Guest Refashions Dress into Sassy one-of-a-kind Top!

Happy Memorial Day to Everyone

Special thanks to those who have served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces. 

You are appreciated.

I was excited to have a visit from my sister over the weekend, and what a surprise when I saw her first refashion which was inspired, of course, by Elevated Bag Lady creations which she is subjected to every time she sees me. (haha)  My Sister has only rudimentary sewing skills, so if she can do this . . . so can you! She said I could say that.

Jode, Sister of the Elevated Bag Lady

I think this one-of-a-kind creation looks GREAT on her, don't you? She bought this first as a dress, $1.50 from a thrift store. She cut off the length on the bottom and on the sleeves and sewed lace that she had crocheted herself some time ago.

Back

Lace edging

I am totally impressed with her first clothing upcycle/refashion and can't wait to see what she does next!

Thanks Sis!

Apple Cardigan

It's a rainy day on the farm, a perfect day to make something in my closet more exciting. This thrift store white cardigan was a little boring.  On the positive side, it had flared 3/4 length sleeves and a nice cut. It cost me $1.50.

I pawed through my scraps and added ruffles from some garage sale curtains (bottom back) and an old skirt (front). Some less than perfect lace pieces dressed up the sleeves (not matching!) and the top back.

My last decision was to add the bright apple square on the back, which I picked up at a flea market--old drapery fabric. It's Spring in Wisconsin and all my apple trees are blossoming. I planted an orchard last year and am excited to see what I get this year. The apples on this sweater make me smile. 

 Back of  Sweater

Front of Sweater

Cutting off the buttons on the front allowed me to custom shape and round the edges.

Mismatched sleeves keep it fun.

Looking forward to wearing this sweater with jeans before the weather heats up. 

Country Rose Dress from Duvet Cover

What do you do with a worn out duvet,

What do you do with a worn out duvet,

What do you do with a worn out duvet early in the morning?

(sung to: What do you do with a drunken sailor)

YOU MAKE IT INTO A DRESS, OF COURSE

Country Rose Dress 

After about 15 years, my favorite duvet was finally wearing out.  The fabric had worn thin on the edges but it had a wonderful washed and worn feel to it.  I was just too much in love with it to toss it out...and just look at all that fabric! In addition to the pretty roses on the front, the back was lined with a pink plaid.  

My plan of attack was to take another jumper/dress that I really liked, and use that as a pattern.

Since I was using the pink plaid as a lining for this dress I just placed the jumper on the duvet cover, lining the seams up in the middle of the pattern (the duvet cover had two vertical seams to make it wide enough for a bed.) I put one seam in the middle of the dress front, one seam in the middle of the dress back. I did need to flip the dress over, as the pattern was slightly different (higher) in the back.

After sewing the pieces together I trimmed with old tablecloths and lace, damaged pieces that I've been collecting for years.

Favorite worn out bed duvet 

This was a before shot of the duvet cover.  Now when my mom says, "It looks like you slept in that dress", (thanks Mom, for always noticing my ironing skills) I can say, "Yes actually, I DID!"  

More good news:  I have enough leftover fabric to make a dress for my brand new granddaughter.  My project list is getting longer!

Upcycled T-Shirt Dress Top

 

 

Hello Friends! 

 

Summer is almost here so I decided to get into my scrap bag and fashion some new tops.  This old T-shirt already had this fun decoration at the neckline, but as a whole it had lost it's excitement for me.  I've been collecting men's shirts in my scrap cupboard for awhile now and pulled out a few that had the color tones I wanted.  This went together quickly on a lazy Saturday. 

 

This is an easy and fun project.  Give it a shot! 



 

 

Upcycled Denim Shoulder Bag

Have you seen all the cool upcycled denim bags on Pinterest?  So many choices, so many ideas.  With these bags in mind I quickly snapped up a ginormous pair of men's jeans on a 25 cent pile at a garage sale.  This bag is made from one of the legs.  I could probably make 4 more bags of different designs from that one pair of jeans, that's how big they were!  Thank you BIG MAN, wherever you are!!  

The strap on this bag is made from the waistband of a jeans jacket I no longer wore,  The pocket was lifted from there, also, and the strip down the right hand side is the cuff of the arm.  Just cut it off and stitch it on.  Easy.

This is the back of the bag.  The pocket is from the giant pair of jeans, and nicely holds a cell phone.  This bag should be perfect for those flea markets I like to attend all summer.  Can't wait!

If you are going to try making this bag you might want to get denim weight sewing machine needles.  Mine did not break for this entire project.  Also, I used gold thread, which I found both denim clothing items used and my stitching just blended right in with theirs.

See you at the Fleas!  --The Elevated Bag Lady

#upcycleddenim  #denimbag  #sewing  #recycling  #upcycled

Pallet Benches

AFTER

DURING

BEFORE

 

With a family reunion pending, and the inspiration of Pinterest, SW and I embarked on our first DIY furniture project. Pallet furniture seems all the rage, and why not?  Pallets are inexpensive and easy to work with. 

 

SW and I found our stack of pallets (all of them!) for $2 at an Estate sale.  Granted, they had been out in the elements for a long time, so the wood was a little rickety.  If you were planning to make pallet furniture and take apart pieces to reconstruct you would want newer pallets.  But we did not need new pallets! 

 

After carting the pallets home I printed out several photos from Pinterest to see which ones we might have the limited skill to reproduce.  This is the style that won!  We used a paint sprayer for the final paint job and we were done in time for the family reunion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does your Garden Grow?

Well, my garden grows when I am not here!  Been away for 10 days and came back to this bounty.  SO EXCITING!  Now to share before I go out of town again. I wonder if the local community center takes fresh produce?

Enjoyed a beet and carrot juice this morning, frothy and cool.  Now to look on one of my favorite apps, Yummly, for stir fry veggie recipies.  YUM!