more crochet and an altered dress

i made another scarf from stitch 'n bitch crochet: the happy hooker, by debbie stoller:

it's the garden scarf pattern, and i used a debbie bliss cotton angora that i used for this sweater. the yarn seemed nice when i bought it but was a little disappointing because it sheds like crazy! everywhere i wore the sweater, i'd leave behind little balls of fuzzy angora. but i figured this would a good way to use up the yarn and am hoping the scarf won't shed as much as the hoodie (but maybe i'm wrong about this). because it's way too hot right now, i won't be able to wear it to see. so far, crochet seems to be a good way for me to use up my knitting stash though...

i also have a dress that is a work in progress:

before	after: zipper back	after: zipper front

the waist was too big so i sewed a couple of darts at the side to take it in, but you could see through the fabric because it's sheer. next, i tried to sew some strips of elastic to take it in a little. however, the fabric was kind of stretchy and wrinkled, so i'm not sure that i ended up taking it in as much as i wanted, and i'm not sure if i'm happy with the result. i've tried wearing the dress both forwards and backwards, i think it could work either way, but i'm looking for suggestions about how to make it fit better. any ideas?

my first crochet and a jeans2skirt

this week, i learned to crochet! it had been my goal this summer to learn to crochet---i am a knitter and thought that crocheting would be useful to know so that i could add and embellish to my knitting projects and also because i like the look of crocheted flowers and hats. i bought stitch 'n bitch crochet: the happy hooker, by debbie stoller, and with a little help from someone in a yarn store, i learned the single crochet stitch and made a scarf:

i used rowan calmer (a gorgeous cotton blend yarn that's soooo soft) in blush and powder puff. i like the book---it has some great patterns and the instructions and illustrations are very clear for a beginner like me.

i also took some men's jeans and converted them into a skirt:

the waist was way too big (even for a low waisted skirt) so i sewed a couple of darts in the back to take it in a little.

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go ahead, try it...

bizarre fortune cookie fortune...
Originally uploaded by cignoh.

tea-dyed tee and another shirt->skirt

this week, i made another shirt->skirt from a button down shirt that i bought at goodwill for $4:

i also took a tee that i had reconstructed recently (the idea was taken from 'tease') and dyed it with tea---it helped to mask some of the stains/dinginess of the old white tee i'd used to make it. i also hadn't been happy with the fit of the shirt before---the empire waist was too low, so i resewed the shoulder and arm line to raise the shirt a little:

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documenting past projects

here are some of my past clothing projects. click on the headings for more examples and on individual images for a little more explanation about each item:

knitting:

sewing:

shirt2skirt

this week, i took an idea from bust magazine (june/july, 2005, pg 21-22) to convert a button down hawaiian shirt into a skirt. i didn't use a hawaiian shirt, but instead, i practiced on another one of my husband's goodwill donations. it was super easy to do! you cut off the sleeves and then cut across the top off of the first button (i cut across the top of the second button because the shirt wasn't wide enough) leaving about half an inch to turn the waist. i didn't have to sew any darts (but you can if you need a better fit) and haven't turned/finished the waistline yet, but i like it and will probably go on and start wearing it... i'll probably make more of them to wear over the summer. i think that shirts that are slightly thicker work better because they are less clingy and drape better.

before: after: wardrobe refashion 06 post

tshirt reconstructions

for my first two projects for wardrobe refashion 06, i converted 2 of my tshirts into button down tees by using 2 of my old tshirts and 2 of my husband's button down shirts that he was planning to get rid of by sewing the placket, buttons, and collar onto the tees. the idea was taken from the book tease: inspired t-shirt transformations by superstars of art, craft, and design, which i highly recommend. i wore the yellow shirt on friday and got a bunch of compliments. my coworker said, i would totally wear that! can you make me one?

other book recommendations:

• 99 ways to cut, sew, trim, and tie your t-shirt into something special: this is such a cute book! the instructions don't go into a lot of detail, but the format is straightforward and simple, and the ideas are fresh and inspiring. each entry contains an illustration of the finished shirt, a description of the look that the tee is going for, an estimated amount of time and difficulty level for each project, and corresponding text and illustrated instructions on how to cut and sew the fronts and backs of each shirt. i made this keyhole top from the book---it was a shirt that fit well, but came from a gym and had logo on the front. i cut out the logo and sewed to the sides of the shirts and made the ties. it is #80 in the book (sarit: for an irresistable look...):
• generation t: 108 ways to transform a t-shirt: i like that this book gives very detailed instructions. it outlines every step carefully, and tells you exactly what you need to make each project, including whether the tee should be fitted or oversized to begin with.

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refashionista!

The Wardrobe Refashion Pledge I, cignoh, Pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I Pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle pre-loved items for myself for the term of my contract. I Pledge that I shall create and craft items of clothing for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I Pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that my thriftiness brings!

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i just moved a couple of weeks ago and have a pile of yarn, fabric, and secondhand/old clothes that i just threw in a corner for now, until i can find a permanent place for it... it's stuff that i've been meaning to and plan to knit, sew, and refashion... but it's out of control! i'm not sure where i'll be able to store it all, so this gives me the perfect excuse for me to reduce my mountain of stuff...