Upcycled: Floral Skirt

The other week, I posted the results of my pleather short upcycle, which I was pretty happy with.  This time around, I'm even happier because I absolutely love love love the finished piece.  Here's the before:

Definitely not the most wearable piece.  The length and cut combine with this particular floral felt matronly.  So I grabbed my scissors and took to fixing that problem.  The after:

Skirt, jacket: thrifted. Shirt: Old Navy via Plato's Closet. Tights: Kmart. Belt: Target. Shoes: Payless. Sunglasses: Charlotte Russe. 

It's amazing how much this skirt was transformed by changing the length.  The floral now feels vintage-y chic and the movement of the skirt is awesome.  Also, I would like to just briefly point out that, as promised, I finally wore my blue trench with some color.  I feel very accomplished now. 

Upcycled: Pleather Shorts

One of my favorite things about thrifting (besides the prices, of course) is finding pieces that are a little different or out there and 'upcycling' them into wearable pieces to fit in with my existing wardrobe.  I've had a bunch of upcycling projects on the back burner that I finally got around to working on over spring break the other week.

I started off with these high-waisted pleather pants, which I thrifted for $2.  I wasn't 100% sure what I intended to do with them at first, but I figured for 2 bucks, I might as well try something.  After playing with the idea of skinnying them, I decided that the high waist would work better with a shorter length.

Here they are before...

...and after.

Silk top: thrifted. Shorts: thrifted & upcycled. Shoes: Target. Necklace: Walmart. Sunglasses: H&M.

I've been obsessed with thrifting silk blouses lately, and this pistachio colored number is my latest addition.  I really like the way the toughness of the shorts is offset by the by pastel silk.

Tutorial: Taking in Side Seams

Yesterday, I posted a look that included a buffalo check shirt that I had taken in the side seams on to make it more fitted.  Today, I'm going to show exactly how I did it.  

Skill level: Basic machine sewing (it's super easy, I promise!)

Supplies: oversized shirt, matching thread, straight pins, and a buddy (but only for the first step, then you can let them go) 

Here is the shirt before (pardon the blurriness).  It was way too roomy for the look I was going for.

1.  Start by wearing the shirt right side out and having your buddy pinch the excess fabric and pin along your body to get the correct fit.  Make sure that each side is being taken in evenly.

Here's the placement of my pins along the side.

2.  Lay the shirt out flat and measure the distance between the edge of the shirt and the pins.  You want to have pretty much the same measurement all the way down the side.

3.  Remove the pins and turn the shirt inside out.  Measure out the same distance from step  2 and repin, but this time with the pins perpendicular to the edge seam so that you can sew over them.  I centered the hidden part of the pin that the correct distance, as seen below.

4. Start the stitch at the base of the the armpit (don't forget to backstitch!)  Curve the row inward until you reach the line of pins, then sew straight down the side.   

How the final stitch looks, curved down from the armpit to the line of pins.

5. Repeat the process down the opposite side of the shirt. 

6. Try on your shirt and make sure it fits the way you'd like.  If not, sew a second seam, starting at the same place as the first, but curving out a little further.

7. Cut the excess fabric off, leaving a seam allowance of about 3/8"

Two easy seams later, and you've got yourself a shirt tailored just for you.  This method is great for thrift store finds, hand me downs, or simply breathing new life into an old piece.  Now, go out and start taking in some shirts!  Happy sewing!