Orange Floral Top: Repair & Rewear

October 29, 2021 trishstitched5 Comments

In August, I took a trip to Fab Scrap for some new bag fabrics. Drew and I went to the warehouse, where fabric is sold by the pound and a new section they had was the Mendables, which are racks that have sample garments from designers. These items may have holes, tears, writing, etc, all making them un-sellable. Fab Scrap takes these in and sells them by the pound! What I love about these pieces is that they are truly clothes that need TLC. This is one of the pieces I found at Fab Scrap, a beautiful top with the front cut. It looked like a simple fix, and a garment in my size, so all I wanted to do was repair it!

Whenever I believe a project will be quick or simple, I find it much easier to procrastinate getting it done. This top was no exception, as it took months for me to work on this! But I’ve been waiting on a hardware order before I can finish the jacket I’m making, so I thought this would be a great ‘in-between’ project.

First step was cutting open the neckline facings. I also ripped the seam of the shoulder, and the waistline to be able to move the material better. I was then able to completely cut the slits out, and straighten the cut.

I stitched the newly straightened line back into the neckline, and topstitched each side shut.

Just under 1″ on each side was removed, meaning I had extra material on the top and in the waistband. Initially, I was going to gather the shoulder seam so I didn’t have to open up the sleeve, but after experimenting, it didn’t look how I wanted. I opened the top of the sleeve seam and pushed the extra fabric into the sleeve. I topstitched the shoulder seam, and re-stitched the sleeve after cutting off the excess.

Next I pinned the new neckline in place, bringing up the “V”, a bit higher than the original design. This had to be done several times, both on my body, and on my mannequin to be sure the best fit. It took some finessing to be sure the material would lay properly. Bringing the neckline too high up meant the material would pucker, however too low and I wouldn’t be comfortable wearing it. After pinning, there was a bit of excess fabric from the neckline pieces that needed to be trimmed, similar to the sleeves. (sorry – forgot photos of the extra fabric!)

The next step was to re-gather the waistband to include the excess fabric. This top was designed to have a flowy-er bodice, so making the waistband a little smaller still left me with room to get in and out of the top. I also wanted to remove some of the length, since the top was just a bit long on my frame. Instead of re-hemming, I decided to remove the entire waist and re-gather it. I cut 1/2″ off and re-gathered the material. The gathering was pretty annoying, and I had to re-do the waistline stitching several times to make the gathering even.

After the waistband was complete, I re-pinned the neckline one last time and topstitched in place. The final step was tightening the elastic on the wrist. I opened the wrist seam just enough to get to the elastic, and pulled it out a bit. I took about 1″ out of each wrist elastic. I stitched the seam back up and this top was finished!

I was debating with myself if this was a mend/repair or a refashion. Ultimately, I kept the garment and design in tack, and this project was more about repairing than changing the look.

After completing this, I did do a little google search to find out about the designer, and what the final top looks like. Turns out this designer is sold at Anthropologie! I couldn’t find this exact top, but I did find the print in another style! How cool! I also found this style top in different fabrics, so it’s possible this was leftover fabric to create a new style. While I don’t know the reason for the neckline being cut, I’m so thrilled it found its way to Fab Scrap, and eventually to me!

(And a photo of me shopping the racks at Fab Scrap!)

I really love how this piece turned out, and am happy I finally took the time to fix it.

I sometimes hate mending/repairing my own clothes. It can be a task that doesn’t always feel fulfilling until after it is done and I get to wear my clothes again. I think many sewers have mending piles that take time to get to, because so often, new fabric is so much more fun to sew! Many of my mending projects turn into refashioning projects because I see it as a new way to look at the garment. Either way, it is so incredibly important to give these pieces another chance – the more clothing we can save from landfill, the better!

I have a few other pieces that I’m excited to repair, and while these posts aren’t going to be exact tutorials for items in your repair pile, I do hope they inspire you to fix some of the projects you may have been putting off!

fashion revolution · refashion · sewing · Tutorials

Fashion Revolution Week: Low Waste Alternatives & Skirt to Top Refashion

April 23, 2020 trishstitched1 Comment

Hey world changers – how are you doing? We have all been going through some difficult times and I haven’t been talking about it much because I use my sewing as a form of distraction. I hope these refashions & posts have distracted/inspired you in these times!

Today I’m sharing another simple refashion with a “before” you may be familiar with! I made this skirt several years ago, and I’m definitely not the same size I used to be! This skirt stayed in my wardrobe because I love the fabric so much, and I recently moved it to my refashion pile because I wanted to be able to wear it once again!

