Nostalgia: sewing

Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts

Clothing Revival

I have always had this terrible habit of going thrift shopping and walking out of the store with items that I would't wear without a little to a lot of alteration. Maybe it is because when I thrift shop I try EVERYTHING on. OK, no... not everything... but I grab anything that has at least one good quality (shape, fabric, fit, length, collar, etc.) and then I try it on. Then I buy those things because they have potential. It makes me sad to see something ugly that could be beautiful and unique with just a little TLC.
Once I get home I throw that ugly item into a huge box that is my "To Fix" box. Those clothes sit in there for days, weeks, months, and sadly... even years until one day I dig through the box, try some of them on, remember why I bought them, and then come up with a way to revive them. This dress I bought a year and a half ago. I forgot to take a picture of it before I ripped this nasty ricrac and ruffle monster that was on the bottom. You probably don't even want to see it anyways... After I took that crap off it was a little too short for my liking. I spent some time pinning different laces to the bottom trying to find something that I liked. I really didn't want to have to go to Joanns and buy something since I have such a huge collection of lace at home. As I was digging through my enormous pile of fabric I found a white scalloped table runner that my mom gave me last year. Basically it was perfect! I sliced it in half and sewed it onto the bottom. Then I shortened the sleeves. This project literally took me an hour (if you don't count the removal of the ruffles... that took forever) and most of that time was spent looking for something to add to the bottom.
I just love how easy it is to take something that costs so little, something that no one else saw the potential in, and turn it into something beautiful and not to mention unique.

Carli

P.S. I Made This: Retro.

This week I made Butterick Pattern 4790 out of a vintage bed sheet that I think came from my grandmother. The dress is a wrap dress and really confused me for a while while I was making it. "Um... what?!" I ended up not really following the instructions very much and then getting really frustrated. I am the "look at the pictures and not read anything" kind of person so often I mess up, get really mad, and then have to go back and read and fix everything. Overall the dress was pretty easy to make. I don't know if you can tell, but shhh.... I haven't finished hemming it yet. I literally have spent hours hemming it by hand, but since the skirt is so full I am barely to the halfway mark. My only complaint is that I am not a big fan of how the dress shifts when you wear it. I constantly have to make sure that everything is in place or I look frumpy and/or not modest.

Happy Sewing!
Carli

P.S. I love the Monkees. Especially on vinyl.

P.S. I made this.

My numero uno goal for this summer was to make a completely new wardrobe. I am starting a new job in the fall (as a sewing class TA!!!) and I really want pieces that are nice and professional for work but also something that I wouldn't mind wearing to school everyday since my shift is between classes. I had a job at the beginning of the summer, before I moved home, that I could only wear a dress to. I love dresses, but I started hating the fact that I had to wear a dress to work everyday; let alone the same dresses over and over. Basically I am trying to create a versatile collection of shirts, skirts, and dresses that I can mix and match better. Also, since I am going to be a sewing TA I thought that I better get to bettering my sewing skills so that when the time comes to actually teach students how to sew difficult things I actually have lots of experience. My goal is to sew at least two new articles of clothing a week! I thought it would be a hard goal to achieve, but I think I should probably bump it up to three! So after that long preface....

Here is shirt number THREE!

I used Butterick Pattern 5817 and it was super duper easy. It took me two days, but that is only because I took many Netflix breaks (catching up on Arrested Development). I made a few adjustments aside from the basic pattern alterations (I added a little length since I am pretty tall). Because I am not a big fan of neck facings (I think that they are a hassel, I am always having to tuck it back into the shirt!) I decided to do a full lining. Why? Quality is probably the biggest reason. I dont want it to fall apart after a couple of seasons. A full lining helps the garment to last. Another reason is that the neck egde looks flatter. Like I said before... I hate it when those facings come out! It is a little bit more pricy and more time consuming to do a full lining but I really think that it makes the garment better all around. If you have any questions about my method I would love to answer any questions and/or tell you how I did it. Just know that I am in no way a pro. I make mistakes ALL THE TIME. Seriously. but that is part of the learning process. Am I right?!

Carli

P.S. Please excuse my silly modeling. Dont have a clue what I am doing...
P.P.S. I'll share shirt one and two laterz.

Vintage Finds: Cute As A Button.

You know that saying "Cute as a button"? Well, buttons literally are the cutest. A couple months before I moved home my dad called and asked me if I wanted this jar full of buttons from my grandma. My response was "Heck yes!" I told him that if he ever finds anything button, outer space, or music related to save it for me. Since I have been home I have acquired many things that are related to those specifics.

I am not an expert sewer, but I do love the idea of sewing my own clothing. Next semester I am going to take the first of three sewing classes in college. I hope to become an expert by the time I graduate! I am excited to bring my little jar of buttons and the plethora of fabric that I own to college in the fall, and hopefully create many beautiful things with them!

Carli

A Recovery Story: Chapter One

I am fulfilling a new years resolution by posting this. YES!

One of my many hobbies is clothing revivals. I don’t get to do it as much as I want to… Sewing is not really one of my strong points… Things that would take an experienced sewer an hour take me like quadruple that… sewing and ripping and sewing again… and then ripping like fifteen more times. It is soothingly stressful. More stressful then soothing. I like to be creative with clothing. It feels amazing to wear something that you have created! but revivals are sooo very stressful for me. But I love it. These are the reasons why I don’t do it that often…

I do have a little secret… I tend to buy clothes from thrift stores that I want to revive (I do this a lot….) and throw them in a box in my closet. They sit there for months and months. Every so once in a while I open that box and see what I have… All those clothes are probably saying “Oh Carli! Please pick me pick me! I want to be worn!” I feel so bad…

I got this sweater for the Rooney concert. I wanted to wear something that would keep my warm outside but not be too hot inside. It sufficed. Then I never wore it again. Never had the occasion I guess.

BEFORE: Just an oversized sweatshirt that does absolutely nothing for your figure.