Sweetling Refashion Summer Outfit: The Beginning

I recently joined the Refashioning Co-op to help get and keep me inspired.  So far, so good.

As I go through my clothes and my children's clothes, I'm making a pile of items to make into other things.  Donating is great and all, but some of the items have small stains here and there (from the kids or from the previous owners) and most donation places would just toss them, so why not remake them into something else that we can use?  So I'm working on various ideas and how to impliment them... and figuring out what the chance is that I'd actually follow through on some of these ideas.

Right now, I'm working on a summer dress for my daughter.  I took a romper that was a hand-me-down from my oldest sister (who received it as a hand-me-down from her neighbor for her own daughters).  Honestly, I found it very... clownish.  My sister apparently did to, since she mentioned that she never had her daughters wear it either.  But I did see some potential in it.  (I apologize for the images in advance.  They are a little dark, but we can't find the cords for our good camera in order to download the images.  I may tinker with these images to get a better idea of the colors, but for now, it they will have to do.)



original Romper (front and back)

The main material is a bright white with block stamp style butterflies and tulips (and a few dirt marks that I will Oxyclean out later).  I figured it would make a cute Spring and Summer outfit.  The collar, cuffs, bum ruffle and bow are all a very cute pink with polka dot cloth.  I plan to make a white dress using those as detailing.  I am a sucker for polka dots.  Below are the pieces, including the elastics and some of the longer pieces of thread.

broken down to pieces
(pieces of similar shape, like the legs and torso back, are placed on top of each other)

I plan to make a light jacket, dress, perhaps a hat and diaper cover.  As a base for the dress and hat, I'm using Mccalls 4424 infant dress and hat.  I've loved this pattern since I first saw it (long before I really thought I'd have kids) and I figured this was a great opportunity to test it out.  The jacket will be from the romper's original torso design with a few modifications and the diaper cover will be figured out later (whether I choose to use this pattern, another, or just forgot it all together).

McCalls 4424

I don't have enough of the main fabric for the dress torso lining and the skirt, so I dug through my cloth stash and found some thin pink broadcloth and some bright yellow cotton.  I opted for the former, though I may have to bulk up the cloth a little to make it appear less thin (the romper cloth was a bit heavier a cotton).  I also have the original romper's buttons that I'm debating to use for the jacket and a huge pink flower I found that I will use as added detailing.  I chose to buy some transparent pink ribbon in two shade I may turn into ruffles for addition softness.

I'm not using the pattern for the skirt, instead just cutting rectangles (two in the printed romper fabric and one in the pink broadcloth) and will be adding a large ruffle in the pink broadcloth as well.  Sorry if all of this isn't exactly clear, but it will make more sense when the dress is done.

My goal with this outfit is to have the jacket and dress done by Easter regardless of whether we choose to have my daughter wear it for the Holiday or at some point that weekend.

There are a few concerns I have.  I worry that the dress won't fit right.  My daughter is 4 months old, but is the max for the pattern's size Medium, so I'm making it in a size Large (for 9-12 months olds!).  I also worry that it will end up looking less that what my standards dictate.  I have high expectations of myself.  And though I'm harder on my own creations than I am on other peoples, I feel a small sense of "what the heck" when I see people taking items and remaking them into subpar pieces, things I'm halfway sure they wouldn't wear or use, but rather threw together just to say, "Look what I made."  I'm not into that, and hope that my refashioned items don't turn out that way, because really that would make me feel like a huge hypocrite... and that would suck.  So, I guess we'll see how this goes.

Creativity in the Works (aka. the Stitch-Itch)

Here's a list of projects I plan to work on as I get more situated and settled (and get my work stations set up) in my new apartment:

• Set up a sewing/textile work station.  I'm thinking of using part of the "dining room" for this.
• Set up a painting work area (though this may be a mostly "on the balcony" sort of thing.
• Work on the commissioned portrait.  I need to find the supplies and reference materials, but that's covered in part by bullet #2.
• Sort textile project supplies, which will also include items to be remade into other things.  Items needing to be mended will likely go here too, but in a "special" section to get priority (for the most part).

I am very inspired to by MADE of late.  Through that website, I also found Wardrobe Refashion, which is also inspiring, especially the challenge (with cute little button graphics to encourage you to stay on track).  And through that website, just as I'm writing this entry, I found Refashion Co-op which I hope to peruse more thoroughly.

I've wanted to remake various clothing items into new pieces for myself and my family, but kept holding back.  There were a number of factors involved: lack of space, lack of time, hesitancy for whatever reason.  But the urge has continued to increase.  Now I feel I can start.  And with the ideas on the sites listed above, I feel nearly ready.  The first project I might do, just to flex my "sewing muscles" is to transform a maternity shirt I have into a full outfit for my little girl.  I love that shirt because the cotton is soft and the color and fabric design is pleasing.  Stripes (which I'm a sucker for) in dark and medium blue.  So I am thinking about turning it into ruched leggings (using the tutorial from MADE) and a summer dress with ruffles for my daughter.  After that, I might make either a stuffed dragon for my son out selvage cloth, a shirt for him out of one of my old goth shirts, or a fairy outfit for my daughter's Faerie Festival dress out of a pink "special occasion" dress I have and only used a couple times.  Or... I can start piecing together a couple toddler quilts for both my kids.  As can be seen, I'm still a little undecided.  I also plan to make a number of cat toys.  :-)

As I posted on Facebook the other day, I've got the "stitch-itch" and I hope to get working on my projects soon.  :-)