Now I thought it was about time to show off the other knitted pressies we have recieved too.
There was a funky pair of socks from Sue – thanks Sue! At the moment they are still big enough to be outer socks in the sling.

Then we have a very pretty cardi from a family friend – thanks Helle!

And a stripy wrap cardi in some cool bright colours – thanks Lynne!

And finally, a beautiful lacy cardi for when she grows a bit more – thanks Caitriona!

I am so grateful to all of you for these wonderful gifts!

Planting potatoes

The first harvest!

I love their look but the fabric is marked and the seat is coming apart.

I found this cool arts and crafts’ish Liberty furniture fabric in a charity shop and I am going to have a go at putting this on the chairs while restoring the seat.

My initial calculations show that I will need about 2 m of my 140 cm wide fabric. I have about 3.7m so I should be fine with getting the pattern to fit and all that.

Can’t wait to get started!

Last year when I went to the Loire valley in France with a friend I bought some plates and a glass to make a cake stand like the Asian style one I made a couple of years ago.

The plates have been standing around since we moved but now I decided to make the stand and use it for the easter eggs I have made for Bess’ party.

It is a size 16-18 and I just cut it to the bigger size. Maybe when I loose some more mummy weight I will try to draft the size 16 or just take this dress in.

Next up is cutting the fabric out. I am using this teal fabric with a geometric pattern. I want to wear the dress for Bess’ party on Sunday. So I better get moving.
I already have her dress sorted.

Updated: I have now cut the fabric too. I only had enough for 3/4 length sleeves.

Here is the dress from the same Ottobre design 2/2009 – 6 pattern for a nursing top for the ‘one week one pattern’ project.

I just got John to put up the new pinboard I made. Its hanging in my new sewing corner.

This year we also want to grow enough potatoes two families and a little girl who come summer will want to eat/play with potatoes. So we have to dig up a part of the old football lawn for it. Hard work but hopefully worth while.

My dad has also been cutting down a few trees in the kitchen garden and trimming the willow. We have five different colours of willow which come January next year I plan to harvest and use for making baskets and such.

Updated photo of the kitchen garden.

The peach tree in the glass house ia beginning to bloom.

I first prepared some marzipan with different tastes. Liqourice, cranberry, kalua and elderflower. I also prepared some nougat with liqourice powder. Liqourice and chocolate is a great flavour combination and its very popular in Denmark at the moment but it is not to everyone’s taste so a I will do other tastes as well.

I rolled the marzipan into balls, made a dent in them, put a smaller nougat ball inside, covered it with the marzipan and rolled the whole thing into an egg which went back into the fridge.

I then covered them with chocolate.

And decorated them.

This is how they all look finished and packed in a tin. They taste wonderful too

Some of the ingredients

Some of the finished food in my freezer.

This last week I have also been sewing nappies for Bess.

We sowed salads and onions to use as spring onions in a months time…

I also sowed some basil so I can make a big batch of pesto to freeze.

Here is a little picture of some flowers in the garden.

I also took a picture of the kitchen garden. I want to take a series of picture from the same angle throughout the year.

First I got some rainproof fabric, some wool fleece, 2 thingies ( can’t remember what they are called but its the two black ones on the picture) and some elastic.
I measured out a piece of each fabric at about 52 x 67 cm and sewed them together along the long edge leaving 3 cm free in one end for the elastic opening.

I adden fold over elastic and an elastic strap in both ends and velcro along the sides. It can be used on both female and male jackets with velcro this way.

John tested it and it works great. Now I’ll just wait for a rainy day to go for a walk.

I tried adding leg gussets too.

Big size

Small size

I also dyed some burp clothes of Bess’ a cool teal colour.

We will use the larger loom to make kitchen towels on. Hopefully we can begin to make the warp for that tomorrow.

Tonight I got as far as adding the poppers for a one-size nappy.

On the front of the t-shirt i cut the bottom half off and replaced it with a longer part from the other t-shirt which went up under the first.

I hope the pictures make sense.

Tonight I spun 3 of the smart balls John made for me of the Jacob/ bamboo blend.

