Refashion Friday Inspiration: Frill Hem Denim Shirt Remake

Hmm, I must admit I'm not in love with this project. It was very much an experiment I did last year when I had some spare time. I'd had some ideas floating round my head and I wanted to try and make them a reality, and while I don't think all the elements I've ploughed into this garment work in unison, I do think there are some good ideas in here that might inspire some more successful refashions in the future. 

So what IS going on here? Well, it's basically a bodice with a gathered strip of fabric to form a frill at the bottom that kind of brings a peplum effect. I wanted to try remaking a shirt with a princess seam bodice pattern rather than the usual bust dart shirt remakes I've made in the past. To be honest I can't remember which pattern I used, but any princess seam bodice pattern like the By Hand London's Elisalex dress would be a good basis. I really like how the recutting of the shirt front slices up the original pocket detail (pictured below). 

The frill was made from fabric harvested from the removed sleeves and seamed together to form a simple long rectangular strip. Plus, as you may have gathered, the cap sleeves are made from the original cuffs. I've seen this done better on other peoples' refashions! I think mine would have been better if the proportions were a bit more subtle, perhaps if I removed the buttons and brought the cuffs/caps in a bit so they don't protrude out as much. 

But anyways. My intention was not to present you with a garment and then to list its flaws, I just wanted to show you the results of an experiment I had in the hope that an element or two from it might trigger some ideas for your own refashionings. Have a fabulous weekend. 

Sew with So Zo This Summer!

I'm lucky enough to be teaching some really fantastic classes this Summer before I go on maternity leave (if a self-employed person gets to call it maternity-leave). Some are classes I have taught before, some are newly developed so I thought I'd outline them all here in case any of them are of interest to you or someone you know who might want to develop their sewing skills and live in South-East England. 

The first three classes are at a new venue called The Village Haberdashery in North London. Its online shop has been going for some time, but it's bricks and mortar incarnation is a newer venture. I'm very proud to join the likes of Tilly and Karen who also teach there. 

Sew a Kid's T-Shirt
Saturday, 17 August, 10:30am - 1:30pm, £60

Take the fear out of sewing with knits while learning to make a classic kid's t-shirt! In this class, you'll be guided through the process of sewing a kid's t-shirt by, umm, me using the Figgy's Banyan pattern and fabric from the new organic Elk Grove Knits collection. The fabric and pattern are included in the course fee and you'll be able to choose from 10 fabric designs for your shirt. The pattern fits boys and girls aged 18 months up to 8/9 years.

For more info and how to book for the Kid's T-shirt class, click here.


Sew Your Own Knickers
Saturday, 17 August, 2:30pm - 5:30pm, £50

You could of course simply download my free knickers/pants/undies pattern and have a go yourself at home, but for those who would prefer a bit of extra guidance plus the hassle-free option of all the materials included, this is a great class to be lead on your undies-making journey. The undies elastic and fabric from the new organic Elk Grove Knits collection are included in the class price, so all you need to do is turn up! 

For more info and how to book for the knickers making class, click here.

The Renfrew Top class **UPDATE** MORNING CLASS SOLD OUT: AFTERNOON ADDED! 

Saturday, 31 August, 10:30am - 1:30pm, £80 **PLUS 2.30pm - 5.30pm**

(image source: Sewaholic Patterns)

The Sewaholic Renfrew pattern has become a firm favourite with the online sewing community. And with good reason, it is basically the perfect women's basic tee! In this class you'll learn how to sew with knit fabrics whilst making your own semi-fitted v-neck or scoop-neck t-shirt. The fabric and pattern are included in the course fee and you'll be able to choose from 10 fabric designs for your shirt from the new organic Elk Grove Knits collection. All being well, you'll leave class with a great new top and the confidence to tackle any knit pattern you've been coveting!

For more info and how to book for the Renfrew class, click here.

1940's Tea Dress class

Saturdays, 27th July & 3rd Aug, £130

(image source: Sew Over It)

This is an awesome intermediate class to help you develop your dress making skills that introduces some techniques like gathering and inserting concealed zips. Make this pretty, retro-vibe dress that you can then make again and again, as you conquer sewing with slippery, drapey fabric. 

For more info and how to book for the tea dress class, click here.

Pussy Bow Blouse class

Wednesdays, 7th & 14th Aug, £90

(image source: Sew Over It)

Possibly my favourite class to teach because I've yet to have a student that hasn't had an ace result. I wear my own pussy bow blouse made from this pattern all the time (even whilst I've been pregnant because of its looser fit), so I know just how practical and useful this garment is. Like the more complex tea dress class above, the pussy bow blouse class is a great class for those wanting to push themselves to try more challenging fabrics and some extra techniques like inserting sleeves etc. under supervision!

