How to Upcycle A Zooey Deschanel Dress

What is it about the cute vintage dresses Zooey Deschanel wears on and off screen that makes everyone go gaga? 

Zooey’s dresses are pretty, but they’re made for modern life.  How to re-create this look without spending a fortune?  Starting at your local thrift store or vintage shop, it’s possible to upcycle a completely one of a kind dress a la Zooey.   

Here are a few tips to start with.

 

 

1.  The Pretty Factor.  Zooey’s look is feminine without being overtly sexy.  Look for second hand dresses with retro-style details like gathered or pleated skirts, peter pan collars, small florals or other subtle patterns, lace, pintucks, etc.  In general, these are dresses that hug the body only at the waist.     

2.   Quality and Condition.  Be sure everything’s in good condition.  You don’t want to get home and find the zipper is broken or the armpits are stained!   

If you buy from a vintage clothes shop online, the seller should describe the item’s condition in detail.  Don’t buy from a seller who only says “good condition.”  You need all the facts.   

Some problems are relatively easy to fix if you want to take the time.  For tips on getting stains and smells out of second-hand clothes, look here.  And here’s a tutorial on replacing a button. 

3.  Making it Modern!  Looking at the examples of Zooey’s dresses above, they all have this in common:  They hit above the knee—farther above than most dresses were worn in the past. 

Now, a lot of thrift-store dresses aren’t short.  Those from the 1980s and 1990s hit about mid-calf (which, incidentally, is generally very unflattering).  But lots of these dresses are still great candidates for upcycling a la Zooey because of other details.

Sometimes all you need to create a cute modern vintage look is to shorten a dress above the knee.   You can get a seamstress at the dry cleaners to do it—generally about $15. Or you can do it yourself.  I recommend this tutorial.

The second change you might make to a thrifted dress is to take out those big ol’ shoulder pads.  These are usually very easy to remove; but if you’re nervous, here’s an article with instructions.

Unless the pads are reeeeally huge, taking them out won’t change the way the dress hangs.

Here are a few dresses in my my online vintage shop that have gotten the complete Zooey-fying treatment.  At less than $40 each, they’re still a bargain for a cute, well-made dress that’s one of a kind. 

 

Peter Pan collar dress, size 6, $35. 

Indie Secretary Dress, M-L, $30. 

Yellow Floral Dress, M, $38. 

love,

sallymandy

Technorati Tags: vintage clothes,cute vintage clothes,vintage dresses,zooey deschanel style,upcycling,thrifted clothes

DIY Cardigan from Crewneck Sweater!

    
Do you love the idea of DIY projects but are afraid to start?  Here’s a super-fast, no-sew project for the nervous refashionista.  We’ll create a customized cardi from a second hand pullover, incorporating flattering design elements. 

If you’re in need of the tools for the craft I have some promotional codes for Target here. 

Materials

• felted crewneck or collared pullover sweater
• sharp scissors
• pins
• measuring tape   
• Kilt pin, available at fabric stores

The sweater must be tightly “fulled” (also called felted) so the cut edges won’t ravel.  If your sweater isn’t felted, here’s how to do it. 
Start with a wool sweater that’s at least two sizes too big.   
One-hundred percent wool is best, but blends with at least 80-90% wool are also good.  Pure cashmere does not felt well.  Pure merino can shrink up to 50%.  A lovely blend is merino/cashmere/angora 60/20/20. 

Machine-wash sweater in hot water/cold rinse.  Check halfway through for size and felting.  The fabric is felted enough when a tiny scissors-cut on a hidden seam leaves an edge that doesn’t ravel—scratch with your fingernail to test.  If the fabric isn’t felted enough, wash it again or dry it on high.  (This process is inexact, and you may end up with a sweater that’s too small.  If so, think “hotpads” or “dog bed.”) 

Also, if you’re going to be felting very many sweaters, get a filter for the end of your washing machine hose to capture lint.
Dry the sweater flat.  When it’s dry, put it on a person or lay flat on a large surface.  Midge the Mannequin is standing in for me.

