the refashioners

refashioning, the refashioners, The Refashioners 2016, Uncategorized

The Refashioners 2016: Marie

08/04/16

First things first. I’m a nincompoop! When Portia invited me to take part in the Refashioners again, I jumped in without hesitation. The only problem was that being distracted by work and life I totally missed her very clear memo that this year’s challenge is all about jeans.

Somehow, and I genuinely don’t know how it was possible, I managed to convince myself from the very start that it was about denim in general. Despite her follow-up emails, related blog posts and blindingly obvious blog button, I didn’t twig until it was far too late.

With my head high up in the denim clouds, I soughtÂ inspiration on PinterestÂ and fell hard for the patchwork look. I’d also been dying to make Seamwork’s woven tee,Â Hayden, which seemed to lend itself perfectly to my vision.

At this point, I need to thank Portia for being SUCH a gracious host. Not only did I completely misinterpret the theme, I also didn’t refashion in the true sense of the word, opting as always to use a pattern. Yet she still humoured me with a guest blog and that’s just one of the many reasons she’s a beautiful human being.

Anyway, I digress. For my cropped tee I picked up a denim skirt and two denim chambray shirts from a local charity shop. This may seem a little wasteful, but I was desperate to get a good contrast in my patchwork. In the spirit of the challenge though, I shall use the leftover scraps as pocket facings and so on.Â

Â Â My charity shop finds were all large sizes so pattern placement was a breeze and I got everything cut out quickly. In fact, the whole make was pretty fast, which is exactly what Seamwork patterns promise.

The only slightly tricky thing were the sleeves. Even though they are sewn on flat, like you do for knits, there’s something a little off with the drafting so it’s not the smoothest process. Other than that though, it’s a satisfyingly speedy make.Â

Although I think the patchwork look has tuned out really nicely and the top is pretty cute, I don’t like it on me. It’s a lot boxier than I first realised and combined with my large bust it makes me look even bigger than I am.Â

I even paired it with myÂ faux-quilted pleather skirtÂ in an attempt to look ‘cool’, but I just don’t think this look works for me. It’s a shame, because a longer, leaner person would totally rock it.

Â Â Â Â I may not have fully fulfilled Portia’s brief, but I had fun nonetheless and it’s always rewarding to push myself out of my comfort zone.

I cannot tell you the hand wringing poor Marie went through over the misunderstanding regarding the brief. But here’s the thing. The point of these blogger posts is to provide inspiration. (they’re not entering the competition. You are. So as long as YOU use jeans, it’s all good!) And as far as I’m concerned Marie has done that in spades, as you COULD totally adapt this to be made from old jeans. It’s the panelling and Â blocking of the different shades of blue that is the takeaway here, as far as jeans refashioning is concerned. Take a closer look at the pattern pieces that this top is comprised of. Widen those darker coloured side panels slightly, which will enable you to narrow the front pattern piece. Back has a CB seam anyway so hey presto….all those pattern pieces are Â then narrow enough to be cut from jeans. Job done I’d say Marie!! And for the record, whether you use a pattern or free wheel it….it still totally counts as a refashion! (IMHO)

You can find Â MarieÂ here or here. And if you’re inspired to get your refashion on and enter the Community Challenge and be in with a chance of winning some epic prizes…DO IT! Deadline for entries is 30th Sept. Midnight GMT.

….IÂ think you’ve got the idea now right? Essentially we want you to refashion some jeans! (You can find the full details/small print of the brief here). BUT, if you want to be in with a chance of winning one of these amazing prize packages you need to SHARE that refashion with us in one of the following ways:

On Instagram: Share a pic using the hashtags #therefashioners2016Â and #jeanius
On Pinterest: There is a community board here where you can pin your makes. (You will need to request an invite to join)
On Facebook:Â There is a community board here where you can postÂ your makes (You will need to request an invite to join)

Only entries shared via the above 3 methods will be entered into the competition. Closing date for entries is 30th September 2016 Midnight GMT. Good luck!!

refashion, refashioning, repurposing, Restyles, the refashioners, The Refashioners 2016, Uncategorized

The Refashioners 2016: Mirjam

08/02/16

Hi, this is Mirjam from miushka.com and Iâ€™m wearing a top made out of a pair of jeans!! But first things first. I was so excited when Portia asked if I wanted to take part as a blogger in this yearâ€™s refashioners. Of course I wanted to! I really got a kick out of last yearâ€™s community challenge, and contributing my piece as a blogger this year is just a little bit mind-blowing. So here I was, with a piece of thrifted and washed but unwearably frumpy clothing: the old pair of jeans.

Last year I made trousers from a shirt, so this year I would go the other way and make a top from trousers. I set myself two challenges. Firstly, I wanted to use just one pair of jeans to make a new piece of clothing (I only used a second pair of old jeans to produce some contrast bias binding for the neckline). Secondly, I did not want to leave any waste from that one pair of old jeans I was using. I used up practically everything from my original pair of jeans, except for some tiny scraps and offcuts. I got enough material from the jeans to make a top and was even left with some shorts to wear it with.

To begin with, I cut my jeans four times and reassembled the pieces to make the top and shorts.