For more info and how to book for the pussy bow blouse class, click here. http://www.thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk/classes-and-workshops/the-renfrew-top-2

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Lace Back Denim Shirt/Blouse

Happy Friday, Refashioners!!! So, if it's Summer and warm where you are here's a little garment refashioning idea that might be up your street. This refashion is something I came up with last year, but is not an idea I claim to have invented! I can't remember if it came from my brain, or translated from something I'd seen online or elsewhere, but I definitely know I've seen other lace-backed blouses, shirts and dresses out there. Although this one is particularly ace because it is made from an unwanted shirt that might otherwise have found itself in a landfill (boo!!!). 

Quite simply, it's made by cutting up the original denim/chambray shirt and harvesting the back, collar and sleeves for other projects. I used a very basic shell top pattern and recut the front of the blouse incorporating the shirt's original buttons, button-stand and hem (as with many of my men's to women's shirt refashions). The back was cut from a piece of off-white lace. 

I wanted to bring more of the lace detailing into this creation, so I drafted a simple collar that would finish either side of the button stand. The top collar is cut from the same lace, and the under collar cut from more of the denim shirt that was harvested from the back panel or sleeves. 

If you wanted to make a version of this project for colder days, or for those who don't want their bra strap on show, you could always make the back panel with a lace overlay instead of as a single layer. Oh, and if it's Winter, you may want sleeves!

The Tova Top Disappointment

So here's the thing. I made this top perhaps only three weeks after using the same pattern to make my grey Tova dress. What I didn't bank on was the rapid and unpredictable growth spurt my boobs were about to embark on. Damn. And whilst the grey dress inexplicably manages to just about fit several weeks after that (and still just about fits ok), this cotton top was too tight from the very first try-on. 

I'm pretty gutted because I really took time and care over making this top. I used some lovely cotton ikat fabric that had been lurking in my stash for the best part of a year, pre-washing it to avoid heart-breaking shrinkages. I figured out the (not automatic) button hole function of my new-to-me sewing machine and made a functioning button stand on this version when I felt after the last one that it would have been a beneficial addition. There was a small sleeve-based trauma when it turned out I didn't have sufficient fabric to accommodate my initial plans, resulting in a disappointing mid-way version and then lots of unpicking and re-working of the sleeves into what you see now. In short, I poured a whole heap of love into this make.  

Anyways, enough moaning. It's not warm enough to wear such a light weight garment here in the UK anyway (at least not for a chilly-boned person like me). I misjudged my changing pregnant body and learnt a lesson: jersey or some element of stretch from now on! Plus who is not to say that one day my boobs will return to something approaching their original dimensions and I'll be able to get some use from it. If not, expect another giveaway round these parts!

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Shawl Collar Denim Shirt Remake

Oh hai peops!!! This is the last instalment of Refashion Friday before MMM'13 kicks off next Wednesday, so I wanted to share an idea that would be a super-quick make for anyone looking to whip up an extra item before the challenge begins. Panic-sewing is in no way encouraged or endorsed, but I understand the urge to get something new-to-you finished to wear during the month. 

The 'raw ingredients' for this project are as follows: an unwanted mens button up shirt, New Look 6808 pattern (pictured above) and about half a metre of contrast cotton fabric. I've noticed that lots of sewers already have this sewing pattern in their pattern stash, no doubt because it's a great basic shape plus very versatile with all the different neckline and sleeve combinations that are possible.

If you are thinking that this project looks familiar, well you should congratulate yourself on your Sherlock Holmes-style abilities. It is, in fact, basically exactly the same as this version I made for myself in 2011. The main differences are that this version uses a denim shirt rather than work shirt as the starting point, plus with the denim version I simply overlocked the raw armhole edges, turned them over and top-stitched them down rather than making self-bias binding to finish the armholes as I did with the work shirt version. Oh, and this one was made for my friend Jennie as payment for an illustration she did for me. That's the other main difference. 

I used the front and back body pattern pieces as a guide to recut the shirt, but omitted the waist shaping darts to get a looser more casual fit. Like with most of my shirt refashions, I incorporated the original buttons/button stand and hem. I also deliberately picked a shirt with a pocket because I love the misplacement of it when the garment is recut: it forms a clear indication that this garment had a former life, which I feel should be celebrated rather than hidden where applicable.  

