Refashionista: Flower embellished cardigan another way

A good refashionista knows how to create different variations with the same technique, so I thought I'd share this cardigan refashion that uses the same principle as this tutorial, but leaves the cardigan in one piece.

Instead of cutting the material for the flowers from the same cardigan, you could use a different source. Find an old t-shirt that matches your cardigan, as I did with this one, or why not use a contrasting or complimentary color to make the flowers. The possibilities are endless, it's all a matter of your creativity!

Summer is definitely a cardigan season around these part, so I hope this inspires you to give your old cardigans a new look for the upcoming season.

DIY Romantic Lace T-shirt (and pattern)

I think no-one would argue with the fact that t-shirts are a staple in any wardrobe, especially during the warmer months. I was doing a little spring cleaning in my closet the other day, putting away my winter wardrobe, and organizing for spring, when I realized I had only a few basic t-shirt, and half of them were black. Gasp! So, as soon as I got some sewing time I whipped up this pretty little thing. And when I say whipped, I mean it, because this one came together super fast.

Since the process of making this t-shirt was so simple, I thought I'd share it so you could give it a try yourself if you fancy. I used lace to add a touch of romance and give it a more feminine feel. The great thing about this pattern is that it can has lots of playroom and can be customized according to your individual style.

Be sure to click "read more" below to see the full tutorial, including how to make the pattern!

Refashionista: Re-sized navy blue spring coat

I'm a petite person, so I often find pretty things in thrift stores that are way too big for me. Although, oftentimes I'm a little bit sad to let those gems go, there are also some diamonds in the rough that can be refashioned to fit my small frame. This navy blue spring coat is just such a diamond. I got it for only 1€ and had to make it about 10 sizes smaller, but I couldn't imagine my wardrobe without it.

I made this project a year ago, and this coat has been my absolute favorite spring/fall piece ever since. I made quite a few changes, but the overall style of the coat remained the same. I took in the sides A LOT, starting from the hem following the side seam and then the sleeve seam until the end of the sleeve. I was lucky that the sleeves had only one seam instead of two like other fitted sleeves do.

The second big change was to shorten the hem  by about a mile (just kidding, but sure did feel that way). And I also took in the shoulders by adding a shoulder dart. Finally, I took in the gathering on the sleeve cap to make it less 80's and more 21th century, and relocated the buttonholes and buttons.

If you'd like to give this kind of a refashion a try, here are a couple of tips to look out for when sourcing the base garment:
1) look for details you love
2) make sure that your ok with the details you cannot change or that are too work-intensive to alter
3) look for simple construction and simple lines - those are easier to alter than lots of seams and darts

Needless to say, I love my coat! I actually have a light beige oversized coat waiting in the closet to be refashioned. I hope to add a new coat to my spring wardrobe soon!

Let's be friends!

One of the things I love most about blogging is that it allows me to meet wonderful new people and other fabulous bloggers. There are so many amazing peeps in the handmade and blogging community! And I would like nothing more than to meet even more of you. So, if you have a small handmade business, Etsy shop, or a blog, get in touch! We'd love to get to know you and find ways to work together. For instance, you could participate in our ad swap! (more info on our sponsor page)

I can't wait to get to know you!

Dying your hair naturally with henna

 

Today's topic is a little bit different from our usual posts, but since you've complimented on Elle's and Anneliis' hair, I thought you'd like to know more about the secret to their beautiful hair color. Some of you may be familiar with henna and other natural dyes, but I thought I'd share some resources and one amazing henna transformation.

After seeing Elle's gorgeous hair, and a little push from me, Tamar's sister Marita agreed to give henna a try. She'd been sending me pictures of beautiful redheads and talking about going red, so I thought I'd just give her a little nudge to go through with it. The good thing about henna, besides being all natural and good for you hair, is that unlike chemical dyes, it only covers the surface of the hair, therefor not harming the structure of your hair resulting in a beautiful shine.

In the above picture you can see Marita's hair before dying. At this point, she had three different hair colors: her natural dark blonde out-growth, then a dark blonde dye job (used to be a little more ginger), and then the dark brown chemical dye that she had before. She'd been trying to go lighter, but as we all know, there's no returning from a dark brown chemical dye.

Here's Marita's hair after dying with henna. I think it looks so beautiful! Don't you agree? Although there's still a difference between the upper part and the lower part of her hair, it's so much more subtle. And the color really suits her pale complexion and green eyes.

Here's what Marita had to say about the whole experience:
"Dying my hair with Henna was the first step in my hair makeover process. I've since made even more changes to my hair care routine like changing my hair brush, and using natural hair care products. I also don't blow-dry my hair, but let them air-dry instead. All of this has benefited my hair greatly. It used to be tangled and frizzy, it grew very slowly and I had a lot of hair falling out. After making these changes, my hair has become so much softer, yet stronger, the falling out has decreased, and my hair is growing faster.
Although the dying process is so much longer than with chemical dyes, it's well worth it. Even more, it makes you think more about what you do to your hair with those chemical dyes. I definitely plan on continuing to dye my hair with henna."