Fashion Revolution Week: Skirt to Top Refashion- Trish Stitched

This refashion is based off of this cute top! I am a huge fan of gathering and have done multiple peplum refashions, but haven’t tried an empire style top! This skirt was a very simple pleated skirt with a side zipper. Here’s how I refashioned it:

I took off the waistband, removed the zipper and removed the pleats. I took 5″ off the top of the skirt portion, and used that and the waistband to cut a new bodice and straps. I made a lining from some fabric in my stash. After the bust portion was sewn, I gathered the remaining skirt and attached it to the bust. Then the zipper was re-inserted on the back, and straps were sewn on!

Fashion Revolution Week: Skirt to Top Refashion- Trish Stitched

For the bust, I used a pattern I had in my stash, McCalls 6838, but you can use all different patterns to get a similar result! I made a muslin of the bust portion because I had such little material to work with. Some of the pieces had to be franken-stitched together before making the bust.

Fashion Revolution Week: Skirt to Top Refashion- Trish Stitched

Here’s a short video with some behind the scenes!

{Music in Video is Early Hours by Ikson on Inshot App}

Starting on a sustainable fashion journey can often lead into wanting to go sustainable in other areas of life. For the past few years, I’ve been taking small steps towards going “greener” in other parts of my life, mostly trying to reduce the amount of plastic and trash we create. (We already do a lot of the basics, bringing reusable bags to stores, using metal straws and re-usable cups.) My rule of thumb is, when something in our household is running low, I start looking for alternative products, or a more sustainable system. This is a slower process to go waste free but one that is working well for us. Progress over perfection!

Here’s a few of the products I’ve researched, fallen in love with and now use on a daily basis!

Blueland Hand Soap & Cleaners – This was an instagram ad that got my attention. When we first moved into our home we bought glass soap dispensers and bulk liquid soap, but as my bulk was finally running out, I decided to give Blueland a try! We were also running low on household cleaners so we purchased the whole cleaning set. Blueland sells “forever” bottles and tablets. You keep the same bottles, use tap water to fill the bottles and pop in a tablet to refill the soap dispensers and cleaners. The foam soap is amazing, and the cleaners have been great! I bought a double batch of soap so we are stocked for awhile!

Dropps Laundry & Dishwasher Detergent Pods – It took some time to switch our laundry detergent because I’ve had bad skin reactions to detergents in the past and have been afraid to try a new product, but Dropps have been incredible! Dropps are pods and what I love is that they aren’t sold in a giant plastic container! We also bought the dishwasher pods, which we love! Another sustainable option I almost went with is Tru Earth, which are laundry strips!

Soda Stream – I know this is a strange one to be on my sustainable list but it’s a product that has cut down on so much of our waste. Drew and I love bubbly water and we would go through a case of La Croix a week. The recycling bin was getting outrageous, so we switched to Soda Stream last year. We don’t drink much soda, so our system is just used for carbonated water, and this little unit has been awesome!

Next alternatives we are trying: Shampoo and conditioner bars! It took some time to research, but I’m hoping the ones I ordered work for my hair! They are set to arrive next week so I will update soon!

What are some of your low-waste alternatives?

There are a few low waste youtuber’s I love following, and if this is a topic you are interested in, check them out!

Shelbizleee

Sedona Christina

fashion revolution

Fashion Revolution Week: Secondhand Shopping & Thrift Tips!

April 23, 2020 trishstitchedLeave a comment

It’s Wednesday and we are halfway through Fashion Revolution Week! Today I’m taking a short break from sewing projects to talk about my favorite Haulternative to Fast Fashion! For the past several years, thrifting has been my #1 way to get a “new” wardrobe. I’ve been cleaning out all the clothes I don’t wear or fit my style, and I’m mindfully filling it in with secondhand finds (along with upcycles and handmades of course!)

My #1 favorite resource to shop secondhand is ThredUp. It is so easy to find whatever I’m looking for with their filters, and returns are a breeze! I’ve been shopping on ThredUp for about 3 years now, and just became a ThredUp Ambassador! This is a huge deal for me, because this is a company I really believe in and love. I don’t work with a lot of brands because they don’t align with my values, but I’m thrilled to share all about ThredUp, which I do over on Instagram all the time anyway! This floral romper and these flats are from ThredUp!

