Saturday, June 16, 2012

Summer Lovin' - Recycled Sewing Experiments



I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm a sewing hacker - so if you can sew...really sew...you may want to divert your eyes here. Or at the very least be forgiving of my experiments.

This time it involved taking a button-down shirt no longer wanted in my husband's closet and a glittery little Hello Kitty tshirt with a hole in the bottom - but was still loved by my little one. So I decided the two pieces were perfect for a little summer lovin' dress experiment for my divine little miss M.

And with a little switcheroo, we ended up with three different ways to wear the same dress.

1.  Wide white belt
2.  A thrift store silk scarf and hot pink leggings
3.  A cardigan casually tied around the waist

I think the pics might be a little self explanatory, so let's get on with the show.




This is where I sewed two straight seams around the to join the Tshirt to the shirt (skirt). I didn't worry too much about them since I knew they wouldn't show once we added the accessories.

Mia does her best Mad Men impersonation.




Nice part was there was no need to hem a seam at the bottom because it's the bottom of daddy's button-down shirt. I'm quite happy with it. And more importantly, my client is happy!

We even had a bonus experiment by adding a thrift store crocheted kitchen dishcloth (after a nice high temp sanitizing wash) to another one of my divine little miss M's summer dresses. Darn pleased with the extra little pop it gives. It was a good reminder for me that recycled fashion experimentation can also include little steps and additions and doesn't always have to be so intimidating - although nearly everything that involves a sewing machine or even a  needle and thread becomes instantly intimidating for me. But I keep pushing past it and I really do get a kick out of the try.



We left the top side open so she has a sweet little pocket to put her found treasures in.

Next up? We're taking our recycled sewing experiments on a jet plane for summer vacation! See you again in a few days when we land and get our wits about us again.

Until next time...
Mike


9 comments:

  1. Really love how it turned out!!!! And your 'client' is amazing.... wow!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! She's collecting quite the 'alternative' wardrobe.

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  2. Love her posing and modeling strut! Great dress Mike!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! She cracks me up with her poses and singing these days.

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  3. Love how you just added simple folded pleats to the skirt!

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  4. When I first starting teaching art, I taught over 500 middle schoolers a year on a very limited budget. I learned not to throw anything away. I learned to see every thing as a possible art making material. I became a big fan of the saying "One's man's trash is another man's treasure" and gladly accepted any items people were willing to donate. Giant bags of glass baby food jars, collections of old beat up pots and pans, huge stacks of newspaper, yes please! Once I started looking at everything with the "what could I make with that" eye it became kind of hard to stop. Last year when I left my full time art teaching position to stay home with the girls,

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