So simple, right?! This is what I love most about refashioning: It really doesnâ€™t take much at all, just some bold cuts and a little constructive rearrangement. I used the bottom parts of the trouser legs as sleeves, leaving the original hem intact. The mid-part of the trouser legs I turned upside-down, so the wider parts of the legs would be sitting around my belly â€“ I havenâ€™t told you yet, but Iâ€™m making a maternity top here, so Iâ€™ll need the extra belly room!

I ripped the inner leg seams to expose the dark edges. Then I joined the two legs to form the bodice. Iâ€™d only just gotten a new toy â€“ my very first overlocker machine â€“ so I played around with the stitches a bit. To close the centre front and centre back seam I used my overlockerâ€™s flatlock stitch. For this you stitch two layers of fabric together and then lay them flat open and wiggle and jiggle the layers of fabric until the seam is all flat. Magic!
Â

Next, I attached the sleeves, adjusting the fit a little by cutting off bits of fabric here and there. To give shape to the sleeves and to make them sit on my shoulders I opened half the shoulder seams, taking in a bit of fabric when restitching. To finish the neckline I used bias binding made from another old pair of jeans.

At this point, my top was really boxy, if not huge. A good thing around the growing belly, but not very flattering. So I added bust darts, but left enough room so I wouldnâ€™t have to add any closures. I can easily pull the top over my head. And thereâ€™s still enough room for my belly to grow (at the time of writing I have four months to go!). I finished the hem by folding it over and inserting a thin elastic strap to keep the stiff fabric from sticking out too much.

So thatâ€™s the top â€“ what about the shorts, though? Well, these were basically just left over, as Iâ€™d only used the trouser legs to make the top. I left the shorts as they were after the first cuts.

They fit nicely around the hip and I like the length I cut them in the first place. The edges are left raw and for that decent denim look Iâ€™m now waiting for the shorts to fray with washing and wearing.

Thank you, Portia, for creating and organizing such an inspiring challenge for the sewing community. I really can’t wait to see what everyone makes of it!

Well first of all…HUGE congrats Mirjam on your impending new arrival!! Secondly…do you know what floats my “oooooh that’s clever” boat most about this make?? The way Mirjam has cut the armscye curves/sleeves out of those leg cuffs, and that the “opposite” curve in the leftover leg then informs the shape of the neckline. Flipping those larger pieces upside down with the wider part at the bottom. Doing it like this gives maximum use of the fabric available. And when it comes to refashioning jeans, (where flat fabric is at a premium) it’s a very clever approach and one worth noting! Replacing those flat fell seams with the less bulky flatlock approach also makes the seam more fluid. Nice touch!

You can find Mirjam here or here. And if you’re inspired to get your refashion on and enter the Community Challenge and be in with a chance of winning some epic prizes…DO IT! Deadline for entries is 30th Sept. Midnight GMT.

….I think you’ve go the idea now right? Essentially we want you to refashion some jeans! (You can find the full details/small print of the brief here). BUT, if you want to be in with a chance of winning one of these amazing prize packages you need to SHARE that refashion with us in one of the following ways:

On Instagram: Share a pic using the hashtags #therefashioners2016 and #jeanius
On Pinterest: There is a community board here where you can pin your makes. (You will need to request an invite to join)
On Facebook: There is a community board here where you can post your makes (You will need to request an invite to join)

Only entries shared via the above 3 methods will be entered into the competition. Closing date for entries is 30th September 2016 Midnight GMT.

refashioning, the refashioners, The Refashioners 2016, Uncategorized

The Refashioners 2016: Rosie

08/01/16

I was really excited when Portia got in touch asking whether Iâ€™d be up for taking part in the refashioners challenge this year. Iâ€™m not much of a refashioner. Like – At. All. Iâ€™m very comfortable buying a nice big piece of fabric â€“ often much more than I need in fact â€“ and molding it into whatever I want. But I love a mass-participation project, I really enjoyed watching Portiaâ€™s 2015 shirt challenge unfold, and I had the niggling feeling that I was avoiding refashioning cos it involved being more resourceful and creative than I actually was. So I decided to jump right in.

After Portia let us know that the challenge would be all about jeans, I started collecting inspiration on PinterestÂ and thinking about what Iâ€™d like to make. This (00 Denim array) image of a pile of jeans became my key source of inspiration.

All those slightly different shades and tones of blue look so beautiful together. I was struggling to think of what garment I could make that I would actually wear that could be made from lots of small pieces of fabric. This image made me think I could use strips from different pairs of jeans to create a colour gradient. In a way, Iâ€™d be creating myself a nice big sheet of fabric, just made out of smaller bits of fabric pieced together.

My first major challenge became getting my hands on jeans. I donâ€™t wear blue jeans and a pair of jeans in a London charity shop costs anywhere between Â£5 and Â£8 pounds. I calculate Iâ€™d need at least 7 pairs of jeans, and spending that much money seemed to not be in the spirit of this thrifty project. I tried to strike a deal in a charity shop in Chichester, asking if I could buy 10 pairs of jeans for Â£15 but they were having none of it and I left feeling a bit embarrassed â€“ like I had just asked them if I could steal money from someone with cancer. The shame.

