THE Suit

So when I first said it was a man-sized challenge, I wasn't wrong. It was a big ask. And there was a few hiccups along the way. But you know what, I think it worked.

Photo by Jamie Troi

Here's what I did (the short version**):

- removed the suit collar and added a larger, black collar
- cut some padding out of the shoulders
- removed the jacket pockets and zigzaged them closed
- cut off the buttons and button holes and added black panels to the front
- shortened the jacket and added a zipper
- thread sketeched buildings on the front of the jacket and on the bottom of the left leg of the pants
- sewed a black panel on the bottom of the right leg of the pants





Now before you go thinking I am the girl who cried wolf, panicking that first my top was ruined then worked out, and then that the suit was ruined then worked out.... this refashioning thing can be tricky. Satisfying but also very frustrating. I love the freedom of not sewing to a pattern but that can also be hard when something goes wrong. On both occasions, I really thought what I had done was beyond saving. So the lesson learnt for me is that I must not panic when refashioning. It is likely that things will turn ugly before falling into place.


So anyway, the gig was awesome and My Mr looked great! He loved the suit and even mentioned it on stage. I was very chuffed and even blushed a little!




** the long version involves removing the collar then sewing it up without a collar, making a round neck, collarless jacket that looked like something my mum would wear. Now my mum dresses well, but never ever do I want my husband to dress like my mother. So after lots of looking and thinking and cursing and then a fresh set of eyes, I cut the neckline deeper and added the black collar. And you know those black panels that were added to the front, that was because when I cut off the buttons and button holes and added the zipper, the jacket was too tight to do up. So the zipper had to be removed while I tried to work out how to make the jacket wider... and that's the reason for the black panels.

Not so good

WARNING:
This post contains an implication of explicit language.

___________________________


I think I may have f***ed up the suit.

A man-sized challenge

It was just a throw away comment.... "I'm making lots of things for me and the kids and nothing for you". Just an observation, said out loud. I didn't expect a reply and I certainly didn't except "Well make me something. Something to wear to the gig".

You might see this as a simple request for clothing. But oh no. It is much more. It is a sign of trust. A sign of faith. A sign of true love. You see, my Mr is in a band and they have a gig in a few weeks. So his "something to wear to the gig" is suggesting that I can make something that is not only wearable, but wearable in public and wearable on stage. Now do you see the trust, the faith, the true love!

So after much "are you serious?", we decided on some refashioning of a suit. I kinda figured I wouldn't find a suit in time so it sounded like a good deal. Well that afternoon, I found this on the 50 cents rack at the Op Shop.


And surprisingly, it fits him better than it fits me*! So a new deal has been struck. I'll have a go but I get the final decision as it whether this will totally rock or fade into blog-livion, never to be spoken of again.




*Yes, that is me, living out my rock star dreams. I reckon I've got the whole rock star pose under control. Fortunately for you, you can't hear either the way I "play" guitar or "sing"...!!!

Some success and a beautiful quilt

It's amazing what a difference a fresh set of eyes can make. After stepping away from my frustrating refashioning project and looking at it again the next day, things fell into place. My thread sketched tree turned out just as I had imagined....


...I added a strip of black fabric around the hem and used the same idea on the right side of the neckline. I was having real trouble deciding how I would 'close' the top as I thought a brooch would be too much with the tree. A clever friend suggested the black tab which meant I was able to hide the snaps.


So all in all, my $1 Op Shop top turned out pretty well. I even wore it last night....


..... when I went to see the all-sewn-together quilt for Kootoyoo's The Quilt Project.

Image taken from The Quilt Project

I must admit to a "wow" when I walked into the room and saw the quilt. Even though I had seen many of the beautiful squares, together they even more beautiful. Kirsty has done an amazing job of coordinating this project and of making the squares into a quilt.


I couldn't help myself and even at the risk of being daggy, had to take a photo of my little part of this big project.

If you would like to see more of the quilt and read about all the people who sewed a little bit of their souls into this community project, take a visit to The Quilt Project website.

My Creative Space - Thread Sketching

Or should I say "My Frustrating Space"! I have been desperate to get refashioning and after seeing this beautifulness on Clutterpunk, I was on a mission.

I started by trying some thread sketching and was really happy with my first attempt. I think this was due to the amazing tips and techniques so well described by Gina.

