A Classy Navy Knock-Off Dress

I finally made something brand new for myself! Not a refashion, not an upcycle- but something completely brand new and mostly original. 

I love summer and I love dresses- especially easy pull-on dresses that are pretty. I fell in love with this dress I found on Pinterest. I loved the color, but mostly, I loved the neckline. I recreated the neckline but the rest of the dress is quite different. Check it out!

I started by creating my own bodice pattern based on my personal measurements then I copied the neckline from my inspiration dress using bias tape and added fluttery sleeves for a little more detail. The skirt is a tulip shape, very different from the original but so easy to recreate by just cutting your fabric in a curve at the edges. And then I added the elastic inside at the waist and finished the skirt hem with more bias tape and voila- a very classy dress in one of my favorite colors and patterns! 

It only took a couple of hours to complete because there are no buttons or zippers to fuss with. I used a chevron chiffon fabric and a navy silk-like polyester. 

I believe the total cost of materials for this dress would be around $3 only! Yep! I got a great deal on these fabrics at my local Walmart a couple months ago. The chiffon was $2/yard and the navy fabric was $1/yard. I only used 1/2 yard or less of each fabric for my dress and a little elastic from my stash and I got this awesome dress out of it! This is why we should all make our own clothes, right?

In future, I would pair this dress with a colorful skinny belt, maybe yellow, and matching shoes. And yay- I do have yellow peep toe flats that would look adorable with it!

I originally wanted a fuller skirt but am glad I went with a more close-fitting version. It balloons out from the empire waist when sitting and if it was any fuller, I'd probably look pregnant. Slimmer skirt equals slimmer silhouette. =)

I loooove how it turned out! It's comfortable and so pretty. I'm thinking of making another one in a peach color and when I do, I'll share my bodice and skirt pattern with you all so you can make one too. Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you found some inspiration in my latest project and definitely stay tuned for a future tutorial and pattern for this dress! 

A DIY Faux Romper

I finally got around to making stuff for myself! My daughter demanded that I quit making clothes for her because she has enough right now. But I really think she's just tired of fittings and re-fittings and photog sessions. It's not like she was overworked- she just doesn't seem to have the patience for the long hours it requires to be a supermodel. ;-)

On the other hand, I was able to make something that I'd been thinking about for awhile: a romper. I love rompers for lounging around in and since I just received my order of gorgeous soft knits from Girl Charlee Fabrics, I knew it was a sign to start on it! The bad thing about rompers: too much work involved in going to the bathroom (you have to strip completely naked! eek!) and going to the bathroom is already difficult with a baby balanced on one hip, right moms??? Sooo- I decided to make a faux romper: two easy, comfy pieces that can be worn together to look like a romper or if I want, I can also mix them up with other pieces to create a new look when I get bored. Who doesn't love mixing & matching cute loungewear???

 For my faux romper, I used a yard of the Vintage Revival chevron cotton jersey blend knit fabric from Girl Charlee- and I gotta say- their fabrics and prints are THE BEST! Soft, stretchy, colorful, and comfortable- I'd buy everything off that site if I could! And their prices are so affordable, I'd highly recommend going there for your knits before heading out to the fabric store or going to another online retailer!

In addition to the chevron jersey knit, I also used a purple linen fabric for the neck tie and the back of the shorts. I love mixing fabrics, prints, and textures and this little project was no exception. Well, that and because I had only ordered one yard of this fabric not really knowing what I'd want to make with it yet. But I absolutely love the purple linen with the chevron print!

The halter neck top is so easy to make- you probably wouldn't even need a pattern for them! All you'd have to do is measure the width of your chest, your waist and figure out how long you want it to be. Make curves for the neck and armpit area, figure out how much seam allowance you want and you're pretty much set. The back piece is simply a rectangle with encased elastic at the top hem to keep the top fitted to your body. Once the entire top was sewn together, I wove an elastic band into a casing at the bottom hem for a more fitted look.

I think the shorts are my faaaaavorite piece! I used another pair of shorts I liked as a pattern for these and they turned out even better than the store-bought pair! Funny how that happens sometimes, hmm? For lounge shorts, there should always be extra room for your bum because you sit around a lot and you don't want it riding up or falling too low, do ya? To make them deeper, cut the back pattern piece longer in the crotch area. See how in the above picture even though the shorts are laid flat, the purple linen comes forward and isn't laying perfectly behind the front of the shorts? That's what you want if you've got a curvy behind. I made my own pattern for these but since they're elastic-waisted, I can easily use the same pattern if I were to make any for my sisters, who are about the same build as I am. I can always decrease or increase the amount of elastic to accommodate their waists.

