Wardrobe updates - altering a tailored jacket and changing sleeves

Two months in and my buy no new clothes challenge is going surprisingly well. I have only really had one major challenge which was finding a fabulous show shop when I visited Edinburgh with a friend. The shoes were beautiful but also capable of withstanding a good walk and while I'm a little sad that my show buying now takes that into account it;s just a fact of life! My friend was just as smitten with the shop and tried on 7 pairs while I looked longingly at them .............. I made it out without a purchase, my friend didn't!

To try and take away the temptation to buy I have been sorting through everything in my wardrobe that needs altered or fixed in some way. Alterations are brilliant because it feels a bit like shopping in your own wardrobe!

My most successful project has been a brown cord jacket that my sister gave me - we had a big clothes swap to re-home our unworn clothes. The jacket was beautifully made but just not quite me. It was a little long and just a bit too casual. I had put it to one side to go to the charity shop when I picked up a lovely beige and burgundy dress from a charity shop (sounds revolting but it is really pretty!) and was really stuck for something to wear it with. It needed a brown jacket. I figured that as much as I hate to waste things the jacket was on its way out anyway and it hadn't cost me any money so it wasn't a huge big deal if I messed it up.

I straightened off the bottom so it ran straight across the waist line. Then reinforced the edges with a zigzag stitch and trimmed off the frayed edges. Of course I forgot to take a decent before photo :0 

Testing the length

Making the first big cut!

All evened off but still not quite right......

Finally I added a trim to cover off the unfinished edges.  And magically it goes perfectly with the dress! It probably took me just over an hour  - far less than I would have spent searching for something new, and it cost me just £2 for the trim.

Ready to go

Now I can wear my dress :)

The second favourite update was to remove the floaty sleeves from a jersey sundress. I love these French Connection jersey dresses, they used to bring them out every year in different patterns with slightly different detailing. I loved the print on this one but the floaty cap sleeves were just a bit too girly for me and I kept putting it on and taking it off again before I went out.  This update was really quick and simple. The seems were unpicked, sleeves removed and the armholes re-hemmed. I now have a much more wearable dress which has now become a holiday staple.

Complete with flicky sleeves

Now a holiday staple :)

Being able to make these simple updates to get more out of my existing clothes makes me so glad my mum taught me how to sew!

Make do and mend - Shortening sleeves on a waterproof jacket

I've had this waterproof jacket for years but it rarely gets worn because the sleeves are so long. If I wear it walking and it rains I end up with soggy wrists as the sleeves start off turned up and then fall down after a while.

In keeping with the Buy Nothing New Challenge I thought I would try to shorten the sleeves so Ic an get more wear from the jacket.

I am the queen of lazy fixes so normally I would just turn the sleeves under and stitch them in place but there is a rubber bit on the cuff that is quite bulky. I have never shortened sleeves properly so this was a bit of an experiment!

Taking off the cuff was a bit tricky because it was secured on both sides and really well made!

 

I should have measured the sleeve length first but I took a guess that I needed to take off the length off the cuff so I took 5 centimetres off the outer sleeve and the lining. 

This turned out to be a bit of a mistake, but I didn't find that out until I finished machine stitching the outer sleeve to the cuff and realised it was still far too long  when I tried it on :( It turns out I needed to take a whopping 10 centimetres off!

I pinned and tacked the sleeve to the cuff and then machine stitched them together. I thought I'd done great until I realised it was still too long and I had to unpick it and chop a bit more off! Turns out the DIY mantra measure twice and cut once applies to sewing too :(

The original sleeve was machine stitched with a running stitch on the inside on both the outer sleeve and the lining, I think this must have been done before the sleeve was attached to the body. I couldn't work out how to do this without taking the whole sleeve off so unsettled for hand stitching. 

Instead of the original finish I tacked a hem into the lining and then tacked the lining to the cuff. 

I then hand stitched the lining onto the cuff with small stitches tacking care only to go through the inner layer of the cuff so as not to damage the waterproofing on the outside with unnecessary needle holes.

The shorter sleeve was quite a bit wider so I put a small single tuck in the fabric and secured it with the hem.

I'm really pleased with the result, the stitching at the lining is visible but  I now have a much more wearable jacket and saved it from the charity shop :)

Ta da, a sleeve that fits

Make do and mend - how to save a stretched pajama top

I have a pair of Cath Kidson cotton pajamas that I love. They have been washed so many times that they are super soft and comfy. Unfortunately they have also been washed so many times that the top has lost all lycra and stretched so much that it is a bit obscene! We had guests staying last week and I realised that the op really couldn't be worn in front of anyone except my husband - even then it was starting to get a bit embarrasing.................

I wasn't really sure how to fix it and all the guides I could find were for stretching teeshirts that had shrunk. I did try boiling it to see if it would shrink but that simply killed the rest of the lycra :0

  I measured about 2 1/5 inches from the top seam,  ran a zigzag stitch all the way along and then added a simple straight seam. The nerve racking bit was cutting off the excess fabric but I made the cut and it worked perfectly.

 The back edge of the top was left raw so I turned it under and tacked it.

Then I got a little adventurous and snipped off the lace edging that was looking a bit grey and sad. Next I added some ribbon that I had left over from Christmas. 

 

I tacked the ribbon in place to ensure it wouldn't slip on the machine and then striched it place with two lines of stitching. Before machine stictching I did check I could definitely get my head through the resized hole! My favourite pajamas are now restored and I can wear them without disgracing myself!!

Make do and mend - buttons, a quick fix for a favourite jumper

The slightly sad buttons :(

One of my favourite jumpers was starting to look a little sad. It is a very simple navy jumper, nothing fancy but it makes be feel all Parisian chic! The jumper itself was in good condition but it had gold buttons that had got scuffed and lost their colour round the edges.

A habit I must have picked up from my mum is saving buttons. I never really put them to good use and they lurk in my sewing box.
Here are some of the nicer ones! I thought I would put them to good use to give my jumper a new lease of life.




I picked out some of my favourites that either matched or were similar colours and updated my jumper - I'm delighted that it's back to fully service :) A cheap and very easy fix with nothing new purchased!

Buttons from long forgotten cardigans