30 Days to Go: $1 Remake

OK, today was all about the paisley!!

This dress fit me all wrong, and there were weird buttons, but I was just in love with the pattern!  For me, that was the selling point to this dress.

For a buck from the pile sale, I was totally sold on this vintage Liz Claiborne frock!

I began by adjusting the length!  I brought the dress up about five inches, to make it hit me right above knee level!

The body of the dress came next.  I think because the pattern is so fun and bold, making this fit me to a T is necessary!  I took in the arms a little over an inch as well as the body.  The silver pins are tricky to see, but they marked my areas to sew!

I sewed my new hem and got the bones of the dress tightened up!

There were buttons all down the front of the dress, so instead of cutting off the weird button and retweaking the neckline with a needle, I just unbuttoned and folded in.  I can always go back and replace the button or sew down if I'm really unhappy with how this is.

Paired with a vintage elastic navy blue belt and my vintage Candies, my dress was ready for some cocktails!

OK, one cocktail :)

I didn't go crazy...it is the beginning of the week.

I got some lovely compliments and someone even said it was Pucci-esque with all the paisley.  I just think that the print is perfect for fall and I really can't wait to pair with boots and a vest!

I'm actually looking forward to trading in the Candies for some closed toe action soon!!  We'll see how long it takes for fall-ish weather to hit....

31 Days to Go: $1 Remake

I finally wore the dress that I worked on for the Sundance Channel/Geico shoot - the weather was just hot enough to make this the easy, breezy, beautiful piece perfect for a 103 degree day.  (Shout out to all my Texans who teased me for thinking 88 degrees was sweltering about a month ago.  We're feeling it now, y'all!!) For the shoot we were testing different potential muumuus to use, so I've got this before shot...

...and the one directly from the commersh!

Since I was tweaking this piece as the camera was shooting, I have fun screen captures to describe the process :)

I began by removing the sleeves with a seam ripper and cutting the piece short.

I cut a strip of fabric from the excess material and sewed a new hem...

...then brought it in a smidge, and turned the piece around!! I wore the original back as the front and then cinched it at the waist for a little shape!

Like I said earlier, it was just the outfit to wear on a über hot day, a day where I was in a fun classroom environment learning about all things video!!

I took the Blogshop video class taught by the amazing Bri and Angela...

...and am en route to feeling super comfortable with vids!  Can't wait to start getting them shot and up on the site!

I became fast friends with Ashley - another East Coaster with a super cute blog - who was one of my video partners-in-crime as well as my silly photo taking pal.

I was totally obsessed with the fabric strand tassels that Bee of Design (the fab Rebecca) made too!

Nothing like finding another project I can make with my leftovers!!

The final pic of the day came during magic hour.  Sun was setting and the temperature fell to 92 degrees :)

This muumuu remake is another one to add to the favorites list!

And, in case anyone wants to see the Sundance Channel/Geico commersh again, or missed it the first time, here you go...

32 Days to Go: Lilian's NDAD Creation

Today's piece comes from Lilian!  Fun cranberry colored jacket to start out with today...

I came across your blog recently and am really inspired by not just your creativity but also your perseverance.  I've always love sewing and have been toying with the idea of updating vintage pieces with a modern twist, but sadly, never quite have the gut (what if it does not work out??) nor the motivation (wait till I've the time).  After going through your creations, I immediately retrieved this piece from the recycle pile...

It was given to me by my mum-in-law, which translates to "dated".

Ooh what will come of this windbreakery-pullovery top?

I snipped off the odd shaped collar and part of the sleeves as well.  I trimmed all around the new collar and sleeves, covered some old buttons with the leftover fabric and voila, a comfortable and more modern top which is suitable for our hot weather!

I removed the string at the hem and used it as a belt!"

Lilian, I hope you're rocking your new top!  Would love to see you in it - take a picture next time you're wearing it and shoot it my way!