Wednesday, May 1, 2013

14. mayday, mayday

On May 1st Europe shuts down. It's our Labor Day, day for marching along for better work conditions (if so inclined) or for having a picnic, barbeque or a long walk in the woods (if so inclined).

I am invited to a barbeque, which is not going to be in a park nor in a garden, instead in the stony court yard of a city apartment. Weather is coolish, so I may wear this outfit.  There is a draped jersey tank  under the leather jacket and a jersey skirt (patterned as not to show spills...).
If you are looking for Recycled Fashion, please scroll down.


jacket: me-made (2013)
skirt: me-made (2013)
top: H&M (2006)
shoes: Gabor (2009)
necklace and pin (2013)


I played around with jewelry and hung a yellow flower bouquet brooch pin onto the necklace that is fashioned from two bracelets a while ago (see post#7). I thought the pin adds the outfit a nice spring flair.  Though maybe a tad much for a barbeque?

jersey fabric with a houndstooth netting for lining
Skirt is a recent make. I showed one last week that I had made out of one yard of jersey - this is the very same cut. Another impulse buy fabric which I spontaneously liked but originally thought hard to combine. But it turns out I have things to combine. I like summer darks like aubergine and bittersweet,  both go well with this.

Now for the Refashion part:
I have been coveting a draped suede cardigan jacket. This Draped Paper Weight Suede Jacket made my heart go pitty-pat - it would have been a dream. But as always, dreams come with a hefty price tag...
When life threw a vintage 1980's suede costume my direction I grabbed it with both hands. 2€ for the set, I could not believe my ears.


It was of course very dated plus several sizes too small.


For my draped jacket, I took a Burda pattern (from magazine 11/2012 #132). I modified the fronts to be more square and extended them a good 8"/ 20cm to give them enough drape.
I cut the back from the existing back, sleeves from sleeves and the fronts from the skirt.
I used the old lining, too. I took no photos of the process, so I leave you with the finished photo for comparison of before - after.


Now I am left with a heap of odd leather bits which I am going to use to make something for my Medieval wardrobe. By the by,  I have added a link to my Medieval blog for those who might be interested. Be warned, there is no juicy clothing to be seen just yet (as I lost all the photos from last year), just a few random thoughts on research.


Had there been enough leftover scraps, this is what I would have loved to make! Leather ...um... stockings? What do you think?

linking with:
me-made-Mittwoch
Mix-it
Recycled Fashion Finds
we are beautiful
Refashion Co-op First Friday

14 comments:

  1. Du kannst sehr gut Erdtöne tragen und warme Farben. Die Kombi steht dir sehr gut. Vor allem die Kette gefällt mir. Danke fürs Verlinken bei We are beautiful.
    LG Sabine

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    1. Danke Sabine! Ich war sehr froh, deinen Blog gefunden zu habe. Komme bestimmt wieder auf Besuch.

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  2. Your suede jacket is perfection. With great before and after photos! And your May Day ensemble is lovely for whatever you do on this day. Every time I visit your blog, it's fun to see how it's growing and changing.

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    1. Thank you Pao for the praise! But growing and changing? I feel like my poses are always the same, in my hallway via the mirror, and maybe I have added a link or two... but I am very glad to take that as a compliment, too :-)

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  3. ich bin von der verwandelten jacke total begeistert:) wundervoll! schön, dass du bei mixit dabei bist!
    xxx birgit

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    1. Deine Mixits sind immer so toll, und deine Kleidung ist immer sehr inspirierend.

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  4. I see you've got your Etsy Mini widget up too! Thanks for putting the link to your other blog up. LOVE the ikat pattern of that skirt fabric. Like you, I like more earthy summer colors.
    You certainly are a talented re-fashioner!

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    1. Now that the widget is up I can't seem to change it's place. I really didn't want it to be so to-your-face and first thing to see.
      Re-fashioning is certainly fun!

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  5. Hey Lovely! Your jacket is fantastic! You are so talented, fun to see. Just purchased my first pair of Gabor shoes on sale. I like yours.

    blue hue wonderland

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    1. Gabor is bliss! I could walk in their shoes for miles and miles on end - in fact, I do!

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  6. Thank you for sharing on Refashion Co-op. It all looks lovely. Jumping over to see the medieval goodness :-)

    Eddie's Room on Facebook come over for some crafty ideas and conversation.

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    1. Thanks for popping over! Great to meet new folks.

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  7. Thank you for submitting this to Refahsion First Friday! You were one of our top 5 links and will be featured in a recap.

    Thank you again. Look forward to your participation again!

    Cheers,
    Lauren
    refashion co-op

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