22. A Denim Make-Over

You'll notice I have moved, and my mirror image no longer has a clean background. I will have to work on that... In the meantime, I thought I'd show a nice summery outfit. It has been pretty warm here lately, and this outfit is both easy and good enough for "town".
Skirt is a recent make,  and if you are visiting for the how-to, please scroll down.

skirt: me-made 2013
top: Liz Claiborne 2006
belt: H&M 2002
shoes: Vagabond 2009

Some close-ups of my favorite parts as the main photo is so grainy:

 I love the cross-hatch pattern and inky blue of the top, and the unabashed hippie vibe of the belt.

These babouche flats are a dream. They are comfy and pretty - I especially like the reverse applique.




Now for the Refashion Part:

Stonewashed denim may be in again...

... but this 90's full skirt certainly isn't!
It was good lightweight chambray, so I grabbed it. It was a full circle with some hideous netting flounce underneath.

 

I removed the lining and the flounce, opened up the seams and spread it out. It was huge. Large enough to be making something substantial with it.

I took the Marcy Tilton V  pattern. As it is a tunic, I folded away the tops and used just the bottom parts to create a skirt. I love Marcy Tilton for her shapes, her patterns always have a twist.

I am not fond of pale denim. When the skirt was finished, I threw it into a dye bath. I wanted a dark indigo but ended up with a medium blue. Well, sometimes you can't have it all...
The skirt has been previously shown with different tops and accessories in posts #15 and 16.

I am very happy with the skirt, it cost me all of 1€  in material plus the dye (and several hours worth of work).

linking with:
Refashion First Friday
Recycled Fashion
Visible Monday
Mix-It
Me-Made-Mittwoch

19. aqua and clay

I just finished a hand dyed, hand crocheted piece and am very happy with it (for change).

 

Pattern is from The Happy Hooker Crochet Book, jacket is called Short 'n Sweet. (link to ravelry)

 

I made it longer, both sleeves and body, but I think it still lives up to its name.

Pattern was superbly well written and easy, all straight pieces. Yarn was a pleasure to work with. Lace weight with a nice hand. Can be machine-washed, too. And the whole jacket weighs 75g / less than 3 oz. Now that's something!

I paired it with pieces you can see in the earlier post. No surprises there! Clay colored tee and shoes. Clay - my new love. Not grey... clay!

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17. Disappointment

I have been showing only successful garments till now. But not everything turns out to my liking. Like this blouse. Heavens above! I look like my own granny! (Just as grumpy and no make-up, tee-hee.)

 I fell in love with a pretty blouse pattern in a recent Burda magazine (4/2013 #119), found a lovely fabric for it:

 measured, traced, reinforced, sewed, finished ... you know, the whole shpiel.

Just to find out that I grossly misjudged my shape and my coloring and the result is both ill-fitting and blah. Material is rayon, so it won't even take dye it very well.

Lesson learned? Maybe none. I still like the fabric and would like to reuse it, but maybe best in combination with some dark fabrics.
Or would you have any other creative ideas?

On another note, you may have noticed that I now have an Etsy storefront. Go visit it if you are in search of vintage sewing materials, fabrics by the yard or cut pieces, ribbons and notions, wool yarn and other undefined goodies. Mostly vintage Austrian, the way I like to mix things, sweet Alpine, classic and retro at the same time.

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16. InspiRED

A few years ago there was this ad series (GAP?) where words lwere used for a double meaning, RED being the operative word because of some charity aspect.

Well, I have been charitable towards myself. Last weekend was the big annual Modepalast weekend in Vienna. Plenty of emerging and established small label designers from (Eastern) Central Europe.

If you draw an imaginary line from southern Baltic to the Adriatic Sea you have Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Beograd all lined up. These cities have plenty of designers with cool goodies and fresh points of view.

I got myself this fun little belt by a Prague designer. Red silk bows just did the trick for me, plus the fact the belt end hangs down in a way that lets any Medieval girl's heart beat faster (yes I am funny like that), and the fact that the bows can be moved around.

I like wearing one bow in the back and one in the front.

The skirt is a recent make. I used the fabulous Marcy Tilton dress/tunic pattern V8876, but only from waist down. It was a bit tricky, but I liked the shape so I plowed ahead. (It was a refashion, too, but more of that another time.) I really like how it turned out, and will definitely use it again for fall weight fabrics.

linking with: me-made-Mittwoch

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:
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Recycled Fashion Finds
we are beautiful
Refashion Co-op First Friday

13. Me-Made on a Mittwoch (that's Wednesday folks)

... or what I wore out of house today. The morning sun was low and highlighted the skirt, one of my recent makes. I spent two weeks sewing last month, literally all day every day! You've seen some already and there will be more cropping up in the weeks to come.

skirt: me-made (2013)
blazer: Zara (2012)
shoes: Medicus via Deichman (2013)
scarf: some Helsinki-based designer (2010)

The skirt was a puzzle. I often impulse-buy a yard of fabric when I see a nice one. But hey, a yard?

