Tag Archives: Budget

Lacy Tie-Neck Dress

May 11, 2013

IMG_7153Yet another project from the Unfinished Object Pile completed. I love checking things off that list!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you caught a glimpse of this dress the other day. I’ve been posting my me-made outfits each day, and I wore this dress last Sunday.

I actually finished this dress several weeks ago. It has been in and out of my UFO pile since last year.

I made the pattern for the bodice of this dress when I was in California last summer.The pattern was actually used for another dress first (I’ll post about that in a couple days). I found the lacy knit fabric at Michael Levine Loft during the same visit to California, but I didn’t cut the material out for this dress until November of last year. Continue reading →

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Striped Button-Up Skirt Reconstruction

April 25, 2013

IMG_6764When I found this dress at the thrift store last month, my mind was immediately flooded with ideas.

I liked a lot of things about the dress: the colors, the stripes, the buttons, the pockets, the shape of the skirt. However, I don’t usually do maxi length dresses or skirts. They tend to make me look extra short. As I was going through my wardrobe in preparation for Me-Made-May, I discovered that I really need more separates. I especially don’t have very many skirts. So, I decided to make a skirt. Continue reading →

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Reconstructed 80s Bow Print Dress

April 18, 2013

frontnbackIt’s been a while since I’ve done a complete reconstruction, but I did one recently.

When I saw the purple bow print material on the dress above, I immediately thought of my youngest sister. She loves purple. Plus, what teenage girl doesn’t love a colorful bow print?

So, I reconstructed the dress into a little summer frock. Here is the dress, pictured on my adorable baby sis’ (she’s seventeen, but she’s still the baby). Continue reading →

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Mini Mushrooms Make Me Merry Dress

March 25, 2013

IMG_6102I know, I know, the title. I just couldn’t help myself with the alliteration. Besides, it’s a totally true title. Oops! There I go again.

I realize the title of this post could give some people the wrong idea. Don’t worry, I’m not on shrooms. The mushrooms on this dress do make me pretty happy though.

I found this material last year at a thrift store. I believe I purchased it for about $0.50. It was in excellent condition, with no stains or smells. After a good washing and pressing it was reinvigorated.

It appears to have been cut away from a longer curtain of some sort. The top was clearly cut by pinking shears. It had a hem on the bottom with weights at the corners, and each edge was finished. I had to take apart the hem and sides to get some extra inches of width and length. Continue reading →

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First Thrift Haul of 2013

January 14, 2013

IMG_5878I went on one of my thrift and flea market circuits this weekend, and I can’t help but share what I found. I hadn’t been out “thrifting” in months, and I almost didn’t go out this weekend. But, boy, am I glad I went on Saturday! Continue reading →

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To the dump and back again, and again, and again

December 21, 2012

IMG_5729I haven’t posted an update about our home renovation in a LONG time, but Alex and I have been working on the house quite a but lately. We’ve been doing lots of demolition, and we’re getting very excited about seeing our vision come to life. We have set a goal to finish a large portion of the inside of the house before the warmth of spring arrives. That way we can focus on the outside of the house in the spring…

Destroying that old, nasty, moldy kitchen was invigorating!

We found another gem of a message left for us from the teenage girl who used to live here… Continue reading →

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Dark brown dress with crocheted yoke

October 19, 2012

I thrifted this dress many months ago and finally got around to altering it. . . .

I removed the fabric that was behind the crochet section of the bodice. Since the crochet neckline was barely noticeable, I thought that removing the lining would make it show up better.

I removed the pockets (For some reason in this material, they really added bulk at the hips) and took in both sides, adding shaping at the waistline. Continue reading →

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Self-Drafted Sweater Shirt and Skirt

October 13, 2012

When I was in California, I didn’t have any of my pattern drafting tools with me but I decided to try to draft a few patterns anyway.

When I found the sweater material above in my $2 bag from Loft, I wanted to make a shirt to go with the skirt I bought while at the thrift store with my sister. . . . Continue reading →

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Sewing Casual Wear Can be Fun

September 28, 2012

Over the last few summer months, I worked on adding a bit more casual wear to my wardrobe.

I reconstructed a vintage tank top into a top that fits better and has a little more character….

I made a tank pattern last summer, using one of my favorite tank tops, but never used it until this summer. This floral tank is one of the several I made using the pattern…

I also made a couple pairs of thrift store pants into shorts Continue reading →

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Turquoise Leopake Tie-Back Dress

September 24, 2012

I finished this reconstruction project more than a month ago, but I’d still like to show it to you….

I’ve tried to imagine what this print is actually supposed to be, but it boggles my mind.

It does seem like some sort of abstract mystery animal print. Is it supposed to be a drug-induced vision of a leopard? Or maybe a psychedelic snake? Or perhaps some sort of prehistoric bug? Maybe I’m completely off-base here, and its supposed to be interpreted as cracked dirt, or sections of cooled rock floating in molten lava….

Below are the steps in the reconstruction process. You can skip to the end if you’re only interested in the final product…. Continue reading →

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