I like to call this a mash-up creation, not sure if I invented that term or not. What next for a mash up.... tea towels and hot pads?!
Creativity happens anywhere. The thought for this shirt came in the middle of the table coverings isle at Savers. I found this amazing embroidered table runner and new it needed a new life as something else. The size was about perfect to be a "yoke" of a shirt as I held it up in the mirror. I was too excited to wait so I searched the store for something that could be the bottom part of this shirt and found a mustard color scarf that I thought would work. Can you imagine the other customers as I am holding up a table runner and scarf to my body in the mirror with a stupid kid-like grin on my face?! Haha! Next, I pinned the center and a few other spots, trying to keep it evenly spaced. Remembering to fold down the edge a bit. Then I took my time and sewed all around the scarf edge to attach it to the top piece. I made little folds in the scarf material as I went to gather it. There is probably a better way to do this part, but it worked OK for me. :)
All done! Now looking at the shirt...it is almost long enough to wear as a dress, maybe with a dress slip underneath? If you use a scarf that is non-transparent and made it a tad longer it would make a cute dress!
I like to call this a mash-up creation, not sure if I invented that term or not. What next for a mash up.... tea towels and hot pads?!
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This vintage dress has been waiting to be updated since I wore it as "baby hands" for SNL dress up day at the YMCA. Yes, we workout in ridiculous outfits....I am proud to say that I kept my baby hands for the entire 60 minutes! I did like the dress in its' original form, but the collar was a bit annoying and it was a tad too long. The dress also was not lined so I thought it would make more sense to turn it into something more like a swimsuit cover up. Plus, the color/pattern was screaming 4th of July. I did a lot of guessing with this refashion, and learned what to do next time, (story of most of my crafting endeavors). Here is what I learned:
Here are some pictures of my process. I am not going to make a full tutorial as I would change most of what I did the first time anyway ;-). Learned a lot from this project, that is actually a good feeling. My brain is starting to get a little squishy from summer break, so this was a nice challenge! ;-)
Anyone else out there totally replace elastic casings with sport elastic?! Or is it super expensive if you don't buy it in a dusty shoe box at an estate sale? Why haven't I heard more about this stuff?! Here is quick and easy way to turn a scarf into a beach cover-up. I have so many scarves and wanted a new swim suit cover-up for our Mexico trip (that can not come any faster...it was sleeting rain this morning....ugh)!! I also got some great advise from a coworker/friend about the actual way to use bias tape and it worked beautifully!!! Thanks Carole!!! Here is how I made my cover-up: In the above picture, I forgot to label that the scarf is folded in half, with the fold at the top (where I cut out the triangle for the neck opening). The next pictures are how I used the single fold bias tape to hem my neckline. The sleeves were already hemmed because they were the sides of the scarf, and I left the bottom with the fringes. Sew along the fold crease closest to the raw edge. Flip garment inside out and fold the bias tape onto the wrong side. Keep folds tucked under. Sew along the folded edge of the bias tape that is furthest from top edge of neckline. Yay for bias tape! To try and fold, press and pin that messy raw edge twice would have been a nightmare!!
Side note, this cover-up really looks more appealing on a model, but considering my legs have been covered up for 7 months I am NOT going there right now! So, perhaps I will update with a live photo after our vacation! ;-) OK, so the dress wasn't that "easy", but I wanted to play on words for the title. :) My last weekend hurrah before school starts, and of course the depressing thoughts pop into my head, "Serena, what did you do with all of your time off this summer?!" As a teacher, I know I can't complain about summer off, but I know other teachers might agree that we get more things done during the school year somehow. How does that work?! I do work part time in the summer, but 80% of the sewing/crafting/house projects I had envisioned remain uncompleted. :( So Labor day weekend, for me, usually is jam-packed with projects to make myself feel better. So far I have cleaned, cooked, got things ready for a sale, painted and stained 2 dressers and sewed a dress...and I still have 11 hours left today! In my rushed state, hopefully this will be a short post. Here is quick tutorial for my Labor Day Dress: I started with a stretch lace tank top ($5 from Heartbreaker) that I had already cut the bottom off for another project (Courtney!!). I cut two pieces to make a "bandeau" top for underneath the lace tank. The pieces were doubled up (with the fold at the top) for coverage ;-). For the skirt, I traced a jersey knit maxi dress I already own. I made the waist a little wider since I was going to be shirring the waistline, bringing it in. Make sure the stretch goes horizontal. For more details about shirring, check out my February Maxi Dress Tutorial. After the top is pinned to the bottom, then sew with a zig zag stitch all along the raw edges. You will probably have to pull the skirt layer a little bit to match up with the top layers. Then that is it! I didn't even hem the bottom, I don't think it will fray. Any teachers out there agree that you get more done during the school year!? Anyone else have Labor Day projects they are working on?
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