I had 2 massive laundry bags of homemade clothing that I didnâ€™t want sitting at home. I sewed 86 garments for my first book alone, none of them fitted me and they were just taking up space in my tiny flat. I had been meaning to book a collection from the amazing charity TRAID Â so I emailed and asked them if they would consider swapping my handsewn garments for a pile of unwanted jeans from their stores. They kindly agreed to my proposition and one of their trucks stopped by my house to exchange the goods. They had very generously stuffed a huge bag full of blue jeans for me, and the truck driver swung my bags of clothing up into the belly of the truck and off they sailed into the sunset to be upcycled themselves into something wonderful no doubt.

The jeans were all massive! Not just in their size, but in their style. My boyfriend suggested this is probably why they have been rejected in these days of skinny and slim fitting legwear. Most of the jeans were dark or mid blue, so inspired by Portiaâ€™s suggestion of using bleach, I set to work creating some lighter shades.Here is my first lot of jeans soaking in bleach.

From this first bleaching session, I learned that jeans need a lot of water to move around in whilst bleaching. These jeans came out very patchy where different surfaces had been touching each other. I also learned that a world of sins can be hidden by the indigo dye of denim. Lots of them had looked perfectly clean whilst dark blue, but once pale showed dark spots and stains. I started to get a feel for the past lives of this cast of trousers.

For my next bleaching session I cut off all the unwanted parts of the jeans â€“ the waistbands and front pockets â€“ divided them into individual legs and cut up the inside seams.

Iâ€™d like to say that was my last bleaching sessionâ€¦ But it wasnâ€™t. I did 5 batches of bleaching all in all. I started to feel extremely bad for the oceans and rivers as I tipped yet another tub of bleachy water down my drain. I wondered if maybe I had missed the point of upcycling, which is to work with what you have rather than force an idea. A lesson to be applied to my next upcycling project! Now it was on to the pattern.

I chose the Inari dress as I wanted something with a simple design and a bold shape that would really let the denim do the talking. I hadnâ€™t made th Inari before and I spent so much time bleaching that I ran out of time to make a toile. I spent a lot of time on the internet reading about everyone elseâ€™s Inaris (if you have made an Inari and blogged itÂ have probably read about it!) and decided to trace the pattern off grading to a larger size at the hips as recommended by Heather. Â I measured the length of the longest pattern piece, laid my jeans legs out in a rough gradient and calculated how deep each strip would have to be to make up the full length of the dress.

I measured, marked and cut out all my strips (8.5cm deep in case you are wondering!).

I was actually creating a lot of waste! This was another moment where I thought maybe I was missing some of the purpose of upcycling; to use what you have wisely, rather than to throw stuff away. Again, a lesson noted for the future.

Before sewing, I numbered all my strips with tailorâ€™s chalk so I wouldnâ€™t get mixed up. I also remembered some advice from a quilting tutorial I watched a long time ago, which recommended sewing seams in alternate directions when joining long strips together, so that the resulting sheet of fabric wouldnâ€™t become twisted. I drew little chalk arrows along my seams to remind myself which direction I had sewn in.

The fabric was starting to take shape and I was loving it. So was my neighbor’s cat, Dave.

I cut the front piece of the dress and was pretty pleased with the gradient effect.

Construction of the dress itself was very simple, though I had to do a lot of readjustment of the width of my denim strips so they aligned at the side seams. The inside of my dress is pretty messy as I donâ€™t have an overlocker. But I kind of like it!

And I love, love, LOVE the finished dress. It feels strong and it feels special. It is incredibly comfy and the natural affinity of denim with workwear means it doesnâ€™t feel showy, which is exactly what I want from a dress.

In a conversation I had with Sarah from TRAID, she said â€œI love working with reclaimed denim, it has such integrity.â€ What a great description of this incredible material. Â It really took some manhandling when sewing, and my finished dress feels sturdy, like it can undergo a lifetime of wear.

Iâ€™m feeling proud that I have rescued some of this wonderful fabric from unloved jeans and turned them into something durable that has real longevity. Iâ€™ve learned a lot about upcycling from this challenge, so thanks for having me Portia, and I look forward to seeing all the other creations this years refashioners inspires.

Wow, wow, wow! What a way to let the fabric do the talking. And the subtle Â hues of those blues and that ombre effect is completely beautiful! Â You can apply this technique to any number of patterns. Essentially you’re just creating a large expanse of fabric from several smaller pieces before you start. But when you’re piecing a garment like this, you areÂ adding bulk in the process. The trick Rosie has employed hereÂ is to keep the shape simple and let the piecingÂ and ombre effectÂ do the talking.Â It just works, right? LOVE this!

Rosie has just released her second book and I can attest, it’s brilliant!! You can find Â Rosie here or here. And if you’re inspired to get your refashion on and enter the Community Challenge and be in with a chance of winning some epic prizes…DO IT! Deadline for entries is 30th Sept. Midnight GMT.