I still have a bag full of them but they are real easy to spin. Totally loving it

I needed to get it set up as i promissed John that i would spin the Jacobs wool/ black bamboo blend he carded for a sweater for him. I have promissed to have it done for christmas.

Its fun to be spinning again.

I also made matching pillows using some of the same fabric combined with left overs from recycled sweaters.

They took quite a while to make but it helped getting a serger.

While I was pregnant I knitted a lot up until the last two months where i got carpal tunnel syndrome and couldn’t knit. But not everything i knitted fits. I made these breast pads for myself. They are only 12cm in diameter so now I am extending them to 18cm in diameter.

I also made tiny socks for Bess that never fit and a few vests. They might come in handy if anyone I know has a premie in winter

I also sewed a hat and soakers size newborn which Bess will never wear.

Picture of her sleeping in the cot made for my mother which i also slept in. John painted the animals on the side and my sis embroidered the bedding.

Today I am blogging from my new smartphone. Hopefully this will mean more regular blogposts in future.

But before I show off the photos I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Today I am 39 weeks on in my pregnancy and waiting and waiting for the baby to want to come out. In all likelihood it will happen in January as December is all but over now. I can’t wait to show off all the clothes and other goodies I have been knitting and sewing for the little one. If you are interested in some of the tutorials I have been using have a look at my Pinterest board ” Creating for baby“.

A bag I made for my husband with embroidered (not by me) birds (he is a big bird fan)

A tray my husband and I decoupaged with maps for my little brother who is studying geography.

I made a couple of these porcupine pin cushions for my mother and sister using this wonderful tutorial from Prudent Baby

I made these Christmas stockings for my husband and myself using this free tutorial.

My sister made this vinyl record bowl for my husband. There is a free tutorial for this here.

She also made him this fab pencil case for his art pencils.

For me she made this pretty shawl which I can’t wait to use.

Yesterday I opened the postbox to find a parcel from my friend Elseline. In it I found this wonderful baby blanket that she has woven. If you are on Ravelry you can see the project there. It has been woven with Baby Superwash from Bouton d’Or and Hand-dye Effect by Regia and can be washed in the machine, yeah! Thank you so much Elseline!

I have previously been showing off my sisters baby clothes sewing. Here is a bit more of it because she has recently sent her entire stash of baby clothes with us home. Its kind of a gift and kind of not! We have the agreement that we will use it for now and then she gets it back together with out baby clothes stash when she has a baby. But there is so much wonderful clothes amongst it. Thanks sis!

For the brunkager you need to slice a frozen tubular piece of dough and its normally quite difficult to do by hand so I was so happy when I found a lovely old Eva bread cutting machine at a recycling centre. I have been wanting one for ages and here it was just when I needed it. We used it for the brunkager and it worked wonderfully.

Finally, we had decided to have duck that evening and inspired by the brothers Price I was making duck dough-balls (andeskiver) as a starter. Because who hasn’t got a tin of confit de canard in their fridge (thanks to Cecile). I made a portion of the whole tin so I have enough to make some more andeskiver for Christmas.

And yes it is Christmas soon! We have already bought Lego for our usual Lego advent calender. I have also joined the Crafty Christmas Club again and begun making presents. So if you are from my close family – don’t go looking over there because you might see you present early – and where’s the fun in that.

These two are a stripy variation of Sam Lamb’s Baby Professor Vest. Its such a cool and simple knit and lends itself very nicely to stripes. The bigger one is after the original pattern and the smaller one is one I adapted to what I think is a size newborn. However, I am still scared that it might be too small.

I used the Pebble pattern from The Thrifty Knitter for this one. The pattern suggested homespun so I used some homespun I had made out of pure Jacob’s fleece and some fun yellow buttons from the lovely Cathy’s shop in Kolding.

Finally, an updated picture of the bump, courtesy of my sister-in-law!

I have now had another go at the same trousers, adding a sewn on belly-band and some elastic. They are a lot better and I have been using them the last couple of days. It was also about time as I am beginning to feel much more uncomfortable in the pregnancy.

Maybe this is  a good time to mention the guest-post I did recently on Whip up  about maternity refashioning. if you have been doing any maternity refashioning or want to do it then good places to visit for inspiration is the diy maternity blog or the maternity category on the Refashion Co-op where we are having a Maternity Refashioning Challenge at the moment. I have also added the list of tutorials from the previous post at the end again.

