Video: Tailoring a T-Shirt

Even a sewist buys clothing sometimes, so alteration skills come in very handy! Come hang out with me as I alter this adorable Pemberly t-shirt to get the fit I like best. Click the video below to watch now.

Video: Altering Clothes - Modcloth Edition!

 

This week we are finishing what I started in the last video and altering a stack of clothes from the Modcloth Summer Sale! This is a mixture of easy and complicated changes, but I end up with 6 new items in my wardrobe. Come hang out with me and let's get into the alterations mindset :) Click the link below to watch.

Video: How a Sewist Buys (And Alters) Clothes

 

This week's video is some of my secrets to buying clothes and altering them. THIS IS PART 1! Things did not go to plan, so some of the other items I was working on this day will be coming in a different video soon. But today, we are doing some very simple alterations to get some items in my wardrobe quickly :) Click the video below to watch!

Altered: Dress to Shirt Easy Refashions

Sometimes when I'm thrifting, I come across adorable dresses that are just flat out too short for me. I don't understand how people walk around casually with the ever looming threat of exposing your undies in a swift breeze! Knee length at least for me, thank you. But sometimes the fabric and style of a dress just calls to me and I know they would be just as cute as a shirt. These 2 dresses are 100% rayon, so the fabric is flowy and light and I loved the print on the burgundy one and the embroidery on the navy one. One night I decided to just alter 4 pieces of clothing and these were the shirts.

The burgundy dress is a size Large and came from Old Navy originally. It has an exposed metal zipper down the back (completely unnecessary since I can slip this easily over my head), so it makes me think this is from several years ago when exposed zippers were all the rage. This one was the easiest, so I did it first. I just put the dress on and pinned where I wanted the shirt hem to end, added seam allowance back on my cutting table, and chopped off the excess 7.5 inches I didn't need. From there it was easy to just iron the hem up 1/4 inch twice and then top stitch the hem in place. This took like 20 minutes total and I had a cute new shirt :)

The navy dress is from Loft and is actually a size small. This style with the fitted top yoke and the gathered bust area tends to never look good on me in my actual size (the gathers always... gather... between my boobs and it dives me crazy. Since this was a size small and designed to be loose, it went on me just fine and the gathers stretch out across my bust instead of dipping in, which was perfect. I love the embroidery detail on this and I liked the ruffle on the bottom, so instead of just shortening this I decided to move the ruffle up to the new hem. I did the same thing - put the dress on and pinned where I wanted it to end, then I chopped off the ruffle and the excess 7 inches of fabric. I cut off the original serged seam because I just couldn't be bothered with unpicking it, then gathered the ruffle back up to the new opening and stitched it on. Honestly, the gathering of this ruffle was annoying and the most time consuming project of my night. Since this is such floaty fabric, it was a struggle to get the gathers distributed evenly and I messed around with it quite a bit. 

This was my least favorite finished object of the evening of alterations, and honestly I felt like I ruined it when I first put it on. I wish that I had been more careful with where the ruffle started on my waist as it has turned out just a smidge to high and I think it's not very flattering. I tend to always wear at least some definition at my waist, and this ruffle placement really doesn't give any. It is very floaty, though, so I'm going to try wearing it and see if it grows on me (or if I just decide I don't care). 

If I had added an inch to the main shirt before cutting, the waist would be in the right place, but then the ruffle itself would have needed to be shortened. So it's a bit of a trade off. We will see how I like it as time goes on.

This turned out to be a very productive evening of alterations and I got 3 genuine winners added to my wardrobe. I have yet to wear the blue shirt, lol, but it's still so pretty! Maybe I can figure out a way to salvage it. We will see. I've worn the skirt and the burgundy shirt a lot though. Sometimes it doesn't take much to get new pieces that you can love for years to come.

Altered: No More Paper Bag Waists!

In my "I want to wear linen EVERYTHING" obsession I've had the last few months, I took to some online second hand marketplaces and made a few orders. The first one was a lot of 2 brand new with the tags Banana Republic linen/rayon skirts - one in navy, one in rust orange. I got these on Mercari. I loved the colors of both and the patch pockets and the fabric, but the other details were honestly a little hard to see on my phone screen (one of the drawbacks of not having pro photographers since it's a second hand site). 

When they arrived, I saw that they were mid-calf length (longer than I usually prefer) and they both had a paper bag waist. Now there isn't anything inherently wrong with a paper bag waist - I know they have been trendy on and off the last few years - but since I almost never tuck my shirts into skirts, they are just not functional for me. I did try wearing these skirts as they were, but I had to wear them with looser shirts so the bulk at the waist didn't look too odd. Well no more! I grabbed some matching thread at the fabric store and unpicked that ruffly waist detail.