 Step 1: Cut Front

My sweater has a clear central pattern to follow, but you can also find the center with a measuring tape:  measure across the front, underarm to underarm, and mark the center with a pin.  Do the same on the bottom hem. 

Following your central pattern (as I did), or using your pins as guides, carefully cut straight up the middle front.  If your cut edges are ragged, you can neaten them up later.  

The sweater will now look like this (put a cami on, Midge!): 
 
Step 2: Cut Neckline

This step makes the finished piece look neater.  If you’re using a collared sweater, this step will remove the collar. 

Trim away neckband, staying close to the seam that attaches the neckband to the sweater.  If you want a wider neck opening, trim away more, being careful to be even all the way around.

Here’s the finished neckline:

You could also cut a wide v-neck, like this: 

 Step 3: Cut Hemline

This process is similar to shaping the neckline.  You’re going to remove any banding or ribbing at the bottom, and shorten the sweater if you want.  You can even take off several inches and make this into a cropped look. 

Just make sure you cut evenly all around.  Either carefully freehand it as I did, or use your measuring tape and pins to measure up 1”, 2”, 3” or whatever amount you’d like to remove.  I recommend shortening a little at first and increasing it as you go, trying on the sweater after each increment.   

Design note:  Hems that end three inches above or below the widest point of the hips are generally the most flattering. 

Next, trim the corners of the front opening to make a rounded edge.  You can freehand this, or cut around a teacup or other small circular item.

I removed the hem binding, and about 1” more all around. 

Step 4: Trim Cuffs

I like sleeves that are the same length as, or shorter than, the sweater’s hem.  I took off about an inch of the cuffs here. 

Removing the cuffs also makes the entire design consistent, since now all the ribbing has been removed from the sweater. 

Design note:  Three-quarter length sleeves are flattering because they elongate the line of the arm.
 
Step 5: Get Closure!

I love that the easiest way to close this sweater is also the most versatile.  Using an oversized safety pin called a kilt pin, you can close the sweater at the neck, bust, under-bust, or lower, depending on what you’re wearing under it.  You can find kilt pins at fabric stores.  Walmart has some very inexpensive ones. 

This way of pinning is my favorite:   

Design note:  by nipping under the bust, you can create emphasis where the torso is slimmest on many women.  This would also be cute belted. 

Enjoy…!

sallymandy……….

Technorati Tags: target coupons,frugaldad

photos by B.Behan, all rights reserved.  If you like cute vintage clothes and altered vintage clothing, please check out my collection at Chronologie Vintage

Technorati Tags: DIY,craft tutorials,felted sweater,DIY clothes,refashion,Chronologie Vintage

. 
Thanks to Imogen at Inside Out Style for sharing many of these design elements.

Recycled Tee Shirt Skirt, Custom Made for a Blue Kimono Reader!

I made this skirt for one of my lovely Canadian readers.  It’s a custom knee skirt made from my original design.  Thank you, dear bloggie friend!

I used pieces from nine or ten different cotton knit garments for this original design.  The waistband is made from a pair of Tommy Hilfiger sweat pants. 

Everything is post-consumer, recycled material that I’ve cleaned to within an inch of its life and put together carefully on my thirty-year-old sewing machine. 

 

I made another skirt very much like this—same colors and styling—for a second customer who liked it and ordered on it her size. 

My online shop is here:  www.bluekimonostudio.etsy.com

Happy Week! 

sallymandy

 

The Finished Refashion from Sunday

Needlework is so therapeutic.  I put some swirly embroidery around the edges and cuffs of the sweater I refashioned earlier this week.  It was more for my benefit than for the sweater’s.  But I think the sweater’s better, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, Midge gets to stop being a hussy and wear a few more clothes.   

