A New Dress A Day
My aunt sent me the link to this inspirational blog, New Dress A Day. The concept, both creative and frugal, is this:
The thing that makes this girl happiest is scouring flea markets, vintage stores and garage sales for the perfect pieces to add to my wardrobe. I love finding vintage goodies that may not fit me perfectly or translate well with the current state of fashion and then make them work on me. (thank you Tim Gunn – “make it work” has become my mantra) I get out my trusty sewing machine to change hems, cut sleeves and tweak to transform a lowbudge piece that had its’ moment back in 1976 and give it another shot today, decades later. I have to say that whenever I wear my handmade pieces, I always get complimented and the best part is that I get to tell everyone that I bought it for $1 and just shortened it, dyed it or cinched it to make it chic and current.
So, that’s where my ode to no traditional shopping begins. This year, I will be foregoing trips to Bloomies and Nordstrom for brand new gear. Goodbye to H&M purchases and accessory grabbing at Forever 21. And seeing the “must have” French Connection dress in People’s Style Watch will just have to suffice as a cut out on my inspiration board.
Instead, the only shopping that I’ll be able to do is that of pieces that have been used and worn already. So long to mall trips and hello to sifting through piles of vintage pieces at flea markets and at neighborhood garage sales. Each day for the entire year, I’m going to introduce a new piece into my existing wardrobe that I’ve found from these places. On top of this, I’m giving myself a budget of $1 a day.
(excerpted from the blog’s “about” page)
I love these dress makeovers! 
Sadly, while I can come up with lots of cool ideas for making over garments, I’m not so fab with the follow-through. That is, I never actually get around to doing anything. Hence, the racks of garments hanging in my studio. It always seems there is ironing or dishes, blogging or painting, and before you know it, there’ll be homework. Someday.
In the meantime, hopefully this will be inspirational for you!
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To Dye For
In the “lab” this week, I’m dying. In the sense of permanently changing the color of my clothes.
1) I love the fit of these Levis, but I just don’t wear a medium tone except in the summer. They needed to be dark.
Using one bottle of “denim blue”, I simply followed the directions on the box for dying in the washing machine. The color is a bit bright; if there is a “next time”, I will try a different shade.
Now the creative juices are flowing in all sorts of colors! I think I’ll tea-stain some of my white shirts, try kool-aid on a boring blue cashmere sweater …
Have you ever dyed anything?
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Joseph, The Rock Opera
Does that sound more appealing than “a musical based on the Bible story of Joseph and the coat of many colors”?
But what does that have to do with matters pertinent to this blog? Well, some of you may remember that last summer I made over an old maxi dress (60s/70s?) for my daughter. Unfortunately, I finished it right after the weather change and she never got to wear it. But tonight it makes its debut in the go-go dancing scene in the local production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Tonight I am working the show, thus I am required to wear all black. But next weekend I plan to wear my mother of the bride outfit. Unless I decide it’s not costumy enough.
What are your plans for this beautiful weekend?
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Do the Bustle
I’m back! Now I can begin sharing, in random order, all this stuff we learned about doing a wedding. Oh my!
Starting with this: I saved us at least $60 by being willing to sew on three sets of hooks and eyes myself. How hard could it be? Thankfully, my daughter’s dress was an easy style, requiring an under-bustle, but that didn’t stop me from sewing on several of the pieces upside down, oh wait, no that was right, uh … you get the idea. Still confused? Maybe, like my husband, you aren’t quite certain what a bustle is: it’s where you hook the train of the wedding dress up to get it out of the way for the reception. (He kept trying to make it some dance from the 1970s.)
The caveat: before you take your dress home to bustle it yourself, make certain the bridal shop will take it back to steam it. We nearly had a disaster.
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Reader Question: What Tops Flatter the “Apple” Shape?
In case you missed it back here, Vildy asks:
A woman who has slender legs and small bottom but who carries all her weight in the front and has large bosoms plus a very large abdomen so, yes, it looks like the apple shape - and the bosom doesn’t protrude much beyond the upper stomach , what on earth is she to do about a top?
BTW, Vildy is pictured here on the blog, so we know she’s not asking for herself. Still, it’s a great question and we are so blessed that Imogen Lamport got wind of it and answered it for us!
Imogen’s answer:
You want to create the illusion of a waist, so empire tops (that encircle just under your bust, which is your slimmest point up top) are good, but make sure it’s not too gathered under the empire line otherwise you’ll look pregnant, keep is smooth and simple. Make sure any t-shirts are ruched down the side - I often do this myself to tops - buy one that’s way too long, then run some stitches up the side seams to gather them, go over the top to hold in place, and you’ve created your own ruched top.
Look for trousers that have a straight leg or even a wide leg, or flare, otherwise you’ll look like a lollipop.
A jacket that’s left open, but has some waist shaping (not boxy or square) is good. Wear a lighter coloured jacket over a darker coloured top and your tummy will disappear.
Make sure all skirts and trousers are pleat-free - flat fronts, and side zips can really work for you.
