To Refashion A Refashion

Sooo I think last year sometime I bought this Asian style dress, and was sure I could do something fun with it.

I cut it in half to make it into a two piece, this way they could function as separates, and was accosted with problems. I started putting a zipper on the skirt part and stopped halfway through. I ended up shelving the project after my enthusiasm died down, so it sat in my closet for about a year. I found it again and took another look and decided I didn't care, and went to toss it. Then I looked at the skirt again and an inspiration struck!

Hot glue gun, the skirt part, and mod podge to make the fabric shiny.. and then I thought to add some sparkly funness to it! 

Could not get a proper picture of it, but that's the general idea! Now where to hang it..... So when you have a refashion that doesn't cut it, take a second look and see if it could work as something else. I'd rendered it useless with the way I'd cut it, so at least I was able to salvage something.

From School Marm to Country Chic

Hello again!! 

I found this... thing at a thrift store for a couple bucks, and loved the color so I figured it'd be a keeper somehow or another. I THINK I originally had a very grand idea for this dress, but either forgot about it, or just decided it wouldn't work. Most of my grand ideas require stretchy fabric, which this is not, so...

I felt like Laura Ingalls, minus the scandalous showing of my legs. Who said shoulder pads were hot anyway? Moving on...

This ended up being a much simpler refash than I thought it would be. Chop the length, chop the sleeves, chop the uglies that call themselves shoulder pads... chop ALL the things!!!! Normally I'd carve and sew up the neckline but decided to just unbutton a couple buttons and let it lay flat for a casual comfy look. I thought about taking it in but decided to be lazy, not everything has to be fitted.

So this is what happened.

I mean, cute!!!! Right? And SHORT!!!! Whew! While some folks are perfectly comfortable with this kind of length, I am not. I don't wear any skirt/dress type of thing that makes me feel like my toochus is showing. Nope! But now what, cause it's super cute!!! I still had the length I chopped,which was substantial, and I'm totally going to use it for a scarf/head tie/belt/general accessory. I was going to reattach it and then cut it into to a high low, but didn't think I'd like the look of it as much, not to mention the headache that I got just from THINKING about sewing it all back on evenly. My other idea was to get white lace fabric and make a skirt to go over it, which I've seen here and there. White lace was obtained, a basic skirt made, and I was very dubious about the whole look. I showed my fashion blind hub. He looked askance, so back to the drawing board it was. I sat on it for a while and then decided to take the plunge and just reattach it the aforementioned length, I could always take it back off again. Then inspiration struck! I had some white lace ribbon lurking amongst my sewing supplies. This is what happened.

Yaaas!!!! This was not as complicated and difficult as I had anticipated, all I did was take great care and sew slowly. 

I like!! It needs cowboy boots, which I do not possess. It's still just a tad short for my preference, but I think I can manage. I am pleased with how it turned out, gave it a nice finishing touch. All that being said, I don't think this look is really quite me, but I do like it. So, there's that. :)

Of Ballgowns, Renn Faire, and Silver Shoes

Hello!!! Today's post is the long promised look at both the ballgown and the wardrobe I created for the premiere of my first feature film, 'The Return'! I filmed this movie on location in Wisconsin in October and January... brrrrrr!!!! This Southern girl had never seen snow, so it was quite an experience! 
First thing's first is the costume. It is a gown for a Lady of yesteryear. I didn't refashion this, I had to make it from scratch, so I used a pattern for the first time. (First time meaning, I made myself do it, figured out all the hard parts, and completed it.) I hope to never apply those little clasp/ring thingamabobs ever again, that was probably the most frustrating part of the process.

No process pics. I'm not sure if I took them and lost them, or just never took them.

Somehow I didn't get a good, full length picture of it, but there's the general idea! It's actually slightly too big for me, but I don't think it really matters that much for this type of costume.

