Jewelry

Upcycled Maxi, T-shirt & Micro Crochet

September 17, 2026 By Mary Peterson 4 Comments

I have been looking for a long, flowing, tiered maxi skirt for a while, but I didn’t like the prices or the prints. Enter this maxi dress. It wasn’t my size, but it had potential for a quick and easy upcycle.

The skirt just needed to be relieved of its bodice and paired with a decorated white T-shirt to create a coordinated outfit. Following is the tutorial for both.

Stay tuned until the end to see a preview of one of my new hobbies: Micro Crochet . I have been working on mastering it all summer and only recently have I been able to make wearable pieces. Before the end of the year, I will make a post detailing my journey with this new hobby and ways to incorporated it into the refashion process.

Before

After

Tutorial

I used my trusty Gingher Scissors to remove the bodice. (I rarely unpick if I can cut)
I leveled out the top tier at 9″ and overlocked the edges. I pinned and sewed 1″ inch to the
inside for the elastic waist

Gingher Scissors Link-I highly recommend these scissors. They are razor sharp and will last a lifetime. I have two pairs and they have been with me since college. Like all good scissors they need periodic sharpening. But they can and do last forever.

Topstitch the waistband and add 3/4″ elastic

Iron and it is ready!

I grabbed a basic T from the closet. I chopped off the curve and made a 1″ hem across the bottom. A 1″ hem adds more weight and doesn’t roll.

I found the perfect piece of lace in my collection to add some interest to the basic V-neck.

The result was much more up to date and interesting.

MICRO CROCHET EARRINGS!
I made these with a teeny tiny crochet hook and sewing thread. Stay tuned for more on this evolving skill.

Want to know more about micro crochet? Here is a link to the book I purchased: Micro Crochet

So everyone, what do you think of this latest remake? Talk to me! What is everyone working on and what would you like to see me do next? I am starting to get in the groove my new retired life and gradually picking up the pace on my posting. My closet full of things ready to transform!

Happy Refashioning!

Quick Jewelry Refashion

December 1, 2013 By Mary Peterson 10 Comments

Hi Everyone!

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I hope you have all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. I have been in a cleaning and cooking frenzy this week so my regular posting schedule has been interrupted. Next week I hope to be back on track! Today I am offering up a quick little jewelry refashion from my own jewelry box. Below you see a much loved pair of earrings. Tragically, if you look to the left, you can see that this earring is missing a stone 🙁

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No one else would notice the missing stone but I did.

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This pair of boring hoops needed a little spicing up so…

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I took the broken earring apart and used some of the dangles for the hoops. Then I made the good earring into a necklace.

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Don’t ever throw away broken jewelry or earrings that have lost their partner. With a little imagination, these pieces can have new life!

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‘Til next time!

Love Ya,

Mary

Instant Dress Refashion

August 31, 2013 By Mary Peterson 18 Comments

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Hi Everyone!

Meet my latest makeover. This one took me all of 20 seconds!!! I don’t know about you, but I absolutely despise self fabric tie backs. 🙁 I am not 8 years old anymore, they never look good from the back, and when you sit in a chair they make you feel like you have a tumor on your back! Manufacturers should save the fabric and labor costs and streamline their designs. Get rid of them! That is what I did. Snip, snip and this refashion was done. This dress was a Goodwill find @$7.99. It had a great print and appeared to be unused.

I paired it with this handmade beaded necklace made with an Australian opal. I don’t do much beading anymore, but little did I know when I made this one it would be perfect for this dress.

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Australian opal necklace

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What do you think everyone? Do you hate ties as much as I do? If so, unite and free yourself. Declare your independence from them! Just snip, snip, and you are ready to go!

‘Til next time

Love Ya,

Mary

Jewelry Makeover

November 10, 2012 By Mary Peterson 5 Comments

I know! I know! It has been forever. However: 28 third graders, parent conferences, impending report cards, and mind blowing changes to the educational standards will do that to a blogger. So now I do however have a little jewelry makeover to share.

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I originally made this as a charm bracelet. It turned out very cute, and coordinates with so many things in my wardrobe. The problem was that it is totally impractical for my work life. That dangling bracelet drove me nuts and would get in the way when I wrote on the whiteboard.

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Solution! Turn it into a necklace. The beauty of it is that I engineered it to be able to come off of the necklace chain and still be able to use it as a charm bracelet as I wish. All I did was add lobster clasps on my necklace chain. What do you think?