18
Apr
“Make it work…” Moments
I love repurposing something old and unwanted into something new and useful. It eliminates wasting a variety of objects/materials and can often save you money!
My closet had been feeling a little cluttered recently and with the seasons changing it was time for my wardrobe to change as well. After an evening of trying on nearly everything I own, deciding whether each item was worthy of my limited closet space, I compiled a large bag of clothes I was prepared to part ways with. I took the clothes to a resale store in the village called Beacon’s Closet and was able to trade my unwanted items for some fun pieces I found in the store. When I have the time and attention span, I love thrift stores, especially in NYC. Luckily, this store is super organized and made my search pleasantly easy.
As with all thrift stores, there are always items you find and think you would love if only this or that were different. You would prefer that dress to just be a skirt; those pants to be shorts. I’ve let that mentality hold me back from buying several things that I could have easily changed myself, but no more. I found two pieces of clothing yesterday that were not ideal for my personal use or sense of style as they were, but that had elements of potential I really loved. I decided to get them both and make the changes to create my own one-of-a-kind pieces.
The first was a top from Forever 21; a rusty pink color with a sweet little bird pattern and navy polka dots. It was my size and I loved everything about it…except that it had those horrible little ruched baby doll sleeves that make any female’s arms look twice their actual size. (Disclaimer: I hate anything ruched.) I decided that I would simply remove those evil arm traps and have a tank top perfect for the coming months! Here are the results:
Next was a project I had ‘pinned’ a while ago on Pinterest and have been waiting for warm weather to try out. The concept is to turn a men’s dress shirt into a fun and simple skirt. There are a variety of ways you could do this, depending on the length and style of skirt you prefer and with all of the different colors and styles of shirts, the possibilities are endless! I found this great red/white striped shirt from J. Crew. It was a medium and I had plenty of fabric to work with. I began by cutting off the sleeves and collar, like so:
I had in mind a sort of high-waisted, A-line skirt that would hit a couple of inches above my knees. Because I took off a considerable amount of length, I had to remove the pocket; but I am considering reattaching it later, so I held onto it.
Next, after trying on the ‘shirt’ as a ‘skirt’, I determined how much it needed to be taken in on the sides. I had to take off several inches at the top for my waist, but only shaved off the slightest amount towards the bottom to get the A-line look I had in mind. I cut off the excess and stitched the new side seams.
As if this wasn’t simple enough already, an elastic waistband is ideal. I pressed down what would be the waistband the width of my elastic plus 1/4” for wiggle room. I topstitched this for a more finished look and pulled the elastic through (the elastic should be the measurement of your waist minus 1”). I stitched the button front closed and I was done! The best part of this whole thing is that you can choose to use the shirt’s existing hem and eliminate a tedious step! It also creates a fun scalloped look thanks to the shorter sides on the shirt.
I’ll have to wear it soon and post pictures to give the full effect. I’m really happy with the way it turned out! Even though these are both items from a thrift store, I feel like they’re brand new and they are certainly both unique. I hope this all inspires some of you to repurpose some of your own unwanted clothing or household items. Have fun!
xo kb
via nickross
via outcamethesun