 
That seems like nothing, but if it has no nap or pattern to align you are in for a full skirt. I applied my knowledge of medieval dressmaking to this skirt. It is put together from straight and triangle pieces just like the originals which is a great way to get fullness with a shorter length of fabric.

Well, mine is a bit more up-to-date, but our ancestors did know how to make a precious piece of fabric go farther.

Lining is another pattern, just for fun, a piece of houndstooth netted lining.

The scarf is a well- loved piece. It is made by some Finnish designer (I cut out the tags, sorry...). It is woven seamlessly, one half lengthwise is black sheer silk, the other half has this awesome hand painted color run from a deep emerald towards a bright moss.

linking with:
me-made-Mittwoch (go on, have a look! If you sew, link yourself up, it's easy even if you don't know German)
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11. Wednesday is upon us

- and so is warm weather. I love the transition for it's layering possibilities. One still needs a jacket, sometimes a cardigan will do, too. Legs can be bared, shoes can get thinner and more playful, oh yes, this is my kind of weather.

My sewing bee in the Spring Break produced some new clothing.  I need at least one black-and-white skirt in summer. They are so versatile and undemanding, I can pick any color for top and be done with thinking. This one has a pleasing faintly 1970's style geometric pattern and a non-iron fabric.
This being transition I could pair it with a silver grey silk blend cardigan and a midnight navy cowl neck tee. And my Mid Mod pendant was perfect for this look. (A close up of it can be seen in post #3.) Now if only I could find some square toed 60's - 70's style shoes somewhere...

skirt: refashion (2013)
top: Marco Polo (2009)
cardigan: silk knit no-name (2013)
pendant: 1970's design from Finland, via etsy (2012)
shoes: Bally (2010)

Now for the Refashion:
This simple a-line skirt was picked up at a flea market last fall. I liked the fabric and the fact it was about 6 sizes too large, because this would give me enough fabric.

I wasn't going to do anything in the back, so I took out the front waistband only.

The darts were let out. Then I created a soft pleat in the front by marking the center,  folding both sides so that they would overlap.

I cut the front waistband to fit the new front.

I am a sucker for tulip shape and to get that I created an angle along the side seams. As you can see, I let out the hem first, the cut off a wedge on both sides at about 130 degrees angle to the side seam.

I shortened it, too. After some re-hemming I had myself a new skirt. Cost: 1€ and 1h. Can't beat that!

linking with: me-made-Mittwoch
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9. Stella skirt

I like to go my individual path when it comes to clothing. A label gives me no satisfaction, I wear clothing that suits me and my life style. But every once in a while a fashion photo catches my eye and I start dreaming. These days the dreamy piece will more often than not be by Stella McCartney (or Anne Klein, or DKNY. Anne Klein tends to be conservative, but they have some very cool printed skirts this season.)

Rather than buy, I use those photos for inspiration, making my own versions.
This Stella McCartney skirt that has haunted me for a year. I like the sedate patchwork effect using same fabric in different colors, and the rounded side panels. But I can't wear mini (chubby knees!), and anything quite so flouncy so close to my be-hind.

Several things had to fall in place to make this skirt possible:
- a thrifted skirt in olive fishbone tweed last fall
- two scraps of fishbone tweed found in the pound section of a fabric store last month
- the Spring break (time to sew!)

The fabrics are lovely, but they were just scraps. Not enough for a skirt, not on their own, they begged to be combined.

I drafted a pattern that would use my fabrics to the full advantage.

I took the new fabrics for the body, then cut the hem from the thrifted skirt. That was much wider than my skirt, so I was able to pleat it in the back.
I also used the lining and the zipper of the thrifted skirt.

Total cost: 1€ skirt, 2€ fabrics, 2.50€ thread, 2 hrs drafting&cutting, 3 hrs sewing.

It's slowly getting warmer and the snow has been melting away, but winter clothing is still necessary. I am wearing this skirt now, it's just right for our "spring" weather.

 

skirt: self-made 2013
shirt: GAP, New York 2009
scarf: thrifted, Wien 2013
earrings: gift 2013
leather ring: Wien 2013
shoes: Deichmann, Wien 2013

linking: me-made-Mittwoch
we-did-it-Wednesday