Not your Garden-Variety Armchair...

When my husband and I moved into our new apartment in Halifax almost exactly a year ago, we were crushed to learn that our 3-seater ultra-suede couch would not fit through the front door... Or the side door, Or the window. And so, it was sold to the nearest used-furniture store.
Having very little left to sit on, we snagged an old arm chair from the curb of the previous tennants and threw a blanket over it as a temporary arrangement. Sadly, one year later that 'temporary' chair was still in my living room. This weekend I rose to the challenge of resolving this issue.

As buying a new chair was not a viable financial option right now, I opted for the cheaper solution: $25 in bargain sale fabric!
BEFORE:

AFTER:


I even re-covered the damanged top of an ottoman to match. The floral-patterned fabric is a little busier than I had envisioned in the store, but I think it's a definite imporovement! My little Kitty Luca already enjoys it as his new napping spot.

Tools:
-5 Metres of Fabric (a little stretch goes a long way toward "forgiveness")
-Sewing machine
-Pins
-Staple Gun
-2 Days and patience!

Rather than stripping off the original upholstery, I made more like a close-fitting slip-cover. The pieces were made by pinning fabric to the chair itself, then measureing and cutting fabric the same dimensions (the seat cushion was re-covered separately). Ensuring the cover was well-fitted and taut gives it the finished look. Use a looser fit cover for a more shabby-chic appearance.

I also made covered buttons... Here I actually had to cut open the orignal fabric from the back of the chair to expose the frame. Then, using the longest strongest needle that "Michael's Crafts" had to offer, I pulled twine through the chair padding to attach the buttons to the front before stapling the bottom of the 'slip-cover' to the underside of the frame.
Voila!

For those interested, there are also numerous links for detailed HOW-TO's available online for both slip-covers and re-upholstery. Here are a couple:

http://www.mormonchic.com/crafty/wingback.asp

http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=JC&Screen=FLORAL_CHAIR

My next job is our hand-me-down love seat with threadbare seats... but I think I'll take a break before tackling that one!

New Projects Are Brewing!

In addition to working and re-working pieces from my closet, this season I have several Home DIY projects on the go, or at least in various stages of planning:

*Re-Upholstering an old arm chair (almost done- pictures coming soon!)
*Stripping down and re-painting my dining room set (this is going to be a BIG job)
*Making a padded head-board (Once I can afford the wood and padding...)

What projects do you have on the go?

Cut it, or Keep it?

This dress is like a cloud... soft sheer cotton layers that float around my ankles. While there's nothing I like more than an excuse to wear a costume, I was sure there was something worth playing around with in this dress. The ruffles are definitely a feature that have come in and out of fashion in a million ways, and soft flirty dresses are always the biggest thing for spring.

But to bring it up to speed and make it into something wearable today, I figure the 'less-is-more' policy is the way to go. Removing the sleeves and collar brought down the formality several notches:

But now I have to make a crucial decision: To hem, or not to hem. I originally planned on shortening the length to just graze the mid-knee... light nd kicky. young and fresh. Yet, like a new hair cut, the moment of no return is daunting. Looking at this skirt makes it so enticing to leave thew length and gallavant around the garden! But my instict tells me that this won't quite fit into the casual look of last summer's maxi-dress. Taking up the hem will certaintly provide more opportunities to pull this out of the closet this summer, and it would be a shame not to see this number in the sun.

What do you think?

May Flowers and Spring Showers

It's been a while since an update, but rest assured I have kept busy with some great projects.

In addition to my patio gardening and thrift store shopping, my head is swimming with sewing ideas. 

I've recently been given a number of vintage dresses by my grandmother, Eleanor.  I have lots of plans for remodeling, yet I'm in love with their details and don't know if I can bear to take some of them apart! However, I've taken "Before" pictures of each of them, and over the next little while I'll share the transformations as they take place.

Thanks for the inspiration Nanny!

Enamored with Capes.

This winter I was a little preoccupied with other projects, and didn't get to make my usual seasonal coatl. My original concept was to make a cream-coloured fur-trimmed coat suitable for a winter wonderland... but instead I opted for something a little more condusive to multiple seasons.
I picked up a .69 cent pattern from 1989, and started with the 'mini-cape' as practice to make apt use of some beautiful purple and black check fabric I was given by my mom (and Bemberg lining to boot).

Luca even helped...

But the mini-cape did not fully satisfy my desires.It was time to move on. I had on my mind an idea of a belted jacket with big bell-sleeves. The pattern I found was just the ticket. Aside from a few bumbling errors of my own, putting it together was a breeze.

Cream Dress (a la Jackie Kennedy)

As mentioned before, with a little imagination and willingness to try things, this coat pattern has limitless uses. Essentially, it's a starting point, or a base.

For the dress below, I cut the front piece on a center fold, making one solid piece. I also changed the neckline, added front and back darts, a zipper to the back, and created cap sleeves.
The fabric is a soft synthetic knit with a bit of weight to it. Needed to be lined, but not so thin as to be see-through.

Now if only we were having a Christmas party at work, this would have been perfect for the occasion.

