Hi Everyone!
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Today I submit to you another one of my failures that became a design opportunity, AND stay tuned until the end of this post to see the fun summer giveaway I have for one lucky reader!
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As always, I will start with the after and then work backwards to show you the creation story. So here it goes. The skirt is the featured AFTER, but the top is thrifted too. It is a cute, crisp linen top. It came a little too large but I nipped in the sides and shoulders and it is good to go!.
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It all started here…
Check out this great little dress that had and age inappropriate style, but was purchased with the intent of making use of the lovely matched chevron stripe skirt. My first intention was to make a skirt with a little tie waistband.
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You can just picture it right? Well, I wish I had been brave enough to take a picture of my flop at the time, but I didn’t. Just trust me when I say it was too A-line, made my hips look massive, and the cute little tie just added bulk to my middle aged waistline. In order to feature the tie waistband, any top I wore had to be tucked in. Yuck! I do not tuck! Also, the weight of the fabric was too light to hold up and entire skirt. What was perfect for a flirty dress, did not work for a skirt. It was not a pretty sight, but I was unwilling to throw it in the rag pile just yet.
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TUTORIAL:
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STEP 1) MY little “Flop” sat in the stash pile for a while until I unearthed this basic little skirt from my closet. UREKA! I had an idea! I could salvage the great matched chevron stripe and make a panel in the front of this boring skirt. Here you see the first step in the project. The center of the waistband is marked, and the panel width has been drawn in with a chalk pencil.
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Step 2) I measured and cut a matching size panel to fit the panel I drew on my skirt. Here you can see that I pinned down the seam allowances on each side and pressed them down. I planned to topstitch the sides down in order to keep the panel more stable.
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Step 3) You can see in this picture that I altered the size of my panel from the original chalk lines. I wanted to create a perfect corner at the top of the waistband so you can see I pinned it in preparation to sew it across the top. You can also see that I have trace basted the new lines of the panel down the front.
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Step 4) Sew the seam down across the waistband.
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Step 5) Here you see the skirt pinned and ready to edgestitch around the sides of the panel and across the waistband.
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Step 6) Edgestitch, then make a quick hem across the front panel and you are done
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This is a floral canvas bag with bamboo handles, made especially for one lucky reader by ME!. It is fully lined and has a pocket for your cell phone. All you need to do to win is be an official follower of my blog. Then, post a comment so your name is entered. I will be picking and posting the winner on Monday July 7th. I am sorry my international friends but I will only ship in the US.
Another professional-looking refashion, Mary! The edges of the chevron panel are perfect…very crisp.
I’ll look forward to winning that cute bag 🙂
Thank You Mother Deer! It is always great to hear from you. Good Luck!
I LOVE your refasions! LOVE this bag, too!!
Hi Rhonda! Thanks so much! Good luck to you!
Yes, as Mother Deer mentioned absolutely perfect in every way. I always learn something new from you when I read your posts and you look so lovely in your new skirt. It’s especially inspiring and fun to hear about failures being turned into opportunities!! Hope you’re enjoying your vacation as much as I am!
Beth
Hi Beth! Thank you so much for checking me out. Glad you like it. I am having a great summer vacation. I will be going to Alaska in a few weeks. Can’t wait!
Love the skirt! I look forward to your posts. It gives me a lot of ideas and I wish I had found your refashion posts before I had cleaned out my closet last spring. The bag is beautiful too!
So glad I can give you something to look forward to. Good luck in the giveaway!
Great idea for using the skirt to make a panel. Now you have a more interesting skirt!. Hope I win the bag, it is so pretty.
Hi Connie! Before I started refashioning my wardrobe was so basic because that was what I could afford. Refashioning DOES make your items more interesting!
Good luck!
Another great refashion! Your blog is inspirong me. Once the home office/craft room makeover is complete, I am gonna have to spend more time in front of my sewing machine! (and at the local Goodwill!!)
