Thrifting Tips + Maxi Skirt Refash

Tags

maxi skirt refashion, refashion, sewing, sewing tutorial, skirt refashion, thrift shop, thrifting, tutorial

I love going to thrift stores.  It’s so much fun to look at all the items that people have cast off and imagine them being something new and fresh!  Yesterday, I found this skirt for a mere $3…

It was a size 18. But look at that fabric! Gorgeous.

Following is how I refashioned it to fit me.  But first…

My Tips for Thrifting Refashion Projects

1. Find a good print. Cute fabric always what I look for first when I go thrifting.  If you don’t like the fabric, chances are you’re not going to wear what you make.

2. Check the size. It’s always better to go large when you can — extra fabric is always a safe bet.

3. Think about the possibilities before you buy.  In other words, make sure the item is refashion-able. Does it have a lot of seams that will need ripping? Will it be feasible to work with? Make sure the refashion you have in mind will be worth your time.

4.  Make sure the item is a good buy!  Just because it came from a thrift shop doesn’t mean it’s a good deal.  Know when your thrift shop’s sales are.  Why buy an $8 dress when you can get it for $3?

5.  Know when to splurge!  Obviously, thrift shops are probably never going to have the same items twice.  (Unless it really it horrendous and people keep donating it again.)  If you find a piece you know you can do something with, and you know you would actually wear it, and you’ve been looking for something like it for ages — go for it!  You’ll still be saving money — it’s a thrift shop.

And now, see how I transformed my size 18 skirt!

1.  First I marked where I wanted the new waistband to fall and cut off the top about 2 inches above that mark.  Because of the fringe on the bottom, I wanted the skirt to end just above the ground.  Also, there was a zipper I had to cut through — I zipped it up first.

Snip!

2.  I laid a well-fitting skirt over the fabric and traced around the edges.  I pinned along these lines and tried it on — I had to adjust my pins a bit.  Always remember to try on your project at every stage!  Moving pins is easier than seam ripping.  After I got the fit I wanted, I sewed along my new chalk lines, pinked the seams, and ironed the seams open.

Hmm, another brightly printed maxi…what does that tell you about my personal style?

See my new chalk lines near the top of the skirt? I had to widen those a bit from my original tracing.

3.  Now it was time to make my elastic casing.  I measured with my elastic around my waist where I wanted the skirt to sit and cut it with a little extra.  Then I marked two lines around my waistband — one at 1 inch below the raw edge and one at 2 inches below the raw edge.  I folded my raw edge down to the 1 inch mark, pinned, and ironed the crease.  Then I removed the pins and folded that down to the next mark, pinning and ironing.  Then I sewed my casing closed, making sure to stay on the very edge of my casing so the elastic would have room to go through.  Finally I just stuck a safety pin through my elastic and fed it through the casing.  Once that was done I just sewed my casing shut.

My two marks — 1 inch and 2 inch

Ironing the first part down…

Casing is sewn shut! You could either clip that extra elastic off or leave it in case you ever want to tighten or loosen your skirt. I left mine.

This is the finished product!

Ta da! No longer a size 18. Yay.

I think it’ll be a perfect fall skirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ribbon Accent Tee

Tags

college orientation, refashion, ribbon accent tee, t-shirt efashion, t-shirt refashion

I think my handwriting is pretty clear.  Even if it weren’t, it would seem like an S looks a lot different than an L, right?

Apparently not to whoever sorted our college orientation t-shirts!  I had my orientation a few weeks ago, and am pretty sure I wrote down a small as my size.  However, I got a large.  Must have been fate though, because I made a custom fitting, ribbon-accented t-shirt from that mistake.  I’m excited to wear this at convocation next semester!

Here’s how I did this fabulous refashion.

1.  I laid the shirt out flat and traced the outline of a well-fitting t-shirt on it, matching up the necklines.  Then I cut off the sleeves and the bottom of the t-shirt along my chalk lines.  (Apologies for lack of a before pic!)

Chopping sleeves….

…..and hem!  (I turned the shirt inside out for this part, too, since I knew I would need to later.  I redid the chalk on the inside, see?)

2.  Next, I pinned along my chalk lines.  At this point, I was still planning to just take the shirt in.  But then I got the side-accent idea.  I was originally going to use the lace in the pic below.  However, I cut the shirt off a little bit inside my chalk lines (not a good idea), so it would’ve been a tight squeeze — none too flattering.  I opted for the wider ribbon instead.

Also, I was neglectful in my picture taking for this post, and I forgot to take a pic of the sleeve shape.  All I did was cut along the chalk lines I had already traced.

 

3.  Third, I sewed the bottom of the sleeves shut!  So at this point, the front and back of the shirt were connected only by the sleeves and neckline.

The bottom of the sleeves are sewn shut now.

4.  Now came the fun part.  I eyeballed a measurement of ribbon, allowing for extra just in case.  I pinned and sewed the ribbon to one of my open side seams, hiding the ribbon’s raw edge at the bottom.

I pinned and sewed the ribbon to the front so that the seam would eventually be on the inside of the shirt.

Then I just had to do that to both sides, which meant sewing four seams: two for each side of the shirt.

This is one finished side — two seams for the two sides of the ribbon.

5.  Now all that was left was to close up these holes in the sleeves:

See my scissors sticking through the hole?

All I did to fix hat was to pin and sew the shirt in an upside down V to the extra ribbon at the top.

Pictures make things much clearer, don’t they?

All done!  Now I have a perfectly fitted, completely unique convocation t-shirt.  So excited to wear this in the fall!  If you have any questions, leave a comment!  🙂

Finished product!

See how I sewed up the hole under the sleeve?