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”,)