This is another dress re-make I did a while ago ^_^ Originally I bought this dress at a thrift store for like $8 and I loved it to death because it was super comfy as well as being nice and cool for Summer. Unfortunately there are only so many times you can repare something so when the strap broke for the millionth time I took it as a sign it was time for a re-make. Then I left it sitting in my sewing pile for 2 years because I’m lazy.
I still love the skirt part, looks especially good with big dramatic heels, so I chopped off the top.
I picked out some nice stretchy white cotton and used a singlet I knew fit well as a template.
I cut out two pieces like this:
I overlocked the sides and around all the raw edges.
Next it was sewing the two pieces together.
Done:
As you can see there is a fairly noticable colour difference between the new fabric and the old, such is life unfortunately but after giving the whole thing (minus the coloured parts at the bottom) a nice dunking in some bleach it all matches again. I have also been considering dying it a completely different colour but can’t decide which one!
Anyway back to the actual sewing part…
I used some eyelet lace to edge the top section on the sides:
Then after measuring the length I used the eyelet lace as straps and for the front section edging as well:
Taadaa:
So that’s it! Another nice comfy dress saved and reworked to something more current-wardrobe friendly ^_^
And here is what it looks like on. Zombie dress rises from the dead to live again!!
I haven’t bleached or dyed it yet but once the rain lets up I think that’s my next project ^_^
I like re-working things in my wardrobe. I like it a whole lot because in a few hours you can completely change up half of your wardrobe.
So I had two things I didn’t want anymore: a pink striped polo shirt from when I was 15 and a dress my mother bought me that I liked the skirt part but not the top. I don’t think I have before photos of them but oh well!
This is the dress, to get to this point I chopped off the bust and up. It was kind of cream beaded crochet and majorly ugly but the skirt part is cute and floralish:
To get the polo to this point I cut off the white trimmings and the sleeves to give myself as much plain material as I could to work with:
After thinking about it for a while I layed out what I wanted the finished product to look like. Top part stripes and bottom floral:
I measured how much fabric I needed for the bust part and cut the shirt like this:
I then found the center of the fabric and put a pin in once for a seam allowance and a second one a few cm up from that.
Then threaded a needle…
And did a running stitch up and down the front to the second pin.
Pulled it nice and tight and you’ve got a gathered front 😀
Next! With the skirt right side out and the top bad side out I put it over the skirt like this:
And overlocked them both together. Turn it right side out and bam you’ve got a dress!
I can’t wear strapless clothes so I decided to add straps with the left over fabric…
I measured the length and over locked some strips into tubes.
Sewn in place:
To make the waist more fitted and therefore more flattering on my figure I stitched a small piece of elastic around the middle at the seam.
By stretching the elastic while I was sewing I ensured a nice snug fit.
Lastly I added a couple of bows with the left over fabric.
And then with a left over strip I made a little circle of fabric which could be used either as a matching hair bow or a belt to add another detail to the dress.
All up it probably took around 30 minutes to do, I cleared space in my wardrobe by turning 2 things into 1 and I have a pretty dress ready for summer 😀
Only thing left to do is wear it out 😀
Nice and bright to try and get me in a more summery mood!
After searching for aaages for something cute to make for James that was daisy related (it’s really hard to make flowers look manly >_<) I gave up and decided just to make myself some hair accessories. I did actually find him something to make but that’s another post ^_^
This came out of an idea that Omega suggested on Twitter as she sent me a link from Future Girl’s blog!
This is what you end up with…
What you need:
White felt
Needle
Ribbon
Yellow thread
Pen
Scissors
Start with the white felt and draw a circle, if you need to use something round to trace around.
Cut as many circles as you want daisies. I chose to make my headband with 5 because I think odd numbers work look better.
Find the centre of the circle by folding it in half twice and putting a pen dot where the folds intersect.
Now draw a small circle in the middle which will be the yellow part in the end. Then it’s time to cut the petals, below you can see the order in which to cut. You should cut from the outside edge and stop at the inside circle. You will end up with 12 petals, the crappy diagram at the bottom has lines to show the cuts XD
Now on each of the petals cut the corner off into a rounded point.
