A couple months ago Portia of the Miss P blog contacted me with a very fun idea. The premise was a collective refashion project among a handful of bloggers—turning thrift store “duds” into cute pieces that breathed new life into the cast-off garments. Portia would provide the garment—a mystery piece that I would not see until it arrived at my doorstep—and I’d provide the ideas and execute the refashioning.

The brightly wrapped package arrived and I was eager to see what Portia sent me. Inside was neatly folded a two piece suit with a pastel, watercolor floral print. The suit was far too big for me, a bit dowdy, and needed some definite perking up—challenge indeed! Ironically, I had been toying with the idea of doing a dressmaker suit (meaning a woman’s suit that lacks the traditional tailoring we associate with a suit) in a 40s style for myself this summer. I had been poring over lots of “make do and mend” booklets and reading about the homefront during WWII. So my mind was taken up with ideas of how to apply the “make do and mend” challenge to the suit Portia sent me.

I’ve blathered on a great deal about my approach to the project, as well as some loosely strung-together steps of how I went about the refashion on Portia’s blog. I have to admit, I ended up waffling more than a bit with my ideas (did I really want a suit? or would scrapping the entire design of the garment and picking the pieces apart to make something radically different work better?), which meant I had to scramble a bit after my NYC trip to make this happen. Working under pressure sometimes is great fun though, and I have to say I am pleased as punch how this turned out! I’m hoping to get a bit of wear out of the suit before October (although in Florida wearing pastel floral year-round is not frowned upon), and then it shall be my spring suit next year! (Hopefully with a jaunty little hat—still to be found and acquired…)

A 1940s Advance pattern with cutting diagram for a man’s suit from my pattern collection.

The only “bad” side to this? It’s whetted my appetite for eventually buying a many-sizes-too-large man’s suit and doing a real 1940s “make do and mend” suit! If you’ve ever seen the layouts in old booklets or even old patterns from the war years, it’s a fascinating way of re-cutting a man’s suit using a ladies’ pattern, and creating something totally fresh! Now just to find the perfect suit at the thrift store. I’ve come very close, but of course I have a tweed-type fabric in mind and cant’ seem to find a complete suit! lol.

Be sure to stop by Portia’s blog and check out the other amazing refashion transformations that are part of the series!

I haven’t done a large-scale refashion project for myself in ages. Aside from that dress I redid for the Sew Stylish article, I haven’t really done any refashioning of note this year. In part because sewing something from scratch has been far more enticing, despite the challenges that refashioning an existing garment can provide (and those challenges can be awfully fun to figure out!). So when I spotted this dress for $1 while Mom and I were thrifting a couple weeks ago, I knew I had something that would be an excellent refashion canidate.

This humble 80s number started out life as a rather bland and unassuming office dress. The medium blue rayon print is what caught my eye in the racks (and the price tag too), and it had a darling matching belt as well. My original intent was to remove the sleeves and shorten the hem, making a cute (if somewhat conservative) summer day dress. However, once I got the dress home and was looking at it in bright sunlight, I noticed several stains on the center front of the bodice. After a few attempts at removing the stubborn stains (which were faint, but there), it was apparent that either this dress would have to be salvaged for another project (skirt, maybe?) or I’d have to come up with a creative solution to work around the small sliver of stained fabric on the front.

Unsure of what exactly to do (at the time my thinking only went so far as ruffles, but didn’t feel right for this dress), I was flipping through a book from the 80s on Princess Diana’s style. There I spotted a dress with a very similar shoulder line and material, sporting a lowered neckline inset. Well, in reality it was a dress and jacket, but in my prior-to-sleep state late at night it looked like a one-piece dress. (Note to self: read the descriptions!) A solution had been found: simply remove the bodice and skirt, slice open the front to remove the offending stained portion (and use the front edges to create a facing) and add a new inset piece fashioned from one of the sleeves. Yes, it was a bit of work, but I got it largely done within a few hours on Saturday, and a new (and far more flattering) neckline was in the equation as well.

This dress is actually one of the bunch I’m using in my 30 for 30 challenge, which I “cheated” on and started yesterday (instead of the planned-for Monday kickoff). I honestly should have just waited for today, since I was in a mood yesterday with my clothes and could not seem to grab any accessories that I felt really made the outfit memorable (that is, before I had to rush out the door first thing in the morning). Despite this, I was tickled that not one but multiple people stopped me to comment on the dress. Not nessecarily because it was something I refashioned, but because it was a humble $1 thrift find originally! I always love dresses with lowly origins that end up being showstoppers, don’t you?

all outdoor photos by Sailor Husband!

I didn’t document how I did the neckline step-by-step (frankly, it was one of those things where once I got started, I didn’t want to stop and take photos), but I did do a little picture tutorial on how to create new armhole facings. Which is helpful if you want to remove the sleeves off an old dress–it’s a really easy refashion to do, and as long as your sleeves are large enough you can always reuse the fabric for the facings (I just used something else since I had the sleeves earmarked for the neckline inset). Be sure to click “more” to view the steps.

