Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Rain & Spiderwebs

Ugh, rainy day! Meaning, the porch was dreary & grey again, so more bad photos, even tho' I *did* fuss with the camera settings. I promise that one day soon, I will either figure out the picture quality on this blog or just stop whining about it.


What I'm wearing:
Black wool ruffled bolero sweater, Kohl's
Red knit peasant top, Express
Black stretch belt with ruffled detail, NY & Co.
Black & white spiderweb-print skirt, made by me
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Red ankle boots, Aerosoles
Black beaded necklace with cameo, random accessory store
Black & white beaded earrings, random accessory store
Real pearl stud earrings, gift from my stepdad

After Halloween, I was taking the cloth off our dining room table. It was a tablecloth just like the fabric of this skirt, & I remembered that I had a second tablecloth of this type with a big burnt-out hole in the center from a candle mishap. I'd cut out the burned bits & stored the cloth in my fabric stash.

So I retrieved the old cloth & decided it was time to make something from the fabric. How about a skirt? I cut panels in such a way that I could use the old tablecloth's existing hem for the skirt's hem (saving me time). I sewed the sides up & made a casing at the top for an elastic waistband. Ta-da, a skirt!

It had long points at each side, but when I tried it on, the points dragged on the ground. Ooops. At first I thought I might wear it like that with high-heeled boots, but that still didn't work. So I put the skirt on my dressform & tacked up the points & sewed some vintage jet buttons over the join. Can't actually see those buttons today because they're covered by the red top tho'. Still, I think the folded-over sides make for an interesting detail.

Have you made any of your own clothes? How about refashioning things from the thrift store?

9 comments:

  1. That's awesome! You made that? So creative.

    No, I'm not handy with sewing at all, sadly. I have the greatest admiration for those who sew!

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  2. what a cool idea for a skirt!
    I do like to sew, mostly skirts as of late though, I haven't been too ambitious!

    Chic on the Cheap

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  3. Love the skirt. I didn't even realize it was spider webs at first.

    Bolero looks great!

    I knit, but sewing intimidates me.

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  4. That skirt is nice, I would never have guessed it was a reworked tablecloth!

    I can't seem to get the hand-me-down sewing machine to work right, so I've been limited to small changes, like adding trim, changing buttons, ect.

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  5. Shelia - Thanks! It's fun to make something I can wear every day (as opposed to costumes which I can only wear a few times a year).

    LyddieGal - Aren't skirts the best to sew? Great for just a couple yards of fabric (if you want to make a pencil skirt) or a leftover bit like this one :-)

    SiouxieL - Hey, knitting intimidates me! I've tried, but couldn't get the hang of more than two rows.

    Lovlenjel - Have you taken the old machine in for a tune-up? Might cost $50, but a good cleaning & oiling, having the tension reset, etc., could get it going again. Still, trim & buttons can do wonders too (I like doing that more than making a new garment s'times ;-).

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  6. Love that skirt! I am so digging that jacket, and really, really want one.

    I wish there was a closup of the belt... I really want to see more detail.

    It's so nice to see one of my people on here- I was an Industrial DJ for years... now I'm a lawyer trying to learn how to wear color and real shoes!

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  7. Lawyerdoll - Thanks! The belt & the bolero I just bought during Black Friday sales -- the belt is @ http://corpgoth.blogspot.com/2010/12/cyber-black-friday-spoils-part-iv.html & the bolero @ http://corpgoth.blogspot.com/2010/12/cyber-black-friday-spoils-part-iii.html (not sure if the links work in comments; still playing w/Blogger - but they're just a few posts back :-)

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  8. I had to back up while scrolling. Did I see the spiderweb tablecloth skirt go by? It looks great.

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  9. Old Fashion Halloween - Thank *you* bec. you're why I have new cloth for the table when I burned the old one (that finally became this skirt)!

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