Re-Fashioning

My One Monthly Goal (OMG) for July was to finish a shirt I started in an Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) Continuing Education class in June.  I’m happy so say I finished it yesterday.  I’m wearing it here with one long-sleeve and the other turned up, I guess the Winter look and the warmer season look.

Re-fashioned from two men’s shirts (found at Value Village) the front still looks much like the original shirt, however I did a lot of altering to make it fit my female body, and I completely remade the back, with the front of the second man’s shirt and a complementary piece of fabric from my stash.

I’m happy with the results and look forward to wearing it, after it returns from the wash to remove all the chalk marks.

Another project I worked on was re-modelling one of my husband’s T-shirts into a work-out shirt for me.  I just couldn’t bear to get rid of the Montreal Jazz Festival T-shirt from 1998, so I saved the front and added a couple of sporty fabrics, a turquoise bamboo fleece and a red mesh, to the back for fun.  I also added red mesh cap sleeves.  Again I had to do some altering to make it fit my figure,  Once my husband saw the re-do, he wanted it back – too late.

The last item I re-did was a dress into a skirt.  I should have taken a before picture.  The dress was very dated, with shoulder pads and some beading on the top, it was also too short through the torso for me, however I loved the georgette material and I can always use a new skirt for my Alberta Ballet evenings.

I’m glad I took this class, although I can rework or sew anything I needed the discipline of being in a class to work on these projects and actually complete them.  At home on my own I’ll always defer to quilting, and the mending and altering pile just grows.

This morning there were 50 finishes at Elm Street Quilts, where I am linking up to post my July finish, drop by and have a look at some of the other projects, perhaps consider joining us for August.

It’s not about what it is – it’s about what it can become! ~ Dr. Seuss