Turn a Skirt into a Dress

 Or is it a pinafore?

repeat of an old photo in the old office from July 2020

Shelbee wanted me to post directions on how I did this transformation.
I looked through the skirts that need rehabbing. They require too much work! 

Here, instead, are close-up shots of the straps.

All hand stitched!

I used 1" width leopard print grosgrain ribbon. 

For the length, cut two longer than you think you'll need. Position with safety pins (inside or outside the waist of the skirt), put the skirt on, and fine tune the fit. Then, stitch!

Happy refashioning!

Linking up with 

Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

Meeting and Mending, Seattle and Portland

The sad news?
No Meet and Mend happened in Seattle.

The happy news?
I met up with Sherry of Petite Over 40 in Seattle and mended in Portland!

Slowly, during my drive up to and my stay in Seattle it transpired that first the venue for the Meet and Mend had to change and then everyone (except Sherry) bailed. That didn't stop us! We went on a boat! And ate a whole package of macarons!

Sherry displays our sea-worthy snack.

Strawberry, the last macaron. We spent way more time gabbing and eating than looking at the scenery.

One of the many ferries in the harbor. You can [not] see how hazy it was from the fires in British Columbia.

I didn't take many photos until we got near the container ships.
Boatloads of #dailytruck components!

Sherry is organizing a Blogger Meetup in early October, and I'm going!
Contact her directly if you'd like to join in, especially if you live in the Seattle area.
I might try to get another Meet and Mend happening, not sure yet.

On to mending...
I was hoping to start sewing during my train ride down to Portland.
Nope.
I checked in at Seattle's King St. Station so late, I ended up riding backwards with no tray table.

The next day, I worked on my first mending project:

All I had to do was sew up the side seams of my ruana to turn it into a tunic.

Ta da!
This was taken at Fred Meyer's. I designed the prints in those men's lounge pants.

What size are these? XXL?

Mending project #2 went on some adventures.

I started with silk buttonhole twist, which now I'm thinking wasn't the best choice -- the knots aren't holding.

The end of the yellow silk buttonhole twist, a little over 4 rows of stitching.

The mending visits Powells.

The mending takes flight.

I have a long way to go on this piece. I'll keep taking pictures of places it goes!

Linking up with Shelbee's On the Edge
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

What to Mend When I Meet?

Remember the Meet and Mend, happening in Seattle, Friday August 11, 2-4?
Today I'm packing for the trip, and I need to decide what mending project(s) to take.
This is clearly #1:

Isn't it lovely?
It has a built-in embroidered "necklace"!
Made in Guatemala for the brand Ketzali.

Right now, it's a ruana -- not sewn up the sides! Easy fix!
(I purchased it on Poshmark with full knowledge of my required sewing).

I did a quick photoshoot with other potential mendees...

This I got on Etsy and it was in worse condition than described.

The 10.5" armholes weren't mentioned by the seller -- that size opening only makes it half-way up my right forearm!
(I don't know why some openings on huipils are created for miniature people. I've had this issue before with both armholes and necklines, no it doesn't irritate me too much).
The yarn (barely) holding it together and decorating the neckline and armholes is a fuzzy acrylic.
NOT a fiber I want against my skin in the summer.

Mending verdict? Too much work for this meet-up!

Next is a "scarf" that I got in Marfa, made by Dosa:

It was on sale, and the least expensive Dosa item in the shop, Teinda M [store closed].

Later, in a calmer, non-shopper-frenzy moment, I pulled it out to wrap around my neck.

"This looks like a tea towel."

Indeed, it IS a towel, of sorts (link).

I love the colors, the cotton fabric is light and soft, BUT, it's just a little too short to wear as a tunic with only leggings.

Mending verdict? Back to the drawing board!

The fourth item is not a garment, it's fabric that I had covering my couch.

I found more of the same in my fabric stash, and have already basted on an extremely large patch.
I'd like to stitch it with colored stripes, like the Indian scarf (on right in photo) that I got at the Fowler last April.
Mending verdict? Take. We're now using a conference room for our Meet and Mend location. That means there will be a large table! I also might be able to work on this during the drive up to Seattle. Not sure if mending while passengering will make me car sick, so that's TBD.