After the film wrapped, I visited the Goodwill that was within walking distance from the hotel the day before I went home. And there I found this:

I knew when I tried it on that it was special, I just wasn't sure exactly how yet. It was about $7, and in really good condition. For reals I bought so much stuff at that Goodwill I almost couldn't pack it. My refashion senses were going haywire. I got home and started playing with it, and slowly an idea grew. A couple months later, I found this, for about $8 at the most run down thrift shop I'd ever visited.

Way too big. But are you feeling it yet? Wait for it...

I decided the China red, while lovely, wasn't what I wanted. It's just not my color. So I gave it a dye bath with blue dye. I experimented with the fabric from those horrid shoulder pads to be sure I got the shade I wanted, good thing too, if I'd followed directions, it'd have been much darker than I wanted.

So, cut away the neckline, (which almost made it too low for my preference), and salvaged the lovely lace applique around said neckline, which I took a black sharpie to.  I removed the buttons and sewed the front down to about my stomach, after confirming that I could indeed pull this gown over my head. Then I painstakingly sewed the now black lace applique down the front to hide the button holes, with slightly questionable results. Removed the sleeves and hemmed everything up. (The whole process took a long time, with alot of frustrations, refittings, tweakings, etc, but it was worth it!) I removed the corset stays from the black dress, and took it in to fit, then put the first gown over it. There was lots of room in the skirt, so I made poufs? on the red dress similar to what the black gown had, instead of letting it lay straight. Gave the whole thing a more elegant look. And here is the final result!

I absolutely love it!!! So pleased with how it turned out! I've already been asked to turn it into a costume for another project I'll be filming later this year, which makes me very happy I didn't throw away the sleeves, I'll just reattach them and make them poofy for a Victorian look. 

And isn't my hub hott?

Another fun, fun, fun refash!!!

Hello! Today starts off with another hideous dress turned into something pretty darn cute!

Yuck. Look at those sleeves! Anne of Green Gables might have liked these for a day dress. The shoulder pads really add a nice touch too, eh? Shudder. Way too much going on with the pattern here. This did come with a matching belt, which thankfully is NOT stained with something horrifying like the last one, and will probably actually look super cute with some kind of solid top and jeans. Anyhoo..

This dress had buttons down the front (or was it the back? I'm still not sure), and belt loops for the belt. Those came off. I chopped the skirt part off, and now have fabric that is longer than I am. Pleats. Pleats. Pleats. Yuck. Yay for loads of extra fabric though!

I unbuttoned the first two buttons and turned down the fabric to make a v-neck. Sewed that up in a jiffy, and started on those sleeves. Removal of the shoulder pads followed removal of the sleeves, which I then hemmed, and you wouldn't believe what a difference that alone made. I thought, 'this is ok, but not quite cute, and it could be. What is missing?' Inspiration from my own existing closet struck and I grabbed a long black ribbon/belt thing.

What!!!!! Look at how cute it is now!!! Listen, I got a compliment the first day I wore it out, ok? The pattern needed to be broken up a bit, and that did the job perfectly! I'll be wearing this to acting class tonight!!

Btw, one month from this very day, I'll be wearing a gorgeous gown I refashioned for my first ever movie premiere for the feature film 'The Return'!!! Can't WAIT to show you those pics!!

I Was Born In The Wrong Era

Hello everyone!!! I've missed my refashioning lately, been so busy with the Passion Play for several months and then was just too tired to be creative, but I'm back! Inspiration comes from many sources, and this time I hit the thrift stores searching for pieces I could turn into a costume. I actually found a Thrift by the Pound store, didn't know we had any of those in my area! And it's on the main strip where I do most of my Goodwill/thrift shopping!! Sometimes it's the little things that make life sweet. 
So here's what I found.

It's... strangely becoming!

I'm not really sure what this was really meant for, I look like a life sized doll. You can't tell, but the front of the skirt is split all the way up to the buttons, no clasps or zippers to keep it from flapping open and flashing the world your goodies. So who really knows? But check this out!

