Sunday best

B and I sometimes have free time before church when we're waiting for Toph to come home from his meetings and pick us up for the actual meetings..

We usually end up outside during these times because B assumes once we're dressed: it's go time. 

So I we head out for a little walk in our Sunday best.

I love getting dressed up for church, it's the one time a week when I really get to wear heels and jewelry. Cha ching!

I also love seeing B in his little mini man church clothes.

It's pretty stinking adorable.

summer summer summer

Straw hats and farmers market ...

and then trading straw hats for paper ones (on the Jelly Belly factory tour!)

Welcome summertime!

We'd love it if you stayed awhile.

Final Attempt+Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations!
You made it through re-work boot camp! 

Thanks for sticking it out and I hope you learned a few things. 

If not, I'll try one more time. 

Here's a final list of super simple tips and tricks with examples from my very own closet:
______________________________________________

-If you find a great belt that almost fits, add an extra hole with a hammer and nail.

I've done this with this belt and this belt.

-Google is your best friend: "tutorial to hem jeans keeping original hem"  "making a skirt from a mens button down shirt" "how to make a buttonhole on a Kenmore sewing machine"
I've Googled them all. True story.

-A ton of skirts/dresses I've found are all good except for their giant side slits.

Sew up those slits for more modesty/wear-ability! I've done this on this, this, and this.

-Sometimes something will be slightly too small/big and all I

have to do is move the waist closure button and then voila, better fit.

I did this on this and this.

-In some cases all you really need to do is cut the sleeves off. 

No joke. There are some examples of this here and here

-Flared high waters can become a nice pair of skinny capris when 

you flip them inside out and  take the leg in from the knee. 

I did that with these.

-Start re-working on a few items you don't care about,
things you've been meaning to donate anyway.  

(As you cut them up, look at the basic patterns within the clothes.)

-Just cutting off a crazy embellishment can often make world of difference. 

Remember this?

PS: Don't worry if you mess up because, seriously, I do 100% of the time on my first attempts. And then I get out my best friend the seam ripper and start over with the knowledge gained from messing up. 
Again. 
Le sigh.

________________________

My final act as Re-Worker of the Week is to announce the winner of the giveaway.

HEY!!! Lala, YOU WON!

I'ma be emailing  you soon so watch out.
...

THE END.

Guest Post: Hiding a Stain with See Kate Sew

What can I say about Kate? 

Let's see, she: has an adorable son, can sew pretty much anyone under the table, knew me in college (lucky!),
and lives way too far away now. 

Move back to Northern California!! 

Welcome Kate:

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Hi Yours Mine and Ours readers! 

I'm Kate from see kate sew. I love to sew, mostly clothes and accessories. 

Meredith is my thrifting idol. For real! I'm so excited to be here!

I have a hard time getting rid of clothes I love even if they're worn out or stained.
I always think, Ug..I'll fix it somehow, or use it as fabric. 
So when Meredith asked me to rework something, I went to my closet and pulled out my ex-favorite shirt. It used to be my interview shirt. I got it at Target. 
My go-to, carefree white shirt. 
Until one day over a year ago I was babysitting. The kid fell and banged his face. 
Like a good babysitter, I picked him up, only to discover that his lip was bleeding on my favorite gorgeous white carefree shirt.
They didn't even pay me extra. 

I rushed home and tried to get it out. But it was too late. Too late. 

There are lot of ways to rework a shirt with a stain. 

One way is to CUT out the stain. That's what I did today.

My favorite feature of the shirt was the almost elbow length sleeves, a perfect length. 

So I kept them long by cutting out the stain and sewing them back together. Since there was already a seam feature on the sleeve, I just added another one and you can't even tell.

Cut your sleeve off right before the stain. Then cut out the stain in a smooth line.

Repeat for the other sleeve, just so they look the same.

 Then pin your sleeve back into the other piece of the sleeve.

 Sew it back on and finish the seam.

That's it!

pants f21, shirt, target REWORKED!, undershirt Shade, baby shirt h&m baby(only the best, ya know.)

What if you can't cut it out?

*You know what's funny? Right after we took these photos, we went to DQ where I got a chocolate blizzard and spilled right on my brand new stain free shirt. 
Shoulda got vanilla! (I think I can save this one in the laundry though!)


Thanks for having me here Meredith! Come stop by see kate sew and say hi anytime!

____________________

I might've mentioned yesterday that I stain my clothes all too often. 
Plus, B helps me out in the stain department too.

So thanks Kate for this sweet stain hiding tutorial!

...
Later on will be "the announcement" (more like "the launch" ...) and giveaway deets. 

