It’s spring and time to get rid of all these sweaters you haven’t worn in years! Before you throw them away, why not try a quick refashion? This way having lived a long boring life in your closet your sweater might at least have a chance to lead a short exciting life as a skirt before it gets replaced by all the lovely summer dresses we can’t wait for.
I actually did this project weeks (months?) ago, when the weather was much colder, but somehow it took me ages to take some pictures of the finished skirt. I got this sweater in a charity shop for 2 pounds. It’s 100% acrylic and not too comfy on the skin so I decided to make a skirt out of it.First, I got out my scissors and chop, chop! This is absolutely my favourite part! After this there’s no way back. In the beginning cutting garments apart was absolutely terrifying, now I thoroughly enjoy it. Hmm. What does this say about me?
Anyway, I cut off the top of the sweater (right under the sleeves as seen in the pic above) and experimented with the fabric on the dressform. I sort of had an idea in mind, but a great part of this project is improvised, really. Some things you have in mind might not work out, time to get creative!
Here’s the front in progress…
…and here the back:I used the collar to create a waistband. After everything was tucked and pinned into place, I used thick embroidery thread to baste all the layers together.I cut off the excess fabric, neatened the edges with a zigzag stitch and sewed everything together.Done! (Wowsa, that was quick!)I might add some elastic to the waistband as it easily stretches out of shape and widens a bit when I wear it (so it sits much lower than intended). I bit of elastic will hopefully fix this.
This is Rachael’s version of the Fairy Tale Cape! Isn’t it fabulous? I think it’s a real showstopper! She used purple velvet as her main fabric and decided to make it floor-length and to line the hood.
You know what this cape reminds me of?
I haven’t seen the movie yet (I’m only into the old Disney movies – Hakuna Matata, guys!) but I’ve seen enough pictures lately to immediately think of Elsa’s (?) cape in Frozen when I saw Rachael’s version.
You really need to have the balls to wear something as bold as this and I admire everyone who has! It’s a great cape for a special occasion. This Fairy Tale Cape lives up to its name!
It looks so comfy and I’d love to wear it walking through a snowy forest in winter! (Somebody buy me a horse pleaaaase?)
Great job, Rachael! Hope you have a lot of fun with your cape! x
If you’d like to make your own amazing version – you can download the pattern here!
Welcome back guys! It’s time for Part 2 of our Hollywood-Sew-Along: The Notebook.
Part 1 was all about showing you our inspiration from the movie, now it’s time to share more concrete ideas and plans about patterns and fabrics we are using for our sew-along make. Part 3 will be, of course, all about our final pieces.
Soooooo…
I haven’t started constructing the garment, yet (I’m the person who write the paper the day before the deadline. Sad, but true. time pressure = excuse for coffee!), but I sort of settled on the style and fabric I am going to use.
If you read my post about my favourite outfits from the movie, you’ll know I had a hard time deciding which way to go. They are just all way too beautiful. Furthermore, it was quite tricky to decide whether to go with a replica or a modern take on one of the outfits. I love both vintage and very modern things and again, I had a battle with myself which ended in the decision to sort of combine both (coooompromises, guys = not having to make a decision at all)!
Sooooo…
I decided (yeah, I DECIDED – do I get a cookie for that?) to go with the outfit which had me thinking the most (Mainly, because its on-screen time barely exists and it was super hard to capture in a screenshot). May I present?
The red blouse dress/jumpsuit!
It’s not super clear from the pictures and doing some research online it is often referred to as a dress, but I am convinced Allie is actually wearing a short jumpsuit in this scene.
Do you see a jumpsuit? I see a jumpsuit! Fashionable little Allie!
Of course it was hard not to got with the blue iconic dress that everyone loves, but the bodice is quite similar to the cut and shape of the red jumpsuit, so I was thinking of swapping the collar of the jumpsuit for a neckline which is more similar to the one of Allie’s blue dress.