Trish Stitched

Like I mentioned in yesterday’s post, most of my activewear wardrobe is second hand and comes from ThredUp. I like to filter by condition of apparel, New with Tags or Like New condition to ensure I will get the most life out of my “new” garments. I also shop ThredUp a lot for secondhand shoes! It can be very hard to find my size (Size 5) in a retail store, and even harder to find a pair while thrifting but I’ve found several pairs of shoes on ThredUp! Here’s my current used shoe collection! (From Poshmark & ThredUp)

Trish Stitched

{If you are interested in shopping on ThredUp, follow this link to get $10 to spend (I’ll also get $10 for the referral!)}

But this isn’t the only place I shop used. Poshmark is my second favorite online resource. You shop from individual sellers, but there is a lot more variety and you can ask questions about items before purchasing! Another place similar to Poshmark is Depop, which I haven’t bought from yet. And there are your more popular places: Ebay and Etsy (for vintage). And for luxury items – I love looking (not doing much shopping on this site!) at The Real Real. Here’s one of my favorite Poshmark purchases- overalls!

Trish Stitched

I also try to go to my local thrift stores, although I can’t always get there (especially now on Stay at Home orders!). There are some local church thrift stores in my area, a few chain stores, and vintage shops as well. Among those, my favorite spots are Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange because they are a little more curated. Winter coat from Plato’s Closet!

Trish Stitched

Thrifting in person can be disappointing, and you can definitely walk away empty handed. I’ve shared my tips for thrifting before but want to share them again for anyone looking to start thrifting!

Trish Stitched

Thrift Tips

-Go often! Stores get new inventory daily, especially if they also have a donation drop-off in store. New clothes are usually put on rolling racks on the floor before getting sorted throughout the day.

-If you like something, try it on. Vintage sizes are different from modern sizes, and something labeled at a different size than you wear may fit. And if something doesn’t fit, remember the clothes are wrong – not you!

-Thoroughly look over each piece for wear and stains. If you are thrifting for clothing to wear off the rack, be sure that the pieces you pick up aren’t worn. Check the butt and crotch of pants, underarms and necklines on dresses and tops, and double check zippers work and buttons are all there. If something has a small hole or stain, will you fix it? I have a pile of pieces that I say I will fix but rarely get around to them!

-Now, if you fall in love with something that is stained or worn and you have some sewing skills – take that piece home and get creative!

-Check all sections of the store. I like to take a look down all the aisles if I have the time, some items get misplaced, or hidden by other shoppers. And don’t forget to shop the linen section for tablecloths that can make beautiful pieces and sheets that can be used for muslins!

-Check care labels. I find a lot of clothes that are Dry Clean Only, but don’t go to the dry cleaners often. I only take those pieces if I really love it and can see it working well in my wardrobe. This is also a great way to add in more natural fibers to your closet. Cottons, linens, and silks can be plentiful when thrifting, and at a lower price point.

-If you are looking for worn clothing to refashion, ask an store employee if there are pieces you can go through that weren’t good enough to be sold.

What’s your favorite thrift score? One of my favorites was this Anthropologie Dress I bought for $7 that fits perfectly! The other, a faux leather jacket from a San Francisco Thrift Shop!

Trish Stitched

refashion · sewing · Tutorials

Fashion Revolution Week & Simple Dress to Midi Skirt Refashion

April 20, 2020 trishstitched3 Comments

It’s Fashion Revolution Week! This is a very important week, and as a refashioner /lover of the planet, this week is a chance for me to bring even more awareness to a cause close to my heart. If you’ve been following this blog for some time, you’ll have seen my posts in previous years about Fashion Revolution. But for those who are new here, or somehow stumbled upon this post – I would love to share what Fashion Revolution is!

Fashion Revolution.org explains it best:

On the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed 1,138 people and injured many more in 2013, we encourage millions of people to come together to campaign for systemic change in the fashion industry.

We are living in a climate emergency and the fashion & textiles sector is one of the most polluting and wasteful industries. The industry continues to lack transparency, with widespread exploitation of people working in the supply chain. Never before have there been this many people on the planet in slavery, and fashion is a key driver of this reality. Brands and retailers are still not taking enough responsibility for the pay and working conditions in their factories, the environmental impacts of the materials they use or how the products they make affect the health of people, animals and our living planet.

If the fashion industry is so horrible, why do we still love shopping and getting new clothes? It’s so easy to ignore something that isn’t directly affecting our daily lives. But if we know what is wrong with the clothing industry, why can’t we do something about it? As a consumer, there are a few things you can do: ask your favorite brands who made your clothes and how. Hold them responsible for their impact, and if they don’t have a good answer or plan on changing – find an alternative.