Remove the sleeves from the dress by either using a seam ripper, or carefully cutting away the sleeve following the seamline closely. Fold the dress along the underarm and shoulder seam lines, in half (since my dress didn’t have a definite shoulder seam, I just guessed). Pin to a piece of paper, smoothing out the armhole area (I usually do this on my cardboard cutting mat). Trace this armhole line and remove the dress. Measure in from this line the desired width of your facing, plus one seam allowance (in my case the facing was 1 1/2″ wide with a 1/2″ seam). Add a seam allowance at the shoulder line and underarm as well. Cut out four. Interface if desired to stabilize.

Stitch one set of the facings, right sides together, at the shoulder and underarm seams. Press seam open and repeat for other facing pieces. Pin each facing, right sides together, at the armhole, matching underarm and shoulder seams. Stitch. Grade seam to 1/4″ and clip curves. Press seam toward facing. Understitch close to the facing/armhole seam along the facing. This helps the facing roll to the inside. Turn right side out, press facing to inside and secure with a few hand stitched tacks at the shoulder and underarm.

Has anyone else been refashioning anything lately? I think it can be just as challenging as creating something from scratch–sometimes more so when you have to come up with creative solutions!

This post has been months in the making, but to those who were anticipating this tutorial, I hope it was worth the wait! For now I’m just posting all the steps here, but plan on formatting it nicely in a .pdf (so you can print the instructions out and keep them handy!) later, when I have a bit more time.

We all have them lurking in the back of our closets: those cardigan sweaters that we bought because they were “practical” or were 100% wool and on sale for a great price. But they languish because they don’t fit in the most flattering manner; the worst offenders are the large, boxy type cardigans. But you don’t need to banish these from your wardrobe anymore! Refashioning a cardigan into something more flattering on you is easy and only requires some simple sewing supplies and know-how, a small dose of patience and about one afternoon.

I started refashioning and embellishing my cardigans a few years ago when I wanted to recreate the high end looks that I saw in catalogs with the cardigans I had or found at thrift shops. Although much of my learning was trial by error, I have stumbled across a few good resources. My favorite is “The Yestermorrow Clothes Book” by Diana Funaro, published in 1976 (check Amazon and Alibris for second hand copies). It shows a smattering of ways to refashion all styles of sweaters, and I highly recommend finding a copy if you’re looking to explore other sweater refashioning options.

This tutorial is quite easy; I think even a determined beginner seamstress could easily do this. I have developed these techniques from several years of adjusting and altering my own cardigans, but this is by no means the zenith of cardigan refashioning. I encourage you to tweak and modify these steps and methods as you go along to suit your needs.

Supplies

- a cardigan sweater (medium to light knits are the easiest to work with)

- sewing machine with a zig zag stitch

– a iron with an appropriate setting for your cardigan’s fiber content

- pins

- sewing shears

- thread to match your cardigan

– marking chalk (or another marking tool that will show up on the cardigan knit)

1. First determine areas of the cardigan you want to refashion (img. 1). Do the sides need to be taken in to nip more at the waist? What about the length? Do you want the sleeves at a more flattering bracelet or elbow length? I will show you how to achieve all three easily.

2. Button the cardigan up most of the way and turn it inside out. Slip it over your head and button the remaining buttons. (Even if you do not intend to wear it buttoned, it improves the accuracy of marking the new seams.) Determine where you want the new waist to hit (the seam between the body knit and the waist ribbing), and mark it with a pin at the center front, each side, and center back (you may need an extra, helping hand for this!), and one or two between these points if needed (img. 2). Make sure they appear even on you. Carefully remove the cardigan. (Note: for this tutorial I am shortening the cardigan so the waist seam hits at my waistline, and the ribbing sits at the upper hip.)

3. Working with the cardigan inside out, measure down 1/2” to 3/4” from each pin, and mark. This will be you new cutting line. At the ribbing, measure up from the top edge of the ribbing the same amount you did at the top and mark (creating a seam allowance) (img. 4). This will be the ribbing cutting line. Cut along both these lines carefully, using long, straight strokes with the shears (img. 5). Discard or set aside the excess material cut from the cardigan. Note: if there are buttons that will fall within or near the seam allowance, remove them (at least for now). They can be replaced at the end.

4. With right sides together, ribbing side facing up, pin together the cut edges (img. 7). At your sewing machine, set the stitch to a medium length and a shallow (barely) zig zag. Sew the pinned seam, being careful to follow along the top edge of the ribbing and not stretching the knit as you go (img. 8). Fasten the ends securely by backstitching (knotting is not recommended, as it has a tendency to “pop out” of knit material).

5. Set the stitch to a wider zig zag and run along the outer edge of the seam to finish. Trim if necessary (img. 9). Press lightly (set the iron to an appropriate heat setting for the knit fabric).

6. Try the cardigan on again as you did in step 2. Analyze how you would like it to fit at the side seams along the body and sleeves. We will be taking this in at one time. Carefully pinch off an even amount at each side, tapering as needed from a wider point (such as the bustline) to a smaller one (the waist). Continue the pin line through the underarm and sleeve seam as necessary, working a smooth and shallow curve through the armhole seam (img. 10). Carefully remove the cardigan. Note: If you find it too difficult to accurately pin both sides, pin on side and remove the cardigan. Using a ruler, measure the same amount taken in on the pinned side and repeat on the other (not pinned) side seam. Slip the cardigan back on and check for fit. Adjust as necessary.

