Hi again,
I was able to brighten up your pictures a bit. If you save them to your computer you can use them to replace the ones you now have in your photo hosting and everyone will be able to see your nice work. Let me know when you get them for yourself and I'll take them back out of my photo hosting.
Good luck.

Not a lot of explanation needed here, I imagine. I used a pattern (Simplicity 5479 from 2003) and incorporated some elements of the original men's dress shirt into the new one (placket, hem, cuffs...). Kinda fun. I'm looking forward to really going nuts with the concept but this was just kind of a slap-it-together endevor.

before:


after:


detail:

Thanks Ribble-icious,
I just took an old pull-over sweatshirt and used it as a pattern adding about an inch and a half to the back. I lined up the front edges because I used the skirt hem for that side. I would have added fabric there, too, obviously, if I'd needed to hem it.



If you look at the side view picture with the hood up (above) you'll see there is a gusset at the bottom front of the hood. That's because it didn't reach center front as it should have. Next time I'll measure the neck opening first and pivot the bottom of the hood pattern back enough so the hood reaches all the way around to the center front. Love learning from those mistakes!

Yes, it's another hoodie. Inspired by MEZZI'S FABULOUS HOODIE TUTORIAL

So this is what's up. I'm a fiber arts teacher at an elementary school. I teach knitting, crochet, spinning, embroidery, sewing, etc, to 1st through 8th graders. I'm getting ready to teach a Reconstructed Clothing class to my 8th graders and I'm ridiculously excited about it, so I'm coming up with some before/after samples to get their creative juices flowing. If any of your have some ideas that might appeal the that age group (I'm almost 50) I'd love some guidance.

I have no idea if this is even cute but here it is:

before stuff


and after:




(Please don't tell me the "Gotcha+" is some house-brand of Wal-Mart )

Boring ol' floral skirt...I cut the top off just below the back zipper. I used purchased fabric and really wide elastic to create the upper band. More fabric (no elastic) for the straps and the bottom band...a bubble dress!

Before:


The Dress:


The "Waste-Not" part: remember the top of the skirt that I cut off? I added the left-over fabric to the bottom of that an finished it with some brown bias trim...


There's nothing in my garbage can!

I took a cute 2 tiered chiffon skirt with an elastic waist and pulled it up over my dummy's boobs. Then I chopped off the legs of a pair of wide legged pants for the sleeves and belt. My 15-year-old likes it so that seems like a victory to me!



Measure from your bra strap to the desired sleeve length. Add 2" and cut off the bottom of the pants to that length:

Measure from your bra strap, horizontally, to the middle of your arm pit. Add 1" and open up one of the leg side seams (starting at the cut edge, not the hem of the pants) that much:

Make an elastic casing at the raw edge of the sleeve and thread through elastic. Secure the elastic to the casing opening that will be at the back of the top. Safety pin the elastic at the front opening to be adjusted later.

Pin the sleeve opening to the top of the skirt. Sew, starting at the center of the arm pit and working out. If you've used an elastic waist skirt as I have, stretch the skirt elastic out as you sew on the sleeve. Stop before you get to the front sleeve elastic opening. Try on your top and adjust the elastic to your comfort, then secure the elastic and finish sewing the sleeve to the skirt.

Cut 6" wide strips of fabric from the remaining pants legs and piece them together to your desired length. Sew the strip with right sides together, turn and press for your belt. You can use any kind of fasteners you like to complete the belt, hooks, snaps, even a buckle.

The top looks cute without the belt, too.

I found a fisherman knit sweater at the thrift store. I cut off the sleeves and reshaped the neckline and waist. The tops of the new sleeves are orange velveteen left over from some Ikea curtains I needed to hem. The bells are cut from a 1930’s table runner. A hodgepodge of large shell buttons replaced the original smaller ones. Antique embroidered silk ribbon around the neck and sleeve bells finish it off.

I loved the graphic on this shirt but I look horrible in mens T's. So I cut these new sleeves. I used the bodice pattern pieces to shape the new armholes. The former sleeve graphic fits nicely at the top of the back.



before: