Supersized Tunic

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

Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for a major refashion. Sometimes I don't feel like wearing anything in my closet. Sometimes both moods strike within one hour of when I need to leave for work. This project is the result of just such a perfect storm of apathetic whininess.

I started with this.

Don't I just look thrilled?

This is actually an XXL shirt. Fortunately, it also leant itself well to becoming a super easy, almost no-sew tunic.

Step one, as always, remove the shoulder pads.

Go...just go.

Now, I wanted to wear this to work, and that neckline was just a little too gaping for me to feel comfortable doing so. Particularly as I have to wear a staff badge which throws off the drape of pretty much anything I wear. 

So I rifled through my notions drawer and found some pieces of coordinating ribbon. I think these are leftover decor from my bridal shower? I pinned them to the inside of the collar, which fortunately had an reinforced band.

Attach to band...

I used my sewing machine to stitch down the ribbon, because I was in a rush, but honestly, this is such a tiny amount of sewing you could easily do it by hand.

I didn't have time to take in the sides, so I just grabbed a belt! Tie those ribbons in a cute bow, cinch in the waist, and I was ready to go!

That's it. I wore it to work all day, where it was so cold I had to keep my new dress covered with a bulky cardigan anyway.

Quilted Vest to Autumnal Tote

Time to Complete: 15 mins
Sewing Machine Required? Yes
Difficulty: Easy

I'm a sucker for the ugly ducklings of the thrift shop. It's not their fault they exist, and they deserve a second chance at life. When something is so ugly it just SHOULD NOT BE, I have only one choice: turn it into something completely new.

Here we have one such specimen.

Actually, I kind of liked the quilted cornucopia and the weird clashing stripes on the other side, just not as a vest. So I lay the whole thing flat on the floor and made two big chops.

A vest no more!

I put the centre piece away for a future project (I'm thinking an autumn hot pad for my kitchen), and flipped the left side piece over the right so they were front sides together.

Like so...

Then it was a simple matter of stitching across the top narrow band, and around the thicker part (shown on the right in the picture). I trimmed off the excess and turned it back inside-right. When finished, voila!

Dare I say...totes fabulous?

This quilted wonder makes a much less offensive bag than it did vest. I'm looking forward to getting into the fall season!

 

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.

 

Muppet Sweater

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

Here's a super easy no-sew refashion! All you need is an oversize sweater--either one deliberately made to be oversize, or one that's just a few sizes too big. I started with this one.

Something about this looks familiar...

Bad: Stifling collar.Good: So soft! Lovely colour.

Fix: Cut out the collar.

The terrycloth-like feel of this sweater and its bright colour (sorry, the photo doesn't do the emerald green justice), immediately put me in mind of the Muppets! Beloved childhood characters that they are, I didn't necessarily want to go out dressed as one so I needed some way to make this sweater a bit more grown-up. I decided to change the neckline.

Chop!

Turns out that was all it needed. With that stifling collar out of the way, this sweater became much more fun. I cut it even wider than shown in the picture, so I can wear it off-the-shoulder if I choose.

Cozy

In a spectacular fit of clumsiness, I dropped a piece of toast and egg on myself right after taking this picture. Since this sweater has some very specific directions about washing and drying, it will be a while before I get to enjoy it. Still, for the few minutes I was able to wear it I was cozy and comfy!

Criticisms: I could have gone bolder with the off-the shoulder, but I prefer to cut too little and go back later to readjust, rather than cut too much and ruin the project!

The De-Nightification Dress

It's July!  And do you know what that means?  One dollar clothing sale at the Hospice Resale Shop, my favourite second-hand store!  I picked this one up a few days ago, and it ended up being really easy, and required zero sewing!  I donned this nightyish number because the fabric was perfectly breezy for an already warming-up day.

All ready for a nap!

All this dress needed was to lose that bottom ruffle and get a little shaping.  It was quite pretty otherwise.  So it was off to grab the seam ripper and watch a mustachioed Belgian detective solve theatrical murders while I picked away.

Pick, pick, pick...

It took about a half hour to separate the two pieces.

Simple as that, it was ready to wear!

Just add a belt!

A quick and easy no-sew refashion for a hot summer day!