Eyelet Trimmed Sweater

As my farewell to cool weather, and a long, strange winter for us here in ATX, I'm posting my last sweater for what I fear will be all too many moons...

This over-sized grey (and tiny, white striped) sweater came from a place where I often find myself browsing: the clearance rack in the men's department at Target. All it needed was a couple of tweaks.

Changing the neckline makes all the difference in the world, don't you think? Adding this eyelet trim gave a slouchy sweater a sweet, feminine detail that I love.

I needed this super simple refashion, as I've been working on another for weeks and weeks, slowly but surely. I'll give you a clue: sequins. Check out my SequInspiration Pinterest board for more hints. Hopefully it'll be ready to share really soon!

Sweater with Removable Leather Details

Here it is! My completed sweater with leather details- and not just any leather details, removable leather details! Though it has been a long process, I'm so happy with the outcome.

Inspired by this trend, I have created a mood board on Pinterest dedicated to collecting like images, but there were a couple of aspirational pieces in particular swirling around in my head during this refashion.

My most recent post showed how I made the collar. And though the collar was the most complex piece to this puzzle, I won't describe the rest was as simple...

This blue-green sweater is a thrifted find, which began several sizes too big for me. I loved the over-sized length, but ultimately needed to rid the frump.

Following the tailoring principles laid out so clearly in a tutorial by Australian blogger, jltfk, I took in the shoulders, arms, and body. (The shape would have shown better in photos on me rather than a hanger.)

Measuring the length from the end of the sweater cuff to my wrist, the width around my arm, plus room to hem, I cut rectangles for cuffs from an old pair of leather pants. (If I were going to do this over again, I'd cut these larger, rather than just the exact measurements required. A bit more wiggle room would have been nice.)

For each cuff, using a leather needle, I machine sewed a hem on one long side.

Folding in half width-wise, right sides facing, I sewed again, leaving as slim of an allowance as possible...

then turned each cuff right side out.

At 5 points along the outside, raw edge of each cuff, I hand sewed snap faces.

Inside the cuffs of sweater, I carefully matched up and sewed in the counter parts.

By stitching between layers of the sweater knit, instead of going all the way through, the snaps are invisible from the outside.








(Most of this was done on a day off, while watching a marathon of Project Runway All Stars.)








The removable aspect of these details is important to me because I really want to be able to wear and launder this sweater easily. I am NOT a fan of dry/leather cleaning. It's expensive, it requires time and extra errand running, it's no good for the environment, and I just always wonder- is it even clean? In my brain, the chemicals probably do me more harm than any germs, dirt, or microbes would. Like I said, not a fan. Hence, with removable pieces, this problem is solved in a snap! Now I can take off the cuffs and collar, spot clean them as needed, wash the sweater on a delicate cycle, and lie flat to dry. Done.

A sophisticated garment was my goal and I think I achieved that to the best of my ability. I can genuinely say that I am proud of my work. 

Leg Warmers!

Happy snow day from Austin! ...If you're not from these parts, that means there was a minuscule amount of snow and ice overnight, and the entire city therefore shut down today because of the novelty and our collective lack of coping skills. Yay! What a perfect day for refashioning, and for winter accessories!

Remember the Cosby sweater from the Felted Footsies post a couple of weeks ago? Well, the arms were saved from that slipper project, and today became leg warmers with a simple hem. I was feeling inspired by the Boot Cuffs that were a happy accident last week, as well as the "snow" today.

I have what I hope will be super exciting refashion in the works- hopefully I'll finish and post before the weekend's up!

Wool Sweater to Vest (+ Boot Cuffs!)

Why, you ask, would I choose to do this to a pretty great sweater? Well...

Elbow patches were put on a couple of years ago, for self-explanatory reasons; similar, but not the same as a more recent Elbow Patch Fix. This is one of my OG refashions, although I guess really it's more of a mend then a refashion... It took me about a hundred hours to do by hand, but the hole got covered, and I thought it turned out nicely. I was very proud. Then, my husband tried it on. Turns out, the patches were not quite in the right spot for his elbows. Dang. He was a good sport and wore it anyway, but lo and be-holed, a new sucker ripped right through where his elbow actually hit. When I then managed to shrink it via laundry, he couldn't really wear it anymore, and it no longer seemed worth re-patching. Dang. Poor sweater, right?

By simply cutting off the shrunken, non-hole-covering-patched arms, hemming with a zig-zag stitch around the openings, a perfectly wearable vest is born! It's his, but I wonder which of us will wear it more?

Added bonus: the salvaged cuffs from the sleeves were perfect for a pair of boot cuffs! For a super fun and femme embellishment detail, I tacked on a little flower appliqué leftover from a Lace Trim Shorts project I did a while back. I heart them.

Crochet T-Shirt Mash Up

This week's post is a little bit late! However, as those standards are my own, I'm guessing you will either not notice, or not care even if you did notice... So here we go:

I worked away all week long on this refashion, based around some inspirational images that I've been collecting via Pinterest. It turned out to be one of the most tricky refashions I have yet attempted.

The foundation of this project is a white crochet pullover, purchased about 15 years ago from H&M in London. It somehow made it through the innumerable moves, closet purges, size fluctuations, and style shifts of my 20s, stayed with my sister for repair a minute, then sat in a box for the first half of my 30s, and here we are. I sometimes mourn the refashion gems I've given away in the past, not knowing I'd want to Frankenstein them someday. Sigh...

