Refashion: Silk Tweed Chanel-esque skirt suit - Part 1

I thrifted this gorgeous silk tweed Chanel-esque skirt suit from my local Thrift store last month. It's in really good condition and only $9.99! The jacket fits okay but the skirt is a bit long because I'm short. The whole look is a bit 'blah' and matronly on me:

I searched through my stash of notions and found a roll of navy velvet ribbon so I 'auditioned' it to the jacket:

It seemed to look okay so I decided to use the ribbon to trim the front opening, the pocket flaps and the sleeves. And this is how it turned out:

The effect is not dramatic but I think it gives the jacket a bit more 'life'. Here is how it looks on me after the simple refashion:

(Yes I'm kneeling on the ground because I can't find the tripod for the camera!)

I like quick refashioning like this. Just a bit of trim and an hour or sewing makes the jacket more attractive for me. It is still lady-like enough to wear to the office or I can wear jeans and boots with this on the weekend. I'm happy to have busted some ribbon stash too!

Stay tuned for Part 2 when I tackle the long and matronly silk tweed skirt!

MAGAM Sept project result - another pair of Jeggings

I actually finished my MAGAM Sept jeggings (McCall's 5273) a while ago. I had even worn them and laundered them. For some reason the fabric wasn't very colour fast. So now there are discoloured streaks on the pant legs. Oh well! I'm still wearing it. I added back pockets with my own design details, a faux front fly and topstitched the inseam for strength. It came together very quickly since this is probably the 10th time I had sewn with this pattern. I plan to wear them all Fall/Winter long with cardigans, sweaters, and sweater dresses. They tuck nicely into my knee high boots. A very useful piece of clothing indeed!

I think I'll be using this pattern again for more skinny pants/leggings for the coming Fall/Winter season. Stay tuned!

My One Week One Pattern Pictures!

The One Week One Pattern 2014 challenge was fun! Thanks to Handmade Jane for organizing this. The weather in the past week had been variable (coolish to coldish) and my 3 linen blend bottoms were stretched to the limit in terms of the colder days. My 3 bottoms were all made with Butterick 5044 - 2 pairs of linen blend shorts and 1 pair of linen blend trousers:

And here the pictures of how I wore them during the OWOP week:

Day1:

With Self stitched Black Linen Blend Jacket (McCall's 4928) 

and Self-made Silver pendant necklace

Day2:

With Self stitched Red Linen Blend Jacket (Simplicity 1688),

Self-Refashioned black silk tank top, 

and Self-made beaded necklace

 

Day 3:

With a thrifted embellished cotton voile tunic

Day 4:

With a refashioned thrifted cardigan

and refashioned cotton eyelet top

Day 5:

It's a lot colder today. I wore the linen trousers with 

a thrifted knit top 

and a self made fabric remnant scarf

Day 6:

It was pretty cold today and I was crazy enough to wear shorts! 

I wore these shorts with a thrifted knit top 

and a menswear vest that I have had since 1995!

Day 7:

It was 9 Celsius when I woke up. No more shorts!

I'm wearing these linen blend trousers with

a thrifted knit top,

a Self-Stitched wool blend boucle jacket,

and a thrifted belt.

I had really enjoyed this challenge! It challenged me to think more about the different combinations I can wear with my self-stitched clothes. I think I challenge myself to do something like this every month! Thanks again to Handmade Jane!!

MAGAM September plan - Fall/Winter sewing starts now

The weather just became much colder in the last couple of days - from low 20s C to low teens! I guess summer is officially over. Time to bring out the winter clothes and snow gear!

I looked in my closet for Fall/Winter clothes and realized that I need more jeggings/leggings/skinny jeans. I wore them daily last Fall/Winter, with my many sweater dresses, jackets and cardigans. I searched through my fabric stash and found this black blue stretch denim. I will be using my tried and true and tweaked McCall's 5273 pattern for this pair of jeggings. They should come together fairly quickly.