This was actually incredibly easy to do. Usually when I'm altering things, I'm adding something or remaking a detail completely in some way. This was a simple removal job - get it there, cut out the offending piece, then close it back up. I did make it a bit more complicated by getting cocky with my seam ripper pointed the wrong way up, which sliced the fabric a tiny bit. It was on the inner waistband piece and I was able to interface and top stitch it just fine, but an inconvenience nonetheless. 

The only fiddly part was sewing the waistband closed given that I had to start and stop around each of the belt loops. This was originally sewn with the belt loops hanging free on one side and then the buttons were sewed through the tabs after the rest of the skirt was finished. I didn't want to unpick all 4 of the buttons and resew them, so I just tried to be careful and go about halfway under the belt loop before cutting my thread and starting again in the same spot on the other side of the belt loop. It was a hassle, but it really wasn't that big a deal since this was such a simple project in general. I think I probably spent an hour on these 2 skirts from unpicking to finishing.

These skirts are now infinitely more wearable for me. I'm still not sure about the length, but I'm wearing them as they are to see if I grow to like it. If not, that's another simple change later to make them just below the knee.

I managed to alter 4 different items that night, 3 of which are winners, lol. Alterations are really an underrated form of sewing in my opinion. With just a little effort, I have pieces that are custom made how I want them.

FO: Khaki Linen Skirt Refashion

I have been on a major linen kick lately - not just with sewing, but also hunting it down in thrift stores and online second hand apps like Mercari, Poshmark, and ThredUp. This skirt was found at Goodwill (who honestly just tick me off every time I go in one, but I digress) for $6.99, which is way more expensive than I would usually pay for a skirt at a thrift store, but it was a neutral color, ankle length, 100% linen skirt from a good brand that I knew I could refashion into something I would wear, so I bought it. 

At first my plan was just to shorten the skirt to knee length and add patch pockets using the piece of fabric I cut from the bottom, so I started there. I just put the skirt on and folded up the hem until it hit were I wanted and pinned it. This wound up being just over 10 inches shorter than it came to me as. I sewed a 1 inch hem to match the original (which took like 20 minutes) and then tried it on. It was definitely better, but I just didn't love the elastic waist on me, so I decided to jump into altering the waist to have elastic in the back and a flat front. This lead to me unpicking the French seams at the sides (never in my life have I owned a store bought item with French seams), then cutting a curve to the front edges and stabilizing the front waistband before resewing the side seams and casing at the back. I didn't love how the fabric pulled at the side seams where it changed from front to elastic back, but I decided to just see if pockets distracted from this issue.

I moved on to the pockets. I decided to draft my own because I wasn't finding any patterns in my stash with patch pockets like I was envisioning. To do this I just laid my phone down on a piece of tracing paper and traced out a pocket that would be big enough to hold it. Then I cut  from the excess fabric piece using the original hem as the top of the pocket opening to save myself a little work. I eyeballed my first pocket placement and then measured to make the other look symmetrical. Then I top stitched in hopes that I was finished with this skirt. When I tried it on at the end, I discovered that the pockets were placed just a bit too high and center - I should have tried it on and then placed the first pocket in the mirror *sigh*. It was wearable, for sure, but that night I thought I would unpick it all again to redo. I hung it in my closet and just worked on other things until I felt like unpicking it again, but then I was taking photos of the other things I've made lately and decided to go ahead and photograph this one as well just like it was. And you know what? I don't hate it. 

Admittedly, the tush area is not exactly doing me any favors. It just feels like there is too much fabric gathered there. I think the main issue is actually that it should be slightly more snug over my hips. This added area from it being a wider size originally is kind of giving my hips the illusion of being wider, which is not something that ever makes feel my best. The reality is, though, that I will always wear this with a shirt that covers the waistband area. If I wear it with a looser top - like my linen Cielo, for example - the problem areas are all covered up and it's just a straight khaki skirt. So I'm keeping it as-is for now.

I did a little tag alteration wizardry on this piece as well. The tag was originally longer and said size 18 at the top with a name written in the space above in permanent marker. Now I'm not squeamish about wearing secondhand clothing in any way whatsoever at this point, but having someone's name inside tells me that this belonged to someone in a nursing home of some kind, and the fact that they gave this skirt away kind of tells me they are probably no longer with us. That's just the reality of donated clothes, but at the same time it's not something I want to be reminded of every time I put on a piece of clothing, you know? Since I had the waistband open anyway, I decided to unpick that tag and just fold it lower so I could tuck the unwanted info up inside and stitch over it. The result came out better than I expected - now the previous owner's name as well as the original size are completely gone. I'm not prissy about sizes in clothes either - things either fit you or they don't, the number doesn't matter - but at the same time it's nice to not have to see a size that I was before I lost weight every time I put this skirt on. Maybe that's vanity, but either way it was a simple change to make, and this skirt is no longer that size anyway. Now it's size Megan.

