Tuesday, May 14, 2013

A cute but impractical refashion


I've had a full plate recently and I haven't mustered up the will to start a sewing project from scratch. I needed something quick and rewarding, so I thought I would do a simple refashion.

red floral vintage skirt

I bought this blouse at a thrift store and was going to wear it in it's original state. When I tried it on again at home I realized that it would be way too uncomfortable as a blouse. It's a stiff thick cotton and ever so slightly scratchy. I should have foreseen it's comfort level at the time of purchase, but I fell in love with the print and there's only so much time you can ponder things when you bring your 16 month old kid along.


I just chopped it where the yoke meets the the body of the blouse. I cut 2 inch strips for the waist band, using part of one sleeve and part of the upper back. I re-purposed the top snap set on the blouse for the top closure on the waist band. I just cut squares around them, pressed in the raw edges and sewed them to the ends of the waistband. It was a pretty quick project. The most time consuming part was hand sewing the waistband on the inside to enclose the raw edges. 


I think it turned out super cute. I thinks it's flattering for my figure. It makes my short legs look longer and it hides my squishy lower tummy. 

sewing skirt





 Unfortunately, the length is not very practical for me. I don't have very many opportunities to wear tights, either, so I'm not sure I'll actually wear it. I am seriously thinking about making a red culotte slip for it though, in order to make it more wearable. 





Even though I doubt I'll wear it, I really enjoyed this project. I like the limited parameters refashioning can provide. I tend to over-think things and refashioning allows me to focus and not get lost in endless options. What about you? Have you ever refashioned something? Do you like it as much as projects started from scratch?