DIY: Another denim vest made of a shirt

I have done this recently but it just didn’t get to see the blog-light until now.

That is with most of the things that I post, as I already wrote. I just have a folder of photos and bookmarked videos and ideas… That’s just how it goes around here. 😉

So… I made this for a friend of mine from a shirt with long sleeves. I wasn’t sure how it will go considering that it has lace, but it went ok. It took time (three hours I think), but it was with no major problems. When I’m sewing I like to do everything carefully so I don’t have to do it again… And it really takes just a little impatience or not looking and it goes off. So, better three hours than five if I was nervous. And I didn’t want to risk it with lace, because un-sewing what my sewing machine did would not be good.

And there it is. What do you think?

p.s. I am pleased with my knowledge of sewing, since I taught myself through the last year. 😀

D-d-d-d-d-denim! DIY: Remade jeans and denim vest :)

Ta-daaaaa! It’s online FINALLY… 😀

I delayed writing and presenting this topic for a “while” (khm, khm), because I wanted to be committed to this post. 🙂 I have spent a lot of energy on making this awesome pieces so I felt the need to complete with the presentation in the same light. 😉

So… Where do I even begin?

I became very interested in denim as a remade material this fall. I wanted to do a vest and jeans with bows on the side, but I didn’t imagine I would do all that at once. 😀 I made denim vest from a shirt with lace which I bought for 15 kunas (about 3 $). It was a piece of cake to do. But I do admit that I dragged it to the point of placing the shirt on my desk when going to sleep for the “first thing to do”, and placing it back on the bed because I didn’t have time for it. When I finally found time I think I finished everything in under one hour. Took of the sleeves, remove the remaining fabric and sew the endings in a manner that the vest would fit on me.

That goes from 1 – 5.:

• 1. The original shirt
• 2. I simply cut off the sleeves
• 3. Unstitched sewing pattern made in factory with small scissors
• 4. The ending before sewing
• 5. Folded and ready to be sewed. 🙂

And I completely forgot to include the rivets as a last step. 😀 I put silver pyramid ones on the collar (even tho they look gold in the picture):

As for the jeans bow scheme, I say the idea online about a year ago, I think I even have it saved somewhere on my computer. I think it was from e-bay… Anyhow, I knew I wanted to do something similar but the idea of realisation didn’t strike me until I saw how my friend did it. She posted a picture of how-to on Facebook and I thought – that’s it. This is the way I’m gonna make my “upgraded” jeans. 😀 She is also cutting used jeans and leggings custom-made, you can send her piece of clothing you want and she makes it happen the way you want it. 🙂 You can contact her HERE.

This are her jeans:

And shirts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now, step by step. The “how to” is easy as a summer breeze. 😉

I decided to use red fabric that has been in my box for leftovers from a bolero I modified. I wanted that contrast. It took me total two and a half hour for the jeans with the breaks for snacks. 😀

• 1. The original jeans were bell-bottoms so I needed to cut the bottoms and sew it straight.
• 2. The measuring… 🙂
• 3. I sew it all by following the pen I used to collect the dots from measuring the dimension for my legs. And cut off the remaining no longer needed pieces.
• 4. I decided where I wanted for the highest cut to be, measured the line from it to the end of the leg and divided by six. Then I cut about 3 cm toward the center and for the highest one I cut semi-circle.
• 5. I turned jeans inside out and started connecting material between the cuts with red elastic fabric. I would measure how much fabric I need, cut it and sew it from left to right and back to be secure. That was the hardest and longest part of this project.
• 6. Of course, everything was carefully monitored by “the chief” 8)
• 7. And…done! Still inside out, but after picturing it and getting up from the floor holding my spine, I turned them the right way. I also cut off everything that was protruding, like pieces of fabric…

I am really happy with the result. What do you think? If you like it click the “like” button, and if you’re not a blogger comment. I treasure that. 🙂 Bye, love ya!

p.s. The photo of jeans on top looks like it’s mirrored but it’s not. 😀 It is just really proportional… 🙂

Dress up!

This dress was one of my latest DIYs and most definitely one of my hardest… From the beginning ’till the very end it took me….about…15 hours… Yap. I know… I gave myself a difficult task and I was working with materials terrible for a sewing machine… uh. But the result is here and I must say I’m proud of it, because I really, really wanted to succeed. 😀

It took me forever to make this dress, so I’m not going to write a lot about it, you can see everything in the pictures…

This was my inspiration:

I had pink top with lace in front for years and I haven’t worn it once. The ends were forming a triangle and it looked more like a corset so I didn’t feel comfortable wearing it… 🙂 But it was ideal for this project. I cut the ugly edge and made it straight. Also, I had pink underskirt from a long skirt I trow away few months ago. With having both, the top and the bottom, I “only” needed to sew. And un-sew. And sew. And un-sew. 😦 The top is partially made from thick lace and the pin in the sewing machine will sometimes not manage to grab it together with underskirt. But I wasn’t frustrated…..YET. 😀

This is how the dress looked after first sewing:

I forgot to mention the skirt. It is made from existing but old one which I wore several years in the summer months because of material which is sooooo light and comfy. Anyway, I had to remove the rubber on top, same as for underskirt and then the torture began…

I think I will never ever sew this kind of materials together. Ever. Just imagine sewing together something like thin polyester fill with million ruffles and thick lace. -.-‘

After five or six more hours I admitted defeat for the night, and went to bed. My hands were so sore that I had to wait few days to sew again. Finally I had to un-sew it again for the gazziliont time, and made just the front with rubber thread. I couldn’t look at it anymore (hahaha), so I gave it to someone else to finish the back. And this is how it came out:

What do you think? Do you like it?