If you'd like to know more about henna and other natural dyes, here's a great resource.

As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts! If you have any questions or thoughts on this topic, leave them in the comments below.

Refashionista: Shibori style jersey dress

Modeled by Marianne

First of all, let me note that time seems to be flying even faster than usual. This spring is turning into a whirlwind on concerts and performances. Elle and I had our first joint concert today and it went very well. All the three sopranos (me, Ann, and Elle's sister Anneliis) were fantastic and so was our fabulous accompanist/pianist Elle! So, don't think I've neglected Pearls & Scissors, we've just been rehearsing and preparing for the concert.

Needless to say, I haven't had much time to sew or craft. But, I thought it would be fun to share this Shibori style dress makeover I did a year ago with you. I don't have the before picture, so you'll have to just trust my word that it was a simple black t-shirt dress.

I use pleaching to change the color of the t-shirt, but you could also use fabric dye with a white t-shirt. It's so much fun to experiment with this technique as the result is always a surprise.

The process is real simple:
1) Take a t-shirt and start tying random spots of fabric with some rubber bands or some ribbon. Make sure you tie real tight, otherwise the dye or bleach will still get into the fabric and the result won't be good. You can see on the last picture that I tied simple circles in different places, and I tied on spot it two different places as well.
2) Prepare your bleach as instructed on the manual. I used powder bleach which needed to be put into hot water. Then put your t-shirt into it and let it sit there until all the visible places have changed color.
3) This is what my first try looked like after bleaching. At this stage rinse the bundle under cold water and then remove all the bands or ribbons.
4) Admire your new t-shirt!

I have to warn you that this techniques is totally addictive. Once you've tried it, you'll probably have the desire to remake all your existing t-shirts and jersey dresses. And why not try other fabrics as well? I'm totally hooked!

DIY Easy Gathered Skirt

 

I don't know about you, but spring for me is all about wearing lots of skirts and dresses. After months of damn cold weather, it's heavenly to walk with bare legs and a fluffy skirt flowing in the wind. 

So, it was only natural that I itched to sew a gathered skirt. The idea and fabric of this skirt have been sitting on my fabric shelf for years, and with just a few hours of sewing time they were converted into my new favorite skirt. 

It was so quick and easy that I thought I'd share the process with you in case you wanted to make yourself a pretty skirt to walz around in. Just click "read more" below to see the full tutorial.

April Favorites on Pearls & Scissors

April was probably the busiest month I've had all year. And, in only a few weeks, it'll be summer and school will be over once again. I haven't had as much time for blogging as I'd like, but sewing is still my favorite pastime. It keeps me sane amongst all the busyness of everyday life. Here are my favorite posts and projects of the past month:

A Chanel style jacket has been on my wish-list for a while, so I'm really happy I was able to cross it off with this refashion.

April has been full of concerts. I've had at least 1-2 concerts per week! This simple up-do has been my go-to hairdo.

I also had the chance to play around with Anneliis' pretty hair. I created a simple braided up-do for her that she can use for concerts.

This was my favorite outfit of the month. I love my new bubble skirt! I can't believe this project sat in my project pile for years. Years! When I could've just taken 2 hours and made myself a pretty skirt so much sooner.

I finally got around to sharing my favorite t-shirt refashion idea with you. Some more inspiration is coming real soon!

And last, but certainly not least, my very favorite project of the month was out "Fiddler on the roof". It was amazing! I loved every nervous, crazy, worried moment of it!

How was your month? Crazy busy? Slow, but steady?

Refashionista: Trousers into bag upcycle

I know it's already Wednesday, and you're all waiting for a refashionista post since Monday. Sorry, guys! It's been a hell of a weekend and a busy start of the week. It's going to be a crazy May, but bare with me friends, things will get back to normal around here soon. Now, to today's refashion.

Since I'm the main refashionista in our family, my Dad often sends his old jeans and trousers my way in the hopes that they might be of some use to me. I think I have anywhere from 5-10 pairs of my Dad's old jeans in my refashion dresser (yes, I have a dresser full of clothing waiting to be refashioned). Old men's jeans are not an easy thing to refashion, but I think I just might have found a great way to give those old worn-down trousers a new life.

This is my third trouser bag, and I have to say they are very reliable and big enough for me to fit all my things into. This bag might seem huge to you, but you have no idea what I carry around each day (lol).

I actually used bits and pieces from an old bag to make this trouser bag, so it's kind of a double upcycle.  The handles and the zipper are from one of my old bags that was beyond repair. And I used some fun vintage fabric for the inside lining.

Now, I hesitate to say this, but I didn't like this bag at first when I finished it. I don't quite know what it was about it that I didn't like. But, it's starting to grow on me, and hopefully I'll be in love with it real soon. It's been my trusty companion for the past week, and has risen to the challenge. All in all, a successful refashion.