Let me also quickly mention the new Facebook page I added for this blog: Eddie’s room Facebook page. I have been pretty good so far at adding links to tutorials and other fun stuff that I want to share or just want to do for myself so go ahead and follow over there too if you are interested in great craft tips too!

Cutting off the bottom of a t-shirt for the belly band.

The finished trousers – I have been wearing these the last couple of days and they are surprisingly comfortable.

While I was at it I also made another pair of maternity trousers out of a pair of dress trousers. They were pretty bit to begin with but it became too uncomfortable to close them.

Before

I cut off the front part

Added a ribbed piece from the bottom of a sweater

Added extra elastic here too

Finished result with added elastic

Links to tutorials:

• DIY maternity pants by Meg from diy maternity
• Maternity pants tutorial from Grosgrain Fabulous
• Maternity dress pants  conversion tutorial by Ann from Sew Paradise
• Converted Maternity Pants Tutorial by Jodell from Modest Maven
• Easy maternity jeans tutorial by Sarah from Create Studio
• Maternity pants tutorial by Jess from If only they would nap
• How to convert jeans into maternity by Jessica from SewChic
• Maternity Jeans by Mauri from Staker Family Circus

So that you don’t get the idea that I only have babies on my mind at the moment I am just going to show you one of the projects I have been working on recently. I have been making laundry bags for the new flat and you can see them over on Grey Duckling. I am very pleased with them and thinking of putting them on my to-make for Christmas presents list. They are very handy for people who travel a lot.

This is how they turned out:

Danish Wool top

Orange and red striped onesie of the Danish brand Katvig. I didn’t notice the brand when I bought it but according to my sister its quite a popular brand in Denmark.

Red/white striped body from Gap.

A bunch of white onesies bought for £3 altogether, which I want to decorate with stamps and other fun stuff.

Knitted Socks

Blue cord body with an elephant on.

Striped onesie.

Finally a little picture of the bump I took at the sea so I can remember what my feet look like when I get a bit further along.

My first attempt was at making a night suit. I need to finish it off with some push buttons.

My sister made this cute suit first out of some stretchy fabric she had just bought at Cathy’s in Kolding. I think we spent an hour and a half in the shop looking around, deciding on what to get and chatting to Cathy who is a lovely American with a beautiful danish.

These cute overalls were also made by my sis – wanting to try out the overlocker with some less stretchy fabric. The fabric is some stuff I received from different lovely and generous people.

Finally is the thing I’m most proud off. It’s a refashion of some old cushion covers I sewed years ago but didn’t want anymore. I still have enough for another pair. To me they just scream spring!

The old cushion covers

Cutting out the pattern

Detail from the pocket

I also wanted to share this picture of how masses of young birds are having fun in my mothers bird bath. I can’t remember what kind of bird John said it was. Do you know?

Living room - before and after

The rocking chair is an Ercol I thrifted. The picture on the wall of the cat and birds is my morning present from John. To the left you can see the suitcase I refurbished and in the window the globe I refurbished too.

Dining room - before and after

The table was my grandmothers and the chairs were a lucky thrift find. The method of hanging the pictures is one I stumbled across on Pinterest. The photos are some that I have taken mainly in Italy with my Brownie box camera combined with some small prints of London and Southampton (more thrift finds). The copper look lamp was another thrift find and the tea light holder is from Kvindesmedien.

First a little announcement. I’m pregnant – 5 months indeed. Its been good so far. I have been lucky in terms of morning sickness and the likes. Even though I still just look like I have a bit of a muffin top I am starting to have issues with getting trousers on. Even the most generous trousers in my wardrobe won’t fasten anymore. So I had a trawl of the internet to find tutorials and ideas for making/refashioning your own maternity trousers.

Here are some pictures of my first attempt. It was not a success. They fall down all the time. So I have to add some fabric and maybe elastic band to the top of them. But I will let you see them for now.