The collar piece doesn't take much fabric, so it's a great opportunity to use up some smaller pretty pieces you may have in your stash that aren't big enough to make a whole garment from. Ok that's all from me today, now resume panic-sewing Me-Made-Mayers! (ONLY KIDDING!!!!!!)

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Contrast Bow Tunic Top Shirt Remake

Here's a cute little Spring-like refashion/remake for you this (Refashion) Friday. If you are one of the hundreds (thousands?) of lucky folks who have a copy of Simplicity 3835 (which you can buy in PDF form here, BTW) or a similar tunic top pattern, there is nothing stopping you from making this project yourself if you fancied, save for the acquisition of an unwanted mens button-up shirt. Like most refashions, the bigger your starting-point garment is, the better. unless you are a teensy lady/child then probably any shirt would be fine for this project.  

You'll need to position the CF of the top along the centre of the button stand. Position the front and back pieces low on the shirt so you can incorporate the curved hemline as well. The contrast bow detail was made using the cuff from another shirt, but you could use any contrasting fabric to make a simple bow or corsage for a cute and interesting detail. Another shirt remake project that started with this pattern as a basis can be found here.  

Leopard Mathilde Blouse

Unless you've been surfing the online sewing community with your eyes closed for the last month or so (you mentalist!), you've no doubt come across the first downloadable pattern, the Matilde Blouse, designed and released by the super-talented Tilly of Tilly and the Buttons blog. Aside from Tilly's own of course, there are some truly fabulous versions of this pattern popping up all over blogville, many of which can be seen on Tilly's maker gallery. Go and see for yourself if you don't believe me...

I was asked by Tilly to one on of her army of testers for this pattern and its instructions. As someone who has developed and released my own sewing patterns, I was thoroughly impressed by the amount of work and attention to detail Tilly put into making the pattern, instructions and everything else that went along with releasing it as flawlessly and user-friendly as humanly possible. IMO, she has seriously put some of the well-known sewing pattern companies to shame in these regards! Everything about Tilly's approach to the process, including garment design, graphics, detailed blog posts, community involvement and so on has been amazing, in my book. 

So ta da!!! Here's my version of this blouse pattern. As Tilly admitted herself, she wasn't sure if the style of this blouse was particularly 'Zo-esque', but we both agreed the final garment is plenty 'Zo', not least thanks to the injection of leopard print! This fabric was a gift from the lovely Karen, and has been languishing in my stash for a year or so. When the Mathilde blouse called for something light-weight with a bit of drape, I knew it was time to get this fabric deployed! I had bought a pack of red vintage plastic buttons for the back fastening but when I opened the pack one of them was a different design to the others, and there wasn't enough of the predominant style. That would annoy me so I opted for a complete set of metallic silver ones from my stash instead. 

The reason I have taken longer than everyone else involved in the testing to get my version out there is that I had to remake my sleeves, and packing up and moving flats last week put sewing to the back burner for a while (don't you hate it when that happens?!). A combo of a printer scaling error on my part and the initial pattern being a little short in the sleeve length for the non-petite meant my initial sleeves finished at a slightly annoying point around my elbow. Finding these things out was of course the point of having testers in the first place! Having finally got my new sewing room set up into some sort of useable state last weekend I was able to return to this blouse and I'm dead pleased with the fit of the final sleeve version. 

Even thought the sleeves are very voluminous, I was able to wear my reversible bolero shrug over this blouse today with no trouble or discomfort at all. So, aside from it being too damn cold for light-weight blouses at the moment, I declare this a 'wearable garment' that I predict will definitely see wardrobe rotation, therefore I count this as the third in my sewlution of twelve wearable garments made by me this year! BOOM!!!!

Lady-like Pussy Bow Blouse

I would like to introduce you to my second successfully wearable me-made garment of 2013: a most lady-like pussy bow blouse! Although something of a departure from my usual style, I can definitely declare this a success because I've already worn it twice, and I only finished it yesterday afternoon! 

So what am I doing spending time making garments that I don't consider to be my style? Well in a couple of weeks time I'm going to be teaching a class at Sew Over It to make this pussy bow blouse, and I needed to test the pattern and help perfect the instructions so that I would feel comfortable teaching it, in much the same vein as the 'Ultimate Trousers'. I've had this slinky synthetic fabric in my stash since last Summer, and I had no idea what to do with it, so this seemed as good a use as any. I've still got half of the fabric left, so I can use it whilst messing around with another pattern in the future. What I like the most about it is that the print features giant elaborate bows, which I thought was firmly in keeping with a pussy bow style.

