The Refashionista Strikes Back Sweatshirt

Time to Complete: 15 mins
Sewing Machine Required? No
Difficulty: Easy

Apparently I took pictures of this refashion when I did it about two months ago when the weather was still cold, I just never wrote up a post! Here it is!

Cozy!

Actually, there's nothing wrong with this sweater. It is cozy, and it has cats on it. Perhaps it's only flaw is that it's a bit on the large side for me. Still, I wasn't going to just take this in the old-fashioned way! I wanted to try something new!

First, I carefully cut off that bottom band, keeping as close to the seam as possible. I did the same at the sleeve cuffs.

snip!

Then I measured up each side seam of the sweater to my waistline. I made a small incision just to the front of each side seam.

See where I'm going with this, yet?

Now it was time for that bottom band to come back into play! I snipped it so that instead of a loop, I had one long length.

Then I pulled the sweater on, fed the band through one incision from the front, passed it around my back, and pulled it out the other hole on the other side.

Like so...

Now it was a simple matter of tying off the ends in a tidy bow! 

And a Jedi-cat sweater is born

The way I'd threaded the belt gave this sweater a new kimono-esque shape, but being the nerd I am I immediately thought "I'm a Jedi!" While my immediate attempt to trigger my camera using the Force failed, I live in hope that someday it will manifest!

Criticisms: Pshaw! You think I could complain about a super comfy Star Wars-evoking sweater with cats on it? Though to be fair, I have my doubts about the longevity of my DIY belt--it seems like it will stretch out over time.

 

Sunny Jumper

Time to Complete: 1 hour
Sewing Machine Required? Yes
Difficulty: Difficult

We've been getting some gorgeous weather, so I decided to celebrate with this sunny number:

Look closer...

Witchy sun-moon-face!

I bought this very 90s dress purely for the gold-embroidered emblem on the front. I did an MA on medieval magical practices (not witchcraft, and don't get me started on how they're different!), so the subtle occult detail tugged at my heart. 

I've been seeing a lot of jumpers around recently, like this cute one from Modcloth:

So I decided to make one for myself. First, I was going to have to get rid of those sleeves:

Goodbye!

I don't often take sleeves off entirely, because it's tricky to hem the armholes again. Often they'll end up huge and gaping, which just doesn't work for most dresses. For a jumper, however, an extra-large armhole is ideal!

Real armholes have curves, so I made sure to snip about 1/2cm in every 10cm or so along the raw edge.

Like so...

This provides some give for double-folding the hem, so it doesn't get clumpy and awkward. I stitched around to close up the raw edges.

Next, I needed to take it in a bit. I still wanted it to have a relaxed fit, so I sewed a straight line down each side.

Marked and ready for stitchery!

Once I'd taken in the sides, it was just a matter of adjusting the length. I forgot to take pictures, but just see any of my other posts for tips on shortening a dress.

The end result? 

I so need to find a better backdrop!

Paired with a yellow T-shirt to bring out the gold, I think this baby-doll style jumper feels like a nice mix of youthful and grown-up.

Criticisms: Actually, this one turned out pretty much the way I envisioned it! I can't think of anything I'd change. I love it when a plan comes together!