Rehab Projects

I finally got a sewing machine (in December).  It's so nice to not have to sew everything by hand anymore and take the trip down memory lane to when my mother taught me how to use one waaaay waaay back when....


Since then I've pulled stacks of clothing out of my closet to alter...stuff that would normally end up collecting dust or being given away because it was ill-fitting.  Now I've been hit with the upcycling bug, so as I've been thrifting and shopping I haven't been able to pass up some great finds that just needed to go into Rehab. 


Here are a couple of projects that I've worked on over the last couple of months.  Some of them I couldn't part with and ended up in my closet, others will end up on Bombshell Rehab.  If you're interested in something, shoot me an email and I can let you know when I list the item.

This pair of funky leg-warmers was fashioned out of a thrift wool sweater and a pair of (new) socks.  Cut the sleeves off the sweater and the tops off the socks and voilà!  (Credit goes to Born-Again Vintage for the brilliant idea.)

I bought this pencil skirt at Guvnor's, a very neat store in Brooklyn, NY.  It fit me like a glove, but was a few inches too long to look right for my legs.  

When I hemmed it up, I realized that there was a silky burgundy slip sewn into it that now extended past the hem of the skirt.  Originally I was planning to hem it up out of sight, but actually dug the look of it and sewed on the lace trim to snaz it up even more.

This was an old shirt that I always passed up on wearing because it was too short for my torso and looked boxy, but loved the screen-print so couldn't put it to pasture.  

I had some turquoise fabric that was left over from a shirt that I had deconstructed.  The pieces were from the ends of ties, so I had half the work already cut out for me to covert the boxy tee into a tank.  The end result was a sexier, better-fitted top that is now in my regular rotation!

New favorite outfit:

I loved the pattern on this vintage calf-length skirt, but didn't dig the frumpy look of it.  I figured it would look really good as a strapless dress.

I've been really into elastic waist dresses lately.  As a girl that has a hard time getting a dress that fits both my bust and hips properly but also needs the well-defined waist to prevent potato-sack-syndrome, they are a god-send!

So in goes the waist that the elastic will get sewn onto.  Now to find that perfect belt to go along with it.....