I have added a list of tutorials at the bottom if you want to try and make your own. Another great site to visit is diy maternity by Megan Nielsen where there is loads of lovely inspiration to have on different diy clothing items. Do go check it out!

Trousers before

Cut the front away

Sew a piece of knit or jersey fabric on

The finished result – so far!

Links to tutorials:

• DIY maternity pants by Meg from diy maternity
• Maternity pants tutorial from Grosgrain Fabulous
• Maternity dress pants  conversion tutorial by Ann from Sew Paradise
• Converted Maternity Pants Tutorial by Jodell from Modest Maven
• Easy maternity jeans tutorial by Sarah from Create Studio
• Maternity pants tutorial by Jess from If only they would nap
• How to convert jeans into maternity by Jessica from SewChic\
• Maternity Jeans by Mauri from Staker Family Circus

Over the next couple of weeks I am hoping to show you some pictures of the new flat and the old furniture that we are refurbishing. There is an extra living room which we are going to use as a studio for the both of us. This will be somewhere John can do all his illustration stuff and I can do all my sewing, knitting, weaving and blogging. Can’t wait to share it!

I could also do with a bit of inspiration for the studio / craft room so if you have any pictures or ideas for how you have / would like to create your own space I would love to see them.

Eddie

I am a being a bit lazy about posting at the moment so here is a couple of pictures of the Attic 24 Hexagonal blanket I am working on – it’s still WIP. The squares are crochet with the sample yarn I dyed together with Cecile in April. The pattern is free on Attic 24′s blog and is super easy – the result speaks for itself! Note the vintage bone crochet hook – it’s lovely to work with.

I also just wanted to mention that while I have been quite lazy here on my blog I have been more active with the family history lately – have a look on my family history blog – now with pretty photos!

Today I want to show you something else that I dyed quite a bit of while we were there. I had some baby-yellow cotton that I wasn’t too pleased with. You could ask why on earth I spend all that time unraveling it from a sweater if I didn’t really like it? But I can’t really answer that one.
We had also collected a lot of yellow onion skins and they turned out such a nice orange that I decided to throw the yellow cotton into it. I read before hand that there was no need to mordant the cotton with onion skin so I didn’t bother and I quite like the result. It is a lot warmer and nicer (to me at least) than the baby-yellow I had before.

This is the yellow cotton before.

The cotton after dyeing with yellow onion skins

The cotton after it is dyed with a sample of undyed to show the contrast

If you are interested in seeing more photos of the yellow onion skin dyeing I have added them to a Flickr set: ‘yellow onion skin‘.
If you are interested you can also have a look at the entire ‘dyeing collection‘ on Flickr.

I stumbled upon this dress a couple of years ago at Hepwrights Vintage shop. They had a bin with £1 clothes that needed refashioning and I fell in love with the colour and the quality of the silk in this dress. OK so there was a serious sweat patch issue that needed to be dealt with. But I got stuck in with my seam ripper and came up with the dress bellow.
Apart from the original dress I have added a few meters of lining from a friends wedding dress to make the bubble effect in the skirt. I also added some new buttons, courtesy of another friends Grandmother. The pearly beads on the skirt are from a necklace I found in a charity shop which I threaded through the finished skirt in a haphazard way. The lace is from my own ever-growing collection.

This dress refashion is a contribution to the ‘Around the World in 80 Dresses‘ Challenge on the Refashion Co-op where I am one of the editors. If you are looking for inspiration for a dress refashion or you just like to look at beautiful clothes why not head over there and have a peak. You are also very welcome to join the challenge.

Take care,
Eddie

For my husbands birthday I decided to knit him his own dog. We are both a fan of English Bulldogs so this became the dog of choice. I had just reviewed the wonderful book ‘Best in Show’ on Historic Crafts and used their pattern for my project. You can read my review from back then below. The other day I got a wonderful email from the publishers telling me that they now have a website for the book: knityourowndog.com and for the launch and coincide with the Royal wedding here in the UK they are giving away a free pattern for you to knit your own Royal Corgi dog. Go on – it’s actually quite a fun challenge.