Shirt+Skirt+Some Elastic=Dress

How to make: A T-shirt Elastic Waist Dress. 

This was the hardest tutorial ever for me. For reals. I kept forgetting to take pics with each step. 

It'll be a piece of re-working cake for you all to make though, you won't need to stop for photo ops. Mmmmm, cake.

_________________________________

Supplies:

Shirt, skirt, elastic the length of your waist, one big safety pin, scissors, thread, sewing machine, pins

1- Try on your shirt, mark where you want the waist to be (with something washable) 
then cut it 2 inches below that mark.
  Cut waistband off the skirt.

2-Pin skirt to shirt on the marked line.*

*This is probably the most difficult part of the project, and it really isn’t that hard,
just kinda trickier than the other steps.

Take your skirt and flip it inside out. 

Lay it out with the waist opening part closest to you.

Take your shirt and put it inside the skirt. 

The bottom of your shirt should be closest to you. 

The right side of the shirt and the right side of the skirt should be facing each other. 

Find the side seam on the shirt and the skirt on each side
 

3-With the shirt pinned to the skirt, sew around the edge. 
Your skirt and shirt are now attached.*

*You can stop here or continue on to add an elastic waist so that the 
dress is more fitted at the waist.

4- To add the elastic waist, flip your dress inside out again.

You should still have the 2 inches extra on your shirt below where you sewed on your marked line. 

This will become your elastic casing. 

Fold up the extra shirt and pin it, sew around until you get to the end, leave a little opening.

5- Take the safety pin and pull your elastic through the casing. 

Sew elastic ends together, sew up the casing opening. 

____________________

You did it!

*I like to do this with shirts that may have gotten stained while scarfing hmm, let's say:

a vegetarian Chipotle burrito way too fast. Hypothetically.

Just cut off the stained bottom part, attach a skirt, and voila.

Goodbye stain! Until the next time you encounter a burrito...

Guest Post: A Pillowcase Skirt from Thrifted Things

Today Katherine's up. 

She rocks re-worked thrifted clothes with reckless abandon. 

And I love it!

So let's hear it for Katherine:

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Can I first of all just say how honored I feel to be featured?!

I almost died when Meredith asked me!

Anyway, I'm Katherine from thrifted things!

I'm always on the hunt to re-fashion something, ANYTHING really.

Like this pillowcase that my grandpa happened to give me:

 I love stripes! 

And I really liked this pillowcase, but it doesn't go with anything going on in my dorm room.

But I don't ever pass up having fabric, so I decided to make it a pillowcase skirt!

(all you need is elastic!)

There you have it folks!

Try it out sometime, you never know what you could make out of a pillowcase! :)

____________________

 Thanks Katherine (she's a girl after my own heart posing wise too)!

I make skirts like this all.the.time. 

It's the easiest way ever. 

You just fold over the fabric to make a casing and then pull some elastic through. 

Done.

Try it. You'll be hooked.

Guest Post: Some Befores/Afters From I Still Love You

So I've loved Melissa's blog for a while now. 

Mostly because the woman can kind of do everything: 

calligraphy, sewing, furniture makeovers, graphic design, motherhood ... 

and she does it all really well. 

I know.

You'll love her too, no doubt in my mind:

____________________

Hello there! I'm Melissa from I Still Love You. I LOVE refashioning clothing.

It's a tad of an addiction, well finding clothes to refashion is. 

Actually getting around to refashioning them is satisfying, but doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like.

I'm also addicted to before & afters. 

I can't get enough of transformed clothes, spaces, objects, furniture, etc!

I love taking something that would otherwise be discarded or deemed ugly & making it pretty again.

  

That was the case with this lovely little number:

Aww yeah. All that leg is so hott. What is up with this dress pattern? 

When I saw it in the thrift store my heart jumped with excitement over the fabric, but then fell once I saw the shape. 

Then it jumped again when I saw the potential of reworking it. 

All of my adjustments were pretty simple; snip here, hem there, but they made a huge difference in the end.

 

I cut off the skirt & used that for a dress for my daughter, Penelope & used the remainder of the dress to fashion a top for myself. 

The best part? Wearing our matching outfits out to a playdate afterwards & getting all sorts of oohs & aaahhs from people we bumped into.

 

When thrifting, I often times look for cool prints & 

fabrics over items that are a certain shape. 

You can always change the shape, but you can't alter the print.

 

My most recent thrifted/refashioned project was that way exactly. 

I found some sweet, delicate fabric that just so happened to be a simple XXL top.

I had plenty to work with & made a loose-fitted tunic out of it. 

