Old fashioned dress to Jacket

Ahh. Well this one is going to be a hit or miss with some people, but I am happy I went with my own style.. It all starts with this dress I got in Virginia. It's very much that old school old lady church dress .. 

First I had to take out those shoulder pads and reversed the dress.. So the back is now the front!! (Yep, messy house as always!)

Next I cut the length and tried it on and decided this fabric just did not need to be  a dress anymore.. At least not for me.. 

So I cut the length again and took the extra fabric to make the edge have a little flair. I pinned and sewed the edges & then cut up the front and sewed edges to make a short sleeve jacket. I'm feeling it as an open jacket.. And don't make fun of my hair.. I'm trying to curl it by twisting! :) 

Girls Night!

I just had to show off more pictures from my latest refashion & girls night with some of my favorite people!

Two of my sisters and my best friend took to calling ourselves the new Golden Girls and indulged in a night of Japanese food, fried cheesecake, & shopping! It was a much needed night out!

maybe I should have cropped it!

MuuMuu to Dress

I had the opportunity to go to Virginia to see my great aunt and uncle & discovered many things. One, that I really want to live there. The weather is perfect and goodness, it's so quiet and simple. Two, my aunt and I are probably the same person in two bodies. It was like a light bulb went off when I saw her. I realize exactly who I take after. No one can claim that genetics don't play a part in personalities. This was the third time I've seen her in my entire life.... and the fact that we think (and dress) so much alike shows that genetics are awesome! Plus my husband kept asking who he was actually married to! & Three, I really wish I could see these two wonderful people more often!

While we were visiting, my aunt mentioned her love for thrift stores and you know me.. it was all peaches and cream from there. We made a day of thrift store shopping and even ventured into a crappy little store where I'm sure death lurked around the corner from the filth.. but we will save my detailed description of that adventure for another post. -- At the local Goodwill, I found two dresses that I just knew I wanted to refashion & starting with the "great white muumuu" as I call it was my first thing to tackle.

(You'll have to excuse the messy house as always & my mismatched socks.. because who has time to mate them up & the fact that my head is missing.. My three year old is still learning his camera techniques!)

Okay so long over sized muumuu in all it's glory got it's arms chopped off.. (which I"m going to attempt to make some pants for my daughter from.. we will see how that one goes.) And then the length was shortened. I'm just not a maxi dress kind of girl.

After the arms and length were chopped, I started hemming and applied lace from some old curtains that I bought at another thrift store in Virginia. I really admired that thrift store. They were Christian based and all proceeds were donated to a home to help homeless people get on their feet. -- I applied the lace to the bottom by pinning first and then sewing.. and I free-sewed the sleeves. Finally, I got to wear my dress out to girls night with two of my sisters and my best friend! And you can read more about that night & see more of the final look of my dress here! And check out more of my Virginia Vacation in the pictures below! 

The Gold buttons were gifted to me from my great aunt. I'm using them as charms for necklaces and bracelets! 

Week 8 One Shirt Two ways!!

Well guys, I've been slacking.. And by slacking I mean I have been busy and at times lacking for inspiration, but here I am to play catch up! Week 8 starts with showing you one of two ways of how I refashioned a shirt my sister donated to me! 

This pretty was just a tad loose on me and the double layers just wasn't working for me..(see that broom.. Proof I sweep.. Occasionally) and here's the second layer...

First I cut off the drawstrings that pulled the front tight...

And the I cut off the top layer keeping that layer completely in tact. 

Next I took the under layer and sewed the top edges down. And then I sewed the string edges to the top edges on both sides on the back and front..

I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of the finished product before I put it on... But here I am with part one.. A tank top .. I paired with mom jeans and my go to black shoes! 

And went off to the farmers market that dad & step mom work at!

They had candy buttons!!! My favorite!!!!! I hope you enjoyed part one.. Stay tuned for week 9 where I made the top layer a shirt of its own!!

Week 7 Small Robe to Perfect Dress :)

My cousin who is as thin as a poll passed some things onto me.. You know, just maybe I could squeeze into her old wardrobe. Well, that didn't happen.. So I donated most items to a few people that I knew could use them, but I did keep this fancy little piece because I saw some potential for making myself a new dress... At the very least I knew I could make a shirt from it. 

First I decided the length of the dress and began cutting and then I added a piece of white material that I had randomly lying around to create the closed top.( ignore the mess .. ) 

Next I hemmed the bottom to create a shirt and then went onto the skirt. I really liked having the option to wear the two pieces separate, but when put together it looked like a dress. 

After some touch ups and a little altering .. Here you have my finished look.. And please excuse the boring background... And freezing look on my face.. Mississippi decided to have a little bit of winter for a change!! 

I tried to get an indoor picture but my dad really isn't talented with the iPhone camera ...

Then he just messed up my hair ..so here's a selfie :)

Week Six - Oversized Shirt Downsized

My sister gave me this shirt that fit her awkward and I instantly fell in love with the color. Of course I've made this into a summer shirt, because let's face it.. I am so over winter.. And I live in the south, so really it's not even a real winter. Okay, back on topic. This shirt was just a tad bit big on me.. But I knew I had to save it!  

First I snipped those sleeves.. Because heyyyyyy, another tank top! 

And then I turned it inside out to pin down the sides and cut off the extra fabric.

Next I sewed the sides and the edges of the arm holes. I also took the shoulders up just a bit.( not sure why I didn't snap a picture of that step) .. And here you have it.. My Spring / Summer shirt & I'm wearing it tonight under a cute jacket of course! It's a little snug, but I've been trying to lose a few pounds by actually working out.. So here's hoping it is a little less tight in a couple of months! 

Whoaaaa. Where's my foot!?!? It's there.. Just hiding! 

Week Five - Man's Shirt to Women's Top

I wasn't sure when I first saw this if I wanted to make it a shirt or skirt.. But since I have so many skirt refashions planned I decided a top would be my best bet. It started with this shirt that was too small on my hip and belly area...

But that's okay because I don't mind experimenting and trying to utilize making a cute top out of something that started out too small for me! 

First I flipped the shirt backwards and cut up the middle of what is now the back of the shirt. Got to let out a little breathing room ya know! 

Next I took some sheet material from an old shirt that had a hole in it.. 

An used it to fill in the space I let out of the original shirt. I wanted something flowy and cute! 

So I turned the original shirt inside out and pinned the white material where I wanted it to be sewn. 

Once the material was sewn on, I added a blue bow which is actually the fabric from the original collar and used the lace from the white shirt to add a little detail. 

Finally I decided to gather the material in the front of the shirt to create somewhat of a neckline and used a button from the white shirt as a small embellishment. And here I am...Rocking out Thursday night on the Ridge ( our weekly extended family dinner) and loving my new to me shirt. :)  oh and that's my Dad! Always throwing the camera some big eyes!! 

And excuse my mom jeans.. I ummm.. Forgot to do laundry.. Yeah, that's it!! Haha ;) 

So... Whatcha think?