It’s quite hard to find a nice short jumpsuit pattern, so I will probably have to either draft one myself or alter an existing one to my liking. Here is a jumpsuit pattern from Burdastyle which sort of has similar sleeves. I could add a button down instead of the wrap front and shorten the shorts a bit.
Burdastyle Short Jumpsuit 05/2013 #129A
Here’s a pictures of a replica of the jumpsuit/dress (which you can buy on Etsy). It super close to the original if you ask me and I got my inspiration for the waist-closure from it. The waist is cinched by an elastic band and then covered with a cute narrow belt in matching fabric. Using this picture as guidance, I think it should be quite easy to transform the skirt into loose fitting shorts.
Jumpsuit as dress replica on Etsy
This is about what my future “jumpsuit” looks like in my head right now. (If you ignore the awesome skirt!) I do love the long skirt, but I really love the idea of a jumpsuit (which also requires less fabric 😉 ).
dress by papermothballvintage.blogspot.co.uk/
These are other Burdastyle patterns which could be transformed into a little jumpsuit:
And, of course, the Hawthorn Dress (Collette) came to mind thinking about 1940’s inspired clothing. I have seen this dress on other ladies and really love it, but I’m scared of all these buttonholes as my machine only has a 4-step buttonholes setting and every single buttonhole is a super nerve-wrecking adventure. But since I only would have to add buttonholes to the top part, I guess I would be fine.
Collette Hawthorn Shirt Dress
Talking about closures, I’m still not sure which fastening to use. I could either extend the buttoned front down to the short as it was done with the replica on Etsy or add a proper flap and snaps. Or, skip the buttonholes alltogether, sew on fake buttons and insert a long zip in the back, hmmmmm 🙂
Here’s a really cute version of a jumpsuit that has shirring at the waist which, I think, is also pretty smart.
Coco Fashion
Now, the fabric question. Phew, this already gave me a headache and I’m still not done thinking through the options. I guess I will decide when the pattern pieces are drafted and cut out. My budget doesn’t allow for big fabric haul trips at the moment, so I thought I could use this sew-along to reduce my still too big stash a bit.
Somehow my first choice is this navy-white striped cotton (don’t look at the picture for too long, you will get a headache, believe me!). When using this, I will probably have the stripes run vertically. The fabric is heavy enough not to line it, which is a advantage considering the deadline is in a month!
I have 3m of this royal blue cotton, which I really love. But I might have to line the whole thing (or at least the shorts) as it is very thin fabric and almost see-through. Maybe I could even combine both cottons, the colours are slighly off, but they still look nice together.
I’m pretty sure you guys will love the next one. (I do!) But actually this one is reserved for another (1950’s inspired) project. I have enough of the fabric to make a cute dress with a huge circle skirt and if I would use it for the sew-along there wouldn’t be enough left for that. Hmm. Also, I was thinking that a jumpsuit in this colourful girly fabric might resemble a PJ or children’s garment – what do you think?
The last option – which only came to mind about an hour ago – is using an actual vintage dress and refashion it into my 1940’s inspired jumpsuit (vintage-ception!). The dress is from the 80’s and is the dress my gandma wore to my mother’s wedding:
I do see the jumpsuit in this dress, but the front needs to go (and the peplum as well!). However, I really love the matching belt – which is also quite a 1940’s thing:
I will definitely have to make the final decision until Easter, so that I can start constructing the dress after the holidays! Phew! I’ll go and get a coffee now (my eyes still hurt from looking at the stripey fabric picture, ouch!)
Don’t forget to check out the plans of the other ladies of our sew-along team:
If you want to join, grab our button (see right-hand sidebar!) and start sewing! I know it’s quite late in the game, but I haven’t started constructing either 😀 Don’t forget to sent us links/pictures of your make as we would love to feature it as part of our Sewalong series!
