Reuse is an important principle of permaculture. In honor of this principle, I am remaking the contents of my closet instead of purchasing new clothes. Also, I’m a miser. And I like the clothes I have, for the most part. Some of them just don’t fit me well.
So here are two remakes:
The first one is the first time I have tried tailoring clothing to fit me well. I forgot to take a Before picture, but the shirt was an oversized yellow shirt which hung straight down. A long-sleeve T-Shirt, really. I cut off the bottom, added darts to the front and back, reattached the bottom, sewed shut the collar opening, and added some pretty ribbon roses in place of the ugly little buttons. I also shortened the sleeves from the top, a great idea I got from this post by The Renegade Seamstress.
Total cost: $0 out of pocket, as I already had all of the supplies needed.
In the picture of the back, I’m standing at a slight angle. Don’t worry, the darts are centered in real life. And that bump on my shoulder blade? A benign bone tumor and the bane of my life when it comes to finding clothing that fits well. But now that I’ve figured out how to fit my clothes myself (thanks, Pinterest), it will no longer be an issue. Hee, hee. And I thought the little ribbon roses added just the right touch of color. Plus, they will help the shirt coordinate with more of my clothing.
This next project was actually the driving force behind my new decision to remake my clothing. I love this sweater, but as you can see in the picture on the right, it is just to large for me. But it is really soft and warm. And it is hard for me to find sweaters that I can stand to wear against my skin. So, when I saw The Renegade Seamstress’s post about remaking a sweater, my mind immediately went to this. But I wanted to practice a bit before cutting into my beloved brown sweater, hence the yellow shirt make over. When I saw how easy it was to do, I dove right in. By the way, thanks to my mom for pinning in the alterations while I wore the garments. And for taking the pictures.
So here are the After pictures of the Beloved Brown Sweater:
It’s hard to tell because of the color, but I raised the collar (considerably), gave the sides a nice, feminine curve, slimmed the sleeves, and shortened them from the top. It looks much better in person. Overall, I’m pleased with it, and no longer feel like I’m wearing a sack (and giving everyone a free show). I decided to keep this remake simple because the sweater is so beautiful by itself: it needs no embellishments.
Total Cost: $0 out of pocket, because I already had all of the supplies.
And now, the rest of my wardrobe is waiting….