The finished skirt came out as a great basic in a beautiful fabric. This khaki has a greenish tinge to it - the thread I used was obviously green and it matched perfectly - but it actually is the perfect cool tone to go with a lot of other things I wear.

The pockets are maybe a bit narrow, but still fit my hand or my phone, so that's all I can ask for, really. I like the shape.

I still don't absolutely love the waistband transition from the elastic to non areas, but it's not bugging me enough to change it yet and I have worn this to work with no issues.

And this is how the skirt looks how I will wear it. Still looks good to me :) This is a really comfy basic skirt to have, and the linen makes it wonderfully breezy for Florida summer. I'm sure this will be used for a long time to come.

WIP Wednesday: MKAL Progress, Alterations, and Sewing Stays

I've been plugging right along in the Playin' My Song MKAL by Sweet Georgia yarns and I've really been enjoying it. I'm almost finished with Clue 2, and now I know what the finished shawl looks like, lol. The 3rd clue was released last week and it's just the mirror of the 2nd clue but on the other side of the center. I have honestly been enjoying working on this project. The knit along is all over now, but I still want to finish this in a timely manner so I can rework my Susan Shaw cardigan and move onto my next sweater I have waiting in the wings.

Monday night, I got the odd desire to make a few simple alterations to some second hand clothes I've picked up this past month. All of these were done within just a couple of hours that night and I will be revealing their changes on the blog soon. Very happy with this night of work.

And in other news, I've decided to finally take the plunge and start sewing my regency era stays. I've been wanting to make some for about a year but the sewing and sizing have always intimidated me. Now I'm using Halloween as a deadline and I hope to have stays and a dress to wear by then. I'm making the Laughing Moon Traditional Regency Long Stays and I will make a chemise from this pattern as well.

Last night I traced my new size off from the pattern and started making a mock up. I'm sewing it in this toile fabric I have a ton of - it's some kind of decorator cotton canvas type stuff. I just couldn't get over the opportunity to make a toile toile! Hahahaha sewing humor is the best.

Since this is a mock up, I have not been super careful with the stitching, but I'm still pretty impressed with what I've been able to produce. I've sewn all the front gussets and have this back piece completely top stitched and ready for cording and bones. I used my machine to stitch the eyelets since this is just a trial run and I'm seriously impressed by how easy they were to sew. I'll seriously have to incorporate some into a future clothing project lol. But even as technically "difficult" as this project is, I've been having a lot of fun with the actual sewing. I have a suspicion that I will need to extend the waist, but I'm basically doing a quick and dirty make up with this version to try the fit as well as the construction. I'm very excited for this one :)

Do you have any crazy new projects going? Please share!

FO: Refashioned Old Navy Top

So this project is so simple it kind of feels like cheating to even make a blog post about it, but I haven't posted any refashions in a while and I thought I could show how such a simple thing can transform a piece into something you love. 

I found this at a thrift store a while ago - it was an odd length - too long to be a shirt, too short to be a dress for anyone with any decency, lol. I suppose it was a "tunic", but I just don't do tunic length anything. It's probably the most unflattering length I could wear. I really liked the top itself, and I purchased it knowing I would shorten the hem. During the time when I was waiting for Hurricane Dorian to not show up, I came across this top and decided that I could totally have a new shirt to wear that day with very little effort. So I finally re-did the hem :)

I really like a lot of the details on this top. It's originally from Old Navy, but I love the exposed zipper at the neck, the contrast fabric yoke and pocket. It's just a fun piece that I doubt I would've ever made myself yet I really love.

I started by putting it on and deciding on the length I wanted. I marked it all around and chopped off about 9 or 10 inches from the length.

See what I mean? Indecent dress length, lol. At least on me, that is.

 Next, I just pressed my hem under and stitched it with my preferred twin needle and wooly nylon thread in the bobbin.

Just look at that fine hem! This whole thing took seriously about 20 minutes, and most of that was deciding on the length I wanted and then marking it correctly. 

So there you go - my shirt that I was able to wear out 20 minutes later :) I love the finished product, and I just share it to show that refashions don't have to be some big ordeal. Sometimes it's the really simple fixes that give us pieces we can love and wear for a long time. Yay for easy changes!