I am fortunate to have a passion for sewing that has helped me to find alternatives to shopping fast fashion, and with second-hand shopping gaining momentum, it is now easier than ever to say “no” to buying new, unsustainable fashion. This week I’m talking about alternatives in the fashion & sewing industry, ways to be more sustainable in every day life, and sharing some new refashions. One of the most important things to remember about your sustainable journey is that it isn’t about being perfect. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and taking time to make little changes can be more impactful than diving straight in. My wardrobe still isn’t 100% sustainable, and probably won’t be for a few years, but I’m doing what I can at my own pace. World changers aren’t here to judge, we are hear to encourage and inform.

Why do I care about Fashion Revolution? I’ve been part of the world of fashion since I was a child, playing with paper dolls and creating new clothes for them. I’ve dreamed of being a designer, owning a fashion house and making several new lines a year. I’ve envisioned seeing my clothes on people walking down the street, and in shop windows. I’ve always known I was meant to be in the world of fashion, but when I started to really learn about the industry, my dreams started to blur.

I learned about the horrible working conditions, and it was a complete eye opener. A world that I loved had just started crumbling around me – the realities of what my dream meant to others and the planet started setting in and I believed I wasn’t meant for this industry. And I was right. I’m not meant for the traditional fashion industry. I’m meant for this new industry that is forming. One that cares about employees and working conditions, fair pay and materials used, sustainability and inclusivity.

My love for clothing hasn’t changed, but I no longer desire to have my own clothing company. Now, I dream about encouraging others to create. One of the best alternatives to shopping fast fashion is to take a second look at the items already in your wardrobe- and if you sew, you’ll have a lot more opportunity to love your garments over and over! This week I’m transforming a few pieces that have been sitting in my closet into something new for me to re-love.

Fashion Revolution Week: Dress to Midi Skirt Refashion - Trish Stitched

The first piece up is an Aeropostle dress I thrifted quite a few months ago. I originally bought this dress to wear as-is, but after washing it and trying it on, it was clear the top was too tight for me. The underarms were too high and cut into my armpits, and there were a few stains along the bodice. What drew me to the dress was the longer skirt, so that’s the part I wanted to keep! It didn’t take long to turn this dress into a cute midi skirt for spring/summer.

Fashion Revolution Week: Dress to Midi Skirt Refashion - Trish Stitched

There’s a short video for this piece, but a few written instructions as well. This is for a skirt with front buttons but can be done with a zippered dress as well. With a zipper, you may have to remove and re-install the zipper.

Measure waist to midi length (or the length you would like your skirt to hit) and add 1/2″. Starting your measurement from the bottom of the dress, measure and cut that length on your piece. This way you will get to keep your hem in tact and save a step! My measurement came to 29.5″.
If you are raising the waist of your dress, you may need to take out some extra fabric. I took out 8″ total on my new skirt from the back seam. Starting at the waistline and tapering down to the seamline.
Using the excess material from the bodice of your dress, make a waistband. I wanted a small waistband so mine was 2″ x the length of my waist (+2″ for seam allowance) Add lightweight interfacing to waistband.
Stitch the waistband to the skirt, right sides together with a 1/2″ seam allowance.
Fold the other raw edge of waistband in, then fold waistband in half with wrong sides together, enclosing the raw edges. Topstitch waistband.
I added a hook and eye to the very top of my waistband, but if you have a zipper, there will be no need.

I wanted the front of my skirt to have a clean look with no gathering, but I will be going in and adding elastic to the back, as I tried my skirt on the next day and it wasn’t as secure (thanks to the short detox I’m doing!). Adding a little bit of elastic on the back will help with fit.

Fashion Revolution Week: Dress to Midi Skirt Refashion - Trish Stitched

I’ve wanted a midi skirt in my wardrobe for a long time, but never thought it was right for my short body. Being able to try the style with a second hand piece showed me I can rock and LOVE how midi’s look on me. I am so excited to wear this piece with sneakers and tees, and also dress it up with heels like I did here. It’s going to be a perfect piece for summer in my sewing studio when I want something light and airy to wear.

Fashion Revolution Week: Dress to Midi Skirt Refashion - Trish Stitched

And how cute is that print and those buttons?! I hope you’ll join me along for the rest of the week and ask your favorite brands who made your clothes!

