Refashion #6: Blue & Gold Trimmed Skirt

hi guys! sorry it took so long; this last refashion took quite a while. i have been doing all of my sewing by hand, as my mom hasn't had time to teach me how to use the machine yet, so all the strips going on this skirt took a long time to tack down. but i love the end result!

the before:

the skirt is tiered, sort of like the bohemian ones that were all the rage about four years ago. there is beading all along the front, and then simpler lines of beads (sans triangles) on the back. unfortunately, parts of the beading was coming off, making the skirt look pretty shabby.

here is a close up of the beading design; as you can see, on one side of the triangle the beads have fallen off.

the inspiration:

here is a picture of a skirt from sea of shoes again; jane has the PRETTIEST clothing!

the finished product:

i LOVE this. it looks ten times newer, just because of the shiny new ribbon. i also love the color combination. i never would have thought to put gold with the blue and white; my natural choice would have been silver, but the gold really brings out the blue in a way the silver never could.

me wearing it 8D my dad said it looks very gypsy like. hmm, i guess it does.

here is a close up of the lace and ribbon i used.

thanks so much for reading! can't wait to start the next one 8D

Refashion #5: Paisley Silk Skirt

hey guys! sorry it has been a while; the first few days i tried to post this our internet was down, and then i just got lazy. so here is what i made from the bottom half of the tunic:

here is the front. as i mentioned in the last post, i love this fabric. the colors are just amazing!!

here is the back. you could wear either side as the front, but i personally like the pink side best 8D

i used five buttons (you can't see one of them) as a side closure. first time making buttonholes; definitely a bit more time consuming then i thought, but not too bad.

the skirt falls just above my knees. it could fit a little better around the waist, but on the whole, it doesn't look too bad. first time making one, so next time i'll try one with an elastic waistband.

see you next post!

Music:  It's Magic - Koi Mil Gaya

give this song a chance. i hate it when he says "it's magic" but the rest is super catchy.

Refashion #4: Gold Silk Blouse

hey! so i have this kamiz (tunic) that has never quite fit me properly. it fits fine on the chest, but because of the fabric, it drapes unflatteringly before, making me look unnecessarily large. i love the fabric of the tunic, especially the bottom section, but i can never wear it without looking seriously overweight. so i decided to use the wonderful fabric for something more flattering 8)

the before:

as you can see, it does not hang very nicely. ignore the mess in the rest of the room, my brother has taken over the guest room, too. it also has a collar (rather sick of those...) that you cannot see in this picture.

here are the slits in the sides that most kamizes have. the blouse in the end has about a half an inch of slit left, and i sewed up the rest for tomorrow's refashion!

the inspiration:

seeing this picture really made me want a blouse like that. so i decided to take apart my tunic. the lace around the collar also inspired my lace addition, although it doesn't quite look the same D8

the finished product:

done! 8D  here are some more close-ups:

shirt as a whole

lace insert (you can see my stitches D8)

beautiful fabric on sleeves; also on the bottom of the tunic

and that is all! the bottom half of the tunic gave me hell, though. i'll save that for tomorrow. see ya!

Refashion #3: Red Tunic W/Trim

here is the funnest one i've done so far, because i actually got to wear it out!

the before:

i got this shirt from my eldest aunt on my dad's side in bangladesh. in bengali, it is called a fatua. i really love the color of this top, and i also love the print down the body of it, but i am not in love with its boxy shape and man-like arms. the color is also rather manly. got to fix this!

the inspiration:

i hope she doesn't get upset with me using her picture...but i love it! this is jane aldridge from seaofshoes; i got the picture from here:  http://seaofshoes.typepad.com/sea_of_shoes/page/2/

i love this summer look, so i new i could spice up my red shirt with trim to make it sort of look like this one.

the finished product:

my brother cut off the bottom when taking my picture, so here is another one where you can see the bottom:

and a close up of the trim and print on the body:

done! i just added some old trim we had, rolled up the sleeves so they'd be more flattering, and seam-ripped the collar. definitely a lot more fun to wear this way. i'm looking forward to my next project 8D

Refashion #2: Pink Striped Shirt

this is more of a small fix than a total refashion, but i wasn't sure what else to call it. here we go!

the before:

this is another one of my mom's old shirts. you can't see it in this picture, but there are awkward slits up the sides that are just...odd. there is also this ugly brown spot that is pretty big and obvious, probably from spilled coffee.

a close up of the spot:

what i used to cover up the spot:

 i'd been making this cross stitch flower for almost a year now (took it with me to college in the vain hope that i would get something done...) so i finally finished it and tacked it on.

the finished product:

 sewed up the awkward sides so it's just a normal shirt and tied the belt that came with the shirt. now i don't feel awkward about the silly coffestain 8D

Refashion #1: Red Plaid Shirt

hey guys!! so, i'm just a kid who has finished her freshman year at college and is now off for the summer. my mom told me not to work (was going to work at the mall) and instead enjoy my summer, so i'm trying to do things to occupy my time. as i have saved almost 1200 pictures of clothing on my computer, many of them refashions, i figured i should take those pictures and actually make something of them! it has been fun so far, and any tips or comments you guys have are welcome! here's the first one i did about a week ago:

the before:

 i know i look very greasy, please ignore it. and also pretend the shirt is red instead of orange, i have three of these that i've been planning to remake for a while. as you can see, it is rather large as it was one of my mom's old shirts.

the inspiration:

 obviously i will not look as hot as this, but this is the general look i am going for. i decided to get rid of the flaps at the neck or else the blouse wasn't going to button closed.

the finished product:

done! looks a little lopsided because i didn't fix the belt before i took the picture, but ah well. the sleeves are a little funky, but i think it was a good first attempt. let me know what you think!