Again, alterations don't have to be epic or complicated in order to transform.

Often times all it takes is a little styling & a few stitches.

____________________

I adore both of these! 

The last shirt  is especially lovely and was pretty much accomplished by doing what I showed you the other day.

And how cute does Pen look in that skirt? Totes adorb (yes, I just typed that.)!

Thanks for sharing Melissa!!

...

 Scoot your bum back here for my blazer tut later.

Scoot it I say!!

Guest Post: Some Tips from Feather's Flights

The lovely Heather from Feather's Flights is here to give us a few re-working tips.

These are linked to some fab tutorials and are a great foundation for re-working newbies.
Heather's turn:

________________________________________________

  Hey! 

Well first of all, I love refashioning because it's quicker and fun to make something
new out of something old. 

Before buying something I always ask myself if an item is worth it because of the time I might have to put into it to make it fit or look good. 

How much will I have to change to make it work? 

Also, I'm always careful to check if the fabric is worn or low quality. 

When I do decide buy and then re-fashion something, I often use these tips:

1. The classic reworking thing to do is to hem the bottom or the sleeves of an item. 

It really makes a difference!
2. Instead of shortening, why not lengthen it. 
This can be great to do on skirts and dresses as well. 

(I've also I lengthened sleeves by adding a fake sweater sleeve to my brother's jacket that you can see here.)
3. If an item has spots, try dyeing it, bleaching it, or sewing something on
top of it like some kind of decoration.
4. Last of all, here's a technique on making something with sleeves fit better. 

It takes a little bit longer then just taking in the
sides, but it makes a huge difference in the finished garment.
5. I've also made something more fitting by sewing tucks across a shirt.
  Besides taking in sides or sewing tucks, you can sew in pleats or gathers to
make something fit better.

Good luck and have fun with all your refashioning!

 ______________________________________________________

These are some really easy ways to make a HUGE impact 

on our clothes that maybe need some lovn'. 

Thank you Heather!!

...

Tomorrow we have another awesome guest +my blazer tutorial:

Woo hoo!

Guest Post: An Ombre Shirt from Cotton and Curls

Liz is a master at refashioning clothes and even hosts a group called

"Refashion Nation" on her blog, Cotton and Curls. 

Trust me, she rules.

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 Hey everyone! OK so here's an easy no-sew shirt refashion. 

Check it out:
Materials needed:
water, dye, item of clothing to dye, salt, soda ash (optional), pins ,gloves (optional)

Dye preparations:

Follow the instructions on the dye box as how to mix the hot water, salt, and dye
(you can add soda ash, but I didn't).
I used Tangerine orange RIT powder dye, which was only 2 bucks!
You'll need some sort of bucket/container to put the dye in.
It was convenient doing it in a pot because I could boil the water and keep it warm if I needed to on the stove.

Shirt preparations:

Completely soak the clothing item being dyed with cold water, squeeze out ALL of the remaining water so it isn't dripping anymore.
Then lay it flat and pin 5 sections out.

 These will be your layers for your dye to make an ombre effect.
Now you are ready to ROCK!

Dye Instructions:

1. Put the shirt into the dye till it reaches the top set of pins, this will be your first layer ----- HOLD for 30 seconds

2. Pull the shirt up till it hits the second row of pins, this is the second layer ----
HOLD for 1 minute

3. Pull the shirt up till it hits the third row of pins, this is the third layer ----
HOLD 5 minutes

4. Pull the shirt up till it hits the fourth row of pins, this is the fourth layer -----
HOLD 5 minutes

5. Pull the shirt up till it hits the LAST layer, this is the last or fifth layer -----
HOLD 5 minutes.

**For best results HOLD up the entire time so lines don't form (I learned this the hard way!) if your arms get tired, like mine did, you can rest it over your pot or whatever you are using, for a little bit.

After Dye:

Take out pins and rinse it under cold water till the water runs clear.
Be SUPER thorough.
Then dry it - I think air drying gives the best results!
Now it is ready to wear! 

Thanks to Martha Stewart and the RIT box for the help!

 ____________________

Cool!  

I love RIT dye, we go way back. 
I've dyed tennis shoes, skirts, sweaters, jeans, and much more.

Thanks Liz! And: You're gorgeous. No joke.

...

Later today we'll have some practical re-working tips from another lady who knows her way around a sewing machine.

And it's not me. Sweet deal!

Too Ginorm For Your Form=Taking in a Skirt+Shirt

What oh what to do when your clothes are bit too roomy? 

Check it below. 
____________________

On a basic side zipper skirt I just do this:

Try on your skirt and decide how much smaller it needs to be. 
Flip it inside out and find the back seam.

