Project; ruffled skirt using pantyhose nylons for ruffles

What a fun idea from Craft Chi - Ruffled pantyhose added to a skirt makes it kicky fun. Instructions at her website.

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Project; little girl circle skirt and top - refashioned from bed sheet and Auntie's capris

Now this woman is 'repurposing' purposely. See her blog, Consumption Rebellion, for outline of how she re-used materials that went into making this outfit for her little girl.



excerpt from her blog - how to:

The skirt was constructed as follows:

- waistband - cut from my Great Aunt's pair of denim capris.
- circle skirt (and its really a circle this time!) - from fabric offcut at an op shop - cost $1
- lining - made from an old bedsheet found at an op shop - cost 50c.

- Top - cut from the leg of my Great Aunt's capris and turned upside down so the tapered end went towards the neck and the wider end towards the waist.

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Projects: Three projects: Skirt redesign; Postcard Wallart; Skirt conversts to Halter

how to




See this and more at Creative Kismet. She posted this refashion to Wardrobe Refashion but she has her own blog, with photos and how to's and she shares some of her creative ideas.

Like this one.



quick tutorial




Her blog has neatly arranged categories, and from her recycled craft category, below is one nifty idea she created, inspired by something she saw on HGTV in the show Design Remix.
Instead of using matchbook covers as they did on the show, she used old postcards she had and I like the effect. Plus I like old postcards and see them often at thrift stores, and tell myself not to buy because what would I do with them. Well here is what I could do with them.

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Project; Restyling t-shirts

t-shirt makeovers and I was so impressed I saved the photos, but not the link where I found the photos. I would give credit where it is due with link back, so if it's your t-shirt project let me know.


Refashioning t-shirts by refitting, remaking, stenciling, cutting, restyling seems to be the way to go and I regret, after having seen some of the projects online that I didn't save the links.




She has about 20 more of these kinds of tutorials in how to remake, refashion a tee-shirt or t-shirt surgery.
Visit the tutorials at Omystarts Craft


Prone to Hyperbole has instructions for how she turned a t-shirt into boy-style pajama bottoms

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Project; two pairs of too small pants to one pair of capris that fit

Pants too small, adapt them using an idea from Three Cat Night (link to follow her instructions). I'm not sure she is still blogging since the last entry in Dec 06, but I remember seeing this project at her blog before and I thought I might could try something like this. Well, now that many of my old pants don't fit my growing hips and waist, I gotta try something!



Two pair of too small pants to one pair of capris that fit

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Project; Four from one; dress and three bags from denim bib overalls

A new dress and three bags all from one pair of denim bib overalls - found at her blog - The Sporadic Packrat and she knows how to refashion something old into something new. She took the Wardrobe Refashion pledge, and I can't believe how creative people can be once they let their creative thoughts flow. Some one day I may take that Wardrobe Refashion pledge.



and



and



oh - and a dress too, all out of one pair of denim bib overalls!

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Project; Envelope pillow or make a slip envelope to recover an old pillow

Link tutorial for making an envelope pillow. In other words, recovering an old, ugly pillow using different fabric. I plan to scour my new 'saved' old clothes for fabric to recover some old pillows I've kept around but don't fit my decor any more.

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Project; pants to cute ruffled skirts

Oh, a new site 'find' for diy, refashioning clothes and some tutorials on how to -
Scorpio's Attic DIY. I'll be checking back there often, and adding as one of the links I like to my link list.







Photos below, though, are another peron's project at Wardrobe Refashion, and she kindly links to the tutorial that helped her to make these two cute ruffled skirts.

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Project; Extend too short pants/jeans

Clever idea for 'extending' those too short pants or jeans. You have to love those people over at Wardrobe Refashion for some of the clever ideas they come up with in taking the pledge and sharing their projects via photos.

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Project; for reusing lingerie

I'm looking for ways to re-use, repurpose, refashion some of that lingerie that no longer fits my no longer svelte body.

If you have ideas or know where to send me, share links, projects, I'm happy to take your suggestions.

