DIY Fashion Part II

*Disclaimer: All projects that require sewing, I stitch by hand. I do not own a sewing machine and haven't used one since my home-ec days years ago. With that said, I cannot provide the time it takes to complete each project. My apologies :(

BEFORE

Project: Halter Falter; turning a blouse into a vest 

Item: Blouse, Gojane.com, price unknown 

Reason for Recycling: Too small. Needed to convert it into a piece that I could actually wear.

Materials Needed: Needle, Thread, Scissors and Elastic

AFTER

How To: *Side note: As mentioned, the blouse was a bit too small, so in order to make it fit, I sewed panels into each side using excess material I had at home. However, when I decided to convert the blouse to a vest, I took out the panels and sewed the original sides back together. 

1. Cut the blouse directly up the middle, splitting it into two sections

2. Undo the button at the top of the neck

3. Measure a strip of elastic to a length that is comfortable around the back of your neck

4. Pin elastic strip to both ends of the neck line

5. Sew ends of elastic into place 

6. Complete

BEFORE, TANK REPLICA

Project: Boho Tank to Sassy Scarf; turning a top into an accessory

Item: Asymmetrical Tank, Nordstrom Rack, $16.99

Reason for Recycling: Washing machine ate one of the straps :(

Materials needed: Needle, Thread and Scissors

AFTER

How To: 

1. Cut off straps and any tags right above the seams

2. Unbutton garment so that it becomes one large piece

3. Sew down uneven edges to the inside seam of garment

4. Complete

* The middle of the scarf is where the back tag used to be. Center that at your neck and tie!

BEFORE

Project: From Tan to Green Eternity Scarf; fabric dying

Item: Eternity Scarf, AMIClubwear.com, $13 

Reason for Recycling: Wanted a change

Materials needed: Needle, Thread, Scissors (all optional) and Green Fabric Dye

AFTER

How To: * If you want a shorter length like I did, follow these steps. Otherwise, skip to step 5. For instructions on how to die fabric, refer to my blog titled "DIY Fashion".

1. Cut scarf open

2. Measure the amount of fabric you want the scarf shortened by and cut off

3. Place the two ends of the scarf back together and pin 

4. Sew ends closed

5. Begin dying process

6. Complete

BEFORE, BAG REPLICA

Project: To Cross-body or Not; transforming a simple purse into a cross-body bag

Item: Coach handbag, Military Exchange, $80

Reason for Recycling: I was going to Disneyland and needed a purse that I could throw on and not have to carry. I initially wanted a coach cross-body bag, but didn't want to buy one. Thus, this idea was born! *Side note: All of the items used were items I already had at home, making it a no cost project! 

Materials needed: Women's Skinny Belt, Double Sided Tape (optional) and Charms/Embellishments (optional)

How To:
1. Undo strap from first buckle

2. Loop purse strap through buckle of women's skinny belt

3. Take end of belt and loop through the second buckle of the purse 

4. If there is excess strap as I had, either cut the remaining length off or tuck under and secure with double sided tape

5. Add charms/embellishments to hardware of purse (optional)

6. Complete

AFTER

BEFORE

Project: Wedging Out; taking shoes from brown to black

Item: Brown wedges, Payless Shoe Source, price unknown

Reason for Recycling: Wanted an all purpose shoe

PRE-PROCESS

Materials needed: Gloves, Face Mask, Newspaper/Paper Towels, Cardboard and Black Spray Paint 

How To: 

1. Stuff insides of both shoes with newspaper and/or paper towels

2. Lay down cardboard, preferably outside

3. Put on mask and gloves

4. Evenly coat shoes with spray paint (spraying away from body and face)

5. Let dry

6. Complete

AFTER

BEFORE, ORIG PANT

Project: Ultra Recycled Denim; re-dying jeans

Item: Skinny Jeans, Wet Seal, $15-20

Reason for Recycling: In my first DIY Fashion blog, I showed how I turned my grey skinny jeans white by bleaching them. I decided I didn't care for them in white and wanted to change the color again so I went red! Yes, same jeans recycled twice!

BLEACHED

How To: For instructions on how to die fabric, refer to my blog titled "DIY Fashion".

AFTER

BEFORE

Project: Homemade Eczema Remedy; a health and beauty DIY tip

Item: Unrefined Shea Butter, Coastalscents.com, $8.49 for 1 lb. , Honey, any grocer, $1-3




Reason for Recycling: I've read about the different properties of shea butter, and wanted to experiment to make a moisturizing cream. A few months ago, I had a sudden outbreak of eczema. I tried several products and none seemed to work for me. I recently started using this cream and discovered that it really helps to soothe and heal extra dry skin due to eczema or similar conditions.

Materials needed: Unrefined Shea Butter, Honey, Plastic Container, Mixing Bowl, Electric Mixer, Pot, Water

AFTER

How To: 

1. Place shea butter in plastic container

2. Boil a pot of water

3. Place plastic container in the pot to melt shea butter

4. Pour shea butter into mixing bowl

5. Add about 3 tbsps of honey

6. Whip together with electric mixer for 5 minutes until liquid comes to a foam

7. Pour mixture back into plastic container and let settle

8. Complete

* Apply to areas of severely dry skin. *Side note: I've also found that applying a layer of talcum/baby powder on top of the area you applied the cream to, will help to lock in moisture. After the first day of using this remedy, the redness faded and my eczema has subsided quite substantially. Thank God!

