Monday, January 27, 2014

DIY Upcycle Skirt & Sweater

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After some gentle nudging from friends in an online sewing group, I decided to join in the fun over at Project Run & Play for their Refashion Challenge.  The basis of the challenge is to create a look by upcycling other items. 

What is Project Run & Play you ask?  Well, it's similar to Project Runway, but instead of designing and sewing clothing for adults, Project Run & Play contestants design and sew for children.  I'm not a contestant, rather just sewing along with many others around the world.

So, without further ado... let's start at the beginning with my inspiration piece:


This is a bridesmaid dress that I wore in my good friend's wedding 2 years ago.  Since then, it has been hopelessly waiting to be worn again or revitalized into something new.


It really is a gorgeous dress and is my favorite color, so I knew I could turn it into something great for PiePie.

Here's a photo of me in the dress at the wedding.  


After a bit of thought, I decided to turn the dress into a skirt. Next I needed something to use for a top.  I search around the house for something that would work, but nothing caught my eye, so off to the thrift store I went.  

Here is what I found:


A very large women's sweater.  The fabric is a very thin, stretchy material in a gold, shimmery tone.  It isn't exactly what I was envisioning, but I decided it'll work.

After lots of cutting, pinning, sewing and maybe a bit of swearing... here is what I came up with:










Now for the details... let's start with the skirt.  The skirt is a 'fly by the seat of my pants' design that I used no pattern for.  

 I used the original waistband of the dress as the waistband for the new skirt.  Had to cut it down a lot of course.


I also kept the original hem in place.  Hemming is one of my least favorite things to do, so anytime I can avoid doing it I will!

I added a large bow to the back of the skirt for some added interest.  It is attached with a snap so that it is removable for washing.

Now, on to the top.  I modified one of my favorite patterns The Bimaa Sweater to make the top. 

 
The main modification was adding short puff sleeves instead of the long sleeves that the pattern calls for.  

Again, I used the original hem on the new sweater.

Lastly, I made a matching hair clip and added golden bows to her ballet slippers to go along with the new outfit. 

Overall, I'm really happy with how everything turned out.  I think PiePie looks adorable in it and she loved dancing around during the photo shoot, so I'll call that a win!



17 comments:

  1. Beautiful color combination, it looks amazing!

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  2. You are so brave taking on those fabrics, no wonder you swore a lot! Totally worth it as it is beautiful outfit!

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  3. Wow, what a great use of a dress you no longer wore! We used two of the tricks you mentioned in your post this week in our submission also, 1) keeping the original hem, 2) unmentionable words to relieve frustration! You can see our submission here http://skirtfixation.com/2014/01/childs-leather-jacket-made-leather-skirt/

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    1. Thanks! Heading over to take a look at your submission now...

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  4. Beautiful outfit. I love the sweater color with the skirt.

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    1. Thanks Carin! I had originally envisioned a gray or silver top to go with the skirt, but I love how the gold turned out.

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  5. Yay Lisa!! So glad you "jumped in" :-). This turned out beautifully! I also use the original hems any time it's possible!

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  6. Very pretty outfit! Love the huge bow on the back!

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  7. That outfit turned out lovely! I absolutely LOVE the bimaa!

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    1. Thanks Karly! The bimaa is a favorite of mine, I've made 3 already an will surely make many more.

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  8. see they were right... it was a bridesmaid dress you could wear again... or at least someone could wear again ;o) Beautiful!!! I love this week's challenge. I also linked up;o) a recycled sweater! Emily@nap-timecreations.com

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    1. Thanks Emily! Yes, I'm really happy that the dress is getting worn again, even if not by me. Going to take a look at yours now...

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  9. The original dress looked beautiful on you, too! I love purple. The outfit you created for your little one is just charming and she looks so happy wearing it!

    Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving such a sweet comment!

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