Congrats on the remodel. I am sooo jealous! Once you get settled you’ll be hooked! Good Luck to you!
Love what you did with that dress! Cute purse too!
Hi Jane!
Thank you so much and good luck!
I have been following you but want to make it official. Love the philosophy you go by, I just retired and want to do more like you have done with your refashions. Keep the projects coming. We love to see the successes and hear about the flops of the moment. Because really with you nothing is ever a total flop!
Thank you for following me Marsha, and welcome to my little site! Congrats on your retirement and stay tuned for more refashion fun. Good luck to you.
Hey! Great salvage on the oops! I like the final effect of the skirt. Keep it up.
Hi Emilly!
Thank you for following and good luck to you.
The purse is adorable.
Hi Barbara!
Thanks for following and good luck.
Love the skirt, it makes me want to get home to my sewing machine
Hello Emily,
Hurry but get home safely! You know I can’t wait to sew every day too. It is addicting.
I LOVE!!! That is a great outfit and I think you need to “nip” your shirt refashions more often or add a skinny belt. Sometimes your shirts look too rigid and boxy. Your refashion- refashion turned out awesome! I love the chevron panel, I’m sure you are getting lots of complements on your new skirt. You outdid yourself on this refashion!
Thank you for the feedback Veronica from Cali!
I have been on a roll lately with my comfy t-shirt patterns. I must admit I am not a fan of more fitted styles. I like my tops to skim the body not hug it, but I will take your comments to heart! Yes, I have gotten compliments. Thanks again and good luck!
Nice to know that you too have blunders, Mary! I swear I throw more things out than I keep—or refashion them even smaller for the grandkids!
Hi Rita!
Oh yes, I have had my share of bloopers. I have learned to keep many projects going at once. That way when I get stuck I can stop and think about it and come back to it later. Using this strategy I have had much more success than whoopsies! LOL
Love how you turn a “failure” into a great item to wear — this encourages me to look through my pile of discards and be more creative.
Thank you
Oh Gail do save those discards and wait for inspiration to strike. I have done it so many times but now I am admitting to my oopsies!
Good Luck!
great recovery on the chevron skirt.
Thank you Judy and good luck to you!
You make it look so easy. I enjoy your post so much that I save them. Hope to see many more. I love the t-shirt post because I like the fit of your creations. I am getting up the nerve to start a refashion. So thank you.
You can do it! Yes You Can! It is not as easy as it looks. So flattered you save my posts. Good luck!
Hi Joanne,
I haven’t heard from you yet. I am hoping you will check and see that I drew your name for the bag giveaway. Please send me your info ASAP! I am leaving on the 14th for vacation so I will not be able to send it until I get back. If I don’t hear from you in that time frame I will have to draw a new name. I don’t want to do that so let me know 🙂
The white blouse is just right for your expert skirt refashion! You have done a lot for the readers to show another mistake- made- right refashion. I love the concept of adding the fabric on top of the skirt! Very cute! Your purse is lovely and I would be honored to win it.
Hi Georgie!
So glad to hear I have helped. Good luck to you!
Love it! Took that skirt from basic to wow 🙂
Thank you so much Jo! The ladies at work all like it!
I absolutely ADORE the blouse in this post!!!!
I would have loved to see a tutorial on this one!!
I JUST found your Blog and have been completely INSPIRED!!!
Thank you so very much!!!
Kristina
Hi Kristina,
Thank you so much! I am glad you like my little blog. Inspiring people is why I do it, so I am glad to know I am being effective. As far as the blouse, I just took in the sides a little. It was nothing crazy.
Stay tuned for more! Mary
I am ALWAYS impressed with your creativity; the chevron panel skirt is no exception. I also like that you “fess” up to the little problems that sometimes occur. Cheers
Tamara,
Thank you and welcome to my little blog. As I tell my students, “Mistakes are education.” If I can help other people learn from mine, I will not hesitate to share!