Refashioning my old shirts #1

Last May I posted my very 1st blog about my refashioning clothes. But no tutorials--just a summary of the things i made last 2008

So, now i thought of sharing alil tutorial--simple steps on how I did it.

Project no.1 - combining my 2 old shirts that are already alil small on me and making it into 1 new bigger shirt that fits me well c",) ( hopefully will fit me--I am a newbie in sewing)


Picture #1 - my old light blue shirt (in the background-up left the dark blue shirt)

Actually, I forgot again that I was documenting this project--always I am forgetting to take pictures. :-(

So, in this photo I already cut the lower part & attached it to the dark blue shirt--that is why in this photo it looks like half shirt.

This is just to show you guys where I got the light blue fabric.


Picture #2 - Here as you can see...the dark blue shirt is my main shirt. Light blue were used as inserts to have a bigger size shirt.

Note: From 2 old shirts - decide which one will be the main shirt. Then the other one will be destroyed/cut and choose only parts that can be useful to your design. Important also to choose shirts that match together when doing this project.


Picture #3 - inside the shirt

My very 1st time to attempt to sew & re-design a shirt. My aim here was to have a new bigger shirt that will fit me right since I got alil bigger on the tummy side now. ( women's thing problem when you are getting older--I think...hehehe!)


Picture #4 - close up look on how I sew it.

Well...to those who can understand sewing (I don't have formal lessons--I just learned few notes by watching others doing it)---I know I made a mistake here.... c",)

I think I'm wrong here....I should have included the inserts fabric way up to the sleeves also--what do you think?

Another thing---those stretchable fabrics ( very common with our shirts nowadays)--just like those shirts I used in this project...hard to sew because they stretch---My goodness!!



Picture #5 - My finish new bigger shirt.

With some few errors in sewing
1] no inserts in the sleeves

2] I am so lazy measuring--I hate numbers-hehehe! I just rely on estimating things. But to be honest, that is one of the reasons also why it takes me longer time in finishing 1 project--I often make mistakes in estimating. Mmmmm....that's how you learn c",)

3] no plans--I just sew things. I should have study 1st all the parts I will attach and plan how to see them one by one....I'm soooo newbie in sewing!!!

4] I don't have this serger thing in my machine--just like what they use in sewing the sides of shirts. I just used the straight pattern, fold the excess fabric and straight sewn it again. Which makes my shirts too thick on those sides--really messy specially on the underarm part :-(

Later only I realized I should have straight sewn it, then zigzag the excess fabric to make it stronger and look a lil professional ( and clean too).

Well, I am still very proud of my new shirt. All the mess were just inside the shirt. Outside shirt---looks OK--according to my friends. I did not show anymore a picture of me wearing it--as you may be wondering if it fits me now....hehehe!!

It fits me better now than before. It is really a problem with those stretchable shirts nowadays--when you are wearing it- it will be hugging every inch of your body. So, if you have those bulging tummies--it will really show. So, I just do a lil trick--I chose a right bottom to pair it--that does not make my tummy bulge c",) instead a lil shapey me.

Have fun Re-fashioning !!

My bag made from 2 blouses

I have 2 beautiful teenager daughters.

Luckily I belong to a big family with 6 girls & 2 boys—I am the eldest c”,)

My younger sisters pass on their clothes, shoes, bags, etc to my daughters. But sometimes my daughters will just choose among the items sent to them and the rest will either be given away to my relatives in the province or include it on our once in awhile garage sale.

My youngest sister gave me a pink blouse with rough shape thing design all over. I used is once or twice but looks small on me and very hard to find a match bottom that is why I did not wear it again. Then one of the pass-on clothes—was this very nice fushia sleeveless jersey that my daughters don’t like and unfortunately won’t fit me.

So, I thought that it will be nice to make a bag out of these 2 blouses.

2] The lower part of the jersey I cut—I sew it on the lower part front of the jersey & sew some division too that it becomes the pockets.

3] Then I sew the jersey (with the pockets out) and pink blouse (front side) together in all sides.

4] Now, the pink blouse is the front of the bag while the fushia jersey is the inside lining with pockets of the bag.

Here it is now…I have a new fashionable bag c”,) luv it!!!

One more skort

I'm so proud & very happy of my gray skorts that I made from my long skirt last year. That was my very 1^st time to try to sew shorts or skorts.

