Removing Revolting Ribbing REfashion

'MakeOver Monday' 

... sharing how I cut up & REinvent items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up some scissors & start cutting up yours!

There's nothing like the desire 

to wear your newly op-shop-sourced favourite cardigan

to the last class of an 8wk workshop

that needs a Ribbing REfashion 

to get the creative mojo pumping!

I dislike ribbing because of the way it drags the front of the garment to the back 
and sometimes the length of a cardy is too long.

With an hour up my sleeve 

the ribbing came off

and some recently handmade bias binding went on

and even though I didn't have time
 to hand stitch the ends or replace missing buttons 

she was perfect...

 not only does she now sit comfortabley at the right length

looking good with the tunic I made last winter

she also does a great job of showing off one of the new
 Frippery Pebble neckpieces.

and just in case you'd like to do something similar

there's new workshop dates/times up on the Website 

....and there's still a few Fripperys left in the Shop.

MakeOver Monday - Tops as T-shirts

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REinvent items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

As a stand alone garment

I don't wear T-shirts 

and haven't since I've been old enough to buy my own clothes

 I'm pretty sure the initial aversion to them was due entirely to having the body shape of a boy [no shape] which has continued over the years as I've morphed into a beached whale

so when out & about on rescue missions

and I see simple frock styles made from gorgeous fabrics

just like this fabulous original 60's frock 

it doesn't matter that she's not wide enough to get my left leg into

I know I can make her fit...  

a cardy for every occassion

the tricky part can be deciding

 which of the REinventing options on file to choose from

each choice would've created entirely different looks

meaning different uses

and with summer on the way I opted for 

the least invasive & obtrusive 

by cutting a wedge from the ribbon detail on the tablecloth

rather than going full floral

with lovely deep in-seam pockets being retro-fitted

as a matter of course

because who knew pockets could be so handy

and with early morning dog walking

& beach combing expeditions to maintain

having a Top I can chuck on and walk out the door in

means Tops are my T-shirts. 