For more info and ways to get involved, visit FashionRevolution.org

#RefashionFriday · refashion · sewing

#RefashionFriday Tier Dress Refashion

December 6, 2019 trishstitchedLeave a comment

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. Actually, I can believe it- things have been a little hectic. Since my last blog post in August, I finished making my wedding dress, got married on the rim of the Grand Canyon and spent two weeks exploring National Parks with my new husband. Of course, there was a lot more that happened in the past few months, but those are some of the more notable moments!

I will definitely share my wedding dress/the process of making it when I get back some more photos! (But I will leave a few down below if you haven’t seen any on instagram)

While making my wedding dress, I had a lot of refashioning ideas, but didn’t have time to make any of them because my dress took way longer than expected. After my dress, and all the wedding planning, I didn’t feel like being creative at all! The past couple weeks I have been re-organizing life, sewing through a little bit of my stash (projects that have been on my list all year!) and designing new bags for my shop.

For a few months now I’ve been eyeing “tier dresses”, dresses with 2-3 gathered layers, and have been falling in love with the style. I was doing some pattern research and came across the Myosotis Dress and really fell in love! But before spending money on another pattern, I wanted to test how the dress style would look on me. Enter this sweet denim dress I picked up earlier in the year.

#RefashionFriday Tier Dress Refashion - Trish Stitched

This denim dress was very well loved – the denim has been washed a number of times and it has several stains, but I really loved the bodice detail and the velvet collar. It was a size small, so I didn’t have to do much fitting to it, but I was able to use the skirt for the look I wanted. I went off this photo for inspiration.

First step was to re-size the bodice a bit on each side. I also removed the skirt from the bodice and took out the pleats in the original skirt. The first tier of the skirt came out to be 10.5″ long. I gathered the skirt and reattached the first tier.

#RefashionFriday Tier Dress Refashion - Trish Stitched

To make the second tier a little bit of a quicker process, I measured from the bottom up to keep the original hem. I had to add about 7” to both side seams of the second tier to add more material to gather. There are additional seam lines on the sides, but I don’t mind. The second tier measures in at 9″.

#RefashionFriday Tier Dress Refashion - Trish Stitched

I also re-sized the sleeve slightly and took out a few inches on the shoulder. After that, I re-attached the ties to the side seams and my refashion was complete!

#RefashionFriday Tier Dress Refashion - Trish Stitched

I really love the style on me, I just have to be sure to watch the length. Going too long with this style dress can make me look frumpy, so a style right above the knee works well! I also need to watch the amount of gathering in each tier. I’ve had this issue before- adding too much gathering makes me look childish, so for me, it’s all about moderation with gathering!

This refashion came together quickly and would be easy to do with so many dresses! I could also see this as a cute upcycle for kids!

Looking for a little more inspiration? Here are some awesome tier dresses:

Have a Seamwork Account? This Amber Dress is so cute – I love the multi colored layers, another option for upcycling!

sw3084-amber-01-large-79bcb18621c997072044ecba5354ffc5a3ffa5121edd67dd175547b9b5ecb757

This tutorial from peek-a-boo pages can be easily adapted for an upcycle project!

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Sara from The Sara Project also created a tier dress tutorial with trim!

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Happy Friday!

And here are some photos of our wedding and honeymoon! I will blog more about all of this soon!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset IMG_4308[6135] IMG_4634[6136] IMG_5799[6137]

#RefashionFriday · refashion · sewing

#RefashionFriday Dress to Shirt Dress

April 26, 2019February 1, 2020 trishstitched1 Comment

Happy Friday! I am so excited because it is Fashion Revolution Week! I really love this week because it’s a time for everyone to come out and ask the fashion industry about what they are doing. For those that don’t know what Fashion Revolution Week is, you can read about it on their website!

To be honest, I like to believe like every week is Fashion Revolution week, and one of my goals with refashioning projects is to educate others about reusing resources we already have, whether that be through clothing in our own closets or thrifting items. I’ve found my best solution to the messed up world of fashion is through my sewing. Over my 13 years of learning to sew, I’ve become much more aware of the textiles I’ve been bringing in, and the waste I accumulate. My sewing has become much more mindful, and I’m really honing in on my style, and the quality of my makes.

That being said, I have a new refashion to share today! I’ve had this dress in my refashioning pile for months, waiting for the right idea. I went onto Pinterest and started searching around for denim dresses, and one style that popped up was a shirt dress. I don’t have a casual shirt dress in my wardrobe and I thought it would be a fun, easy going style to carry me into summer.