….IÂ think you’ve go the idea now right? Essentially we want you to refashion some jeans! (You can find the full details/small print of the brief here). BUT, if you want to be in with a chance of winning one of these amazing prize packages you need to SHARE that refashion with us in one of the following ways:

On Instagram: Share a pic using the hashtags #therefashioners2016Â and #jeanius
On Pinterest: There is a community board here where you can pin your makes. (You will need to request an invite to join)
On Facebook:Â There is a community board here where you can postÂ your makes (You will need to request an invite to join)

Only entries shared via the above 3 methods will be entered into the competition. Closing date for entries is 30th September 2016 Midnight GMT.

refashioning, the refashioners, The Refashioners 2016, Uncategorized

The Refashioners 2016: Enter to WIN!!!!

07/31/16

Ok, with one day to go until the official launch of The Refashioners 2016 I am skidding and screeching up to the line with this post! I MEANT to post this over a week ago, but tech and family issues have had me hostage for the past week or so and put me very behind with the “digital workload” of The Refashioners. No matter! We are here! And this my friends, is the biggest prize package yet! *Total prizes (all sewing goodies!!!) combined are worth over Â£1300 and this year is split into two separate prizes. A 1st prize worth over Â£1000 and, because last years standard was so high, a seperate “special recognition award” worth over Â£300. This Challenge is open internationally and I’ll share all the ways you can enter at the end of this post. In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of what you could win if you want to take part!!!

Your choice of pdf pattern from Closet Case Patterns…

3 patterns of your choice from NamedÂ (paper of pdf)….

A copy of the Sudley and Axel patterns from Megan Nielsen (Paper or pdf)…

2 x patterns of your choice from the Tessuti range (paper or pdf)…

A copy each (pdf) of the Lou Box Top, Baseball Skirt & Nita Wrap Skirt patterns from Sew DiY…

Copy of the Anya bag pattern (pdf) from So Zo…

PDF pattern of your choice from MIY Collection…

3 x pdf patterns of your choice from By Hand London….

5 x patterns of your choice from Designer Stitch (pdf)….

1 x pattern of your choice from Paprika Patterns…

Â£230 worth ofÂ fabric/fabric shopping as follows…

Mystery fabric bundle worth Â£100 from Minerva Crafts…

Â£25 to spend at The Splendid Stitch…

Â£25 to spend at The Village Haberdashery…

Â£30 to spend at Fabric Godmother….

Â£20 to spend at Remnant Kings…

Â£30 to spend at Sewbox…

1 year subscription to Simply Sewing Magazine…

Courtesy of Quadrille Craft, copies of these 3 titles…

Courtesy of Practical Publishing, copies of these 3 titles…

Courtesy of Sew Crafty,Â 3 new journals( dressmaking/craft/knitting and crochet),Â 1 original sewing journal, Â A Sew Crafty shift dress pattern,Â A Quick Gifts to Sew book,Â A full set of Sew Crafty Enamel Pin Badges,Â A set of Sew Crafty Pencils,Â 1 pair of Fiskars Servocut scissorsÂ and a Â£50 e-voucher for Sew Crafty Online.

Dominique skirt sewing kit from courtesy of Dragonfly Fabrics…

Set of dressmakers shears and stork embroidery scissors courtesy of Ernest Wright & Son…

1 x roll of Swedish Tracing Paper and a Maker’s Workbook courtesy of Creative Industry (formerly The Swedish Tracing Paper Co.)…

Fabric and pattern bundle courtesy of Girl Charlee…

Mettler thread pack courtesy of Sew Essential…

Your choice of class from a huge selection at Craftsy…

So how about that then? Pretty good right? Â But we’re not done yet. Oh no no no! Last year, if you recall, the standard was so high thatÂ we ended up with a second smaller prize. Well, this year, that prize is bigger too. Enter the Special Recognition Award….

5 x pdf patterns courtesy of Burdastyle UK…

3 x pdf patterns courtesy of Designer Stitch…

2 x Patterns (paper or pdf) courtesy of Tilly & The Buttons…

Copy of the brand new Rosie Dress pattern (paper) courtesy of Sew Over It…

Your choice of pattern (pdf) courtesy of By Hand London…

6 month subscription courtesy of Seamwork Magazine…

Copies of these 3 titles courtesy of Laurence King Publishing (including No Patterns Needed…the brand new book by our lovely Refashioner Rosie Martin!)

Mystery fabric bundle worth Â£100 courtesy of Minerva Crafts…

Â£25 to spend at Elephant in my Handbag….

Â£20 to spend at Sewbox…

And there you have it. That concludes the summary of the prize package for The Refashioners 2016. So tell me….does that make you want to dig out your old jeans and make something amazing out of them?? Read on…..!

….If youÂ haven’t familiarised yourself with what the actual challenge is yet, essentially we want you to refashion some jeans! Simple as that! (You can find the full details/small print of the brief here). BUT, if you want to be in with a chance of winning one of these amazing prize packages you need to SHARE that refashion with us in one of the following ways:

On Instagram: Share a pic using the hashtags #therefashioners2016Â and #jeanius
On Pinterest: There is a community board here where you can pin your makes. (You will need to request an invite to join)
On Facebook:Â There is a community board here where you can postÂ your makes (You will need to request an invite to join)

Only entries shared via the above 3 methods will be entered into the competition. Closing date for entries is 30th September 2016 Midnight GMT.

