Easy "Cut and Paste" Dress/Jumpsuit Refashion

This was a super easy refashion, my last for the summer, and very much in line with my other jumpsuit creation. The only difference is, that in the previous design, seen here, I made the pants from scratch and bought the top. 

In this one, I used a dress given to me, and a jumpsuit I bought from a thrift shop which turned out to be too large. 

The flowery print on the dress was too overpowering for my frame and the hem was lopsided. I just didn't like how it looked on me, it also showed all my chichos (love handles). It    was made from jersey fabric and had very little structure, but I did love the top. 

The opposite was the case with the jumpsuit. The top part was too big but I loved these balloon, jeannie pants. 

Since I loved the snugness of the top, I decided to keep that part of the dress, it hugged my small torso, and I love the way that feels. This is the very reason I learned how to sew, I often felt like my body was swimming in my clothes making me feel uncomfortable. 

Heres's a close-up without the belt and with Dan hanging off my arm

Anyway, I added the top to the balloon pants to form a collage of sorts of the two outfits. 

...and with the belt, it looks even cooler! More and more, I am loving this sillouette on me, small top and giant bottom. That's actually the shape of my body and I love it. 

I also loved the little surprise in the back. 

There were, however,  some things to consider. First, was the opening of the dress big enough for me to pull over my hips? Check! It was. Would I lose the stretch of the elastic once I stitched the two? I wasn't sure. 

Normally, if you stitch two pieces of fabric together, even if it's two stretchy pieces, the stitches will not stretch unless you use elastic thread, which I had run out of, but luckily, I didn't run out of ideas!  I figured that if I cut the pant part of the jumpsuit above the elastic, I could stitch the two on the elastic and this might continue the stretch. Here's a short video I made showing this process. 

This is the first time I am working with video, so excited! but I didn't realize the audio was so low, so here is the transcription: 

"I am now attaching the top to the bottom, the underneath, of course, is the blouse portion and the black is the pants. Now, I'm stretching it so I actually get the stretch when I actually put it on." 

The only audio here is "weeeeeeeeee", lol. I stitched both pieces on top of the elastic.

It worked and I absolutely love the results. I've already worn it   several times already; to church, my museum job, and the other day, to my son's school open house. 

It really is a versatile piece and so easy to make. 

Listen, if you have clothes you don't wear anymore, chances are there still might be something about it that you love and can possibly refashion into something else. There are too many clothes that end up in land fills. Lets do something about this. Teach yourself basic sewing skills or hire someone to help you refashion your wardrobe (not me though - my plate is currently full).  Over 80% of our clothes are made over seas in Bangladesh and China and they are paying big time for the cheap clothes we buy. Recycle, refashion, it's not just a fad and although it's also about the planet, it's more about our fellow human beings. The planet doesn't need saving, we do. I plan to talk more about this in future posts, I guess it just spilled over here. 

What do you think? 

Easy DIY Jumpsuit

Sometimes I like to take a break from reconstructing existing garments and sew from scratch. This is a very easy DIY jumpsuit that I wore to work the other day. Super comfy!

I apologize for the crazy curl that has a mind of its own.

I made the pants from scratch using this beautiful, earth-toned fabric given to me by Gloria ( we call her Bennie), a wonderful lady from my church who used to be a factory seamstress and eventually worked her way up to being a manager, traveling for the company and overseeing production. Bennie has given me lots of fabric over the years and I have made some great outfits with them. She is amazing at 90 years young! I mentioned Bennie in this post from 2013 and also in this one from 2014.

Anywho, I made the pants and also the top part of the jumpsuit with the same fabric. However, after trying it on, before stitching the top and bottom together, I felt that the overall pattern of the material was too overpowering for a one piece garment. It needed to be broken up, but I still wanted a jumpsuit, so I decided to buy a black shirt and attach it to the pants. 

The trick was to find a top that was stretchy and had a wide enough neck that could fit over my butt when I put it on!  I found this great black top with this cool back detail. 

So I attached the store-bought top to the pants and voila! Instant jumpsuit. No elastic necessary. You could even make this even easier to make by buying a pair of elastic pants and a stretchy top from a second hand store and just stitch them together. 

I also love the way it looks with a belt. It would look even better with a fab necklace but I didn't have time to accessorize as I took these pics five minutes before the school bus was due. 

I did manage to accessorize here with my ID tag, lol

I love jumpsuits because they are so comfortable and give great coverage. At my museum job,  I often sit on the floor  while discussing artworks, I wore it the other day for a tour and workshop and felt so at ease the whole time. I think jumpsuits are going to be my new work uniform. 

Do you like jumpsuits? I would love to know either way. I am thinking of designing some jumpsuit patterns and would appreciate your feedback. 

Sew and Tell: Front Fold Over Flap Jumpsuit

I love that it's finally getting warm outside on a consistent basis! I have been wearing this fold over flap jumpsuit a lot more often. 

I made this jumpsuit from scratch from knit fabric on clearance from my favorite fabric store in the Bronx, Save-a-Thon. 

I posted a picture of this on Instagram not too long ago and some of my followers wanted to know how I made the fold over flap. It's really not rocket science, so I made a simple drawing to show you. A very simple drawing, since I don't draw very well. 

 I made pants the regular way except that I made the top wider than usual so I would have enough fabric to fold. 

I folded one side and then folded the other over it and stitched. 

I also ruched the bottom part of the pants using the pattern from Pattern Magic 3. You can see those pants in this October post from last year. 

I really like it but the next time I make it, if I do, I will make it less baggy. 