Early this year, I thought of transforming my pink sports Capri into sports skort. Since, I don’t like wearing yoga or Capri pants when playing badminton ( I feel hot in pants).

1] Here's my light pink skort that I am using in my badminton games. I made sure that I have studied all the parts of this skort just to make sure I can duplicate it.

2] I have dark pink sports Capri and I cut it into half.

Upper part will be the short inside. The 2 legs of Capri were both cut on one part, then sewn together to make a skirt.

3] Slits were cut on both sides of the skirt..

Then skirt was sewn on top of the skort.

Ta-daaaa!!! My new dark pink skort!!

Note: If you will notice—I made a mistake in measuring c”,) the short is longer than the skirt

But to be honest—I think this is better than the 1^st skort I made—the gray skort above. This is cleaner, much improved sewing style….I am so happy c”,)

My 1st time to refashion clothes

Hi c",) I'm Eva from the Philippines. Our family business is exporting Philippines handicrafts. I designed most of our products using our local materials -buri, sinamay, buntal. etc. making it into hats, gifts, bags, Christmas decors and housewares. Since I'm into designing - topics that interest me online are anything about crafting, designing, decorating, etc.
Which gave me also good ideas on what i can do with our export over-runs/stock lots in our warehouse.
My father asked me to clean/organize our warehouse.
I found out there are so many unused products/materials that are everywhere - in our warehouse & showrooms.
Presently, we are cleaning the showroom-hopefully I can organize it.
All the materials/products to be together and sorted out.
All our over-runs together--sorted in kinds--in good conditions/need improvements/rejects, etc.
It will be easier for me to think of what i have and how I will recycle/redesign it.
Last May 2008 my younger sister gave me a sewing machine-as a birthday present. It was a CASCADE S0138 sewing machine. But the manual said-MEZZO sewing machine.
Actually, i don't have formal lessons about sewing. When I was in 1st yr High School-my grandmother taught me how to sew an apron with bandana for our H.E. class. After making a very nice apron/bandana (how i wish i kept it-I can't find it anymore) I didn't touch the sewing machine ever again.
Just until now that I have new sewing machine. I'm so glad I still remember how to put the thread and other stuff in the machine. Although, this is very different to my grandmother's old style Singer machine.
Sometimes I can't still figure it out why thread breaks, continuously. Or how to use those other footers--I'm still afraid to try it. I can't feel if there is really difference when i adjust the thread tension. I can't also figure out how does the pattern selector works--the red color thing. The manual I have is very incomplete. I tried to search online--they don't have it.
I guess, when you like something done and really like what you are doing - even if you are not good at it/or having trouble with your machine - you can do it ! I will look at my materials - ideas will just pop up - suddenly I know how to sew it.
But instead of recycling/redesigning our over-runs products as my 1st plan - after reading some blogs about recycling, refashioning, sewing on clothes - which i got so interested and try to read more about it. I thought of trying refashioning clothes instead and will work on our handicrafts later on.
So, I got 2 shirts that are small on me already. Choosing between the 2 - which one is still in good condition and it will be the main shirt.
Project no. 1: 1-dark blue shirt as the main + 1-light blue shirt sewn on both sides & bottom
= 1 new refashioned blue shirt
  
 Project no. 2: 1-light brown shirt as the main + 1-orange shirt sewn on both sides and bottom
= 1 new refashioned brown/orange shirt
  
Project no. 3: 1-white shirt as the main + 1-white/blue stripes shirt sewn on both sides & bottom
  = 1 new refashioned white/stripes shirt
I'm playing badminton 2x a week. I usually wear skort (skirt with short inside) when playing. I have this long skirt I'm not using anymore. So, I thought...maybe i can try to make a skort out of it.
  
My gray long skirt & my blue badminton skort
Taa--daaa!! Project no. 4: I now have a new gray skort for my badminton. I was so happy-showing it proudly to my badminton playmates that I made it myself c",)
So, here are the 4 projects i made last 2008 - the very 1st time I tried refashioning clothes. Thanks to all the bloggers online who shared their ideas. It gave me inspiration to make my own.
**sorry there are no tutorials yet. I'm still new here and sometimes I was so engrossed sewing, I'm always forgeting to take pictures.