Good luck!!! Get refashioning. And I’ll see you tomorrow at the LAUNCH of The Refashioners 2016 for a whole month of inspiration to get you started! Sooooo freakin’ excited!!

the refashioners

The Refashioners 2016: Now, let’s talk about YOU…

07/07/16

Soooo, now we’ve all had a chance to digest the awesome month of inspiration we have in store in August. Let’s get down to talking about what this challenge is really about & how to get involved.

It’s aboutÂ refashioning .Â It’s about getting you to try refashioning if you’ve never tried it before. And if you’re a seasoned refashioner already, it’s about giving you a platform to share what you do so you can inspire others to give it a try too. Why? Because refashioning is bloody brilliant on so many levels. What you learn about garment construction. The way it makes you think outside the box, let go of the outcome and allow things to evolve. It’s cost effective. It’s often quick. (But not always, lol!). It’s environmentally sound. Oh yeah, and you get to turn something that you don’t wear,Â into something thatÂ you do wear. It’s that simple. That’s all The Refashioners is about. Â Waving very energetically at everyone out there and going “oi, you lot out there! Yes, you! Look over here and come and try this. It’s brilliant and I think you’ll really enjoy it!” That’s it. That’s the aim.

So what’s the deal withÂ those really awesome bloggers that are generously lending their time, creativity and support to “the cause”? Let me explain why they’re here. They are the aperitif at this party. There to whet your appetite with ideas and inspiration. YOU lot, Â however, are the main event. You’re the people I’m trying to get to with this by waving all these well known bloggers in your face and saying, through them, Â “just LOOK at what is possible with Refashioning!! Give this a try! ” I absolutely cannot wait to share their makes with you, and my intention, and my hope is, that they will inspire you to look at Refashioning in a new light, and give it a try.

And if all the inspiration that’s coming over the next few weeks is not QUITE enough to get you trying this, then there’s the little matter of the HUGE prize package I’ve been working on over the past few months. Oh yes, it’s MASSIVE. Â But I am going to tantalise you with that for juuuust a little bit longer. (Hint: It’s much bigger than last years!) Â I’ll be announcing full details of that in a separate post. Yep, there’s that much of it 😉 For now let’s talk about the challenge itself…

So. What exactly IS this year’s Refashioners challenge. Well, it’s about these things….jeans!

Now, if my experience ofÂ jeans is anywhere near typical, then MOST of us have pairs of jeans in our drawers and wardrobes/closets that we simply just don’t wear. Am I right?? The search for the holy grail of jeans, ( well fitting, comfortable and stylish) is inevitably littered with candidates that failed to make the grade. They may have fitted well in the fitting room, but failed to stand up to the realities of everyday wear. (Muffin top, bad stretch recovery, shrinkage and builders bum…I’m looking at you!) Our shape, size or tastes may have changed. (Right now I’m looking at my 7 year old, my crisp stash and the bootcuts in my bottom drawer). In any case, you get the picture.

The question is, what to do with them? Well, that is your challenge. To turn those jeans that you don’t wear, into something that you do wear (or use). Simple as that….so Â here’s the skinny (excuse the pun)….

The Brief:

The theme is Jeans only:Â (Not denim jackets, skirts, shirts etc) Because the specific challenge with this is the scarcity of fabric and all the hardware and heavy seaming you’ll need to work around. The majority of yourÂ finished project must have come from the source garment (ie your jeans). Other than that anything goes. Use additional fabric and haberdashery to your hearts content, as long as you turn them from something you don’t wear, into something you do wear…or use, Â ok?! 🙂
The challenge is open to everyone: Anyone, of any age, from any part of the world is invited to take on this challenge. You do not need to have a blog.Â But if you want to be in with a chance of winningÂ the prize, you will need either an Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest account in order to share your make(s). Otherwise, feel free to just play along 🙂
The Prize: There will be 2 prizes this year. One overall winner and one “special recognition” prize. The standard was just so high last year it became clear one prize was not enough. The prizes will be predominantly physical items of a sewing related nature and will be posted to the winner(s) directly once they have been selected. The bloggers in the official blogger line up are not entered into the prize element of the challenge.
When is it?: The challenge launches on 1st August and runs until 30th Sept. Any garments shared using the official Instagram hashtags, or on the official facebook and pinterest groups will be entered into the competition and be in with a chance of winning . Details of those hashtags/groups will be included in next week’s post regarding the prize package
The Winner(s): The winner(s) will be selected by myself, the blogger line up and sponsors of the prize package. We will be looking at factors like ingenuity, creativity practicality, and overall finish. It doesn’t have to be complex to be clever ok?! So don’t be put off if you’re relatively new. Last year’s winner had only been sewing a few months!

