A bit of tweaking...

This is not my most dramatic or creative posts, but I am secretly proud of this upcycle. Often you buy something which is a fantastic piece, but there's a small aspect that makes it incredibly unflattering and consequently unwearable.


I found this jacket at an op-shop in Victoria St

 and fell in love with the buttons!

 It cost this much, but it was made by one of my favourite designers and would usually sell for at least $200 dollars

 This is why is was still at the op-shop:

 From the back this rutching looks ok...

But when I put it on Genevieve: instant hunchback!

 After examining it from every possible angle, I decided to deal with the problem by unpicking the back shoulder panel thusly.

I then also unpicked the inside lining, gathered up all the excess material and sewed a new seam.

Shoulder baggage begone!

 I also took some of the buttons off the front and placed them here to liven up the back

Finished product modeled by Genevieve and photographed by slightly smug self.

Steampunk Jacket

Two weeks ago, I was intending to go to the Clockwork Butterfly Steampunk Ball, but ended up with a horrible flu thing and couldn't go. Here is part of what I made as my costume:

A $5 black suit jacket from an opp-shop (thrift store to any American readers!)

$12 worth of striped satin(ish) fabric, black satin ribbon and 8 metal loops.

Cut the fabric into strips and fold over.

Sew down the edges and turn inside out.

Sew on some black lace.

Using some pieces of satin ribbon, sew on the loops by attaching the flat part to the jacket.

 

 Lace up the loops using the rest of the satin ribbon and start attaching the first layer of the bustle.

Finished Product!

Here I need to stress that unlike most of the projects on this blog, this wasn't my own design. I'm seen quite a few versions on etsy and wasn't sure who to credit as the original designer. Let me know if it's you so that I can give you proper credit!