Joined the link party at SewMuchAdo! Go check out all the other crafty stuff everyone's made recently!

DIY Cute Men's T-Shirt Refashion

Today,  I decided I would finally make something for myself instead of for the kids. It's so much more fun to create things for them because their clothes are so darn cute, but mama needed a new mommy-on-the-go dress. Something comfy, casual, and colorful: my personal 3 C's of style. I'm a stripes and polka dots fanatic so when I saw this soft, stretchy men's shirt at an Old Navy outlet store, I had to buy it! They were on sale at buy one, get one free and the price for one was only $9.94- making the shirt's cost less then $5. I did my math right there, hopefully. =/

Sorry for the dirty mirror. There actually aren't any spots on the shirt- just a mirror that gets licked and fingerprinted by my 1-year old a little too often. I bought an XXL shirt just in case and it was more than enough for my refashion.

This is the first stage after I cut the shirt at the top of my waistline, reattached the bottom half, and sewed the sleeves to be more fitted to my arms. I didn't shorten the sleeves as I knew I wanted them to go half way down so I can wear it into the fall without a cardigan. Wouldn't this be cute with a scarf, leggings and boots??? (It's still technically winter here where I live so I can definitely wear it that way now! Idk if I'm happy or sad about that...)

I sewed nine red squares for texture and style. Those came from a red knit fabric I thrifted for around $2 and I have more than enough still to make two shirts for my boys! Sqqueeal! I loooove finding great deals on nice fabric- I admit I am a hoarder (of fabric only, I swear!) and am addicted to thrifting. 

I thought the squares looked a bit weird floating on my bust so I anchored them with strips of red bias tape at the waist and up the sides. I love the effect of these little details!

The dress looks gray in the pictures but it's actually a smoky blue. I think red and blue are so fabulous together and perfect for summer!

A close up of the details on the front. So simple but effective.

This dress fits the bill: comfy, check; casual, check; cute- definitely! I'll be wearing this every other day over the summer. Oooor, I'll just go buy more shirts to make more. I think six more would be great! One for each day of the week! An excuse to go thrifting- YESSS! 

How would you refashion a big men's tee? I need some ideas now that I'm going to make six more! =)

DIY Refashion: Men's Tee into Peplum Tee

Now that I'm a stay at home mom, I don't quite have the clothes shopping budget that I used to have and take for granted. It's been quite the adjustment, believe me! I looooove clothes (what normal woman doesn't?) but I also like having food on the table and bills being paid on time so clothes shopping has been completely wiped off my list of to-do's.

With the long dreary winter and my new role at home, I just didn't feel the need to update my wardrobe. I live in my jammies most days anyway. The only times I needed to really "dress up" was when I went to the grocery store but sometimes, I didn't even bother matching my outfit because my long wool coat covered me from shoulders to knees. All anyone saw if they deigned to look at me were my pants and boots. And yes, I'm ashamed to admit- sometimes I even wore the jammie pants out if it was just a quick run I had to make. I used to balk at women who did that before. Now, sadly, I'm one of them!

Now that I can smell spring coming, I'm determined to clean myself up and present myself in public with some dignity since I can't wear that long coat anymore without drawing more attention than I need! So what's  a broke mama to do? Why- refashion my old stuff or cheap stuff I find at thrift stores of course! I enjoy sewing and I've made a few modest things here and there. Later, I'll share the dresses I refashioned for my daughter. Yes, sadly, I will not be buying her a ton of dresses every spring like I used to. She'll get a new one or two, but most will be made using her old ones.

Before: a too large t-shirt.

Anyway, back to MY refashion! I'm really loving those peplum tops I've been seeing just about EVERYWHERE but I needed something more casual for everyday wear that would still look cool and fashion forward. I saw a peplum tee refashion somewhere on Pinterest and knew I'd found what I was looking for. So while I was grocery shopping at Walmart yesterday, I passed through the men's section and saw that they had a couple $5 clearance racks. I browsed through and found this awesome Beatles Yellow Submarine black tee shirt in a size large. Bingo!

A few pins here and there, some cutting, some sewing back together and voila: a cute peplum tee in my size! I love it and am looking forward to making a few more for myself and my daughter. They look great with colored skinny jeans and flats: my usual spring go-to outfit.

After: a fitted, flared, and  fashion-forward top.

And I must apologize for my dusty mirror in the "after" shot. You can tell I haven't used it all winter long, lol! It's amazing what you can do with a big tee shirt, isn't it? I'm off to make a few more refashions in different styles! Hope this inspires all you stay at home moms to start vamping up your spring wardrobes on the cheap! I'm going to really enjoy doing mine and I'll share some more of my refashions as I create them, including the stuff I made for my little girl! Happy spring sewing!