5 "Non-Rules" for Refashion Goddesses

Refashioning, upcycling, altered couture - a craft by many names, but whatever you choose to call it, this is a fun way to exercise your creativity while keeping older clothing out of landfills!  This is a sub-genre of sewing that I love.  It makes me feel super creative while I divert fiber waste from the dump.  Here are 5 "Non-rules" to get you started on this creative path.

1.  The sky is the limit (to your collection)!  Unless your storage space is extremely limited (ok, whose storage space isn't somewhat limited?) amass a collection of garments for refashioning.  Sometimes a garment on its own is pretty uninspiring, but when two or three of these ho-hum garments are put together, ideas for what they might become begin to flow!  Putting two or more disparate pieces together yields something I like to call a Frankengarment, because you're sewing pieces from different garments into one.  If you crave organization, put like-weight fabrics into a bin together, or group by colors.

2.  In this case, size definitely does not matter!  By this, I mean the size of the original garment.  All garments are eligible for refashion whether they are miles too small or swimmingly large.  Even a tiny baby dress can be reused in embellishment on an adult garment.  If you love something about it - the print, the color, or the hand of the fabric - you are more likely to incorporate the piece into your art.

3.  The world is your source!  Be open to traditional and non-traditional means of acquiring materials for your art.  Start, of course in your own closet, looking for garments you have not worn in a year or more.  Expand into the closets of your family and even friends!  Thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales and consignment shops are another source.  And, don't forget scavenging and dumpster diving.  With a little fortitude, you can score great items for refashioning.

4.  Forget what the garment is now!  A dress need not stay a dress, a blouse is not always a blouse, and trousers are not forever sentenced to trouserhood!  Open your eyes to the possibilities and liberate the garment within the garment.  While strictly not a refashion in the truest sense of the word, sometimes you can just re-use the fabric from one garment to create another.

5.  Start simple - do what you know!  My first upcycle was the simple addition of an appliquéd dragonfly to a denim jacket.  Years later, I still wear that jacket frequently because I love it.  You, too, can start by embellishing already existing garments.  Wear them out and about.  Soon you'll be complimented on your lovely and unique creations.  Compliments are like crack to the crafter - oh so addictive!  You'll soon want more, and begin to push the creative envelope further and further.  Who knows where your creativity can take you?

One Quick Upcycle!

My beloved machine is back from the sewing machine repair shop.  Thank goodness.  And there was some delay because the spool cap was mislaid, but my baby is back and it's all good now.  To celebrate, I completed a little upcycled dress I had been planning before the machine broke down.

I started with a black knit top that became too short over numerous washings, and a black and white linen skirt that I never wear anymore.

Next, I measured where I wanted the new empire waist to fall on my body. 

Then I marked around the whole top and cut it, including a seam allowance.

Then I removed the waistband of the skirt and pinned the two pieces together, gathering where necessary to make the two fit together.  The two pieces were sewn together and voila!  A new knee length summer dress, from two unworn old pieces!

I'm pretty happy with the result!  What recycling adventures have you been working on?

Knowing When to Let Go: 7 Reasons to Remove an Item From Your Wardrobe!

Right now you're probably saying to yourself, "What's wrong with this woman?  In one post she says we throw out too much, and in the next she wants me to get rid of things!  I wish she'd make up her mind!"  OK, I may seem to be a little inconsistent here, but I promise you that there's a theme here, and I'm still not advocating throwing things away.  A future post will cover the actual mechanics of getting rid of unwanted textiles, but for now, let's concentrate on WHEN to let go.

If you're like me, even though you have not booked your appearance on "Hoarders", you probably save clothes far too long.  Perhaps your reasons are environmental, or sentimental or maybe it's just plain inertia. Whatever is making you hold on, here are 7 compelling reasons to part company with those fabric albatrosses.

The first, and most obvious reason is that the item is seriously worn out.  We all have some of these - pilled beyond recognition, frayed cuffs, threadbare or faded body.  When you love a piece, or when it is oh so comfortable, sometimes its hard to see that the end is nigh.  I find that the best time to check is when you trade out your seasonal clothing for the next upcoming season.  As you put clothes away, inspect each piece for glaring wear...

...and tear.  The second reason to divest yourself of an item of clothing is irreparable damage.  Many things can be fixed - a damaged zipper or a fallen hem - but some cannot: a gaping hole in a hard to patch area, a stain that won't budge, or the odor you just can't eradicate.

Third are those wardrobe components that are just hopelessly out of date - their time is gone and not coming back - we're talking leisure suits! Now we all know that today's off trend items MAY turn into tomorrow's heirlooms or kitschy vintage wonder.  If your dress or blouse in is pristine condition with classic lines I'll give you a bye here - you may carefully store it away.  However, if we are talking about the average passe piece with lots of wear, don't save it for the day the trend comes back.

Number 4 haunts almost all women at some time or another - clothes that just don't fit!  If it fit ten years ago, please see number 3.  Even if it fit last year, and you plan to lose or gain weight, remember - it might not happen the way you plan.  And, don't forget that as we age, our bodies just change.  What fit like a glove before may never fit like that again - either alter it or let it go!

Fifth on the list are clothes that may fit (technically) but are just not comfortable.  Here consider the overly itchy sweater, the blouse that gapes and reveals too much or the pants you constantly pull and readjust. Your clothes should be effortless to wear.  Only the compliments you receive should remind you of their presence!