So what do you think of the fold over design? Too out there? Let me know. I love feedback! 

Local Bronx Designer/Vintage Seller: Mixy Mitzy

If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE jumpsuits! However, I recently had an epiphany that I don't always have to make them, I can actually buy one! What a concept, lol.  Not to long ago, I decided to poke around on Etsy and see if I can find an affordable one. Low and behold, I landed on Mixy Mitzy 's shop and fell in love with this 80's jumpsuit with kitchy seashell shoulders. I actually know the owner of Mixy Mitzy as we are both members of the Bronx Artisans of Etsy Team. She (Shiloh) also happens to be a really cool Bronx person, designer, and vintage seller. As she lives close by, I immediately messaged her and asked if I could go try it on.  It fit perfectly!

This beautiful curly head was modeling it on her shop. I immediately fell in love with it!

Love the glittery seashell detail. 

Here are some other cool items from Mixy's shop that I absolutely love!

Upcycled Urban Skirt

60s Wool Dress

Embroidered Oaxacan Dress

As well as vintage clothing, you can also find some of Shiloh's own designs, pdf sewing patterns, fabric, and stickers. Make sure to hop on over there and check these, and other great items out! 

To know more about Mixy Mitzy, go to http://mixymitzy.com

Sew and Tell: Striped Jumpsuit

I designed and constructed this striped jumpsuit in July but finally got around to photographing it this past Friday when I wore it to a workshop on special needs services. This is why I love jumpsuits. They are so versatile. I have worn this to church, to workshops, outings with friends, you name it. Jumpsuits are slowly, but surely, becoming my uniform. 

It's hard to see here, but it is actually black with green, tiny stripes. It also has an origami-like fold over neckline, pleated details on the shoulders, and front pockets. 

 Here it is, full view. Sorry for the grainy photos.

The left photo shows the pleating on the shoulders. If you follow my blog, you already know that if I can avoid doing zippers or buttons, I will, so I decided on a back tie opening. I like dressing modestly, so I always wear a black tank top underneath but it looks sexy and cute without it too, maybe i'll try it one day when I am out with my hubby.

Oh, and here is my leather cuff I made from a boot! Check out the tutorial here. 

There you have it. Once in a while I like to take a break from refashioning/reconstructing and sew from scratch to work out my fashion design muscles. 

Tutorial Tuesday: Wrap Dress to Jumpsuit

I've had this wrap dress in my closet for the longest! It's an Old Navy dress I bought on clearance for $3 but I never wear it. I put it on recently, and now I know why. It does nothing for my waistline! I don't have a super defined waist as it is cuz of my narrow shoulders and small boobs (sorry TMI) but that's the truth. If I had bigger boobs, I'd have the perfect figure but alas I have to work with what God gave me.

 Anyway, part of the problem was that the top wrap part was  big on me even though this was a small. Old Navy sizing runs big. So, I turned it around to evaluate the situation

I cut the top wrap part form the bottom below the seam

For the bottom part of the jumpsuit, I remembered I had these pants that I also never wear because they are too big on me.

 Here they are layed out.

I cut 2 inches off of the waist band

 Now back to the top. I put the top part on, pulled tight so that it could feel better and more snug. Remember, the top part was big on me.

I then pinned and sewed.

I then sewed the pants to the top and voila! Instant jumpsuit/romper

What's a romper if you can't romp around in it! This was also my kids' first day back to school so I was a bit extra happy!

Even though it's a bit low waisted, the snugness of the top (which fits me better) coupled with the volume of the pants on the bottom, creates a silhouette I can live with. It's all about balancing the proportions. As I get to know my body and what looks good on it, I feel better and more empowered to face the world! I really do believe in the power of clothes to transform, to influence your mood, to change your attitude. Now I have something in my closet that I really love and will wear a lot this fall. 

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Draped Jumpsuit

Okay, so here's the draped jumpsuit that I promised to show pics of from this post. I am sorry for the grainy pictures. I need to figure out what I am doing wrong. Any suggestions would be welcomed. 

Anyway, back to the jumpsuit. It's no secret that I like draping and I love jumpsuits. So I decided to put the two together. I like this draped jumpsuit but it definitely needs to be tweaked. First of all: It's a bit too drapey on the sides. I don't need any extra baggage on these Puerto Rican hips, lol. 

I love the top. I again, used recycled neck bands from other t-shirts for the arm hole bands thus the little color play.

Since this has a racer back,  I couldn't pull it up from the bottom without creating an opening so I had to open up the shoulders and sew in snap tape. It has three snaps for a closure on each side. It's a little bulky, thus the big hair to cover it. I need to think about this if I make it again. 

Yes, a bit too much drape for my taste. 

All in all, I would wear this one in public but I want to make another one with my corrections to see how that one comes out. I'm hoping to offer a pattern for this jumpsuit in the future so stay tuned! 

Jumpsuit from Recycled Boy Jeans

As promised in my previous post, here's my denim jumpsuit made from recycled boy pants. 

I 

I used about four boy pants, sized 12-14, for this entire jumpsuit. 

The pattern was self drafted using this inspiration photo.

Front panel from a pant leg. I cut two of these.

Back from another pant leg.

For the waistband, I used recycled jersey from a t-shirt and I made the pant legs using one of my low-waisted pants as a pattern. I am happy with the outcome although I think I might make it a little shorter. 

I will definitely wear this in the neighborhood to run errands, at the playground with the boys, even the beach. It would look good with a swimsuit underneath. 

I look at each and every comment and appreciate your feedback!