is so cute! And the top, with the plaid and ruffles it’s like a combination of HARD and SOFT…haha!! (I think of you every time I hear that on Project Runway or anywhere else!) 😉
hahaha you’re killin’ me! i stand by my words though!
and i have a whole box of old clothes with good fabric… i really should tackle more!
Great refashion!
thanks!
Man, you are the BEST mom! Love both these items!
thanks! she wore the shorts three days in a row, so i’d say they’re a winner!
What a cut outfit! You should definitely refashion more often given these results. This makes me think I should check out my husbands closet for shirts…. I would like to see the tutorial when you get time for it – no pressure :).
definitely raid the husband’s closet… i envision some cute woven tanks!