If you like to wear heels, make them a wedge - stilettos and kitten heels will just look too dainty on your frame.
Keep necklines lower to break up your bust. V-necks are great, as are cross-over tops (though avoid wrap dresses as they won’t suit at all).
Large pendants are great to draw attention up to the face and away from your boobs.
More to come - hopefully a fashion lab! - on the DIY ruched t-shirts, about which Imogen says:
I use my ‘home ruching’ technique for all tops that are too long (plus I love the spare tyre disguise effect it has), on not just the body of the garment, but also on the sleeves of any knit that the arms are too long.
It also adds a little detail that creates some visual interest to what otherwise might be a plain and boring top.
The trick with the ruching is to do a few stitches, then go over a couple of stitches as if you were going to tie a knot off, so that the ruching doesn’t slide round. Hope this makes sense.
Plus anyone can do it, you don’t need a sewing machine, just a needle and thread.
and
I also use my ruching technique for long-sleeved t-shirts that are too long in the arms, a few back stiches up the sleeve at the cuff mean you don’t need to take up the sleeve.I tend to stop the ruching under the bust area (so about a hands length down from under the arms).
Now. Is anybody planning on employing this technique? Say, this week? If so, please send in a before and after picture. We’d all love to see your project!
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What’s Going On in My (Fashion) Lab Right Now
Boldly I am attempting to transform this vintage whenever the last time “maxi” dresses were in style (1970s?) dress into something my daughter wants to wear. After all, it’s got to be easier than making a dress from scratch, right? And this was all her idea, so the worst I can do is poor workmanship (which seems inevitable).
What I’ve done so far:
- sewn up the deep slit at the neckline
- taken in the armholes a little by adding another dart (actually, I could have said, “basted dart, taken out, rebasted, and so on and so on, but it’s done now. Both sides.)
- measured and re-measured for length. Cut off extra.
- (you can just figure for yourself that every step has had an element of trial and error to it and fill in the multiple attempts) sewn a piece of the cut off length on at the (empire) waist.
I still need to figure out a way to sew the extra fabric down to make it look like a long, structured waistband. Then pin and hem. Voila! A new dress. And just in time: hot weather is coming!
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Fashion Lab: Frankencoat
My husband named this project “Frankencoat” because it is actually a dress with pieces of other garments, plus fabric, sewn onto it. It may be used as a costume for a youth production of the Broadway (musical) version of Little Women. Or it may not.
Initially planned to be a hag dress, the gray tweed was deemed too nice by the director. At the same time, I was struggling to come up with ladies coats in the shape I wanted; most modern wool coats (at least the ones we can afford to use for costumes) are boxy and shapeless. So was the dress.
Here’s what I did:
- split the dress up the front and cut off the bottom. The extra off the bottom became the little cape effect thing below the collar.
- Next I took the top of a black velvet dress I had found, which wasn’t being used for anything. The top may actually end up being used now, I didn’t have to cut through the zipper and I serged around the bottom to keep it from fraying. Making a seam at the waist of the dress, I attached the full black velvet skirt to the inside. Then I sliced up the dress to allow the black velvet to show. How hack is that?
- A sleeveless vest with fake fur trim donated the toggle closures.
- Some random velvet I had laying around (for what purpose, who knows?) covers the collar, trims the little cape thing, and fills in as a faux back half-belt.
- Lesson: baste everything first! Can you imagine having to take out little stitches from this stretchy fabric? And tweed?
There it is. One of the reasons I haven’t been around much. (I had hoped to get this posted in time for the fabulous festival on costumes at dramatis personae. Perhaps she’ll have mercy on me.)
What do you think? I’m happy I made it, but this may be the most daylight (or spotlight) it ever sees. 
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Teen Style Tuesday: Duct Tape
“Can I put pink duct tape on your shoes?”
“Sure.”
(Why not, right?)
Other stylin’ uses for duct tape:
- Purses: here’s instructions for a very stylish little striped number and here’s an easy one, more like a book bag.
- What to put in your purse? How about a duct tape wallet? The link goes to instructions for it, but I think my daughters figured it out for themselves by making …
- Bible covers. You’ve got to admit duct tape Bible covers are a brilliant idea - custom sized, sharpie design-able, and, best of all, protective! They’ve been a staple in our household for years.
- Shoes. Believe it or not, we knew a young man who, last spring, made flip flops entirely out of duct tape and wore them constantly. I’m not recommending it.
Done any creative duct tape projects lately?
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Legwarmers From Sweater Sleeves
Jenn at Frugal Upstate found a tutorial about how to make legwarmers from the sleeves of sweaters and it is posted in an article on her blog.
Thanks Jenn!
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Legwarmer Knitting Patterns
Remember last Spring when I said I hoped legwarmers would return to the fashion scene? Well, it seems they have; it’s only natural with the current knitting craze. Many thanks to Jenn for posting this link to ALOT of patterns.
Now if I only had the time and inclination to pick up the yarn and tools and actually knit some!