Pencil Skirt and Boat-neck top

I was inspired to create this outfit by a photo of actress Kate Beckinsale. I really enjoy the vibrant shade of purple, and had my own fabric not been completely free, I probably would have gone for a similar tone.
I think my version pretty much hit the mark though:























There is a nice sleek side-pocket on one side, invisible zipper on the other, and kick-pleat for ease in walking.

And my favorite accessory for a great skirt? A big honkin' belt.

SweaterSkirt

Much like the aforementioned "Sweaterdress", this skirt was made from a thrift-store sweater. The torso of an over-sized men's sweater was in great shape and the natural lines of the knit almost resemble pleats the way they hang. It required little more than to cut off the sleeves and neckline, sew the front button closure closed, and add a waistband. Very comfortable for the office!

Coral Jacket: Complete :)

Hard to believe the hardest part of this whole piece was the front welt pocket, which required two tries.
The fabric was great to work with, and the pattern came together very easily. The shoulders, which I assumed would be 'somewhat' poofy were actually really REALLY poofy, and required some alterations to bring them down to a more manageable size so that I didn't resemble a linebacker quite so much.
Overall, very happy with the results.

Coral jacket: prep-work

All the pieces are cut out :) Take a peak at the pattern for the lining:

Mini Blazer, and Kick-pleat Skirt

The newest up-and-coming projects:













I have the pieces for the mini jacket (featured in the gown pattern at left) cut from a coral/orange cotton, and lined in a red, tan & black print.
Still hunting for the right fabric to use for the skirt.

Mouret's 50's Dress

I went looking for this dress (or something like it) and was thrilled to find a pattern that fit what I was looking for so very closely.
My version ended up being quite a bit more conservative than Demi Moore's Roland Mouret design.

Though I wouldn't mind taking another stab at it, with a much more casual, clingy fabric.



















This piece was started two years ago. After painstakingly piecing the complex pattern together I found that the entire shape was far too wide across the chest, causing it to buckle through the front and dig in under the arms. I guess my frustration got the best of me, because I put it away until last week, when I dismantled it and added some princess seams to the front to narrow the bust line.
I think it was worth the wait. :)

Asian Silk Sheath

This dress took form after I had housed the fabric (some sort of Asian woven, shifty, fray-crazy, silk afghan found at the Salvation Army in the bedding department) for well over a year, trying to decide what to do with it.
I didn't use a pattern at all, and just cut out the pieces according to the varying print of the fabric:
It is actually a detailed scene, with a great tree and animals on the front and floral scrolls on the back. I used the border of the scene for the bodice and hem.

Another dress I have yet to actually wear anywhere. (Maybe I need to go out more?)

Wide-leg Trousers

With 3/4 length 'Gouchos' being a declining trend which I was very happy to see leave the fashion industry, I kept these as full-length trousers.
I used a very thin gray cotton, one which I've discovered wrinkles very easily. Also added two decorative steel-gray buttons on each side, to the emphasize the angular pocket lines.

Though hard to see in this photo, the bottom of the pant is wide enough to cover any shoe, but at the right length they work great with heels.

"The Sweaterdress"

Ah, the sweaterdress.

An object of much contention among my friends.
Made by merely attaching the torso of one thrift-store sweater to the bottom of another, it is one of the most comfortable articles of clothing in my closet. It received mixed reviews from the peanut gallery- Carolyn hated it and thought the idea was a bit silly. Jess loved it and wanted one of her own.

Ideally I would have done this with two identical sweaters, for the continuity of the form. But working with the options I had, I elected to use two similar coordinating tones, rather than two completely different colours.

One Pattern: 3 Coats

This is by far the most-used pattern I own. It's a simple base that can be altered and transformed a million ways with a little creativity...

Over three years, I made three very different coats using this pattern (as well as the aforementioned dress, posted below). One coat each fall, when the air just begins to turn chilly.



















In hindsight I had chosen a pretty challenging fabric for my first try. But my old sturdy machine didn't miss a beat and the shifting, fraying, stretching weave formed a classic cut.

My favorite element of this model is the over-sized covered buttons.












This was a bit more of an experiment! Made from another dollar-store printed bed sheet, and lined with thin baby blue fleece. The pink tones and bell sleeves make it a playful piece.
I omitted clasps on this one, as it was more of a cozy blazer, but layering a belt made it much more wearable.















The Green Winter Coat. mmm, my favorite:
Deep green corduroy, fully-lined with chocolate brown teddy-bear fur (including the pockets!), and finished with pull-over toggle clasps.

My inspiration:
clipped from a magazine... at the time I was disheartened to find no green felt coating at the local fabric store, but the corduroy is very durable.

Several lessons learned in this project:

a) fur-lined pockets are cozy, but puffy. they had a bit of a spoiling effect on the sleek silhouette of the inspiration photo.
b) long-sleeve shirts worn in fur-lined sleeves will twist when walking, arg!
c) cleaning up bits of fur in my apartment afterward, looked like a teddy-bear massacre had taken place.

Printed Peasant Dress

When I'm broke I find all excuses to sew, because it can be a fairly cheap form of entertainment and it saves me from getting a case of the 'wants' during new fashion seasons.

I made this dress from a bed sheet sold at the dollar-store, using an altered pattern for a coat. It turned out well, however I am yet to actually wear it anywhere.