  

~~~oo0oo~~~

click on image for details

MakeOver Monday - The Exhibition Ensemble

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REmake items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

I knew back in July 

I was going to my friend Reginas [aka The Mad Queen] 
first solo exhibition in Fitzroy

Some of Reginas Tapestry & Tin Tea Frocks - over a third of her exhibits sold on the night!

because

when you have someone in your life

who's a diamond

you book your flight 3mths ahead of time 

to fly to the other side of the country 

leaving your children to fend for themselves 

what I hadn't counted on

was that two days before I was due to fly out

I'd change my mind about the outfit I was preparing to wear on the big night

so armed with the understanding 

I do my best work under pressure

and an extensive REinventing resource which sometimes doubles as my wardrobe

I grabbed two items 

a fisherman frock made years ago  from a sheer metallic fabric
featuring mens ties for shoulder straps

and an op shop sourced heavily hand embroidered silk skirt 
that had been filed for years

just waiting for this moment....

the top of the frock and the bottom of the skirt

[with retro-fitted inseam pockets]

 were attached to each other

which took a couple of goes 

and the opinion of the eldest 

to get the depth of the bodice right

and being I was heading to  Melbourne 
she needed a Cardet
which I REfashioned from a too-small woolen knitted cardy/jacket
by manipulating the fastenings

and for those essential items

[keys, lippy, cash]

a Fragment Bag was neccessary

to complete the

'Exhibition Ensemble'

I was lucky enough to come home with my absolute favourite piece from the exhibition

and 4days worth of wonderful memories!

MakeOver Monday - Sewing Swocks

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REmake items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

What do you call a Jumper, Sweater or Jersey

attached to a Shirt, Skirt or Frock

Shumper? Skumper? Frumper?

nup

they're a Swock [sweater frock]

after creating the original Swock

I knew I'd have trouble stopping

and have since created another 3!

  

Sweater - Skirt

a couple have pockets 
and others have the buttons stitched down at the back

Sweater - Frock

they've fast become my go-to-winter-wardrobe staple

they're quick to make
perfect with leggings & jeans

are incredibly comfy while keeping me warm

and go with ALL THE boots.

sweater - [hubbys] shirt

If you'd like your own Swock

I've created a detailed step-by-step 4page pdf for easy download

which is available in the Shop…

without the need for pattern cutting, garment sizing and fabric buying
you'll never look at sweaters, jumpers, jerseys or shirts the same way again
and will be REinventing yours 
& possibly your loved ones wardrobes in no time.

MM - The Ruby Red Cardy That Was a Jumper

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REmake items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

What to do 

when your new frock doesn't have a cardy to match...

you make one that does

turns out red is a hard colour to capture on an iPhone

having picked a colour in the frock to try and match 

it was a ruby red jumper which volunteered

due to the open light weight semi-ruched nature of the cotton jumper

 it was essential that some hand sewing happened on the couch

the walking foot was attached to the Bernina

& differential feed was dialled in on the Bernette 
to help avoid any unwanted stretching

the front band was the bottom edge of the jumper 
- this is the best representation of the actual colour

and as luck would have it [or fate!]

my keen treasure rescuing eye

caught a glimpse of 6 perfect 'light garnet' coloured thread spools 
tossed in the bottom of a bin

 to help get the job done

note to any op shop bosses who might stumble upon this post
PLEASE stop pricing stuff with PERMANENT MARKER
not only is it annoying for the purchaser
to have their treasure permenantly defaced
it's disrespectful
to the person who took the time to donate said treasure
- it's lazy and did I mention annoying!

 rant over...

I couldn't be happier with my perfect

ruby red cardy

which it turns out goes with this frock and a few others!

Next Week

These wooly skirt's will be tunics...

I hope! 

MM - The Little Red Dress That Was a Skirt

'MakeOver Monday' 
... sharing how I cut up & REmake items from my wardrobe 
in the hope you'll pick up scissors & start cutting up yours!

Sometimes a REinvent sneaks up on you...

while mucking around making a wrap pattern over the weekend

I REdiscovered

a rescued Miranda Brown Conscious Cloth soft-as-butter merino wool too-small skirt 
tucked up at the bottom of a cupboard 

 and thought I could use it to sample the new wrap pattern
while having a bit of fun  

so without another thought 
I started prepping her for REinventing

and before I knew it I'd cut off the waist & removed the zip

meaning I had to re-pin her in order to get some before shots

next came armhole placement

this took a bit of deliberating because once there's holes in the middle of the fabric

 there's no going back...

after leaving the room a couple of times and a couple of cuppas later

I opted for a not so high neck, 

giving me more length 

& the stripes coming up higher in the front

I was already aware of a few nibbled holes along the back zippered seam 
which had been cut away without interferring with the design

however it wasn't until about now 

that I discovered a teeny one centre front

which threatened to derail the whole project

I figured I'd soldier on

and when she was finished
ignore the hole

or work on adding darning to my repoitoire 

of make-do-and-mend skills...

it was only after laying out every length of bias binding in the place 
without finding a match to finish the edges
that I decided to retain the original skirt lining

lining runs a 2nd to bias 

as my preferred way to finish edges

it hides a multitude of sins

and especially helps a woollen garment sit & feel better 

and after all, at the end of the day

if you feel good

you'll look good

especially 

if it means you get to wear your favourite red boots!

Next Week:

I need a cardy to go with the butterfly frock
and this jumper volunteered!

 

   

'MakeOver Monday' Cardy Party Show & Tell

The bloke's home

so yesterday I donned my latest REinventions

wrangled two of my greatest creations

sisters

jumped in the car

and we all headed to the hills

 on a road trip in search of lunch 

 Jarrahdale Pub

 and I'm thrilled to report 

that the newly REfashioned Cardy 

passed her first outing with flying colours

working beautifully with the Frock REinvent from a few weeks back

and the first Petal Necklace

although breezes are to be avoided as the petals flip over - hoping some strategic stitching will help.

to re-cap 

here are links through to the posts I did stepping you through the process I took 

to REfashion two cardys I wasn't wearing due to their small sizes

 into one I will wear often because 
now it fits...

• Day 1 - Requirements
• Day 2 - Cutting
• Day 3 - Stitching

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

MakeOver Cardy Party - Day3 [with a video]

Changing buttons is sometimes enough to change a whole garment 

or be the key in bringing a REfashion together

 because the two grey knits I've used are different tones

I was hopeful the right buttons would help tie it all together 

so at the end of Day2 

I swapped plastic buttons for a selection of random silvery grey ones 

which sounds as perfect as it looks  

Day3 - Stitching

This morning with the overlocker in situ, threaded 
and her differential feed dialed in
I overlocked the sides of the keeper
and the edges of the wedges 

please don't fret or chuck a wobbly if you don't have an overlocker
being a knit fabric the overlocker is purely decorative 
as once stitched a knit fabric isn't going to fray

to help with the next step where we insert/attach the wedge
I made a short video 

which I hope helps

because at the end of the day

you want it to look like this.

Now you have ALL weekend to play
[please don't hesitate to ask any questions]

and I'll meet you back here or on FB this Monday
for the 'MakeOver Cardy Party' reveal!

Jody x

Make Over Cardy Party - Day2

I like a grey cardy

a grey cardy goes with most things

unless of course it's too small

then knowing how to rememdy this

is the handiest skill of all

following on from yesterdays post 

you'll have selected two cardigans or a cardy & a jumper...

choose the one you wish to make bigger [keeper]

 and the one you're prepared to sacrifice [volunteer] 

we'll be adding a 'wedge' created from the volunteer 

to gain the extra width needed in the keeper

Day2 :: Cutting

take the folded sleeve of the 'volunteer' 

and lay it along the side seam of the 'keeper'  

to check the sleeves you are about to remove are long enough 

to fit the gap you are about to create

[if it's not you can use the fronts &/or back of the 'volunteer' cardy]

carefully remove the sleeves from the body of the 'volunteer'

  

 open them up along the seams 

because they've had a life you might notice they're a little stretched 

a quick steam/press will help bring them back into shape  

with the 'keeper'

carefully cut up the side seams 

stopping 1cm from the underarm point 

even though you know the 'keeper' is too small

you'll not know by how much until you try it on

and unlike me you wont have to expose your lumpy bits to the world by taking a photo of yourself 

instead you'll use your camera hand to measure the gap

taking note of that measurement 

in my case the amount I needed fell short of the amount I could acheive 

[determined by the width of the sleeve hem]

however I don't wear my cardys buttoned up 

so figured any extra was better than none

and forged ahead

having made note of the width needed for the bottom of the wedge

I measured down the opened side seam on the 'keeper' 

to get the length measurement required

and marked this measurement up from the bottom of the folded sleeves

then ruled a straight line from the top to the bottom 

creating the wedges I'll need.

Tomorrow we plug in the sewing machine!