Take care,
Eddie

Review:

Best in Show: knit your own dog
by Sally Muir & Joanna Osborne, 2010
Collins & Brown

This book is mainly a bit of fun. All knitting doesn’t have to be sweaters and socks as we see here. Why not knit your own dog instead! Sally and Joanna will show you how you do it.
Divided into the breeds of dog there is a pattern for every dog lover. Whether your thing is a utility dog like the Dalmatians or a gun dog like the Labrador, there is something for everyone. Or as the authors suggest, you can also create your own mongrel. Mix the body parts of a Labrador with those of a poodle and get a Labradoodle.
I have always had a thing for English Bulldogs I made this my next project. The thing is, I have been making handmade presents for my husband’s birthday this year. But alas, I already told him about most of them. So this bulldog will be the only surprise.
You can see the finished project on Ravelry (you will need to login to Ravelry). I found it very fun to knit in my own plied, recycled sweater yarn. But I must admit that I am not too impressed with the sewing up instructions. They were quite confusing. On the other hand the bulldog does seem like one of the most confusing dogs in terms of sewing because of the nose. So maybe if I had chosen another dog I wouldn’t have had this problem.

At the moment I have a great fondness for colourwheels and all the colours of the rainbow. You can see it on my Pinterest board – so aptly named ‘Rainbow‘. Check it out on Pinterest!
This also became the theme of my recent holiday in France with my friend Cecile. We decided to do some natural dyeing experiments. And the results were (unintentionally) all the colours of the rainbow. So I made a colourwheel out of them (above).

The first thing we tried dyeing with was black beans and my what a result.

From right
1. Black Turtle Beans – 1st bath, Alum mordant
2. Black Turtle Beans – 1st bath, Alum mordant + vinegar after dip
3. Black Beans – 1st bath, Alum mordant
4. Black Beans – later 1st bath, Alum mordant
5. Black Beans – later 1st bath, Alum mordant + vinegar after dip

Cecile (Ways of the Whorl) has written a great post about how we did this so I am just going to send you on to her if you are interested.

The colour I like the best is the middle one (pure black beans) – it’s kinda teal and I do love teal! In fact we both do, Cecile and I.

Take care,

Eddie

Things to check out:

• ‘Natural Dyeing Take 3: Black Beans‘ Post by Cecile.
• My flickr set of photos of black bean dyeing.

Mannequin

As I now own 4 different sewing machines, all about 100 years old, I decided last autumn that I wanted to do some more sewing with them. A friend came up with the idea of making mannequins, which would be a perfect match of ourselves.
We decided to go with the Gum Tape method. Basically you put on an old t-shirt. Then the other person puts gum tape all over you. You cut it up the back and gum tape it back together again. There are loads of tutorials out there which will give you more detailed instructions (Google: gum tape mannequin). It is also perfectly possible to make it out of Duct Tape.
I decided to stick a hanger up my mannequin so that it would be easier to varnish it (basic furniture varnish). I then decided to close the bottom of the mannequin. I then realised after having done this that I could not get the hanger out. So now my mannequin comes with inbuilt hanger, which is actually quite a nice feature.
I wanted to make my mannequin look pleasing as well as being practical. I used the pages from an old Heidi book to decoupage with. I then added the illustrations on top of the writing. I think it looks quite neat!

Mannequin closeup

Buy it at Amazon:
[amazon ASIN=B000VAPB26][/amazon][amazon ASIN=B002ZD6JU0][/amazon][amazon ASIN=1402726015][/amazon]

Below is a skirt with a funny story. It was bought in a charity store last Halloween by my brother in law. Him and my sister were visiting and we decided to go to a party dressed up as the opposite gender. My sister and I dressed as men and him and John dressed as ladies. It was hilarious, but I don’t dare show pictures so you will just have to imagine it. Sorry! But the point of the story is that this is the skirt my brother-in-law wore. It is a bit too big for me but I like the fabric and the flowy cut of it.

So let me hear what you think. What should I do with it? Have you refashioned a skirt or do you know anyone who has? Why not share the link with me in the comments on Grey Duckling or Wardrobe Refashion or twitter (@EddieDuckling). I promise to consider any ideas and in a weeks time I will give the refashion a go and post the result here.

Please help me out!