It turns out that the sweater’s made of acrylic, not wool as I originally thought.  I normally don’t buy synthetics.  Still, as the sweater doesn’t fit me, I like how it turned out well enough to put it up for sale in my Etsy shop.  

I’m driving over the Rocky Mountains into Idaho tomorrow for a weekend-long, middle-school soccer tournament.  May not be posting for a few days, as I’ll probably play dead for a while upon returning. 

Have a lovely weekend! 

sallymandy

photos by B. Behan.  All rights reserved. 

Favorite Etsy Sweaters and My Own New Designs

 

Amelie Sweater in Cashmere and Felted Merino, Size M, Blue Kimono Studio

Is it warm yet? 

Two hours after taking the dogs for a morning walk, my legs are still thawing out.  There’s a blanket of ice in my yard, and the doors on my Subaru are frozen shut.   

The stores are stocking bathing suits, but I still need sweaters—wool sweaters!  

And I’m still making sweaters for my recycled clothing shop, Blue Kimono Studio. 

Here are a few of my favorites sweaters.  Some are my own, and some are from other Etsy sellers.   

I’m proud of the one at the top of my post.  It was featured on Etsy’s Front Page on December 28.   

Burgundy Heather Pullover, Size M-L, $75 USD, RagaissanceWear. 

Ella Pullover Sweater with Recycled Cashmere, Size L, $168, Foundry Designs

 

Sara Sweater in Felted Wool and Stripes, Size M, $118 USD, Blue Kimono Studio

Orange Merino Felted Pullover, Size S-M, $90 USD, RagaissanceWear.

Ella Pullover in Felted Cream, Taupe and Cocoa Wool, Size S, $168, Foundry Designs. 

Amory Sweater in Wool and Felted Merino, $118, Size L, Blue Kimono Studio. 

How about you?  Are you ready for spring yet, or are you still pulling out your woolens? 

Have a warm and colorful weekend…love,

Sallymandy

Wardrobe Refashion Update

It’s been almost six months since I took the Wardrobe Refashion challenge not to buy any new clothes for two months. 

With one exception—two pairs of Gap pants in July—I’ve done it.  It was pretty easy, and it made me really look with new eyes at old clothes.   

I’ve posted a few photos of my adventures refashioning my own clothes.  That was fun, but after a while I started feeling limited by not liking how my clothes looked on me.  And that’s another issue altogether.  

Still obsessed with Making Good New Stuff out of Old Icky Stuff, in August I found a book that set me on an entirely new creative path.  I posted about it:  The Sweater Chop Shop, by Crispina ffrench. 

It’s largely Crispina’s fault that my blog has languished this fall, because I’ve found her approach to recycled sewing completely inspiring and fantastic.  I needed this diversion.  At the same time that I found her book, as most of my readers know, my husband was preparing to move to another state for a job—without, for the time being, me and our daughter.*

Since I can get pretty compulsive facing the Fear of the Unknown, I’ve chosen to throw myself headlong into Crispina-inspired sewing during this time, rather than eating or shopping myself out into trouble.  Yes, it pretty much replaced blogging, because…well, mes bonnes amis, I wanted to be really, completely selfish and mess around with fabric and colors and thread and shapes and textures and not show it to anyone, not feel a single bit of pressure, not feel like a Bad Girl for not visiting my blog friends…blah, blah, blah. 

Anyone relate to this?  I know the answer is Yes. 

My other favorite book (besides Sweater Chop Shop) is The Twelve Secrets of Highly Creative Women, by Gail McMeekin.  This amazing book has a whole section about how we women who want to create must do this:  shut the door, turn off the phone, Be Selfish!  So..it was hard, but I did that.  For the cost of a couple of therapy sessions, I set up own Chop Shop and gave myself time to try it.

Here are some of things I’ve made.  Truthfully, I can’t believe how much time I’ve spent.  Like anything one loves, it can be all-consuming.  I’m thrilled with how much I’ve learned, and how excited I am to get out of bed and do this instead of write grant proposals for the non-profit group that employs me. 

