Quick 'Fix': No-Sew Skirt

This post will be just as short and sweet as the refashion...time for a quick fix! Here's a look at the before, after, and wearing it out and about for a day in the city (NYC) with my boy.

Not a bad piece to start...a bit trendy, and definitely not long enough as a dress for me, but then I don't often wear strapless...

So, I cut off the top! That's it!

And it only cost me $.27 in the bag sale at the end of last month :). Good deal for me! I wore it with a thrifted silk tank top, a thrifted leather bag, and a mix of thrifted/gifted and store bought accessories. Happy Refashioning!

Peace,
Andrea

Quick 'Fix': Pants...

I've been working on my pants today. I've been lucky enough to have to take the waists of my pants in lately :).  And I had a few more to give the 'treatment'. In case you need to do this, I've compiled the four simple steps that it takes to slim up the waistband of your pants in about 5 minutes! Time for a quick 'fix'.

First, you'll determine how much your waist needs to come in. I usually try my pants on, then pinch two different spots in the back to eyeball it, but you can pin them if you want specific measurements. Once you've picked the two points at which you'll be doing this (I pick spots equidistant from the middle back belt loop), pinch towards the inside of your jeans/pants. You can mark it, put a pin in it, or just jump to the next step. Second you'll throw this in your machine lining up how much you'll be taking in. Third, stitch it up! Starting at the top of the waistband, simply angle out towards the edge of the pinched fabric anywhere from 1-2 inches down. The fourth step varies: you can trim off the excess, finish off the edges and open up the seam and press, OR you can press the pinched fabric to one side (without trimming anything). This will depend on how it feels wearing the pants. Cool? Ok.

So, along with the waist, I had to slim up the legs from the knees down just a bit (only because I wanted a more fitted look). With time, jeans start to give and stretch and don't always bounce back after you've had them for a while, so I was taking in some of that slack. And here's how they fit now!

Quick disclaimer: I haven't pressed the seams on any of these yet...too lazy ;)

This next pair I just picked up. I love the bright colored jeans that I see all over, but thrifting in a very small shop makes it difficult to always find just what you want. Well, I snagged this pair of Anthropologie jeans because the color is AMAZING and the fit is super great! Minus the waist ;). No big deal, though, right? Repeated the same process for taking in the waist, and voila! A super cute pair of colored jeans for spring...

I came across this pair of J Brand jeans the same day as the colored jeans. Again, they didn't fit so well in the waist. Five minutes fixed that problem. However...

the length and shape of the lower legs was weird! I slimmed up that portion and now I have a pair of cigarette length jeans! Pretty hot with a pair of heels.

And, not that you need to see yet another picture of my butt in pants, BUT I am actually looking for your ideas on this next pair. The waist is ok, I think I can go without an adjustment there for a bit, but I'm not a huge fan of the extra fabric in the front and how it lays. Also, I've got a couple of grease spots on the front of each thigh (only one pictured) and am not sure what I want to do about it yet...so my question is:

Seriously, what would you do? I love the color and like I said, the fit is pretty okay. I've thought of reverse appliquéing some contrasting fabric (think floral) in different spots to take care of getting rid of the stains, but am not sure.

I'd love to hear your ideas! So send them my way :)

Peace,
Andrea

*Update* 5-Minute-"Fix" Scarf

Sometimes, one has the urge for a quick fix...whether it be for chocolate (a common craving, right?) or something crafty, there is usually a barrage of solutions to be found simply by searching the internet. My "dealer" of choice for all ideas creative and quick is Pinterest. I'm using all of you out there as my inspiration! This 5-Minute-"Fix" is a fairly common and absolutely quick project.

First thing, find a large/xlarge t-shirt that you can hack up (I harvested a very stained white tee from my husband). Then cut below the armpits straight across through front and back of the shirt. Cut off the bottom hem, as well, and then streeeetch the loop to make the fabric roll over on itself. This way, there are no edges that need to be finished. :)

Now, because I used a white t-shirt, I had in mind to either write a quote or draw a design all over it. I chose a simple starburst design and used a fabric marker to draw it out (you could use fabric paint and a homemade stamp, or a permanent marker, or any other medium that works on fabrics).

Make sure that you place something between the layers as you draw/stamp/paint to avoid the colors bleeding through. I used a large folder. At this point, your actions may vary from mine (and therefore the time may extend). You may have to allow paint or ink to dry, you may decide to do layers of colors/patterns, etc. It's up to you! Get creative...sometimes all it takes is about 5 minutes. :)

*I decided that this design was a bit too simple and added dots! Here's how it looks now:

Peace,
Andrea