new year's challenge {to refashion.}

It's not the Christmas promos, sales and specials that make me weak in the knees, no matter how many catalogs I get in the mail, commercials I see on TV, or emails I open each day preceding Christmas.  


It's the after-Christmas-clearance-sales that make me sweat, bite my nails, covet and lust.


So naturally, when I walk in my closet and notice my not-very-updated-at-all-in-like-5+-years wardrobe I want to burn it and go buy everything new.


In an effort to squelch that overwhelming desire, I've decided to dabble in repurposing.  It's a trendy little thing I've noticed all the artsy-fartsy bloggers are doing.  And well, I wanna be like them.


Now some of the refashionistas out there are downright AMAZING.  Serious seamstresses.  Like this girl.


I. Am. Not.


This is how I do...


Please keep your snickers to a minimum and your comments... in the comments section.  Baby steps, people.


I took this lovely little casual number from Eddie Bauer that's always been annoyingly too short...

And an old white long sleeve tee that was LITERALLY in my trash pile (it was also too short for this long torso).

Snipped a little here and a little there.


Sewed the snipped pieces onto the hoodie.


Voila.





I love it.


Feels new.


Took 20 minutes.


And I think it's important for you to know that the mirror in the above photo isn't that dirty.  It's about 100 years old and imperfect.  That's all.


You should also pay no mind to my crazy, unbrushed hair!


And another one...  I actually did this for a Christmas present for Miles.


I just took a 12M sized sweater vest that he wore on Baby Dedication Sunday at Cornerstone in December 2007....

...fused double stick webbing to the inside of the vest and then carefully cut out around the train and tracks...

Grabbed a plain red shirt that was hanging in his closet and fused the train to the shirt...

Sewed a rustic little zig zag stitch to further secure it and used white embroidery thread to re-create the puff of steam.  And I changed the buttons too.....'cause these are much cuter!

Miles L-O-V-E-S his new shirt too.


Have you thought about re-purposing?  I'd love to know about your projects!