Again, another look at some of the items you can recycle all on your own. These projects were all so simple, fun to do, and cost effective. I mean, who doesn't love saving money? I highly recommend these projects if you're looking for a change, without spending your change. Catch my drift? I hope these tips were helpful and that they inspired the creative eye in you. Till then, stay fabulous!!! XOXO

D.I.Y. Fashion

DIY. Do It Yourself Fashion Projects are one of my latest obsessions. Next to my hidden desire to design clothes one day, (I have the sketches to prove it) this is the next best thing!! DIY is an easy, fun and creative way to recreate or freshen up your wardrobe without breaking the bank. Ways in which you can re-vamp your wardrobe include: the cutting, sewing, dying, bleaching, embellishing, even spray painting of clothes and/or shoes, to name a few. I started with a simple idea, and it was from there that this hobby began. Since then I've recycled shirts, pants, handbags and my upcoming project, shoes ;) Here are just a few of the items I've already D.I.Y'ed.

BEFORE

The Black Scarf: For me, this is where it all began. I wanted a black scarf for an outfit I was putting together, but didn't have one. So rather than going out and spending at least $15 on a new one, I thought, "Why not dye one I already have but don't really wear?" So that's what I did. I did my research on how to go about dying a garment, what kind of dye to use, etc. I chose Tulip's Permanent Fabric Dye in black ($2.49 at Wal-Mart, but is also available at most fabric and craft stores). I went home, experimented, and loved the results. This project was incredibly easy. There are a couple of ways to dye fabric, i.e., the bucket or the stove. I used the bucket method. This is achieved by combining the packet of dye in a cup of hot water, stirring first before adding this mixture to the bucket of hot water. You want to make sure the dye has dissolved completely before submerging the garment. When the dye was ready, I set the scarf in the bucket and let soak for a couple of hours- making sure to stir frequently for the first 15 minutes and then occasionally for the remainder of the time. After it had soaked, I rinsed with cold water and let dry. Pretty simple right? *Side note- the packet suggests soaking for 30-45 minutes, but I ended up dying the fabric twice and soaking for longer time periods because I wanted the scarf to be jet black. None the less, I was impressed because I had transformed my scarf from light grey to classic black, all while saving money hunnay! 

AFTER

BEFORE

The White Skinny: Who says you can't wear white after labor day??? I agree with this statement in regards to shoes, but clothes on the other hand are a different matter. White pants in the winter are actually quite fashionable in my opinion. They get noticed in the sea of grey, brown and black you see every other woman wearing during those cold months. And who doesn't like to get noticed? But I detract; the white skinny-I've always wanted a pair, but never found any I liked.That is until I decided to make my own. I took a pair of grey skinnys I've had for a while- but never really wore and turned them white by bleaching them. The jeans are from Wet Seal, and I believe they were somewhere in the neighborhood of $15-$20. This project was so easy and cost effective because bleach is something almost everybody has at home. Some methods call for bleaching in a bucket of sorts, but I bleached mine in the washing machine. I recommend this method because it's mess and error free since you wash your whites with bleach in the machine to begin with. I filled the basin about half way up with hot water, poured 5-6 cups of bleach in, and washed for at least 30 minutes. You can repeat this cycle if the garment doesn't come out as white as you like the first time- but remember, bleach reacts with fabric in the first 15-20 seconds of contact. After the wash cycle has completed, put the garment on the rinse cycle in cold water. After the rinse cycle, wash the garment with a little detergent and a little fabric softener to combat the bleach- and let dry. And voila! you now have white skinnys. You'll notice that on mine the grey stitching remained even though I bleached the pants entirely. That is, because most garments we purchase are constructed with a polyester thread, and polyester thread can not retain color if dyed or bleached. There are ways to alter this but they are time consuming and expensive. Soooooo, I'm stuck with grey stitching, but I happen to like the contrast.

AFTER

BEFORE

The Elastic Dilemma: This bubble top from Forever 21, I've had a long time now. It originally had 3/4 length bubble sleeves- but not too long ago those elastic bands broke and I was left with terrible baggy sleeves. I've always liked this top, but stopped wearing it after this particular incident. The other day though, I decided to fix my sleeve problem, and it turns out the top is so much cuter now that I've altered it. All I did was shorten the sleeves, and I achieved this by turning the shirt inside out, cuffing the sleeve up to the inside hem and sewing the two hems together. It doesn't matter what color thread you use since you're sewing on 2 inside seams- no one will ever see it :) Now my top has these cute sort of poofy cap sleeves, and thanks to this quick fix, I like the top even more so than when I bought it! Again, another easy fix that you can do on your own and saves you money. No more trips to the seamstress!

AFTER

So you see, the possibilities of recycling your clothes into something you'd be more likely to wear are endless. So think about it the next time you're ready to throw out or donate old clothes and/or shoes- get creative and get to it! Till then, stay fabulous! XOXO