After the release of my debut pattern on Friday, I want to share the gorgeous capes with you which my awesome pattern tester gang made! The ladies did an amazing job and they all were super creative! Every cape looked absolutely stunning and I was amazed by how everyone added their own touch to the pattern. I can’t wait to see more capes popping up on the interwebs!
The first Fairy Tale Cape I want to share was made by Lisa (all photo credit goes to her):
Really cosy cape. Great to travel in – as its smart like a coat, but snuggly like a blanket, love the freedom to move around in!
– Lisa
Lisa made a beautiful brown cape to wear instead of a coat now that spring has sprung! She chose to make buttonholes and topstitched the front of her cape. I love the large buttons!!The hood is lined with a beautiful flower print. There will be a sew-along coming up showing you how to add lining to your cape! Here’s a close-up of the front & buttons:
I really do love this pattern, it is so refreshing to see something so different and unusual but as the same time feminine and useful. It was crazy easy to sew together, and overall a very enjoyable project with many possibilities for embellishment and personalisation.
Really cosy cape. Great to travel in – as its smart like a coat, but snuggly like a blanket, love the freedom to move around in!
– Lisa
Helloo best people in the world!
I’m so excited right now I don’t even know what to write, so I’ll make it really short!
After weeks and weeks of drafting, sewing, testing and going through a lot of feedback by my lovely pattern tester gang, my first PDF pattern is now officially published for download.
The Fairy Tale Cape pattern is a ‘Pay As You Wish’ pattern. You can download it for free or donate whatever amount you feel is appropiate.
You can find more information on the pattern and the download link ♥ HERE ♥
The pattern is also perfect for beginners. The pattern pieces are quick to cut and sew and the illustrated instructions are very detailed.
There will be sew-along and tutorial blog posts coming up in the near future. These tutorials will include instructions on how to sew variations of this pattern, add a lining or buttonholes.
I will share some of the capes that my pattern testers made in the next few days – So keep your eyes peeled!
It’s spring and time to get rid of all these sweaters you haven’t worn in years! Before you throw them away, why not try a quick refashion? This way having lived a long boring life in your closet your sweater might at least have a chance to lead a short exciting life as a skirt before it gets replaced by all the lovely summer dresses we can’t wait for.
I got this sweater in a charity shop for 2 pounds. It’s 100% acrylic and not too comfy on the skin so I decided to make a skirt out of it.
First, I got out my scissors and chop, chop! This is absolutely my favourite part! After this there’s no way back. In the beginning cutting garments apart was absolutely terrifying, now I thoroughly enjoy it. Hmm. What does this say about me?
…and here the back:
I used the collar to create a waistband. After everything was tucked and pinned into place, I used thick embroidery thread to baste all the layers together.
I cut off the excess fabric, neatened the edges with a zigzag stitch and sewed everything together.
Done! (Wowsa, that was quick!)
I might add some elastic to the waistband as it easily stretches out of shape and widens a bit when I wear it (so it sits much lower than intended). I bit of elastic will hopefully fix this.
It’s not super clear from the pictures and doing some research online it is often referred to as a dress, but I am convinced Allie is actually wearing a short jumpsuit in this scene.
I have 3m of this royal blue cotton, which I really love. But I might have to line the whole thing (or at least the shorts) as it is very thin fabric and almost see-through. Maybe I could even combine both cottons, the colours are slighly off, but they still look nice together.
I do see the jumpsuit in this dress, but the front needs to go (and the peplum as well!). However, I really love the matching belt – which is also quite a 1940’s thing:
Lisa made a beautiful brown cape to wear instead of a coat now that spring has sprung! She chose to make buttonholes and topstitched the front of her cape. I love the large buttons!!
The hood is lined with a beautiful flower print. There will be a sew-along coming up showing you how to add lining to your cape!
Here’s a close-up of the front & buttons:
I really do love this pattern, it is so refreshing to see something so different and unusual but as the same time feminine and useful. It was crazy easy to sew together, and overall a very enjoyable project with many possibilities for embellishment and personalisation.