So, what happens between now and August? Well, next week I’ll let you in on the deets of that amazing prize package and share all the different ways you can enter to win it. I’ll be sharing some inspiration posts between now and then too. So keep an eye out for those. Then you’ll have a whole month of inspiration/ideas from our bloggers in August. From there, you’ll have until the end of September to submit you makes in order to win that prize I was talking about 😉

In the meantime,Â get rummaging in those drawers/wardrobes/closets. Dig out all those old jeans that you (or your other half/brother/sister/mum/dad) no longer wear (or grab some off the bargain rail at the local charity shop/thrift store) and start plotting people. This is gonna be BIG! I cannot wait!!

refashioning, the refashioners, The Refashioners 2016, Uncategorized

The Refashioners 2016: The Blogger Line Up Revealed….!!!

06/01/16

So this is it! The countdown has begun once again people!!! For theÂ entire MONTH of August (launches Mon 1st August) this blog will again play host to an awesomeÂ line up of makers ready to take on The Refashioners challenge!!Â What’s more, you can take part too and be in with a chance of winning a FANTASTIC prize. Your part of this challenge runs from the start of August right through until the end of September! More deets on that and how to enter in a future post coming soon. So stay tuned for that!)

For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, (this is the 4th series) participantsÂ are challenged to refashion a garment for your delight and inspiration, Â basically to highlight how cool, creative and ecologically and ethically sound refashioning old garments actually is. The kickerÂ is, they don’t get to decide what that garment is. (insert evil laugh here) This year we’re tackling jeans. Yep, The Refashioners is all about all those unloved and ill fitting pairs of jeans languishing in wardrobes and drawersÂ everywhere, and showcasing some #jeaniusÂ (see what I did there?) Â ways to reuse, rework, and reimagine this classic garment; so beloved of cowboys and fashionistas alike!

So without further ado….I am unbelievably excited (like I could pass out with excitementÂ excited) to announce this years STELLAR line up!!!!

Rosie Martin:Â Sewer, author, drummer and all round dudette. Rosieâ€™s second book is due for release this summer. You can find Rosie on IG here or via http://www.diy-couture.co.uk/

Marie Koupparis:Â Marie is an utter delight. Her style is decidedly vintage but increasingly with an edgier â€œrock chickâ€ twist. Co-founder of The Vintage Pattern Pledge you can find Marie on IGÂ Â here or at http://www.astitchingodyssey.com/

Zoe Edwards:Â Founder of the global Me Made challenges, roving sewing tutor, blogger and burgeoning pattern designer. Zoe is an established advocate of refashioning and zero waste fashion. You can find Zoe on IG here or via http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.co.uk/

Marcy Harriell:Â AKA Oonaballoona! Actress, sewer, blogger and general force of nature. Look she made jeans already!! Deconstructing them next then 😉 Itâ€™s OK Marcy you can pinch a pair of Ruggyâ€™s right? You can find Marcy on IG here or via http://www.oonaballoona.com/

Megan Nielsen:Â I donâ€™t think you need me to introduce Megan! Pattern designer extraordinaire and one of the first blogs I ever read, I am super stoked that Megan agreed to be on board this year! You can find Megan on IG here or via http://blog.megannielsen.com/

Mirjam Liechti:Â Last yearâ€™s winner of The Refashionerâ€™s community challenge. Mirjam ditched a career in teaching last year when she discovered a passion for sewing and is now studying at the Swiss College of Textiles. You can find Mirjam on IG here or via http://miushka.com/

Elisalex De Castro Peake:Â Designer and Co-founder of the By Hand London pattern line and all round gorgeous and talented individual. In fact all the things that might make you slightly hate a galâ€¦.except you canâ€™t because sheâ€™s.just so.darn.lovely!Â 😉 You can find Elisalex on IG here or via http://byhandlondon.com/pages/about-us

Heather Lou:Â Blogger, designer and founder of Closet Case Files Patterns. Arguably already a jeans #jeanius this yearâ€™s challenge should be right up her strata! You can find Heather Lou on IG here or via http://closetcasefiles.com/

Ingrid Weimers:Â Blogger and fellow sewist. Ingrid has a really lovely style and an even lovelier way about her. Â Such a cool Scandi style. Plus sheâ€™s made me want a Podenco! You can find Ingrid on IG here or via https://wethesewing.wordpress.com/

Sarai Mitnick & The Colette Team:Â The founder of Colette Patterns and editor of Seamwork Magazine. Sooo excited to have not only Sarai, but 3Â other members of the Colette team (welcome to Anna, Delaney & Meg!!) taking part as a group this year too! You can find Sarai on IG here or via https://www.colettehq.com/

Sasha Werner:Â Talented seamstress, photographer, knitter and budding pattern designer. Stylish. Italian. Just. Awesome. Sasha sometimes describes her style as â€œRadical Nunâ€. Nunâ€™s never looked that stylish in my day, lol! You can find Sasha on IG here or via http://www.secondopiano.space/blog/

Beth Wood:Â Sewer, blogger and emerging pattern designer. I love Bethâ€™s easy style and canâ€™t wait to see what she makes of this yearâ€™s challenge. You can find Beth on IG here or via http://www.sewdiy.com/

Erin Hagstrom:Â Fashion and style blogger, Erin was relatively new to sewing when she joined last yearâ€™s challenge, but she made quite a splash! You can find Erin on IG here or via http://www.calivintage.com/