I'm actually really into the result. The blouse feels really nice to wear, in a grown up kind of way. The navy and cream print fabric goes well with flashes of mustard and hopefully red, which I have in abundance in my wardrobe. I'll experiment with tucking it in to see what kind of look that gives. 

This blouse pattern is a really good blank canvas for a busy print like this, it really lets the fabric steal the show. I like how the direction of the stripes changes from vertical to horizontal on the bow itself. I'm not sure whether or not this blouse pattern will be one of the designs Sew Over It plan to release as home sewing patterns, so unfortunately the only way you can currently make your own is by joining us for the class.

In other news: say goodbye to the infamous Red Door! Yep we are moving flats this week, goodness knows what backdrop/s our new gaff will offer up. I will certainly miss this door: it works so well with most of my outfits! However, hopefully my next outfit-photographing backdrop will allow me to stop posing on the street with passersby gawping at us mid-shoot every time!

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Contrast Yoke Shirt/Blouse with Petal Collar

I haven't shared much in the way of Zo-made refashioning inspiration for a few weeks, so here's a beaut for you! Well, I think it's a good 'un; there's some interesting ideas in there anyway even if you're not a fan of the actual finished garment. At risk of insulting your intelligence, I'll state that this garment was created using one unwanted mens checked shirt and one unwanted mens denim shirt. 

Starting with some uber simple bog-standard blouse pattern, I altered the bust shaping from a side bust dart into a shaped yoke seam. I ignored the waist-shaping darts on the front and back because I wanted to make a looser fitting garment. I cut both shirts so I'd retain the functionality of the original buttons and button-stands. I really like how the two shirts have different coloured buttons to emphasise the 'cut-and-shut' nature of this shirt. For the same reason I also like how the breast pockets of the denim shirt are only partly visible. 

I drafted a simple 'petal' collar with a scalloped edge and cut the collar pieces from the denim shirt's discarded sleeves. The 3/4 sleeves are cut from the checked shirt but I retained a bit of the original sleeve gauntlets/plackets for an extra bit of interest and a 'nod' to its former incarnation! 

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Patchwork Back Button Shirt/ Blouse

Hello!!! I'm back! Massive thanks to the three super-talented bloggers who shared such awesome posts on this blog and generally kept my seat warm whilst I was away getting married and honeymooning. They did such an ace job, and in truth I'm a little intimidated to get back in the driving seat!

Now, I'm imagining that you'd probably rather be checking out pictures of my wedding dress and hearing about whether or not I bought half the fabric in NYC's garment district! My apologies but I require a little more of your patience, I promise I will start sharing those things from Monday, starting with the all-important wedding dress post. In the meantime, I'm going to get back on the blogging track with my regular feature: Refashion Friday.

So, please set aside thoughts of special glamourous dresses if that what you stopped by for, and instead take a look a these patchwork effect shirt/blouse remakes. They may look a bit crazy, but making something a bit crazy out of arguably the most boring type of garment out there (mens office shirts) fills me with glee! For these garments I used a really basic blouse pattern as a basis and cut up several unwanted mens shirts from which to cut out the various pieces. 

I cut the front of the blouses from the back of the original shirts by placing the centre front of the pattern on the fold, and similarly cut the back of the blouses from the front of the shirts incorporating the buttons and button plackets so the final garments buttoned up at the back. The original shirt hems were also included to skip the need to hem the final garment. 

The sleeves are 1940's style puff sleeves with a wide sleeve band. The overall fit of the blouses is fitted with waist shaping darts on the front and back, and that combined with the puffy sleeves and self-drafted Peter Pan collar produce an overall very feminine silhouette and feel which contrasts nicely with the traditional, male-centric origin of the fabric. If you ever checked out any of my previous shirt/blouse refashions, you'll know that I like playing with these gender contrasts when refashioning garments. 

I love the idea of wearing a garment like this to a job that requires you wear smart attire. It could be seen as a cheeky nod to formal working environment, plus you'd be sticking to the dress code rules whilst also bringing refashioning, sustainable clothing, creativity and 'hand-crafted' to the type of working situations that are rarely associated with those things. 

