Clothes Revamp No. 1 Complete!

I did it!  And don't worry, I finished it on March 3rd (just in time).  I have been having a hard time remembering to take a picture of it during sun light hours.  Our living room is so dark, you wouldn't be able to see it at night.  I can't see it and I'm looking at it right now (I think).

So I proudly present to you, my sweater-turned-pillow case Clothing Revamp!

I love this because it serves quite a few purposes.

1.  It motivates me to now recover the couches (since you can see our couches are basically the same color) which I've been wanting and planning to do for coming up on 2 years now.  (I'm terrified about it, that's why I haven't done it yet).  

2.  I finally get to enjoy the awesome fabric manipulation I did on the sweater, since I didn't wear the sweater before, and it was on the back so I didn't see it anyway!

3.  I ended up using some of the scrap fabric that I'm trying to sew my way through, so it also becomes project 1 of my Scrap Buster projects as well.  YAY for reaching 2 goals with one project!

I still did an envelope style pillow back (with a general idea of how to do it from Martha Stewart, though I had to alter it a little because I was using a different fabric for the front).  But I made my classic mistake and ended up with the bottom folding over the top - which may not necessarily be wrong, but I definitely prefer the other way around.  I just always get confused when I'm sewing it inside out.  One of these days I'll figure it out.  Otherwise, I'm quite happy with it!

The hardest part was cutting the green knit.  Since I had pulled it in so may directions and not equally on both sides or from top to bottom, it was hard to cut it in a square.  Or really, it was hard to cut it so that when it was sewn to the back it would stretch properly to become a square.  I think I did a pretty good job at it, though.  If my backing fabric had been a little stiffer it would have helped keep a squarer shape once it was on the form, but I prefer softer fabrics for pillows (so I can snuggle my face on them without being scratched), so I like it!

I have chosen my denim dress to be my next clothing project.  That post will be coming soon, at least the post saying what I'm thinking of doing with it!

Clothing Revamp #1, done!

Scrap Buster #1, done!

See you soon!

(...with Scrap Buster #2!  It's already done!)
 

I Don't Wear Sweaters - Clothes Revamp No. 1

So I picked the article of clothing I plan to reinvent for this month.  I actually had it in mind before I even published the last post so I'm giving it a starting day of February 1st, meaning I've got until March 3rd to do something with it.  Luckily, I had it in mind because I had a plan for it already.  So here's the piece - the Roots Sweater.  Yep, see, I have a tendency to reinvent something and then not really love the final result.  In this case, I loved what I did, but I haven't worn it twice that I can remember.  I don't like turtlenecks and I rarely wear sweaters.  I'm not sure why I did this in the first place.  So.  Revamp Attempt #2!  And I'm not making it wearable.  It's going to turn into a pillow cover.  I plan to add a few more roots and extend them out to the edge of the pillow.  But then a simple (fingers crossed) cut and sew with probably an envelope backing because it requires no extra hardware and is easy! I've already pinned the new roots, so it's hand stitching time!  This is when I wish I lived in the city again.  Nothing like 45 minute train rides to give you some good forced hand craft time.

Anyways, I got off topic (and I wrote the previous paragraph last week).  I have finished sewing the extended roots and they look awesome.  I have to now figure out exactly how to do the envelope style cover.  I don't have a lot of extra fabric for the back since the bottom 6 inches of the sweater body is a knit rib, but I think I've figured out a way to actually use the ribbing to give me enough fabric to do the envelope binding, because that really is my favorite way (can it be a favorite if it's the only way you've ever done it?).  Either way, I have about a week left to finish it, though it'll only take me an hour or two from this point, so it's all dependent on when I get to it!  So excited for a crafty finish!

See you soon...

(with a new pillow cover and pictures!)

Project #2

Roots-

This was an old sweater from a swap that needed some fitting and I hate taking in side seams, so I got creative. The front is military inspired-ish, and the back is all about tree roots. It's just cinched and hand sewn. There were a lot of pins involved. The a-symmetry's my favorite.