If you haven't yet discovered Clutterpunk, pop on over and say hello. Gina is gorgeous and lovely and clever and she'll make you want to do stuff (good stuff!!).

Then I got started on my Op Shop top....

... and this is when the frustration set in. I wanted to create the same style of the felted woollen vest I refashioned earlier this year but this fabric was not as easy to work. The changes look quite simple but it seemed to take forever to get to this point and... I don't love it.


The square neckline seems to have worked OK but I just can't get it to fit well and it just seems... well.... boring. Maybe it will come together in the end but I'm not even sure I want to finish it. Hmmmmmm.


Head over to Kirsty's place who, although may be hiding under a pile of squares, will still be able to point you in the direction of lots of creative people to visit.

And if you want a quick laugh, have a look at what my Mum has done over here. This is the sort of stuff she did for my sisters and I when we were little. She is awesome.

My Creative Space - Black Jumper

Some more refashioning this week. The jumper I started with is different from last week's project as the wool is machine washable. Learning from previous lessons, I bought this one knowing that it could not be felted!

Here's what I did:
- chopped off the arms
- cut across the top just underneath the V collar
- took it in at the sides
- overlocked around the neckline
- took in the sleeves and reattached them (next time I will cut the armholes in a bit as the sleeves don't sit well on my shoulders)

I wanted it to be a bit longer and the sleeves were too short, so I cut up a woollen skirt I had also bought at the Op Shop (forgot to take a photo) and added about 12cm to the body length and sleeves.

Then I sewed random reverse darts on the front, back and sleeves. And that's it.

Grab a cuppa and see what creativeness is happening out there at Kootoyoo.....

My Creative Space - The Green Vest

A few weeks back, I told the tale of a jumper....

...a jumper with a destiny to be refashioned

...a jumper with a destiny to leave behind her Op Shop past and find a loving home in my wardrobe

... a jumper whose destiny was not to end up as a midrif or as pants for my son


Well after much procrastination panicking planning, I confessed to Gina that I didn't know where to start. She told me to just do what she did and that was all I needed. I got cutting and sewing and am happy to report that the jumper has fulfilled its destiny.

I started with a cut up the front then took the side seams in a little to give it some shape. The collar was then cut down to about half its original size and part of it was used for the front piece with the brooch. The rest of the collar and the sleeves were sewn on the bottom of the vest to give it extra length.

So I send a BIG thankyou to Gina and Mim for sharing their creations and inspiring me. I know it might be daggy to say but I really love this vest! I am excited and inspired at the idea of making things I want to wear from things that somebody else didn't want to wear.

And on the thanking, thankyou to Nic at yardage girl for the fabric she sent me. Now, what to do with it... .hmmm....

Head over to Kirsty's to visit more creative spaces...

Pants Pants Pants... pants pants!

Since finding this tutorial by Dana, I have been obsessed with the idea of making some knee pad pants for my kids. I just love them. There is something about these pants that just really appeals to me. Maybe because they don't look new, or because they scream "I'm ready to be played in"... not sure. But it did get me thinking.... does the love extend to grown up pants? Would I wear knee pad pants? I think the answer is yes but I'll get back to you on that.

So anyway, I got a little fix on some repairs I did but this didn't stop the obsession. I realised that I would just have to make these pants so I could then move on and free up that brain space for something else. Does this sound familiar?


Not content with making one pair of pants, my kids, my friend's two girls and my niece all now have a pair of knee pad pants. But the best bit is that the black fabric was $1 from the Op Shop, the green was a $3 remnant from GJs and the patches are a mix of old socks, a too small onesie, an one old t.shirt and a bit from my stash.


I wasn't brave enough - I did try and it didn't go well - to make my own pattern so I used a commercial pattern for the actual pants. They are OK but I will adjust the pattern to give the pants more shape for next time. Oh yes, there will be a next time!

My Creative Space - The Past, Present & Future

The Past
An unexpected gift with a simple "you'll probably need to dye it because the colour is not great. Is that OK?".

"Of course not," I replied, filled with an equal mix of love from this act of kindness, and fear of not having a clue on what is involved in dyeing. Hazy memories of tie-dyed tshirts came flooding back to me... an arty phase I was not eager to relive.