Marilla Walker:Â Pattern designer and all round â€œpolycreativeâ€. I made that word up but I think it aptly describes Marilla! Her Maya top remains one of my favourite sewing patterns. So simple but so perfect. You can find Marilla on IG here or via http://marillawalker.blogspot.co.uk/

Joost De Cock: Â Welcome the first ever â€œblokeâ€ participant of The Refashioners! So excited! Joost has great style and totally mad skills. Founder of MakeMyPattern.com you can find Joost on IG here or via http://joost.decock.org/

Rachel Pinheiro:Â So pleased to have the inimitable Rachel Pinheiro joining in this yearâ€™s challenge. In her own words â€œtall, Brazillian & opinionatedâ€. This should be funâ€¦.and most definitely glamourous! You can find Rachel on IG here or via http://houseofpinheiro.com/

Sally Ward Foxton: Â Serial refashioner, pattern designer and lover of cocktails. Iâ€™m still reeling from Sallyâ€™s refashion of a giant trenchcoat in the 2013 series of The Refashioners! You can find Sally on IG here or via http://charityshopchic.net/

Lisa Poblenz:Â Last yearâ€™s runner up for The Refashionerâ€™s Community Challenge. I hadnâ€™t planned on having a runner up prize. But Lisaâ€™s project was so epic it just had to be recognised! You can find Lisa on IG here or via https://patternandbranch.wordpress.com/

The Foldline:Â Founders of new online sewing community hub The Fold Line, Kate and Rachel are going to be taking part in this yearâ€™s challenge as a team! You can find The Fold Line on IG here or via https://thefoldline.com/about-us/

Jenna Bennett:Â Sewer, blogger and magazine contributor, Jenna lives in the same neck of the woods as me. So we occasionally hook up for coffee, thrifting, and mutual piss taking 😉 You can find Jenna on IG here or via http://www.justsewjenna.blogspot.co.uk/

Wendy Ward: Â Designer, Author, Teacher. Many strings to this ladyâ€™s bow! The sequel to Wendyâ€™s best selling book The Beginners Guide to dressmaking is also out later this year. You can find Wendy on IG here or via https://wendyward.wordpress.com/

So what say you? August and September are gonna be pretty awesome right??!!! Get rummaging through your drawers and wardrobes and have your old jeans at the ready. This is gonna Â be SERIOUSLY good!

If you want to help spread the word…(and I’d LOVE it if you did!) then use the following hashtags on social media:Â Â #therefashioners2016 #jeanius

Grab the button code below to use in your blog’s sidebar!

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The Refashioners 2015: and the winner is…..

10/02/15

I seriously cannot overstate just HOW difficult it has been to arrive at this decision! There has beenÂ so much creativity and ingenuity that I wish I had a multitude of prize packages to give away! There is a caveat to this. Which you’ll come to further down. But for now…without further ado…meet this years winner of The Refashioners 2015 “Get Shirty” Community Challenge….

Mirjam Liechti

When I first saw these trousers my jaw literally dropped.Â When you have lots of fabric to work with there’s a degree of flexibility in what you can do. Margin for error too. But to eek a pair of trousers out of a shirt; with all the fitting nuances we all know are involved? Well that requires gutsy vision, precision and a whole different kind of creativity…

The way in which Mirjam has retained the original essence of this shirt and her use of practically every last piece in details like the ankle cuffs (the original shirt cuffs) and the matching braces and button tabs is super clever. But it’s subtle too. What’s more, I get the sense that this really is a reflection of her style and personal aesthetic; which surely is one of the best kinds of motivation for refashioning and sewing our own clothes!

This was Mirjam’s first make for The Refashioners. Again, clever but subtle reuse of the cuffs at the waistband. And here’s the kicker…Mirjam is a beginner sewer! Having taken up sewing little more than a year ago Mirjam says she has discovered her passion. So much so that she has given up a career as a qualified teacher (!) to work part time in sales so she can attend the Swiss College of Textiles where she started a month ago and will be training for the next two years. All of which ramps up just how impressive this is and for me, is indicative of someone who has a natural talent for creative sewing that should surely be encouraged. She has pretty much promised me that she is going to start a blog in the not too distant future (I for one shall be following that with interest! One to watch I’d say. You know when you get the sense you could be witnessing the start of something awesome? Â That’s what my gut tells me about this lady!) But in the meantime…you can keep up with Mirjam here 🙂

And now for that caveat!

Lisa Poblenz

Lisa blogs over at Pattern & Branch and for a long time I literally could not decide between these two. This make by Lisa is SERIOUSLY awesome, involved a lot of work on her part and is deserving of some recognition. You should go check out the process. Seriously!

I promoted this community challenge as having one prize package and one winner. And I felt I should honour that. But had I had two prize packages to award, this would have been it. So with Mirjam’s permission I peeled off a little something from that immense prize package for Lisa; and she will be receiving the trio of Megan Nielsen patterns. Seriously. Awesome. Skills.

So that’s that. All of these awesome prizes (bar the caveat above)Â will be winging their way to Mirjam very shortly…..

