Comments on: A Truly “Hack” Fashion Lab

By: SRR

SRR — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:57:04 +0000

Great hack jobs! My fave is the corduroy jacket. Short sleeved outerwear is surprisingly versatile.

By: Moi

Moi — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 02:08:12 +0000

Love your corduroy jacket, and those shoes! Nice shade

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:35:05 +0000

I know what you mean, Jenna. Both of these only cost me $1 to begin with, but it still took some guts for me to do it. Basically it’s at the point where I say, “I’m not ever going to wear that, no matter what”, that I feel like I might as well take a stab at it … stealth pun … he hee

By: Jenna

Jenna — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:07:16 +0000

I love this concept! But I’m a real chicken when it comes to hacking at my clothes. Maybe if I got great deals so that I wouldn’t mind if I accidentally destroyed them… I LOVE the idea of the summer dress now shirt. I’ll have to be on the lookout for something to hack at.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 21:46:41 +0000

I was just thinking, after I posted the previous comment, that I wished you were here, Vildy!

By: Vildy

Vildy — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:48:28 +0000

If you want to sew something on the machine that is a tube shape - sleeve or sleeve cap or trouser leg - then you can turn it inside out and put it over the freearm part or do what I do and have the machine out of the case - if portable- and that “makes” a free arm. If no freearm, then you leave it right side out and sew starting at the “bottom” of the tube with the empty sleeve or leg sitting up in the air. You would be sewing along the inside of the wrong side, just where you expect to see a seam. Then you just keep rotating it as you sew along the seam.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:09:31 +0000

Thanks you guys! I admit, if I had more sewing skills, this would never be a consideration. But it’s quick and fun.

Like how do you get a sleeve to machine hem evenly all around? I think you have to have some special piece that makes it fit. I mean, I could probably do it before it is seamed together, when it would lay flat …

Which makes me wonder if the spark to sew may be returning.

By: Vildy

Vildy — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:12:11 +0000

I suppose after it naturally fringes itself, I would like it. My eye won’t accept hacked off casual clothes until I had seen it walking by me in the street for, oh, 5 or 10 years. But a hacked off evening dress or fur coat, that would look fine to me.

I thought of your project a couple days ago when I was hemming a camel ultrasuede skirt. Once was a pair of hip hop palazzo pants that I opened the wide waistband on and brought up higher than bikini line. Then I tired of having them look awful with any outerwear jacket I tried and made them a skirt. Briefly considered just cutting the hem and maybe using a punch to make an eyelet design. But stayed my hand for the time being until I lived with that idea for awhile.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 07:03:26 +0000

Love, love, love them both! Longer tops are hard to find… never thought to look at short dresses! I will definitely have to look for some experimental pieces.

For a fringe, you can also cut the fabric, use a sewing machine and stitch a line of straight stitching about 1/2″ from the cut edge, and then rough up the raw edge or pull out threads. Faster than hand-sewing! I noticed this is what they do on ready-made garments w/raw-edges.

About 6 months ago I cut a long skirt to knee-length, but I haven’t worn it yet.

By: Tessa

Tessa — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 03:20:53 +0000

Rebecca, those are both adorable!!! You never cease to amaze me with your cute fashion ideas. I may steal that dress idea since I sometimes purchase shift dresses in a moment of weakness. I need definition at my waist, otherwise the shift dresses bunch up in back above my rear. Nice. So that idea would be perfect…