Spontaneous table cloth

Cam and I are not really dining table people. 364 days of the year, our table is my desk. That doesn't really leave much time or space for entertaining.

Tonight we had 5 people sitting around our table simultaneously consuming food, which created several immediate problems:

1. We do not have 5 matching plates
2. Or glasses
3. Or mugs
4. Or chairs
5. We don't own a table cloth

Problem 2 was solved by a quick visit to the $2 shop. Problems 1,3 and 4 meant that one person had to use a square plate, sit on a desk chair and drink out of a novelty mug.

Problem 5 was solved by...UPCYCLING!

A quick dive into my fabric bags revealed a long piece of green wool cloth found at an op-shop MANY years ago and a left-over piece from the homemade study curtains.

 I cut the green piece to the right length, but didn't have any thread the correct colour for hemming (will have to do that later)

Then I trimmed and hemmed the curtain remnant into a table runner. Instant table decor!

The Final 'New Dress a Day' challenge

Today is a sad day for upcyclers everywhere with the final day of the gorgeous Marissa Lynch's 'New Dress a Day' challenge.

This girls is a complete inspiration and if you haven't been keeping track for the past 365 days, don't worry, it's all archived here:

http://www.newdressaday.com/


Day 365

Before

 After

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.

Placemat Phonecase

Well, after seeing my brand new phone case, Cam asked me to make him one with a more manly aesthetic. He also has a new phone. I won't tell you what happened to the last one, but it involved a flushing toilet.

The fabric he chose from my collection had been a table mat in a previous life, but it had a gorgeous purple and green pattern of grape vines which suit him perfectly.

 Grape vines grown in our front garden by Cam.

Half a table mat pre-upcycling

 Reincarnated as a durable, but unfortunately not waterproof, phone case.

Tie Post #3 - The coin purse

Find a fun, patterned tie in an op-shop or an unsuspecting man's wardrobe. I generally go for a pretty dark colour because I carry around a lot of crap around in my handbag and my purse tends to get grotty. Fold the tie over, add a zip, stitch. Voila!

Tie Post #2 - The Tie Top

Start with an old black top which you've already started wearing as a pajama top

Find a tie at an op-shop.

Pin the tie around the collar of the top. Use a loose tension when you're sewing to avoid the tie bunching up
.

Cut a V shape in the back neckline of the top and sew the two pieces of the tie to match the V.

Use the left-over pieces to make two small strips for the sleeves.

Pin, sew and ask Genevieve to model it!

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!

Upcycling

From the age of sixteen, I've had a compulsion to cut up and reconfigure my clothing. As a self-taught sewer it was a fairly dodgy process, often ending in total disaster and a healthy supply of scrap material. Over the years, through a system of trial and error, I actually learned to sew properly and was ridiculously excited to find that there is a name for what I do: Upcycling! This blog is a type of archive for all the bits and pieces I make. Enjoy!