Ideas
I am not done collecting ideas, so if you have anymore feel free to write a comment or tweet (@EddieDuckling) me about it. But here is the list of ideas so far:

• ‘Bring the skirt under the bust and put a black top on it.’ From Nat on the Grey Duckling Post
• ‘Maybe you could turn it into a a short little number which you can wear over your swimmers?‘ From Stephanie (MooBear Designs) on the Grey Duckling Post
• ‘I like the pulling this up to bodice height idea. I might add a zipper to the side and make it fitted to waist. The flounces would look really cute at knee!’ From Jenni (Pagoda DesignWorks) on the Grey Duckling Post
• ‘If it has an elastic waist you might either like to unpick it further than you need by a bit or just cut it all off and sew on a new one.’ From Cherrie (Willy Wagtail) on the Wardrobe Refashion post
• Jennifer mentioned that she had a refashion ready to go that was very similar - go and have a look – the result is great! From Jennifer (twobutterflies) on the Wardrobe Refashion post
• ‘Either a dress, or you could make it into a wrap skirt?‘ From Christiane (aka @xiane_3ravens) on twitter
• ‘Those flounces made me wonder if you could somehow turn it into a ruffly, flouncy dress – maybe a tiny top out of a compatible solid or some straps‘ From Linda Wardrobe Refashion post
• ‘…bringing the skirt up to under my arms, add wide elastic on the inside to what was originally the waist line.’ From Betty on the Grey Duckling Post

I did a little research into refashions that turn a skirt into something new and cool and here are some of my favorites:

• Jennifer from twobutterflies‘ Skirt to Dress Refashion
• Michelle from Someday Crafts’ Tiered Skirt Refashion
• Jill W’s Frankenskirt
• The Sewing Dork’s 45 minute wool skirt refashion
• km-17′s Skirt to summerdress epilogue
• Bytes & Bobbins’ Skirt to dress refashion
• Tilly from Tilly and the Button’s Granny chic skirt : ‘”You never can tell what someone is going to choose…”, muttered the young and trendy lady at the till in Oxfam, as I presented my haul of grandma skirts and handed over my £3.’

Have you refashioned a skirt in a fun and interesting way – leave a link in the comments section or tell me about it on twitter (@EddieDuckling) and I will add you to the list.

Share your links and ideas with me in the comments on Grey Duckling or Wardrobe Refashion or twitter (@EddieDuckling) and I will include them into the post together with some of my favourite jeans refashions.

This was also posted on Wardrobe Refashion where you can check out other refashionista’s lovely refashions too.

Ideas
Let’s have a look at all the ideas for jeans refashioning that were contributed from Wardrobe Refashion and Grey Duckling:

• “As you’ve got a lot of pairs, have you thought about a chair cover?” says Fiona from The Eco Stitcher
• “My first-ever refashion was a throw blanket made from all of my old pairs of jeans. I used the different washes to make a “round the world” pattern, then used other bits of leftover fabric around the edges. On top of those non-denim sections, I sewed on the back pockets from the jeans I had cut up. The pockets hung over the edge of the bed and were great for storing things like a tv remote, a small paperback, or my glasses.” says Jilly Bean from Knit Like a Rock Star
• “I cut up a stack of old jeans and made a quilt“ says Maggie from Pearl Schell
• “I once used a pair of jeans to make a onesy for myself” says Victoria Clark
• “You should call past the Ecouterre recycled denim challenge Hun. There is so much inspiration there” says Stephanie from moobeardesigns
• “Maybe use a yoke (like what you did for the black linen pants convert) and make gores from the other jeans, providing they aren’t too heavy weight. I’ve made jeans quilts and placemats, totes, music stand carriers from jeans, too” says Wendy
• “I like the idea of turning the top part into a short skirt and adding layered frills to the bottom. The overall skirt should be above the knee.” says Cherrie from willywagtail
• “The last issue of Marie-Claire Idees (a French magazine) had an example of strips of cut off jeans and woven onto a peg loom to create a rug.
  A previous issue was focusing on denim, and there was a few nice ideas. For instance a denim covered board on which back pockets, lighter pockets and belt loops from different jeans had been sewn to create a kind of desk organiser board.” says Cecile
• “I made my dog a pillowcase and I want to make a blanket next” says Bethany from MrsMulticraft

That’s all the ideas you sent me for now. But if you have anymore keep them coming in the comments and I will add them to the post.I am loving all the ideas and I will make something from my pile of jeans asap.