POCKETS!!!! This little darling has pockets! Def keeping those!

So, I already knew when I saw the polka dot pattern that this garment was pretty much what I would end up using for my costume. (I didn't even try it on, which is usually a bad idea folks.) It JUST barely fit.

I cut off the skirt from the top and tried it on. It fit right where I needed it too, yay! It was several inches too long though, so I needed to chop a little. Fortunately....

It looks as if whoever made this actually added several inches onto the hemmed bottom, so all I needed to do was carefully cut that off, and voila, I didn't have to hem anything. Plus I got about a four or five inch wide scrap to use as a belt, scarf, or head tie for another outfit. Yay recycling!

So that was going to be it for this outfit, find a fancy smancy belt, and see if I already had a top to go with it, when I took another look at the top of this dress.

I didn't get pics of me removing the bib thing, sorry bout that. I cut off both sleeves and hemmed them as is. I had bought a gorgeous coral belt with gold decor on it to off set the pattern of this piece, so I grabbed that, threw on a white tank top, my black 'witch' shoes, and here's what I ended up with!

What?!?! I'm dying over here!!! So stinking cute!!!! The white gloves really make it, I think.

 

Just for fun, when I fixed my hair I walked out and said to my husband, 'Like my hair?" He turns with a smile on his face, fully prepared to compliment me as a husband should, and his smile turned to a grimace, haha.. I like surprising him sometimes... :D 

I think I was born in the wrong era. 

Garage Sale Goodie Bags pt.1

I've been absent for quite awhile, I've been busy filming various projects, and between that, acting class, rehearsals for the upcoming Passion Play, my creative flow needed a little break. But here I am, debuting a few new things. Most of them won't be anything spectacular, just some nips and tucks if you will, but still, the fun and adventure continues! I have a super duper, so excited I can hardly wait refash coming up, but I can't debut it until after a certain event where I will wear said refash.... my first ever feature film premiere!!!!

But more on that later, here's today's project.

Not bad, actually. It's a bit too big, but eh.. I like it well enough as is, just wanted a little tweaking. Btw, with the title, I got to a garage sale as they were closing up, and they handed me a plastic bag and told me to fill it up for a dollar!!! I got 12 items! This is one of them. My new blouse cost me about $0.08 cent. I'm beyond cool with that. Almost as good as free! There is something to hitting garage sales at the end of the day.. (beats having to get up early on a Saturday too!)

Anyhoo, the only sewing I did on this was to change the neckline a bit, and then added a belt so I wouldn't look lumpy. Nothing special, but I think it's cute. Here's the finished product.

The neckline is a touch lower than I would have liked, although you can't tell in this pic. No biggie really. Never try to cut something while you are wearing it, you will cut it crooked. I was being lazy. Laziness doesn't profit anyone. There, now you know. 

Like I said, nothing special, but it's very comfortable, and cute, so I'm happy!

All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go

Hello beautifuls!! Here I am debuting my favorite refashion yet!!! (Alas and I still have adjustments to make on it, as I didn't realize until I put it on for pictures, but I'm ready to show you anyway!) Be advised that the pictures do not do it justice, for some reason getting a good angle was not going to happen today.

Here is the before!

I've been wanting to do something like this since Jillian from Refashionista debuted an awesome pants to dress refash! Process pics were very difficult to get for some reason, you couldn't tell what I was doing aside from hemming stuff, so I'll just cut to the chase and show the afters!

Ta da!! I'm super excited about how it turned out! I think I will tighten the straps a bit, and pull the top up a little higher, it wasn't sitting quite right.. or maybe I just need better.. support.. for this garment. Kudos to my brother for giving me advice on the jewel and ribbon placement, and overall finesse of the garment!

I cut my head off in this pic because the pose and angle were good, and I WASN'T smiling. Grrr.  I'm very happy about it though! Now I just need an occasion to wear it!