June Challenge, Week 2&3 Double Challenge Finished!

For June I have been buying 2 items from a thrift shop and joining them together to make something else.

Week 1 I made boys linen pants from 2 women’s skirts. Then I hit a slight hurdle in week 2 and didn’t have time to sew! So, I went double or nothing. Week 3 joined together with Week 2.

I had a women’s maxi dress that cost $1, that I joined first with a white and purple striped shirt that also cost $1, then with a black and white striped girls top, cost 75c, and made an extra piece with the left over fabric.

So the total cost for these three is $2.75. Can’t really go wrong with that!

This is the result from the dress and shirt. I made a girl’s skirt for a 2-4yr old. I liked the fabrics together. I sewed up the front, cut off the bottom, added pockets and a waist band. I don’t have a photo of it on because I don’t have a girl!

I liked the girls top from the second week challenge so I decided to just add a bit of interest. I added Ruffles to the sleeves in the maxi dress fabric and to the pocket.

Finally with the left overs (the bottom of the dress was left!) I made a simple knee length skirt for myself. It’s a light fabric so it will be great for summer. Excuse the poor photo, the light in the room was bad, but I couldn’t miss another deadline!!

Next week I will try something a bit out of the square…if I get it done!

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June Challenge – Week 2. Um… it’s coming…

I have had no time to sew this week. I have the pieces of this weeks challenge cut and ready to go, along with next weeks challenge and an extra as I have decided to use one of the clothing items in several ways with other items. This week I used this collared shirt and maxi dress. Each cost $1. My next weeks challenge was to use the same maxi dress and a childrens t-shirt that cost 75c. I will be making an item of kids clothing from each and an extra something for me from the maxi dress left overs. So that will be 3 clothing items for $2.75.

However, as I have had no time this week, I will be revealing them all as a double challenge week next Friday. I had better get sewing.

I am…busy.

June Challenge Week 1, Part 2 – The Result!

Here is a recap. My challenge for June is to take 1 or 2 items from a thrift shop and make them into something else. Here are the 2 things I used this week.

Item 1 – a brown linen skirt with crochet detail around the bottom. (a truly hideous garment made worse by overstretching, personal taste of course)
Cost $1

Item 2 – a brown cotton skirt with a print that reminds me of dandelions and lovely black pen marks scribbled across the front.
Cost $1

Ta-da!

My son E modeling the result! Brown linen toddler pants with dandelion pockets.

Although that linen skirt was truly awful, I LOVE linen. I really LOVE linen pants for $1.

And I especially love linen pants with interesting and USEFUL pockets. A boy has to have a place to keep his treasures you know?..rocks, sticks, biscuits etc

My husband was a bit horrified when I showed him the skirts initially and said that E would be having pants made out of flowers, but he was fine with the result. I wanted to start with pants because I was a bit nervous at refashioning, having never done it before and I had made pants using this pattern before…just not quite this way.

I love using patterns that are traditionally considered to be feminine with a twist (like the silhouette dandelion print) on men or boys. I think if they are worn the right way they emphasise the masculinity (by contrast I suppose). These pants will be great in spring with a loose white shirt and sandals. They could equally be worn by a girl, but when I saw the skirt immediately thought of boys clothing.

I used my favourite pants pattern from here (the greatest shape I have found ANYWHERE!) combining the basic pants with the pocket pants.

I made the pants a bit bigger than the pattern to suit the loose nature of linen pants and because it made it possible to adapt the pattern pieces to fit the side seams of the skirt. Also, because I used the side seams of the linen skirt that already existed, I had to unpick the sides to insert the pockets and resew.

The bottom hem has been left fairly long underneath to allow for the rapid growth of a 2 year old boy! Folded and ready for Spring.

Although they aren’t perfect, I am happy with my first ever attempt at refashioning something into something else.

I am… satisfied.

June Challenge Week 1, part 1

I told you that my challenge for June would be to take 1 or 2 items from a thrift shop and make them into something else. Here are the 2 things I will be using this week.

Item 1 – a brown linen skirt with crochet detail around the bottom.
Cost $1

Item 2 – a brown cotton skirt with a print that reminds me of dandelions and lovely black pen marks scribbled across the front.
Cost $1

I have just the thing in mind. I will post the result Friday.

Item 1

Item 2