7. Working with the cardigan inside out, mark the pin line carefully; this will become your stitching line. Pin the front and back layers together securely with pins along this stitching line (img. 12). Using your sewing machine set at a medium stitch length and shallow zig zag, sew along the stitching lines on each side, taking care not to stretch the material, and fastening the ends securely. Trim the seam to 1/2”; with a wider zig zag stitch, stitch along this edge to finish it (img. 13). Lightly press.

8. Try the cardigan on again (as in step 2 and 6); we will be shortening the sleeve length now. Determine the new length for the sleeves; I opted for 3/4 sleeves on my cardigan. Mark this line on each sleeve with pins (img. 14); carefully remove the cardigan.

9. Working with the cardigan inside out, carefully mark this pin line. Measure down 1/2” to 3/4” and mark; this will be your cutting line. At the sleeve ribbing, measure up the same seam allowance you marked for the sleeve body, and mark; this is the ribbing cutting line. Cut along both lines and discard the excess material (img. 15). Right sides together, ribbing facing you, pin together the edges. You may need to ease in the excess sleeve body material. You can either do this with pins or run a line of basting stitches in the seam allowance to gather up the excess.

10. With the sewing machine stitch set to a medium length and shallow zig ziag, carefully stitch the sleeve together using the seam allowance you determined earlier (img. 16). Finish the edges as before with a wider zig zag and trim if necessary. Lightly press. Repeat for other sleeve. Note about sleeve alterations: This method assumes that the sleeve will be shortened to the elbow or a place below. Unless the cuff ribbing is really stretchy (or the sleeves really big), I do not recommend shortening the sleeves to any length above the elbow, as this could result in an unpleasantly tight cuff around the upper arm.

11. Press all seams as follows: waistline seam down, side seams back, sleeve seam down (towards ribbing cuff). Turn cardigan right side out and lightly steam. You may also want to lightly tack down the seams at the waist/ribbing by hand with a few stitches (img. 18). This will prevent the seam from rolling outward.

12. Now here is where the fun begins: you basically have a custom fit, blank cardigan now. You can leave it plain (as I did for this one; I have several embellished red cardigans already), or jazz it up a bit! Simply replacing the buttons is a start, but what about adding a little lace or fabric collar? Eyelet to the front edges? A row of faux award ribbons and medals at the upper chest? Ruffled lace along the neckline and cuffs? Using a bit of the leftover material cut from the cardigan body to create some gathered flowers? The possibilities are endless!

[ sporting my "new", custom fit cardigan! ]

[ click for a larger view. ]

This has ended up being the week I babble on about my various projects, hasn’t it? Oh dear! I promise I have more interesting stuff next week–including a new interview! I swear this week has been all about catching up–especially on my blogroll. So for now, I thought I’d show you two things I worked on over the holiday weekend…

Knitting progress first! I cannot believe how much I’ve knit in a little over a week on this cardigan; especially since I had to rip out about 30 rows at one point. (Lesson learned: reread the instructions to make sure I know when the increases are supposed to start.) The back is completely finished and the front right is being wrapped up. I do need more yarn though. Which makes me a bit nervous since I doubt I’ll be able to get the exact dye lot again. But oh well–worse comes to worse and I’ll just through it in some dye afterward and see what happens! (I know, I’m taking such a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” approach to this. lol!) I love how soft the yarn is and how quickly it’s knitting up. The pattern looks intimidating but it’s quite simple. Now ideas of finishing it by the time the weather cools off are starting to dance through my head… lol!

[ click for a larger view. ]

Another little project I did was embellish a white tank top. I’m only so-so on how this one turned up, but though the concept was worth posting about. In all honesty, it’s the tank top and not my embellishment that doesn’t work. I just grabbed a cheap tank that is really tight to do this with, and tight plus frilly stuff doesn’t work, at least in my opinion. I think I didn’t realize how tight it was until after I finished. Oh well. lol. But basically, I just cut a bunch of 1 1/2″ wide bias strips out of some lightweight silk and seamed them together to create long tapes. The ruffle was gathered and zig-zagged to the neckline (twice. I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t rip off in one of my super klutzy moments!), and the rosette I gathered and stitched together by hand. Pretty simple and easy! It’s cute (I wore it to our friend’s house Sunday evening with a polka dot skirt), but I still am not a fan of the super tight tank. But maybe that is just me. lol!

Gratuitous rabbit photos! lol. Sunday while Sailor Husband was tied up in homework, Mr. Freckles and I decided to do a little photo session. Alas, neither the camera, or Mr. Freckles, were quite up for the task, but still some cuteness occurred!

Also a little peek at a t-shirt I recently thrifted. It was boring, plain and beige (kinda like the walls in our apartment–that are slowly driving me mad!). Out came my stash of antique and vintage trims, where I found the perfect antique lace collar to pair with this. I also added a bow, which happens to be a piece of ribbon from my bridal bouquet!

Hope you all are having a splendid day!