outfit: the refashioners diy jacket

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you may remember last summer, i took part in portia lawrie’s the refashioners challenge and made myself this simple wrap top out of a thrifted men’s shirt. well, this season, she asked me if i’d be interested in taking on a new challenge. despite my success last time around, i was still feeling pretty intimidated. i don’t know how to draft a pattern and my sewing skills are still sitting somewhere in the beginner level. but despite those restrictions, i still love a challenge, however daunting it may seem.

the new challenge? refashion a pair of jeans (or two or three or ten) to create an entirely new garment. i have to admit, this was a but perplexing at first since the only denim clothing i own are pairs of jeans. but after spending some time thinking about my favorite simple designs, i came up with an idea: a poncho! and yes, this was in large part due to the fact that a poncho is essentially two pieces of fabric sewn together with a hole for the head. my version is simply open in the front with some sleeves attached for a sort of modified poncho jacket. if you’re interested in trying it out yourself, grab a few pairs of old jeans and head on over to the diy!

 

wearing: elizabeth suzann georgia midi in raw silk, young frankk necklace, brookes boswell cortland hat, j.w. hulme legacy handbag, martiniano glove shoe

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outfit: the refashioners diy wrap top

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you may remember last month i mentioned that the talented portia of makery asked me if i would like to take part in the refashioners. if you aren’t familiar with the program, it’s an annual sewing project that she hosts on her blog, challenging a group of people to refashion an item of clothing into something new. the theme for 2015 was “get shirty,” and she selected a group of 19 bloggers to reconstruct a men’s shirt into something more wearable. even though i’d still consider myself to be a sewing novice, i dream of one day being able to sew my own clothes, and i really love the idea of creative reuse when there are so many garments being literally thrown into the garbage.

so last month, i happily got to work transforming this vintage cotton linen blend men’s shirt into my own wrap-back crop top. and i’m so excited to finally be able to share the results! no, i wasn’t especially meticulous in my execution, but it was actually a really simple d.i.y. with only a couple of steps to complete! and the best part is that it’s totally wearable, and it now has a permanent home in my wardrobe. if you’d like to try it out yourself, you can view the tutorial here along with all of the other participants projects. and if the whole thing has got you feeling inspired, portia has also opened up the challenge to the entire community. you can refashion your very own shirt and submit it to the contest by september 27th for a chance to win a massive prize, including 2 bandanas that i hand-dyed with natural indigo just for the occasion.

wearing:
self-made back wrap top
asos high waist wide leg jeans in indigo
clare v. petit kenya bag

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