Now for the ideas I found:

• Matching Pairs Game for kids – as seen on Recycled Sewing
• Jeans craft bucket or basket – as seen on Whip-up
• Jeans Tote Bag – as seen on // Between the Lines //
• Recycled jeans corset or dress – as seen on ecouterre
• Jeans Seat Cushions – as seen on ecouterre
• Woven Demin for a bag or basket – as seen on ecouterre
• Baby bibs and shoes – as seen on ecouterre recycled demin challenge
• Work belt for all your bits and bobs – as seen on ecouterre

This is a follow on from the ‘How would you refashion it? (purple skirt)‘ post from last week which has been updated to include a list of comments and ideas for refashioning skirts into new and exciting clothes items. I made my own refashion this weekend which I will reveal at the end of the week. So keep tuned for that!

A couple of weeks ago I asked you how you would refashion jeans. I got quite a few comments with your ideas and I have added them to the post. This post is what I have made from my stack of jeans. Project bags! I made 10 in total and I am using them for all the different projects I am working on at the moment. Have a look at the tutorial and the finished bags and why not try and make your own. If you have – I would love to hear about it!

Eddie

Materials before

Reversable jeans/sweater project bag

Reversable jeans/sweater project bag

Drawing of trouser/skirt fusion - by Eddie

What is all this about you might wonder. Well inspired by Oxfam’s new DIY fashion shop I decided to have a go myself.
My first project is the “polka dot skirt and linen trouser fusion”. I don’t know about you but linen trousers seem to me always to have this wonderful ability to completely disintegrate certain places. I had this wonderful brown pair that I had bought at Monsoon that were amazingly comfortable and there was nothing wrong with the top of the trousers.
I also happened to have this very nice skirt, red with white polka dots, which I was also very fond of. Unfortunately, I have not really been able to fit it the last 4 years and the zipper never did work. So I decided to fuse the two together and I am rather chuffed with the result.
Another added benefit of DIY fashion I found is that people tend to notice what you are wearing more. They ask questions because they are intrigued. Of course they could also be horrified, but if so they keep quiet about it because I have only ever had very positive remarks when wearing this skirt.

Polka-dot skirt/linen trouser fusion

Instructions

1. As this is assembled in triangular shapes you need to first cat the skirt into 4 trapezoid / triangular shapes. If you want to reuse the bottom of the original skirt as a hem then cut this of first in one piece.
2. With the trousers you basically cut the sewed bits away on either side of the leg as far up as you want to add the skirt pieces depending on the original length of the skirt and the intended length of the new skirt you are making.
3. Decide where you want the triangular skirt material to sit with pins.
4. Pin the hem / bottom skirt piece and decide if you want want to adjust this. I originally wanted to make the skirt less flowy to accommodate for the rather narrowing hem piece. But when I pinned it on I liked the way it gathered the otherwise loose new skirt in – which gave it a whole new look!
5. Sew pieces together. You can easily do this on a sewing machine but if you don’t have one or are fast with your hand-sewing, you can like me use a coloured thread to add a hand sewn detail.

Polka-dot skirt/linen trouser fusion

A Wardrobe Refashion item!

I was going to do a bit of dyeing with elderberries for Historic Crafts and decided to try it out on this piece of raw silk I had lying around. It was a pink shade that I don’t personally fancy too much so I decided that any shade of purple would be an improvement. Dyeing successfully over with I cut the skirt into trapezoid pieces and sewed them together. I then did the same to some white cotton fabric. I wanted to make a bubble effect so I sewed the liner in a couple of inches further up the skirt and at an angle. I am planning to make a more detailed tutorial on this later so let me know if you are interested? I would also love to hear from others who have tried dyeing with natural dyes – especially berries.

Before and after dyeing raw silk fabric with Elderberry

Front of Elderberry dyed bubble skirt

Back of Elderberry dyed bubble skirt

Detail of Elderberry dyed skirt refashion