#RefashionFriday Blouse to Peplum

Hello, hello, welcome back to #RefashionFriday! This was supposed to go live last week but the silly flu took me out last Wednesday! I was knocked out cold for 5 days, and I couldn’t move from bed. My body ached,  I had a terrible cough, hot and cold flashes and the worst, constant headache. It was awful and I don’t wish it on anyone, so get your flu shot, and if you feel the slightest bit of a cold coming on, stay home! I’m feeling so much better and I’m excited to share some amazing things today!

Around the Web: 

Follow: My latest Instagram obsession is @fab_scrap. They are a non-profit in NYC who take fabric scraps from fashion companies and sell them to YOU. They used to only have store hours, BUT they just opened up their online store last week! And now everyone can shop their stash! Shop Online HERE!

Read: Melly Sews shared an amazing article from Slate.com about how depression era women used to sew with feed/flour sacks! This was definitely a repurposing mission I could get behind! Read it HERE.

Read the Comments: I saw this story on facebook a few days ago, about a woman who wanted to get carpet swatches to make a cat scratcher. She ordered way more than she could ever need, since they came free from amazon, and while I don’t recommend it because there are so many swatches thrown away everyday, the great thing from this were all the tips in the comments! If you ever come across carpet swatches, you can donate them to your local animal shelter, or elementary school! Kids can use the large pieces to sit on during reading time, and use the smaller swatches in art projects! I’m always on the look out for swatches for my recycled bags, and now I know what to do with carpet swatches that are too thick for me to use! Thanks to all those commenters for the tips! Read her story HERE.

Refashion: 

Today’s refashion is definitely not a new idea in the refashioning world, but I had never tried it for myself! One of the most popular over-sized top refashions is turning the piece into a peplum. But why is this idea overflowing online? ‘Cause it’s really easy!

I found this blouse at my local Salvation Army, and thought the print was…interesting. No, it isn’t necessarily mind-blowing, but the color combo was cool and with the large stains on the front and all tags ripped out, I knew it was never destined to go into someone else’s cart.

Today’s refashioning tip: don’t let the unknown scare you! If you see an interesting piece in the thrift store but there’s a MAJOR issue with it, don’t let it prevent you from turning it into something awesome! The same goes for pieces in your own wardrobe, if you stopped wearing something because of a stain – or it no longer fits, chopping it up can be the answer!

The very first thing I did to this blouse was rip out those shoulder pads! Next I took off the collar and sewed the collar seam shut. I also removed the sleeves and marked where the peplum should go. I set this peplum around the natural waist, but other popular options include hip, and even higher for an empire waist look.

I kept the top buttons but cut off the lower two, and set them aside. This blouse was a little too long for my frame so I knew length would have to come from somewhere. One of my favorite parts of refashioning is saving original hems! It makes the project a little easier, and saves time. I removed 2″ from the top of the lower portion, and set that aside.

I took my blouse in 2″ on each side, so the peplum would be able to gather, and added the bottom portion back on.

The sleeves were also too large so I took them in a bit.  I removed about an inch from the top of the arm cycle to refit the shoulder. I definitely wanted sleeves on this blouse, but was looking for a more relaxed look. I took the extra fabric that I cut from my peplum earlier and made sleeve tabs. I rolled the sleeves four times and sewed the button with the sleeve tab to the sleeve! I cheated here a little for ease. I didn’t make a button hole, because I know I would never take the sleeve down. When you make your own clothes, you can totally bend the rules!

I love the new, modern look and most of the stains are cut out! There’s still one on the front that I’m going to try a new stain remover on, but if it doesn’t come out it’s ok because the peplum gathering doesn’t make it as obvious.

{A tip for sewing peplums: if you don’t have a full button down or zippered front or back, make sure you can fit your peplum over your head and chest. Originally I brought my sides in a little too much, and it didn’t leave enough of a give for the peplum to come over my chest, but lesson learned! This shouldn’t be a problem with knit fabrics, but anything without stretch will have some issues.}

Inspiration: 

My favorite recent find was this blouse, and has me wanting to run out and find all the striped blouses to cut up and sew together! (From Anthropologie)

This is a cute idea for a very oversized blouse, or man’s shirt – turn it into a dress! (Original link no longer exists)

And here’s a great example of mixing materials – turn that old basic white blouse into a showstopper. (From lillienoradrygoods on etsy)

 

That’s all I have for today! I’ve been going through my refashion pile and have come across several pieces to refashion for summer and it makes me want to speed up time for the warm weather!

Have you done a recent refashion? Send photos and details to trish@trishstitched.com to be featured! And follow along my refashioning finds through Pinterest!

Have a great weekend!