Southwest T-shirt - a refashion story

This was a fun & easy little project. I normally like to refashion t-shirts, but this time I admit I bought it brand new. Michael's had Gilden t-shirts on sale for $2 - so I couldn't refuse. I bought a nice brand new 2XL shirt & refashioned it to an old dusty tie dye shirt :-)

1. Trim down the neckband - cut just above the stitching line to hold it's shape
2. Cut off the sleeves. I cut mine way back and I sewed my side seams in some, but you can just cut off the sleeves
3. Tie dye your shirt. I did an accordion fold diagonally & tied it off with rubber bands, then I submerged it in a jar of Palomino Gold proactive dye from Dharma Trading - I let it sit in the jar for 24-hours. Wash & dry the t-shirt
4. Using a grid ruler & rolling cutter, I cut 3/8" wide fringe all around the bottom (hence the 2XL shirt - I wanted the extra length)
5. Knot the fringe. Take 2 stands & cross over 2 strands & knot them with the following 2 strands. Continue in the same direction all the way around the shirt.

Style it with your outfit & wear it!

The New and Improved Bee Bling Hat

I'm loving my bee hat v2.0. I loved the screen print of our apiary logo & the patch with the alternating blanket stitches. Then I went for the bling. My first attempt was rather meh. Just not taking it to the level I wanted. Then I was introduced to blingy Olive & Pique hats, and my vision was focused.  I went rhinestone shopping on EBay (best craft store ever) and bought a mix bag selection of sew on stones.

I had been wanting to try my new bead foundation material for a while & this seemed to be the perfect starter project. I'm not an expert beader, but I can do enough to be dangerous. Having the foundation and the rhinestones really cleaned up my beading & I love the results.

My selection of sew on rhinestones

I just made up my pattern of random stitching here

steps of the refab... removing the old beading, taping off the sections to be painted & the stenciling with gold paint

The finished result from my first attempt to the revamped version

Fastest Men's Shirt Refashion in the West

This is so quick & easy it's ridiculous!

1. Pick a men's shirt that's a size or two larger than you
2. Using your sharp fabric scissors (Ginghar's y'all - worth the money), cut off the collar just above the collar stand, and the cuffs just above the cuff
3. Roll the cuffs up about 3 times (stitch in place if desired), put on your shirt and tie the bottom ends in a knot

DONE. Show off to the cats.

Cut on the Red lines

Reincarnated Cowboy Hat

Shut up - Shut up - Shut up! I just HAD to reblog this post I came across for refashioning your straw cowboy hats. (Every girl has one right?). Look a how gorgeous this is when you ModgePodge some vintage floral fabric to it.
http://cathiefilian.blogspot.com/2013/04/summer-style-how-to-alter-cowboy-hat.html

I'm so doing this!

My Refashioned Winter T

This came out so cute & comfy that I want to make 50 more!  I've posted the "How To" on the Refashion Co-op site.

Fabulous Refashioned Winter T-shirt

Tiny Houses, Refashioned Clothing, Convertible Dresses --- It's a Movement I Totally Missed!

I admit, I'm a consumer. An 80's baby raised in a "buy it all" society. Here's the clincher that's finally made me realize I'm now mature (yes I'm a late bloomer) --- I don't need all this crap!  I've always been a pack rat. It comes from my artistic & creative nature that I can make something else from everything else - so I'd better not throw it away. The problem is that over the years, I've accumulated too much stuff! I just can't manage it all.

I'd love nothing more than to quit my day job & become a full time artist. I'm pretty sure that there's enough crap in my house that I'd never need to buy anything new ever again & make millions of pieces of art! However, that is just too scary of an idea for me right now. I'm consciously choosing to stay in corporate America & contribute to my retirement & keep my art as a hobby (for now). BUT... through my learning & growing process I'm furthering my artistic development so that when that retirement day comes & I begin my full-time artist life, I will be mature in my idea & technique.

I'm still in my starter house - a small 1960's bungalow of 1300 sq feet. I've often dreamed of having a larger place in the country, but didn't want to give up my cheap mortgage & easy commute, so I've stayed here. My husband & I bought some play property in the country, a place to camp, hunt & keep some bees. We've been touched by the tiny house movement & will build one as a cabin. However, that idea struck me close to home. Why treat my house as a has-been? I should embrace the tiny living & make my small house more efficient to our lifestyle. Although we haven't started renovations, they are in discussion.

Then the idea moved to my craft... why not start refashioning things. So I bought from thrift stores & started practicing (too scared to work from my own closet & permanently ruin something of my own - never mind that I never wear it, or it doesn't fit or whatever reason it ends up in the re-fashion pile). I now have stash of refashioned items & a bigger stash of stuff to be refashioned.

Now my obsession is convertible clothing. In order to feed my ever changing sense of style, but stop feeding my consumer, buy it all monster --- I'm moving into the world of refashioning items into convertible clothing items. I know I'm late to the transformer clothing party, but oh what fun! I've began by drafting up knock off patterns for about 6 pieces of convertible clothing. I started with the simplest pattern & sewing & moved on from there.

If you think about folks who have chosen the tiny house lifestyle, the closet is a critical component of that life. How in the world can you be a fashionista & a tiny houser at one time? Convertible clothing is the answer.

Contributing to Refashion Co-op with Denim Skirts

I'm officially a contributor to the Refashion Co-op! Whoo hoo! Check out my first post called "Ooh those denim skirts!"
http://refashionco-op.blogspot.com/2015/01/ooh-those-denim-skirts.html

Zombies wear Chicos

I'm posting a bag refashion. I made a Chicos bag into a fabulous zombie birthday gift bag. Love this.
Take 1 Chicos bag with a red ribbon (optional)
Print some zombie pictures from Mr Google (personal use only)
Bust out your ModgePodge or equivalent white glue
Get a red candle ready

STEP 1: glue your pictures to the bag (covering the logo)
STEP 2: drip red wax on the bag for blood

Too glamorous for words!