If these items look like they’re being photographed for sale, it’s because I’m opening a shop on Etsy at the end of November.  This exercise in creative abandon is making me seriously question my current career path.  At the very least, to justify playing with wool as much as I want to, I’d like to get some monetary return for my time. 

 

I’ve noticed that other blogger friends have also stepped back from the social obligations of blogging to devote time to other creative pursuits.  If any of you are reading, I’d like to hear how that’s going for you—if you want to say.   

*he left this morning, and here I sit, at three in the afternoon, in my pajamas, house torn up with my projects, sad/glad the waiting is over, and knowing good things will come of it all. 

Love,

sallymandy

Beautiful Creations from Recycled by Hyena

 

Cecile at Recycled by Hyena is taking clothing recycling to new heights.  I’m just smitten with these beautifully designed and crafted pieces. 

I love Cecile’s ethic and aesthetic of recycling clothing into something better than the sum of its parts.  Here are some of my favorite RBH pieces—some for sale now on Cecile’s website or Etsy shop, and some that have already been sold.  

(Today, I’m the happy owner of one of Cecile’s pieces.  Keep reading to find out which.)

On her Etsy site, Cecile writes of her design philosophy:

“My clothes are made from scratch but not from new materials. They are made with fabric from clothes I purchased in Goodwill stores and non-profit thrift stores.

“I ‘believe’ in the craft revolution and I think it is our future. The handmade and eco-friendly life is the only alternative to the consumerism destroying our planet and the living beings surrounding us.”

 

I don’t know about you, but these designs are not what I usually envision when I hear the word “eco-friendly.”  That they are both very desirable fore wearing, and good for the environment, and handmade, makes me really excited about Recycled by Hyena! 

Plus, regular people like you and me can afford them.  In times like these, that makes a difference.   

Cecile also creates these gorgeous pieces of fiber jewelry. 

The last one, the red and cream cuff, is now living in my dresser drawer (when it’s not on my arm).   

Go visit Cecile at her Etsy shop or blog! 

Sallymandy   ♥

all photos are the property of Cecile at Recycled by Hyena and cannot be copied from this site without her permission. 

Fabulous New Refashion/Recycle Book: “The Sweater Chop Shop”

Just released two days ago:  this colorful book on turning recycled wool sweaters into new, beautiful garments and useful objects for the house.   

The Sweater Chop Shop is my new favorite book on clothing recycling and wardrobe refashioning.   It’s well written with clear instructions and illustrations.  It has a wonderful balance of introductory information and let’s-get-started enthusiasm.

Ms ffrench’s basic method is to create felted fabric from good quality wool sweaters in your washing machine and dryer, and then using the resulting fabric to create garments and household items. 

You can make the Renaissance Top with Bell Sleeves pictured on the book cover.  Or a Basic Pullover, or an Empire Vest with Gathers.  For the home, how about this:   

The processes involved are so simple that one doesn’t even need a sewing machine.  All the projects are designed to be sewn by hand; in fact, the hand sewing is a design element. 

Also—and this is important—the designs in this book are just cool, fresh, and funky.  Having now looked at several wardrobe refashioning books, I’m not interested in another way to cut up a t-shirt or make a halter top out of a scarf.  Those might be fine for twenty-something women, but I need something more substantial and higher-quality.  I found some truly new, innovative ideas here.   

Crispina ffrench photo from her blog, www.crispinaffrench.blogspot.com

Best of all, the designs are adaptable to pretty much any body, personality, age, or gender.  The author gives detailed instructions on how to make basic garments, then follows with a chapter on individual elements to personalize them, such as hoods, various pockets, etc.  If you don’t care for the rough-hewn, handmade look that’s pictured in the book, it would be easy to refine the designs by using a sewing machine and hiding the stitching. 

I’m sold.  I have to run to the basement now, to get my four old sweaters out of the washing machine and into the dryer for the next step in the Sweater Chop.