Refashionista // Faux fur jacket to trendy vest

This has got to be the easiest refashion I have ever done. It took me a whopping 10 minutes to complete. Working hard these days, you know? Just goes to show how sometimes the smallest alteration can make the biggest impact and turn a slightly outdated look into a trendy must-have.

I got this jacket from an awesome Clothing Swap Party I was invited to last weekend. Thank you, Daniela! Basically, with one night Daniela and her girlfriends turned into sponsors of the Refashion series here at Pearls & Scissors. So, I should probably have a disclaimer at the bottom of the page that says "This post is powered by Daniela & Co." Also, I highly recommend getting your girlfriends together and having a swap party. It's so much fun!

At first sight, nobody was feeling this jacket, but I loved the color, and automatically had the idea to turn it into a vest. I mean, faux fur vests are all the rage these days. Plus, they are very comfy and warm. Perfect for the cooler spring days. So I crabbed the jacket, and had myself a vest the very next day.

The process of this refashion is pretty self-explanatory, but I would like to point out a few things to take into account when refashioning this type of garment, or whenever working with faux fur. 

I knew I wanted to remove the front tie-ribbons. I was never going to tie them, and to be honest, I didn't like this design feature in the first place. So, I took my seam-ripper to the scene and got to work. One thing to keep in mind when removing things from faux fur is that the seam is going to leave a mark. So, be sure you're ok with the mark and the seeming being visible after you remove something before doing it. 

 The next step was cutting off the sleeves. I tried two different methods for this and they both have their merits and faults.

The carpentry knife was really good for cutting the parts that had no seams. The benefit of the knife is that you can cut only the surface, meaning the fur hair beneath it will be left intact. This results in a nice clean cut and no short fur on the edge. Also, it's pretty easy to use and fast. But, it doesn't cut seaming. That's just too many layers for the knife to cut through.

 You can of course cut the sleeves only with scissors. Just make sure that you slide the blade as close to the base fabric as possible so you won't cut the hair short. That's just going to look like a bad haircut later. I cut the seaming with the scissors as it was too thick for the knife, and also the parts where the fur had got caught in between seams and I couldn't pull it loose. 

There's no need to sew the edges of the arm holes, so all you've got to do is cut those sleeves off and you're done.

Sadly, the vest turned out just slightly too big for me. I might still keep it to myself, since it's super soft and warm. I really do love it. I might have a cool mini-me version in the works using the cut-off sleeves. We'll see if that pans out. 

The takeaway from today's refashion - look for potential! If you'd love a trendy faux fur vest, go and shop at a thrift store this weekend. I'm sure there are more discarded faux fur jackets out there that need a little love.

xo. Hanna

Refashionista: Blouse turned into a zippered jacket

Happy Monday, my friends! It's time to dive into another refashion. But first, I'd like you to meet my flatmate Mari Krõõt, the girl in this post's pictures. She's usually the one behind the camera, but today she's doing a little modeling. This was my first time sewing something for her, so I was a little nervous about whether it would turn out the way she likes it. It's so much harder to refashion for someone else since you don't know their style or taste as well as you know your own. And what seems like a fabulous idea to you might result in blank stares by them. So, I tried to consult with her as much as possible on this project.

This started as a cute blouse. The blouse was ok to begin with, but it didn't fit her and wasn't really her taste either. But, we both loved the color, so I knew it had potential. She didn't like any of the ruffled parts, but I convinced her to leave the sleeve heads as is, since they would need a complete reconstruction otherwise. We decided on a front zippered jacket-like look and I set to work.

As you can see, I made a lot of alterations. First, I deconstructed the front bodice, detached it from the back, and removed the hem elastic. Next, I took in the sleeves from the underarm seam, and added darts to the back bodice. Then it was on to the front bodice. I added shoulder darts to take in the extra fabric from the gathering, and to add some shape. I still had to alter the neckline - take off a couple of centimeters from the shoulders and lower it in the center. Finally, I added the zipper and re-hemmed the bodice.

This one was a lot of work, and we had to do a million fittings to get it to look good. I must say, it's still not my best work, but I think it turned out pretty great. This project taught me a lot. I'm so used to sewing for myself that making something for someone else with a different body type is really difficult. I know what looks good and work on my body, but with different proportions, these things don't apply anymore. I've already promised to sew her an evening gown this summer, so I'll get more practice then.

I think the jacket/blouse suits her, and I'm still in love with the color. I also love the new, more modern look that the zipper adds. Also, the puffy sleeves add a touch of femininity. So, it's balanced and pretty.