Archive for the ‘refashion’ Category

Refashioned: Penelope’s Soccer Uniform

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When we heard a group of kids Penelope’s age in our new neighborhood were getting on a soccer league we didn’t think twice and signed her up. Chris always wanted to be on a league growing up, but between Phoenix Boy’s Choir and music lessons it didn’t happen. I was never interested in team sports. I wanted to be good, but I never was and I was (and still am) totally petrified of the ball. It’s sort of a rite of passage for small kids to play on a team of some sort (at least here in Utah). Soccer seemed brilliant, she always wants to play and she loves running around. Heck, she runs circles around me all day, why not a soccer ball with friends?

She was so anxious to start so we scored some cute soccer gear as early as possible. We found a hot pink ball, hot pink shin guards and polka dot soccer socks! We also found her soccer cleats for $2 at the thrift store. She was so excited to shop for the gear with me, but when it came time to actually play soccer, her head was in the clouds. She spent most of her time just staring at the paragliders overhead. She plays at the most beautiful park, I’m constantly distracted by the mountains, paragliders and view of the city, too.

Unfortunately, all the soccer uniforms are enourmous (I could wear the jersey and shorts with room to spare). For the first couple of games (see top image) I rolled up the waistband 3 times and they were still falling off. It was time for a little fix. You can’t really tell from the picture just above that I changed much, but her shorts are about 6 inches shorter and stay on. Her shirt is still very long (didn’t have time to hem that before the game), but it fits her in the trunk much better. See below for how I did it.

Are you in sports or do you have kids or siblings who are? It’s exhausting to get Penelope to practices and games on time!

Refashion: Not-So-Mini Skirt

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I found this little mini skirt in the junior’s section. It was super short, at least I thought so. I’m not one for wearing things too far above my knees let alone something that’s just below my rear. But I love the print! The skirt was on clearance for $4, so I had to have it.

I just measured, zipped up one side with the sewing machine and handed it off to Penelope. She loves the print and the length is great for her, too. At this length, Penelope can still do everything she loves, but her underwear still gets covered. We’re finding that Penelope + short skirts and dresses don’t quite work for Penelope much, as she sits with her legs uncrossed and hangs with boys almost every day.

I should really just make her little boy shorts to go under everything. Next week, perhaps.

Refashion: Darts + Jeans

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I have this regular problem that I can’t seem to find pants that fit in both the waist and the legs. I don’t feel this way, but according to most clothing stores my legs are disproportionately large compared to my waist. I think my legs are fine the way they are, so I’ve been trying to figure out easy ways to alter my jeans.

I’ve taken jeans in from the back seam, but it always looks glaringly noticeable. Susan took some jeans in at the side for me, but I’m too lazy for her sewing skills and for jeans that were only $10. I’ve also tried the elastic approach and making my jeans bigger, but I wanted something easier. Yes. Even easier.

Then I had this genius thought while Chris was complaining of the same thing with his pants. I was pinching and thinking of how to take his pants in, then it dawned on me. DARTS. It’s virtually invisible and takes less than 5 minutes. That’s my kind of fix!

I was so proud of my original idea, then I remembered that I saw it somewhere else way before I thought of it. Liz has two tutorials on how to take in pants with darts. You should check them out. Doing darts is super easy. It’s a little less noticable on pants that don’t have decorative top stitching, but I’m more concerned about the fit and the fact that I didn’t have to do any unpicking in order to get the right fit.

Much better silhouette.

See, I smile when my pants fit right. Also, I smile when I’ve just gone clothes shopping. I went on a bit (for me) of a clothes shopping binge last week. It feels so nice to have new duds!

Outfit Details:

  • headband: handmade
  • necklaces: handmade, c/o Tai Pan Trading
  • top: Forever 21
  • cuff: handmade
  • jeans: Forever 21 (I love their $10 jeans)
  • shoes: thrifted

Do you have a magic brand of denim that fits you perfectly, or how do you alter jeans to make them fit you?

Refashion: Back-to-School Sweater Dress

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This sweater vest was a hand-me-down from a friend. She gave me a bunch of sweaters for crafting. I was going to make this into another sweater pillow, but I’m really trying to add more color in my decor, so I decided it needed to become back-to-school clothes for Penelope.

She already has a sweater dress I that I thrifted some time ago, so I used that as a template.

Just by taking in the sides and the neck at the V, I had a new dress for Penelope.

I think the jury is still out on if the dress is liked or not. She says it’s scratchy, but I don’t think so. It’s a cotton wool blend, so it shouldn’t be. But she does have extra sensitive skin, though.

 

Refashioned: Halter Dress to Skirt

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Way back when, I participated in a fashion swap and scored this awesome plaid halter wrap dress. I don’t wear halters by themselves, so I didn’t seem to wear it often or even more than the one time here.

The bust was too big and the skirt seemed to be a reverse high-low (high in back, low in front – which totally drives me crazy). I’m so picky with how clothes fit! After sitting in my closet for over a year, it was time to get refashioned. Since reworking this skirt late last week, I’ve worn it several times!

Here’s what I did:

  • I chopped off the halter part as evenly as possible
  • hemmed the top with biased tape
  • rounded the ends of each side of the wrap so the skirt goes a bit higher in front than in the back.

The refashion was super speedy with the biased tape and my rolled hem foot. I believe I got it done in under 30 minutes, which is incredibly fast! Chris couldn’t even tell where I reworked the skirt, so that was also a major bonus.

The plaid has tons of fun colors in it, so it works perfectly with my summer and fall pieces. Here are the outfit’s details:

  • top: Target + refashioned
  • skirt: swapped + refashioned
  • shoes: thrifted

I’ve been itching for a clothing swap lately! Have you done one before?

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