I hadn't noticed it much before, but this year there was no escaping The Refashioners! There was denim allllll up in my Instagram feed. For weeks. I loved it. 

 I had done another denim refashion a while ago (oh boy, this post is SO OLD - I may regret this link), so I could obviously get on board with it. There's always learning in taking apart RTW, so no matter how the refashion ended up, there was still something to gain!

I decided right away to comb my closet, not second hand stores for denim, as I love making what I own last. These jeans were on their very last leg. I bought them my junior year of university, which I realized was about 8 years ago now (yikes). I had hemmed them a couple of times and by estimation, probably darned/repaired the crotch/thigh area 10-12 times over the years.

I copied the basic pieces of a favorite denim jacket of mine to keep it classic. Then I cropped it, altered the hem band length so I could use the waistband of the jeans, and lowered the armscyes for range of movement and so I can wear a variety of tops under it. 

To me, the best part of refashioning is that you can make a plan, but new ideas always come up once the original garment is taken apart. Here, I didn't know how much I'd like the dark areas under the back pockets, but once I removed the pockets, I knew they were meant for a contrast yoke!

Railroad stripe scraps and copper jeans buttons to finish!

It's an everyday kind of piece for me, and I'm super happy to continue to get use out of these jeans.

/curved hem

Oh hey! It's me again- remember? The girl who hasn't blogged in four months?

I figured it was about time to get back to writing in this space!
Right now I have a little curved hem action for you.

I suppose they're usually referred to as high-low hems, and you have probably seen them around. Because they have been aroooound  lately.
Here are some of my favorites:

Daryl Shirt by Ilana Kohn, Townson Top at Need Supply Co., Parrot silk dresss by Beyond the Valley

You know those things you buy that you know don't fit or look super great, but you get them anyway because you believe you're some altering/styling wizard that gets these things done overnight?

Right.
That explains this oversized men's shirt I bought last year. It remained on my garment rack for many, many months.
Something had to be done. Something quick, so I could just get it over with already.

Let me tell you, this was a super swift makeover. Faster than lightning.

You'll need a French curve, which looks like this:

1) Choose and mark your high (center front) and mid (side) points, measuring to make sure the side points are equal. You may want to do this while wearing the shirt, so you don't end up exposing half your ribcage. (Unless you want to- that's cool too.) Be sure to factor in a seam allowance; in this case 1/2" is perfect for a simple rolled hem.

Lay the shirt flat and position the French curve to taste. Mark the curve where it meets the CF and side point with a dry-erase marker or one of those overhead pens. Match the markings on the curve at the same points on the opposite side, making a mirror image.

2) Turn the shirt over to the back side. Match side points same as front and mark the center back near the hem. Repeat the marking process with the French curve.

3) Cut away, and hem!

I did a little rolled hem. In case you need a bit of a refresher, Jen at Grainline explains an easy roll hem very nicely here.

I have to admit, this is one trend I am totally behind. On a classic button-down, it might just stand the test of time!

/denim short II

So glad to finally be done with these! I had pieced them together from two old pairs of jeans a few months ago (from the same pattern I drafted and made these out of), but never had the will to finish until now.

The lighter denim came from a pair of well-loved but too worn Gap jeans that I hadn't worn in years, and the dark denim from an alteration client's jeans she had me shorten. The pockets were once functional, but are now stitched shut. I should have realized that they'd gape massively, being at an angle on my hips and all... sometimes I do not think. Also, LOTS of flat-felled seams, because they are my favorite.

The sun has started showing itself (albeit sporadically), but it's definitely still not warm enough to wear shorts.
So I took a couple of awkward shots in the sewing room.

Shorts photos are much better if you can stage some sort of outdoor frolicking (picnic, walk in the park), but here I present to you the obligatory front and back photos.

Are back shots even obligatory?
If not, I definitely feel weird about this one...

Hopefully I'll be doing much more sewing for myself in the near future, because all I see are dresses! Sun & warmth, you are welcome to hold off another couple weeks until I make at least one more dress, but please come soon after that.
Much appreciated.

/knit dress

I finished my first entirely knit dress! And BONUS: in time to enter in the contest it was intended for! From two dearly loved sweatshirts and one unidentified garment (last post), I now have a very comfy dress.

The pattern is adapted from one I made Junior year of college, but in that case the 'shrug' pieces were hand painted twill (not a knit). There also wasn't a giant waistband, and I remember a crazy serger mishap that sent the hemline into dangerous territory. Needless to say, I never wore that version.

sketch. I thought I'd have to use scraps once I got to the bodice (hence the stripes), but ended up being able to use the hood for the main bodice piece. I like the simpler look.

final product. After basting the original pleats, I switched them up to be a little more dramatic.

I decided to partially keep the pockets for detail on the back. I applied twill tape to the shoulder seams & back of neck, front neckline and sleeve edges.

I usually can't handle a v-shape in this area, but I acquiesced to the limitations on fabric. Goober.

        ...BUT I like the side seams! They echo the v-shape toward the front and help it not to look like a mistake.                       The back skirt panels used to be very worn-in sweatshirt sleeves. As you can see, the elbow area ended up hitting right underneath my butt. Cute.

This new and improved version is destined to be well-loved. I'm really starting to enjoy refashioning!