Repeat on the other side ^_^
Now thread your needle with the yellow thread. You could either use thick embroidery thread or just double up like I did, if you use thin cotton you will be here forever.
Turn your flower over to the right side (the non-drawn on one) and running stitch around the centre circle. Pull the thread tight so the flower buckles a little and becomes more 3d and the petals stick up a bit.
Do a second round of running stitch in the gaps from the first one so it forms a complete circle of yellow:
Now stitch across the circle like this:
Then go back the other way so it forms a kind of cross hatching ^_^ and fills in the circle. Done!
Repeat for all of the daisies then sew them on to the ribbon ^_^ I used a green ribbon for the tie then added a yellow ribbon over the top as an extra dangly thingy.
And that’s it!
Wear and enjoy ^_^
Hope you enjoyed it! I’m feeling very Spring-ish today ^_^
The lovely Retro Jet Girl sent me this fan a while ago just in time for Summer… unfortunately Summer doesn’t seem to be happening here in Aus this year *_* This year on Boxing Day instead of the traditional Australian shorts and singlet (not that I would actually wear that) I was decked out in a jumper, scarf and beret! Some places here even apparently had snow, which is just insane for the middle of Summer here! So anyway… The fan was really beautiful and I wanted to personalise it a bit. I’ve done this before with a fan last year which has since died a long drawn out death in my handbag:
This is what it started out like ^_^
What I used:
UV nail polish
Embroidery thread
Scissors
Beads
First thing I did was pull apart the bottom with scissors so it came apart like this…
Then using pink UV nail polish I painted every second one of the wooden pole thingies. I did two coats and let it dry ^_^
Then using the embroidery thread I slotted it all back together…
I put a bead on the thread too:
Then pulled the thread back the other way again and aded another bead:
Pull it all very tightly and tie it off.
On the ends of the thread I added a couple of other little beads.
Done! Very quick and easy to do and adds an extra point of interest. Also because I used UV polish it changes colour when I’m in out the sun! Very cool 😀
You could easily go further by adding jewels to the outside part or a small row of lace along the top but I thought I would go the slightly more subtle route this time XD What do you think?
I have been a little obsessed with embroidery lately, it’s quite addictive actually and I find it really relaxing in bed while watching movies at the end of the day.
So I thought I’d show you what I’ve been up to ^_^
This was the piece that started it all again, I bought this handkerchief out of desperation on a day when I had run out of tissues XD So I thought it could use some jazzing up!
I pretty much used this to test out all of the stitches I already knew and get myself back into the swing of things.
I really enjoyed doing the roses, I want to try doing more like this until I get the stitch perfect!
Next I tried a more complicated shape but with a simpler stitch.
I really love how this one turned out!
It’s quite hard to tell but there are actually 2 shades of pink thread used to give it more depth. Next time I’ll use colours with a more pronounced difference so they stand out more.
Next it was cupcake time!
I also made another one in between here which had a large rose on it… but I think it must have fallen out of my bag somewhere because after turning the house upside down I can’t find it anywhere 🙁
This is the last out of the bunch I’ve done so far, after all of these handkerchiefs I think I’m ready to move on to something bigger and more spectacular.
James’ Christmas present this year was actually completely embroidered too but I’m still not finished it yet so that can be for another post haha!
Have you guys ever tried embroidery before? What do you think my next project should be? I’m thinking maybe a cardigan or something like that ^_^
Lots of the crafts and things I do on here are very involved and takes ages to make… so here’s a very quick little thing that takes no time at all 😀
This isn’t really a tutorial (because I think everyone’s done these are some point or other) but you can hopefully get some ideas ^_^ I used the last of the super cute yarn that Vintage Grrlmade for me 😀
Illustrator. Strong tea, knitting, watercolours, and making a video game called Moonlight in Garland. Living with her adorable husband Jimmy, fluffy puppy Miss Lottie and Bergamot Bunny in Melbourne, Australia.