FO: Gray? Green? Skirt

Well, I meant to post this a day or so after my previous post, but it's been a crazy time. Interestingly, this skirt is now too big for me even before I managed to post about it. Interesting. Anyway, when I made my Fairy Tale Voile Sailor Top, I really wanted a new neutral skirt to wear with it. Enter one of my favorite patterns: McCall's 7475.

This is my usual use of this pattern: view B plus the back pockets from view A. Add all the pockets always! I've made this skirt 2 other  times, both of which are still worn weekly, so I knew this was a solid choice to help out my dwindling wardrobe. Interestingly, I don't have a lot of bottom weight neutral fabrics in my ridiculously large stash. I have plenty of cool prints and then things like denim that would stand in a corner on its own, but not much with any type of drape. The fabric I used isn't ideal, but it did the job credibly for a mystery cotton twill. I grabbed this gray? green? fabric at a thrift store for $1.00 simply because it was a usable neutral. It's the weirdest color. In real life it has an olive-green tone, but in these pictures it looks totally gray. But it's not really olive green as you can see by the contrast it shows against my top in the pictures.

Pardon the all over wrinkling, but these pics were taken after the same July 4th trip to The Sewing Studio. I particularly love this pattern because it takes no alterations at all for my sway back - it just curves how it should at my lower back :) And I love the look of the pockets on the front, plus they are big enough to fit my enormous phone. As per usual, I top stitched all the seams with a triple stitch. This proved interesting when choosing a color for the thread, but I just took the fabric to the store with me and chose a strange greenish color, lol. Still don't know what to call it.

Another of the things I love about this pattern is the fly front. There's something so professional feeling about a fly front to me. This one actually went very well, so I'm thinking I am getting better at them. Another reason to love a fly front is when you don't have a weird green/gray colored zipper on hand but really want to sew this skirt up. Since a matching color wasn't an option, I decided to grab a zip from my stash in a color I would be unlikely to use elsewhere - so this has a mustard yellow zipper inside, lol. Yay for fly fronts.

I actually managed to sew the top stitching correctly on my back pockets this time. Usually I mess up the little triangle in the upper corners that helps to reinforce them so you don't immediately pull the pocket away from the skirt when you put your hand in. Usually my triangles are weird shaped and different sizes and overshoot the edge. This time though, they look great :) Yay for progress.

And now for the saga that this skirt became. I finished this entire skirt - hem and all - tried it on, and discovered it was over an inch too big at the waist :/  I was so ticked off. I had gained weight at the time, so I knew it needed to be a bit bigger than the last time I made the pattern, but it seems I overcompensated. I had to unpick the entire two piece waistband with top stitching, the waistband seam, the side seam and top stitching halfway down the skirt, and all the serging on the edges to take this skirt in. Nothing like doing a full scale alteration on an item you just finished, right? Not fun. It took me over an hour, but I got closer to a decent fit and sewed it all back up.

Later that week, I went to my moms and sewed the final step - the buttonhole. That night I cut open the hole with my chisel and sewed the button on, only to discover it was just a tad snug in the hole. So I grabbed my seam ripper to just barely open up the hole a little more... AND I SLIPPED. I've seriously never had this happen, but I guess it must happen to everyone at some point. I slit right through the buttonhole stitching and through my tab to about 1/4" from the edge. I was so ticked off, lol. The only thing I could do was sew a perpendicular line to hold the two sides together, then sew an extremely tight zig zag stitch over the rip and then fray check it within an inch of its life, knowing full well this repair may not hold up very well. I've managed to wear and wash this a few times now and thus far it has held up ok, so hopefully I was being overly pessimistic. Interestingly, I have now lost a weight since I made this and the photos were taken (I don't say this to brag - it has not been in a healthy way, but in a "I'm so stressed out I don't feel hungry" kind of way, which I don't recommend), so the skirt is WAY too big yet again. Like 2 inches can easily be pinched at the waistband :/ So who knows how long I will keep this one in rotation - I don't really fancy picking it all apart again, plus it seems to pull a bit odd across my tummy with each alteration at the waist. 

Anyway, I do still wear this skirt in spite of its issues because it makes a great casual, "go with everything" type piece (and my shirts always cover the buttonhole and the loose waist anyway). Mostly, I'm just glad to have sewn something wearable up in my sewing room back in June :) Here's hoping I can make something again soon!

Summary:
Fabric - 1.4 yards gray?ish cotton twill - $1.00 (thrifted)
Pattern: McCall's 7475
Notions: 7" mustard yellow zipper - $0.10, green button - free, green thread - $1.00
Time: 6 hours
Total Cost: $ 2.10