The sixth stop on our list may have some members in common with some of the other lists - these are the clothes that you just don't wear.  Some of these may even still have tags on them from the day you purchased them.  The old rule of thumb still holds true - if you have not worn it in a year (all four seasons have come and gone) you probably won't and you can safely let it go.

Last but not least, it's time to get rid of clothes that don't portray the image you want to be sending out into the world.  If an item is just not you - the REAL you - it probably does not belong in your wardrobe.  I hear so many women say, "I don't really have a 'style'."  I hear you, but if this is you, start working on that!  Build from those pieces you have that make you feel fabulous!

I hope this inspires you to take a critical look at your closet. Let me know what you are letting go of, and why!  Next in this series: 5 Ways to Divest Yourself of Unwanted Clothing Without Using a Landfill.

also shared at My Repurposed Life!

The Absolute Best Way to Reduce Textiles in Landfills!

In a previous post we talked about the fact that the average American family discards approximately 68 pounds of textile waste into landfills annually.  I am doing my best to decrease this amount, both personally, and hopefully I can influence a few other people as well <winking at you!>.

It should come as no surprise that keeping used clothing and other textiles out of landfills begins with...

...SHOPPING LESS!  Shopping has become an end in itself in our culture.  A pastime or even a hobby.  In part, we're responding to the siren song of advertisers and even our government about the need to keep the economy moving through spending.  And, I often wonder whether we're harking back to some primal hunter-gatherer instinct basic to the human psyche.

I often find sustainability closely linked to frugality, though I am far from immune to consumer culture.  My name is Dee, and I am (at times) a recreational shopper.  I have lofty goals of spending minimally and strategically.  I won't shop at stores which support policies and politics which I cannot support (examples would be Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby), though I realize that I'm not always aware of all hidden agendas.  I buy re-used and recycled whenever possible, and I'm obviously a huge proponent of DIY.

I am far from perfect... but, instead of hitting the mall, I go to yard sales, thrift stores and used goods stores. I also frequently use Pinterest as a shopping substitute - just because I pin it does not mean I have to buy it - and I can go back and look at it whenever I want!  What strategies do you use to decrease your urge to shop?

Next in this series:  Knowing When to Let Go: 7 Reasons to Remove an Item From Your Wardrobe!

Shared at: My Repurposed Life

Making Over Victoria: Dining

When I began blogging again earlier this year I mentioned the new home my husband and I had purchased, and I showed you a little bit of our laundry room makeover.  Now, I'd like to show you the changes we made to our dining room.  Here is a picture of the dining room as we saw it when touring the house.

It was bright and airy, with a clean, modern aesthetic, but we didn't think it was entirely in keeping with the Victorian era.  The house was built in 1884, so one of our goals with the house was to go back in time to restore the house to more of a Victorian look and feel.  So here's what we did instead.

The color scheme is much different with the red walls instead of the yellow.  The drapes are yellow with coordinating roses, with lace panels in the windows for privacy.  Note that we replaced the chandelier with a new but more vintage looking dim-able fixture. Though I did not capture a picture of it, it is surrounded on the ceiling with a medallion reminiscent of the plaster work of the time.  Here are a few of the details.

"Gone with the Wind" oil lamp.

Wall sconces holding candles on either side of the mirror over the buffet.

Lace tablecloth and bowl of flowers.

Floral art in a Victorian style frame with convex glass.

Tea set by the window.

And I love this last find, an antique garden stool.

We've entertained in this room a couple of times, and it's a very cozy, comfortable and warm setting for friends and fun.  Hope you like it!

Making Over Victoria: Laundry Rules

 One of the more minor decorating projects around the new home has been completing our laundry room. This is also temporary home to my sewing area – in the spring we hope to begin renovations to our 140 year old basement to put in a finished room down there which is planned to be my new sewing room.  The planned room will be large enough to accommodate an actual cutting table, as well as multiple sewing machines and ample fabric stash storage!

I believe this pretty much un-insulated laundry area was once an upper-level back porch, with its five bright windows, and near access to the back stairs.  I’m not sure when it was converted to a laundry, but that was the purpose the previous owners assigned to the room as well.  I think the it is coming out pretty cute, so I’d like to share a few pictures from the room… while not haute couture, I am sewing the curtains for this room, using one of the latest Pinterest trends, burlap and lace.  These are the completed valences.  The burlap was purchased from www.burlapfabric.com, and the lace was a yard sale find.  I scored a whole spool of it for pennies.  As you can see, there’s plenty left to complete the curtains, and then some.

This legless dresser was left behind by the previous owners of the home.  It makes a great place to store sewing supplies, and an equally nice window seat.  I’m planning on covering a cushion to make it even cozier.

While I lack a “before” picture, the walls in this room were formerly stark white. We definitely wanted to jazz things up a little, and we wanted to pay homage to the Victorian era without sacrificing modern convenience.  Corrugated galvanized steel roofing is the paneling we chose for the walls, with a periwinkle blue upper wall.  We first saw this used as a wall treatment in a regional fish fry restaurant. Galvanized buckets are used as light shades, and antique washboards, wringers, and clothes drying racks help to tie the theme together. 

We chose to stack our front loading washer and dryer because this saves floor space, and allows free access to the attic via the pulldown ladder in the ceiling of the laundry.  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think about this room renovation.

Thanks for stopping by!