Hat from pants

I am participating in the Me-Made-May 2013, and last Friday's theme was hat. I took the opportunity to finally make myself one!

Enter this old (probably 6-7 years old) linen blend pair of pants/trousers. I've chopped a portion off it initially when up-sizing (in my book that is another version of refashioning) its matching jacket.

Perfect fabric for a spring/summer hat in my opinion.

Using the pattern Vogue V8844 I have in stash, and choosing View A I got to work.

(with contrast fabric that came off one of my previous skirt project. It was too long, so I chopped off a lot off the hem, and these portion plus scraps were used towards the contrast of the hat).

There were some piecing that might be required when using scraps/leftovers/not big enough piece of fabric. But as long as you make sure to ascertain they are of the same grain, it will be okay. I was not that particular re grains for projects such as hats, but when upsizing/refashioning garments, it is highly advisable to make sure the grains are on point. :)

Being a slow worker that I am, it took me a night and morning to complete it. Somewhere around that. :)

If you are interested to see more of my refashion projects, do visit my Mission: Refashion page on my blog.

Happy refashioning! :)
Far

Curtain Samples to Thirteen Tutus

This is a story of a bunch of curtain samples which whished to become famous and dance and twirl on a stage. So they went to a kindergarten and started to scream "Cut me! Cut Me!" until a teacher heard them and gave them to me, asking me to transform them into 

thirteen tutus for the End-Of-School Recital!

Here's the "before":

And here are the "after":

more pics and a step-by-step tutorial on SergerPepper

MammaNene

Maxi Polka Dot Dress to Sweetheart Hi-Low Dress

I couldn't pass up this $5 thrifted find because it's rayon and polka dotted. 'Nuff said in my opinion. The huge amount of fabric didn't hurt either. But it was all sack shaped.

So first I cinched in the sides. Then I cut the bodice like so.

The back had some lacings that I forgot to take a pic of. I used the lacings to make the spagetti straps. 

But as I wanted a sweetheart neck line I pinched and gathered at the center. 

But then I added a little band of fabric as a pretty accent. 

Then it was time for the skirt. 

I checked out some DIY's of hi-low skirts on the interwebs and some of them said to cut the skirt in kind of an 'S' curve. I did that. Here was my first cut. I rose the front up a little higher after trying it on after my first cut. 

And here's some after shots. 

Oh almost forgot to mention. Here's my inspiration. A Forever 21 dress. 

I think I got it about right. 

There are two types of people in the world:

those who take the hotel amenities and those who leave ‘em. I take toiletries (when I have check-through luggage), emory boards, combs, toothbrushes and sewing kits for my friend Margaret (whose church does up shoe boxes of these sort of things for Romania at Christmas time), shower caps (perfect covers for the half trays in the greenhouse) and slippers -- but ONLY if the slippers are of decent quality. Even in the summer it gets chilly here and guests don't always think to pack slippers for summer visits. 

Inspired by the poppies I sowed earlier this month while Himself was in his second golf match of the year at his club (beating his score of the week before by six shots might I add)

I went for a more simple shape for the slipper blossoms: I can always make yet another cushion with the spare flowers from the Carmen Miranda scarf,. That was the original plan for these plain white, decent quality hotel slippers. (I want to say they are from our usual hotel in Singapore but I can’t with 100% certainty; however, they most definitely are from last summer’s around the world trip to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I know they aren’t from our time in Darwin or Oahu. I didn’t like the slippers at either of those hotels). 

The black and white fleece used is from winter refashions already packed away and deleted from iPhoto (naughty IWOM) but you can click those two links above for pictures of the original projects if you like.

I tried smothering the whole top of the slipper with black and white poppies but in the end just went for a band across the edge.

IWOM                                

Blooming Botanicals...

Create your own adorable ear blossoms in minutes with my step-by-step how-to!

so simple!

 

Here’s a wee salute to the 70′s that’ll definitely put more power in yer flower(s)…

 

 - pardon the horrendous word play & get makin’ with my funky tutorial -

hmmm...but what to do with all of the remaining stems? Check out my next webisode for the groovy solution: 

 

…be sure to visit my convenient Tutorial Index & get your craft on!