Now I need to find my bag of embroidery floss! ARGH!

The details on the event:
Seattle Meet and Mend

When: Friday, August 11, 2-4pm

Where: VENUE CHANGED! 2720 3rd Ave, Seattle 98121 (Big THANKS to Sherry!)

             NOTE: this is a secured building, and one of us will need to let you in.

Bring: Clothing that needs repair.  ErnieK is bringing "tubs" of notions. 

           Hate sewing? Bring yourself -- we'd love to have you join the conversation!

Cost: FREE!

Hope to see you there! 

If you intend to attend, please let me know in the comments below so that I can trade digits with you for texting, in case one of us is not in the lobby to let you in!

Linking this up with
Patti's Visible Monday

Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

Meet and Mend in Seattle Friday, August 11, 2-4pm

I'll be in Seattle the second week of August.
[Embarking on one of my cRaZy road trips. See my On the Edge blog for details and updates].
I was wondering how to meet up with friends in the region.
Since I had such a blast at last week's mending workshop...

Bella of Citizen Rosebud, ErnieK of Ernie K Designs, and I are joining forces and will be hosting a "Meet and Mend".
What the heck is that? you ask.
Fixing stuff instead of throwing it away! In a group situation!
Same idea as a knitting circle or a quilting bee.
Busy hands and camaraderie!
I thought it'd be a different and fun way to gather people vs eating or shopping.

Mending at CAFAM, 7/23/17

Don't worry about weak hand sewing skills. Bring something that needs a button! (We ALL have some of those, right?) There will be some EXPERTS on hand to help solve your mending problems. ErnieK is promising "tubs" of supplies(!). I'm liberating some fabrics from my stash. 

Please leave the carpentry projects for another day -- we'll be working with our hands on soft goods (fabrics, yarns, etc). Don't bring things that require machinery, nails, hammering, and/or smelly glue.

When: Friday, August 11, 2-4pm

Where: VENUE CHANGED! 2720 3rd Ave, Seattle 98121 Le Merde, 7315 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, 98103

Bring: Clothing that needs repair. Hate sewing? Bring yourself -- we'd love to have you join the conversation!

Cost: FREE!

Hope to see you there!

Slow Clothing and Mending at #CAFAM

Yesterday, I attended two related events at the Craft and Folk Art Museum that I found very transformative.

Here is what I took:

My huipil with the shredded shoulder and a [way too large a] pile of possible fabrics for patching.

Here is some of what I took in:
From Kath and Kim of The Possibility Project

From Ruth Katzenstein Souza

Along with her short slide lecture, Ruth brought along some examples of her Visible Mending to inspire us:

Jeans

Vest back and detail

Sweater (shown sideways)

I could have sat and stared at Ruth's huipil for a long time...

But it was time to get stitching!

I opted for the panty with a print that I designed and red embroidery floss.

Done! I call this Chaos Stitching -- decisions made in a flash, permission granted to dive right into it.

One of my main reasons for attending was to sit around a table with a bunch of others, stitching.

It was as wonderful as I'd hoped.

Feeling mended!

Final quote from Ruth:

Thank you so much, Kath, Kim, Ruth, and CAFAM!

I'm linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #SaturdayShareLinkUp

Super Easy Skirt DIY

Where was I when they issued the "How To" on making a tube skirt out of a tee?
Wool-gathering, no doubt.

Find the too-tight tee/tank/cami:

Cut straight across just under the sleeves/armholes:

Wear!

So easy! Why didn't I think of this sooner!

By the way, I got a new camera.
It has WiFi. I no longer have to email my outfit pix to myself. I can use the WiFi!
Oh the possibilities...

Here's a side-by-side comparison of unedited photos (aside from cropping)
from the old Panasonic Lumix (left) and the new Nikon Coolpix L840 (right):

No more adjusting the Levels in Photoshop every single time!
[Does happy dance].

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday (oops, she's on vacation!)
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness