Restricting the bask to directly under the heat lamp.Filed under: Finished it, Fixed it, How to do it, Love it, Made it, Refashioned it, Thrifted it | Tags: alter, black, blouse, shorten, sleeves, wardrobe refashion, wrap
I was playing with short sleeve a while back by making new short cuffs, and by resetting the whole sleeve to preserve the original cuffs.
Thrifted a long sleeved black cotton blouse this week because of the great wrap detail – a button plus tie with a cummerbund sort of detail – and decided, so I can wear it to work, to do the simplest shortening of all – a basic chop and hem – while watching the nightly news.
after… and beforeYou can see the long sleeve as a before, and the sleeve I shortened as an after.
Flip the blouse inside out to work with it. Mark where you want the short sleeve to end, cut straight across, and then hem using this failsafe method: Measure an inch from the raw edge, fold up wrong sides together and press. Then fold the raw edge into the fold, and press again. Tack with a few pins, then stitch with a basic straight stitch. I like to use excised sleeve #1 to mark and cut sleeve #2.
Doesn’t get much easier – unless you chop and wear, a la t-shirts.
Filed under: Do it, Finished it, How to do it, Love it, Made it, Sewed it | Tags: desira, dress, evil eye, freezer paper stencil, hamsa, how to, paint, polka dots, purple, top, wrap
Wrap clothing is my salvation and my downfall both. Tops and dresses that wrap always fit – and that’s the problem – there’s no telling how snug they should be since there’s always plenty of give. in the end, I seek out stuff that wraps around because it always looks good on me. I get my much-needed waist, and there’s room for many or no layers underneath.
The purple-ing of my wardrobe continues. Wardrobe Refashioners advised me many moons ago to figure out what I like and need and stick to it. I like purple and I need clothes that fit well, and nothing adjusts more easily than a wrap. My stash is full of purple fabrics in one- and two-yard lengths.
So I made a dress from a pattern I had, McCalls 4007, and some purple linen-like fabric from the Joann clearance rack bought last summer, maybe.
finished dress – cute but boring
I finished my size and didn’t love the neckline – which prompted me to get cracking on Burda Style’s Desira wrap – but it fit nicely and screamed out for a freezer-paper stencil.
I used a blown-up evil eye design, the simplest I could find online and still it took a lot of skill with scissors to cut out precisely. (Note to self to choose something with fewer pieces next time.) Image also known as a hamsa or hand of Fatima and my superstitious self adores it.
enlarged printout to 8.5 x 11 setting on copier
Traced the outline with a pencil on the flat side of freezer paper.
tracing
compare to originalCut it all out. I like to use tiny scissors. Ironed the bottom skirt flap where image was going. Carefully placed pieces onto the skirt, ironing a piece at a time (no steam!), first the outline, then the small motifs.
iron one piece at a time, no steam
all ironed on
Mixed gold and purple craft paint with white fabric paint medium. Put the fabric on a chunk of newspaper in case of bleeding, then dabbed the paint on until the whole stencil was well covered.
two coats of paint did it – added more gold streaks in second coat
paint on something protective like newspaper to avoid bleeding paint onto another layer of the garment
Let mostly dry, then applied a second coat, streaked with gold. Let paint dry overnight just in case. Peeled off freezer paper pieces carefully.
that hamsa’s finished!Held up for Mister to admire.
dress so much cuter with the design
Other freezer paper tutorials available on Craftster, Freezer Paper Stencils on Flickr.
Filed under: Fixed it, Get it, Gifted it, Made it, Sewed it | Tags: cowboy boots, denim, dress, Gaffney's, vintage, wrap
My goddaughter who has legs up to her neck and avant-garde bangs (she cut herself, naturally) turned 7 this year. My girl loves a casual dress, and I love sewing for little ladies, so there’s the finished present.
I took this vintage Simplicity pattern thrifted in a packet of old patterns and lengthened the wrap top shown in yellow. The inside facing had to become longer, too, to hide all the denim fray, and I fused interfacing to a teal bandana to do that (pix here). Denim’s from Gaffney’s in Philadelphia, my very favorite fabric store.
Finally saw the little girl this past weekend, handed over packages, watched her twirl (despite the flu) in the dress *and* white on white embroidered cowboy boots purchased for a steal from Alcala’s Western Wear in Chicago.
Sweet!