Style Inspiration: Pulp Fiction Divas

In a bid to understand my own personal style a bit better, I've recently been thinking quite a bit about the looks, eras and themes that inspire me. One particular inspiration source that I keep coming back to is the illustrated covers of pulp fiction novels. I love the trashy drama and dark sexiness of them. The women are all decolletage and hourglass curves, shiny hair and pristine lipstick with a wicked, passion-filled glint in their eye.

Now I'm obviously not lusting after, or even vaguely condoning, an image of womanhood in which women only have their sexuality to help them to attain what they want or need. Plus a world in which people, in particular women, are usually categorised as 'bad' or 'good' (of morals) is clearly a ridiculous one. However, these intellectual considerations do not dispel my enjoyment of their kitsch, lusty imagery, nor do they rid me of my desire to create some pulp fiction inspired looks. When I want to access my inner vamp, it is often these type of images that my imagination accesses. So how to go about creating these looks...

It seems quite clear from the top two illustrated covers that the staple garment in a pulp fiction vixen's wardrobe is the slinky pencil skirt. Demure in length but so tight it looks sprayed on, the wiggle/pencil skirt is key. For comfort and ease during a particularly rushed getaway/chase, I'd recommend using fabric with a decent elastane/lycra content. A metre of shiny black sateen and a skirt pattern like the vintage Advance 8761 pictured below, and you could have an amazing evening wear pencil skirt like the bewitching brunette's picture above in about half a day's sewing! 

Basic pencil skirt patterns are easy to find, a quick scan on ebay and I found a squillion vintage ones in a variety of sizes. There are heaps of great modern basic pencil skirt patterns too. If you wanted to really nail the look, you may need to tweak the proportions a little. The waist band really needs to sit the smallest point of your torso and the hem needs to hit below the knee. 

My goodness, these good-time gals do dress to be noticed, don't they?! This blonde bombshell confirmed my suspicion that I could use a yellow pencil skirt in my arsenal. The cheeky side split showing a touch of thigh is an interesting deter from the standard pencil skirt style. This pencil skirt pattern (pictured below) available on Burdastyle has princess seam lines which make it very easy to convert into the side split style of the yellow skirt in the illustration above. 

These are Queens of the separates: when pulp fiction divas aren't rocking a pencil skirt they are often portrayed in capri pants/clam diggers/pedal-pushers. Sitting equally high on the natural waist-line, we are not allowed to forget those hips for a minute!

I'm a massive fan of capri pants at the minute, and will continue to wear mine until the weather breaks and Autumn comes crashing in. The image above is doing nothing to calm my desire for a red pair, but with equal nautical potential are pale blue ones like the picture below.

Vintage capri pant sewing patterns in the appropriate sizes are not quite a easy to come by as vintage pencil skirt patterns, but they are out there for the hunting. The pattern below shows some cute options for the side hem area other than the standard split. A couple of contrast or covered buttons or little self-fabric bows might also be nice. Not that we are focussing on 'nice-girl' looks today!

An option that is far simpler to obtain might be the Clover pattern by Colette Patterns. This pattern dictates that you use fabric with a decent stretch content, which would be great for creating the tight mid-century look. 

Ok, so we've got the bottom half sorted. What are we going to pair all these fabulous wiggle-inducing pencil skirts and hip-hugging capri's with? The white top in the very first image and the black top on the cover of 'On The Road' pictured above both seem to have grown-on/kimono/dolman sleeves like the pattern below. This is a feature I LOVE, as you may have noticed in the post I wrote for the Colette Patterns blog many moons ago. The vintage Butterick 7490 pattern pictured below is wonderful because it gives a slash-neck/bateau AND a V-neck options plus variations of sleeve-length. 

Another fabulous separates option is a cute little button-up blouse. Awesome in a rainbow of solid colours or in stripes, polka dots or prints, the prim preppiness of these blouses is a great counter-point to the hour-glass silhouette they are helping create. 

When darkness falls, often the mix and match separates will apparently just no longer get you where you need to go. It may be time to pull out the stops and head straight to bombshell-ville.   

Burdastyle's Bombshell dress pattern (pictured below) could form the ideal mid-century pin-up look. Now, where to source second-hand red and gold striped fabric......   

An equally divine option is this stunning vintage evening sheath pattern pictured below. 

There does seem to be a hangover of the full-skirted 1950's silhouette in some of the pulp fiction cover illustrations. The rule seems to be that as long as the shoulders and collar bone and are exposed and the bodice is fitted, all is well! The Advance 9077 pattern pictured below in a solid colour might work if trying to recreate the green dress in 'The Lion House' pictured above.

One final strappy sheath dress for you:

Enjoy, vixens!