 

Lie it flat on its side and pin in however many inches you need to make it fit along that back seam.
Try it on to inside out make sure you  pinned correctly. 

If not, no biggie, just  adjust the pins.
When you're sure you have it  pinned right, sew in along the pin line.
Cut off the excess. Flip it right side out and you're done!
*If your skirt has a zipper in the back/not at all, just pick another seam and take it in there. Or create a new seam altogether.

____________________

 For a basic shirt I just do this:

Try on your shirt and see how much needs to come in off the sides, arms, and torso.

Cut the sleeves and torso to desired length+1 inch for hem allowance. 

Cut and hem those areas.

 

 Flip your shirt inside out and pin along the side seams to the armpit.

Try the shirt on inside out for fit.

When you've got it pinned right, sew up along your pins.

Right above the armpit seam, do the same thing to the sleeves.

Cut off excess and you're done again!  

____________________

-After-

I know this isn't the skirt from the above tutorial BUT I took this one in the exact.same.way.

Taking in skirts has been my life as of late. Well that, and finding skirts to take in. 

Guest Post: The Shkirt by Mad Mim

OK people, I give you some re-working at its finest. 
Take it away Miriam:

___________________________________________________

Hey! My name is Miriam and I keep busy blowing (uh ... maybe stimulating?) people's craft and sewing minds over at Mad Mim. 

If you like making cool stuff, come one over, the water's fine.

...

So let's get down to bizness. When I'm on the hunt for a potential re-work, I always look for fabric that catches my fancy. You can rework anything if it has enough cool fabric. And that was exactly the case with this XL ethnic looking button-up shirt--I suspected that it would make an excellent summer skirt (with pockets!!). 

To my 7 1/2 month belly's delight, it did.

Here's how I did it:

I began how any logical sewist would, by hacking off the sleeves and shoulders. Cut right below the neck opening.

Then seam-rip either side open about 6" from the top. 

(My shirt's seams were surged, so I just cut the tiny hem off).

For the pockets: lay a piece of paper over the corner, aligning it to both the top and side edge, and then trace over where the arm hole is. Now brace yourself, you're about to draft your own pattern. This is a big moment for you. Draw a pocket about 4" to the left and bottom of the arm curve. Don't be a perfectionist, your hands will be forgiving.

Cut 2 pockets with the squared corner, and then cut the arm hole curve from the paper, and cut 2 pockets with the curved corner from some lovely complimentary fabric. 

You'll notice I had to do a little piecing to squeak out my pockets.

Pin and sew the curved-corner pockets, right sides together, to the front of your shkirt using a scant 1/4 inch seam (I used my trusy overlock stitch on my sewing machine).

Flip the pockets to the back and press. Top stitch if you want. I did.

Now finish off (the pockets) by laying the square cornered pocket pieces on top of the curved corner pocket pieces, aligning the squared corners to the bottom and side edges (you should be looking at the wrong side of the shkirt). Pin and sew the curve of the pocket together. Do yourself a favor and zigzag the top and side edges together to the front shkirt, making sure 

everything flat.

For the back curved corner of the skirt, you'll position a little square of fabric (cut from your sleeve) underneath the corner and pin. I took care to match my stripes.

Sew it down along the already present armhole seams, and trim any excess off (see the back in the next pic).

Now sew front to back, right sides together, and you're as good as finished.

Well, except for the waistband. I used a nice jersey knit here using this tutorial for arm and waist bands. You can use wide elastic using this method, or go big and actually make a real waistband (sorry, no tutorial link). Once you finish attaching the waistband to the skirt you're done, unless you want to adjust the length. I ended up hemming up the bottom a few inches. I also sewed the button-up opening together for ease of movement.

Ta da!

Sheesh. You'd think I would have swept a bit before I took these photos, but the truth is I felt that the dirt really complimented the colors in my shkirt.

The great thing about this skirt is that it would work equally well (or better) for a non-pregnant person. In fact I can't wait to take in the waist-band post baby, because I think I'll like it even more with a bit more gathering at the waist.

Well, unless we want to now discuss my shankles, then I think that's it for me.

Thanks Meredith for inviting me to guestblog! Good luck ladies!

_________________________________________________

I.love.this.
Looks doable except I'm not so great with pockets ... but I want to be! 
My to do list just got longer. If I make one, I'll post it. For sure.

Thanks so much Mim (can I call you Mim?)!

PS: I love that she said "shankles." Been there!

...

Stay tuned for our next installment where I'll be taking in one of my estate sale shirts+skirts.