I found this one at Ask the Frugal Decorating Diva

Besides your pillows (which are a great use for these), here are a few ideas for those pieces:

* Consider cutting some of the lace/textures/embellishments off and using them separately. Maybe frame them, accent a lampshade with them, accent window shades with them, put them on pieces of clothing you wear, applique them onto towels, upholstered pieces or other home accessories.

* Use the gown fabric and lace/textures/embellishments to make lampshade covers.

* Use the gown fabrics to make padded hangers for your closet, or for gifts.

* Use the gown fabrics to make jewelry rolls for yourself or gifts.

* Use the gown fabrics to make makeup bags.

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Project; Refashion skirts from old trousers

Refashioned Skirts from old trousers

Call me odd (it's okay - my kids do), but I think these refashioned skirts are just too cute.

Refashioning a couple of pairs in into maxi skirts. The original idea is from a skirt belonging to Babylonglegs.

The first is from chocolate needlecord bootlegs, with added godets (inserts) from William Morris curtain material and waxed cotton wide trim on the bottom.

The other skirt*photo below) is made from honey beige brushed cotton twill trousers and more William Morris godets. It isn't quite finished (and needs an iron!) but it will have cotton curtain trimming, which I have tea-dyed, added on the bottom .

(posted to Wardrobe Refashion blog by Annie - there was not a link back to Annie's blog, so linking to her show and tell at Wardrobe Refashion. Why not take the pledge?)

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Project; the quilt I never made - not too late!

It was always my intention to make a heritage quilt out of the clothing my children outgrew as they got older. So I saved the clothing for decades (can you guess that my children are full grown adults now with children of their own!). Alas, after all those years, a mistake in storage and the saved treasures were ruined with dampness and mold. That project that I yearned to do won't be happening quite the way I envisioned, with squares of fabric from well loved children's clothing. And I never quite did manage to teach myself how to quilt. Great Grandma's sunbonnet hand sewn quilt, which was my inheritance, still needs to be quilted with a backing. I have some lifetime left, so I still think I may get around to completing this project.


But - there are the grandchildren, and if I can convince my daughters to save their children's clothing, perhaps there can still be a heritage quilt - or bedspread.


For now though, it might be fun to do what this lady at Sew and So did in making a jean bedspread - squares of jean-denim material. I think I'll need much more jeans/denim than I have, but again, can turn to daughters and ask them to send along old and outgrown jeans.



How about some more denim projects? Denim placemats (use pocket to hold silverware); denim hotpack (from pants leg); denim pocket fridge magnet; denim winebags (from pants leg); denim pot holders (use old sweatshirts for batting)..... see these projects at AllFreeCrafts.com

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Project - Woman's blouse into little girl's sweet dress

I just loved how sweet this little girl looks in her new 'dress' made from a woman's blouse. See it at rostichery blog I love that linen style blouse and won't these now vintage blouses make adorable children's dresses? I have a granddaughter that is young enough that I can make this project. I'm looking forward to making up several projects for my grandchildren!

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Project; From t-shirt sleeves to baby 's pants

The sleeves of a generous-sized, stretch-knit T-shirt can be made into a pair of baby cropped trousers very easily and quickly. See her first-time I made this project tutorial from one of the contributors, Katherine, at Wardrobe Refashion.

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Project; Blanket Coat or Shawl

Look what I found in the archives of Craftzine. A page of refashion projects. Take a look for yourselves.

One of the projects shown on their archive page is a blanket coat or blanket shawl. I have a blanket, and think it would be a great idea to fashion it into a coat or shawl...well great for someone else that still has a waistline. Me and belts just aren't what we used to be....we don't go together so well anymore.

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Project - Sweatshirt to Sweetshirt

Now why didn't I think of this! Some fun with those sweatshirts!

A tutorial on how to turn a oversized sweatshirt into a stylish cute (and comfy) top. Link.


Before and After

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Refashioning from your valued 'stash' - not a rag bag anymore!