The Present
I decided to try and step outside my comfort zone and not go for black. A dark green seemed like a subtle shift in colour I could manage. But standing in the chemist - overwhelmed by all millions of little tins - I panicked and stuck with what I know (and love). So armed with my $4 tin of Ebony Black, I read and reread the instructions.... it felt like a recipe for disaster!


Maybe it was the original colour of the jumper or something I buggered up in the process, but my should-be-ebony-black jumper is now a gorgeous deep green.


I'm not at all disappointed and sort of love that the jumper took control and helped me stick to my original decision.

The Future
....to refashion this deep green jumper into a fabulous top I love to wear. I have been completely inspired by some awesome refashioning here and here. And of course here.... the post from the gorgeous unexpected gift giver that started all this craziness! Cross your fingers for me.....

Check out other spaces full of creativeness at Kooyotoo...

Jumper, jumper, cardigan, pants

Remember that man's jumper that I refashioned (unintentionally) into a midrif... well I didn't give up on it. Out came the good scissors and I cut up the front to make it into a cardigan. Because of the extra fabric in the neckline, it hung really well... but it still sat too high, especially at the back. Even though I could wear it with layers, I didn't feel comfortable in it so I knew if I left it, it would sit in my wardrobe and I would never wear it.

Still not wanting to give up, I laid a pair of my boy's pants on the cardigan and started cutting. Again, I found the whole "sewing without a pattern" thrilling.... (this could become addictive!)....


...and ended up with a pair of Size 1 pants. I used the sleeves for the legs and the band that was around the bottom of the cardigan as the waistband, folded over to hold the elastic.


So that's the refashioning story of the jumper, jumper, cardigan, pants.... a story I am so glad I started and preserved with, and that ended well!

Lessons in Refashioning

Incredibly inspired by this awesomeness created by Gina - yes, I wanted to be her neighbour! - I marched down to the Op Shop on a mission. I found the "thought to be perfect" jumper to refashion into my own felted top.


After 2 washes in hot water and NO sign on shrinkage or any resemblance of felting, I emailed Gina in a tizz... what was I doing wrong?

It turned out that it wasn't what I WAS doing wrong.... it was what I had DONE wrong...


Lesson 1: read the label

Determined not to give up and waste my big spend of $4, I soldiered on. Having to let go of my original plan gave me a strange sense of freedom, something I am not really all that comfortable with as I am very much a follow-the-pattern type of girl.

Anyway, things were looking good. I overlocked the neck edge and left it raw, assuring myself this was deliberate and not unfinished (again with the pattern and rules thing). I shortened the arms to 3/4 length and sewed them back on. I even cut the front bigger than the back, leaving extra fabric along the front neckline which could be folded up with a pin.

My masterpiece was finished and I must admit, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed not following a pattern and at how well it had turned out.

Then I tried it on.
Lesson 2: measure your length

I made the jumper too short. In this photo, it is pulled down as much as possible, and even with a top underneath, it rides up and comes dangerously close to being a mid-rif. And while I do puffer vests, I don't do mid-rifs.


So while I love the raw (not unfinished!) necklane and the way it sits with a gorgeous brooch, and the baggy 3/4 sleeves, it's back to the drawing board.


But I'm not writing this top off yet... the scissors are hovering close by, especially after seeing this on Tricia's blog. And a felted top remains on my 'To Do' list... as does buying a woollen jumper that is NOT Machine washable!

It's Tuesday and I can't wait...

It's Tuesday and I can't wait... to tell you about a great idea and tutorial I found.

My kids went up from size 00 to 0 and when I looked at the clothes I had for them, realised I didn't have enough long sleeve onesies. I had heaps of short sleeve onesies, but these are not ideal for Winter in Melbourne.

Then I found this great idea and tutorial at Samster Mommy. Natasha shows you how to change your short short sleeve onesies into long sleeve onesies. What a GREAT idea. So here's what I did....

I started with these... 4 short sleeve onesies and 2 t.shirts I no longer wear...


And ended up with these... 4 long sleeve onesies.


The transformation from a short sleeve onesie to a long sleeve onesie....

I was even able to use the hem on the t.shirts as the hem on the sleeves for 2 of the onesies and Mum showed me how to do an easy but fancy looking hem on the other 2.

This is such a great way to reuse and recycle and save money.


I had to use another t.shirt that I
didn't photograph as I cut one
set of sleeves too short.


Head over to Buttons by Lou Lou to see all the other exciting things people are waiting for today.