At first I thought I'd use the actual top half as the top half, but once I spliced it (using my lovely new rotary cutter and mat- thanks babe!) and started playing with it, I decided to flip it on its head. The bottom hem detail became a boat neck with just a few shoulder stitches about 2" from the ends, and arm holes were created by simply opening up the side seams.

Next, I chose this lovely (sarcastic) grey t-shirt to serve as the bottom half. Considering the pit stains, a couple of holes, and the twisted, uneven nature of this worn-out softie, in conjunction with my questionable construction technique ideas, I decided to spin this one around too.

My methods for this were totally haphazard. A lot of trying on and taking off~ a dress form is high on my wish list! Eventually, 3 darts in the back of the T were made for fit, but strategically placed because of the holes. Wanting these 2 pieces to fit together, be strong, and lay flat seemed like a hefty challenge for me and my sewing machine. So, I secured them together with iron-on adhesive hem tape instead. Though I lacked confidence that it would, this holds and lays really well. But, being that the crochet weave is so open, it felt a little sticky from the inside, so I interfaced from within to cover and reinforce. Maybe this was overkill...

Since I hacked the side seams to create sleeve openings, the finishing dilemma was what to do about the raw edges. I'm down with a raw look, but pull this thread as you walk away, and the whole thing could easily come undone. Taking some embroidery thread, I bound edges by hand.

I'm not 100% happy with the outcome of that part, but I think it will do its job and not leave me unravelled, lying on the floor! (Yes, I'm trying to make Weezer, Sweater Song references.)

I'm not always into the high/low trend, but I like it for this piece. And I did leave the bottom hem of the T raw. Overall, I'm happy with the outcome of this mashed up refashion. I just threw it on with some leggings to get some pics up right away, but I think it has potential to be styled and worn a lot of different ways. (I'll update with a cuter outfit at some point!)

I'd love to know if anyone has ideas of how else this might have been done- especially in regards to those dang sleeves!

Funny Fuzzy Felty Footsies

Martha, Martha, Martha. She's knows how to do it all... Or a lot, and the thousands of crafty peeps that work for her know how to do the rest. Regardless, the template for this slipper craft is from Martha Stewart, but I came across the idea first on a post from A Handmade Life, who upcycles felted wool sweaters to make a couple different kinds of slippers. Love!

This slipper version is super simple to make, and the charmingly home-spun look of the finished product makes me smile. The biggest challenge of this project was getting the template the right size and onto one sheet of paper. Did not work on my little home hp, but my hubs was able to do in a jiff on his copier at work on legal sized paper. The first pair I dallied on over the course of a few days, but when I sat down to do the second in a more focused manner, it took me 2-ish hours to complete. Not bad.

I snagged this awesome pair of thrifted leather pants with intention of multiple refashion uses, and the suede side works perfectly for non-skid soles. (Doesn't this outfit look very Theo Huxtable!?!)

The Martha version is the same material all over (which would be great because it could be thrown in the washer), but I thought this option would be more sturdy and less slippy on hard floors.

I had a great time making these and think they made great gifts. Hopefully, the gentlemen I gifted them to thought so too! I didn't snap a pic of my b-n-law, but d.o.d. looks so cute in his! Love you dad!!!

Dear Old Dad

Refashioned Sweaters All Around

Christmas gifts for the ladies of my family were: Surprise! Refashioned sweaters! Like I've said before, I love cardigans. So much so, I guess I need to see them on everyone near me. Seriously though, hanging out, kicking back with the fam, traveling, questionable temperatures; these are all excellent calls for cardigan wearing. And if the pieces of the puzzle happen to be from a by-the-pound thrift store, then cardigans fit even the skinniest of gift budgets too.

#1 Grey Cashmere 3/4 sleeve. 

This puppy is a beautiful piece on its own. I wish I could have saved it in its original form somehow, but there was a stain in the center. It didn't really show up in the picture though... hmm. One leg of these pjs worked perfectly for the center strips, and I actually used the original pockets to create in-seam pockets. (Only slightly altered.) The finishing touch is a simple hook-and-eye closure option at the neck.


#2 Dark Grey Men's Pullover. 

Not such a beauty on its own as the first- completely ordinary. However, in my opinion, the transformation is completely great! I love the pattern, colors, and length of this plaid, flannel, button-down, and bought it intending to wear as is. Upon home inspection, I discovered some defects that had gone unnoticed in the store, so it needed a new plan. I think it looks so homey and cozy with this slouchy grey number. And it was another great opportunity to practice beloved elbow patch techniques!


#3 Pale Pink Scoop. 

Albeit an acrylic blend, this pinkie is so soft! I knew its great shape would be perfect for something on someone at sometime. Mom! She has long, slender arms and this turned out to be a beautiful fit on her. Again, one leg from a pair of thrifted pjs wrapped splendidly around the collar, and their drawstring serves as an optional belt.

A BIG thank you to my wonderful sisters and incomparable mother for modeling, and for indulging my crafty gifts so graciously. The truth is, anyone of them could have done this (and probably better!) if they had the time and desire to do so. I'm the late one to the sewing party in the group! Love you all and so glad we got to be together this Christmas- that is the most meaningful gift of all. xo