Still in my early enthusiasm phase, after looking over all the archives and posts at Wardrobe Refashion blog, I found so many ideas that will work for my 'stash' - all those bags of clothing I have saved. But even more than the ideas, I feel so validated that I am not alone in saving clothing and accessories because they catch my eye, the texture, the pattern, unusual, vintage and any other assorted reason why I 'just can't get rid of it yet'.

Some people actually have an entire room of these wonderous 'saves' and 'treasures'. So, I'm excited about my renewed appreciation for my own pack rat characteristics and I regret having given away so much of the 'saves' I kept for years and years. Over the years I've had my stash stored away in plastic bags in basements, garage, storage closets but I continue to move it around with us when we move from one location to another. Now that we are in our own home and have been for 4 years, my 'stash' has been in the basement. It's time to bring the treasure out of storage and the basement and create a 'treasure room' and get busy with refashioning!

I just knew I was saving it all for projects - I just couldn't quite see the whole vision of what projects. Gotta love those creative people who think up clever new ideas and what I like best is that it is 'recycling, sustainable living, green living, frugal and thrifty'. There are people out there who have created small business enterprises out of refashionng old clothing into something individually unique and exclusive! What a fun way to generate some income. I'm no seamstress - makes me wish I was though.

Projects to explore using my 'stash';

- men's shirts - reconstructed and using men's deconstructed shirts to reconstruct new items.

- dresses - reconstruct into skirts, halter tops

- pants - reconstruct into skirts

- jeans - reconstruct into skirts and bags

- bibbed overalls - reconstruct into dress

- sheets and pillowcases - reconstruct into tops, skirts, curtains

- t-shirts - reconstruct into exclusively fashionable and personalized closer fitting t-shirts. Based on a popular selling book 'Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt'

- table cloths - reconstruct into circle skirts

- napkins, handkerchiefs, scarves, placemats - use to make halter tops, add onto top in layers to form bottom skirt, add as hemline motifs

- lace from doilies, napkins, pillowcases, dresses can be used as motifs in reconstructed clothing, ie, t-shirts, tops, skirts.

- clothing remnants - refashion into bags, journals, gift wrap, wrap a box for use as stationary box.

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Project; t-shirt refashion - halter from crew neck t-shirt

from Make magazine

Nobody just wears a t-shirt these days. You've got to "mod" them. To get you started on your first t-shirt for the summer, artist Karyl Newman took a regular looking large crew neck t-shirt and created this cute halter tee. The complete step-by-step is up on Instructables. Link.




get instructions here;

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Project - 5-minute t-shirt jacket

So okay then, Blogger help shows me there is indeed an as yet unfixed problem with the Blog This button in the newest blogger upgrade. Sigh. For now, then, I'm back to the 'old fashioned' way of blogging, but actually opening 'create a post' and doing the typing (instead of the copy/paste of Blog This).

Refashioning your t-shirts seems to be a big thing right now. And I have a lot of t-shirts from over the years, but I've gotten too big for many of those sized medium t-shirts. Well, gives me incentive though to shop for t-shirts again in the thrift shops. I'll be posting various refashion t-shirt ideas as I come across them.

Found this at mediathinker.com
“wardrobe refashioning,” taking an item of ready-made clothing and turning it into something else

How to instructions;





Finished jacket (recommend pinking shears to cut or hem the edges, get creative and hem edges with edging, piping, lace)

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project A Shrunken Sweater makes a child's dress; Wardrobe Refashion

from Wardrobe Refashion June 2006; A Shrunken Sweater makes a child's dress

My next project was to try to salvage a cute little wool sweater that my husband shrunk when my first daughter was a baby.



I cut off the short, stiff sleeves and some of the length. I then fashioned a "handkerchief" skirt from a layer of eyelet and a layer of lace I had in my stash. At the waist I added buttonholes for a velvet ribbon that ties in the back. And I can't forget the embellishment: some felt flowers at the neck. Now the shrunken sweater has been reborn into a fall/winter dress for my second daughter!




TFTCarrie blog

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