And that rounds up this years series of The Refashioners. It’s been so amazing. The blogger challenge was phenomenal and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, in comes the community challenge and blows us all away again! The community challenge will now become a permanent element of The Refashioners series, and yes, I’m already putting together the bones of next year’s series! ( we’re gonna need more prize packages). I think it’s fair to say that men’s wardrobes/closets are a little less safe today than they were a few weeks ago…sorry chaps! (Not!)Â Please please please keep refashioning and looking at the fabric that you have at your fingertips before consigning it to landfill or abandonment 😉 Until next year people, this is The Refashioners 2015….signing off.

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The Refashioners 2015 is now closed…

09/29/15

So that’s that! 2 months of shirt refashioning inspiration and posts and community challenge entries and general creative awesomeness….done! Â Will be announcing the winner on Friday so stay tuned for that (it’s gonna be seriously hard to choose!).

In the meantime…enjoy some more shirt refashioning creativity form our amazing sewing community…

Morna, I have no words!

This is the first of Amelia’s entries. A colour blocked DELIGHT based on a Dear Creatures piece. She also squeezed in a second refashion just before the deadline!

Love this combination of a thrifted and dyed shirt and fabric stash scrap by Amy.

This lady is prolific with her shirt refashions for herself and her sister….and now her Mum too!

I love the way Najah writes! You should really check out her post about what she calls the “gender reassignment” of this little number. Love it!

Adorable little refash from @swissknitwitch on IG. Even has a matching reversible little jacket! Gah, look at those little ballet toes! 🙂

Phenomenal work from Lisa!

Really like the simplicity of this make by Angelina. Based on Deer & Doe’s Datura pattern. And of course…it’s grey…which I love, lol!

I’ve been wanting to share this one since it first got pinned! Adorable matching Pendleton shirt refashions!!!!

Another Datura based refash from Camilla…

Adorable refashion of a vintage shirt right?!

The ever cool Gabby Young with this shirt refashion based on Lileth & Eve’s new Â LE101 Drapey Blouse pattern…think I may be sold on this pattern Gabby!

And this picture just sums up for me how much our sewing community has embraced this challenge and how much fun it’s been! I wanna party with these ladies!

I’m so sorry we couldn’t feature everyone’s makes here, but there were just so many. THAT’S how awesome it’s been. Words cannot express how excited I am that you’ve all got so involved and how clever and creative you all are!

For now…I’m off to TRY and pick a winner…which is gonna take some doing…

DIY, refashioning, the refashioners

Get Shirty: Baby Blues

09/13/15

Time for another little “fix” of your brilliant and inspiring shirt refashions! Am really enjoying watching these roll into Pinterest and IG. You gotta stop giving me ideas people! My sewing queue is sooooo long already, lol!

This refashion from @miushkamiushka on IGÂ may look simple on the surface Â but it actually takes skills and attention to detail to get everything to line up in the way that she has here. That waistband is made from cuffs people! For a self professed beginner, that’s awesome!

I want this lady as a cheerleader for The Refashioners!! If you read Nina’sÂ post about this awesome sleep romper, you’ll see what I mean. This lady has an infectious enthusiasm (and great refashioning skills too!)

LOVE this quirky shirt refashion from Nicki. Simple genius!

This dress from Emma Miles is simply epic!

Men’s shirts are perfect for upcycling into clothes for the kiddos. And it’s nice to see the boys getting a look in too! This Mulberry Tunic is so gorgeous and man, is that boy gonna break some hearts when he grows up!?

These cutest of cute shorts are made from an upcycled chambray shirt. Simplicity itself but oh so gorgeous and….well…those LEGS!!!!

This make from The Secret Costumier is almost unrecognisable as the shirt it started out as. Love the front bodice shaping on this and the pops of colour chime beautifully with the pale blue don’t you think?

You guys are really embracing this challenge . LOVE it!! So keep em coming! Grab a shirt, get refashioning, share it, and be in with a chance of winning that awesome prize. Now worth just under Â£700!! Jaw dropping right?! Weâ€™ll be sharing a selection of your refashions right here throughout Sept and thereâ€™ll be inspiration posts to give you even more ideas and directions in which to go with your shirt refashioning. You have until 27th Sept to submit yours.Â

Me Elsewhere, refashion, refashioning, the refashioners, the refashioners 2015, Uncategorized

Simply Sewing: Issue 8

09/11/15

I’m a little more excited than usual about this month’s issue of Simply Sewing Magazine! Not only because I was quite pleased with the way these little neon details elevated this plain sweater for my regular refashion piece…

But also because there’s a full on 4 page feature on The Refashioners in this issue!!! (A little sneak peak of my new sewing #shedquarters in the background there too 😉 (I will be blogging that eventually but if you follow me on IG you’ll have seen ALOT about the process already!)

They’ve also featured Erin’s project for The Refashioners and you’ll find a few of our refashioners in the article, contents and contributors pages and a little call to arms for refashioners everywhere on the front cover! Cool right?! Refashioning world dominaton is but a step away, ha ha!!

Apart from us there’s a load of cool stuff in this issue in particular so well worth a look.

Serious gratitude to Simply Sewing for all the support they’ve shown for this series. Â Feeling humbly proud today.

Issue 8 on sale now 🙂 Print and digital subscriptions also available.

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