Friday, March 18, 2011

Silk Blouse Transformation

Well, it's been another crazy week of travelling and just all round hecticness.  I hate to say it but I think I'll be glad when my French class is over.  I have to drive to another city each week to participate and it seems like almost every week I get caught in a snowstorm coming home late at night.  So, in order to ease my frazzled nerves here's what I worked on this week...

Awhile ago my friend Gen gave me a pretty silk top that she felt she had outgrown.  I told her that I didn't think it was really my style but, she insisted that I take it anyway and if I didn't like it to just add it to my own pile of clothing donations.

But it was silk!  I couldn't just give it away.  So here's what I did with it instead:

Supplies

And a sewing machine/serger
Steps:
1) Close your eyes Gen...this might be painful to watch.  Lay out your sleeve and cut off the cuff above any stitching.



3) Cut the sleeve off the body of the top, from the underarm straight across.


4) Do the same thing to the other arm.  Now cut pieces from the body of the top in the same shape, long and skinny, approximately the same width.


I was able to get 5 pieces all together, 2 sleeves, 2 from the body sides, and 1 from the body back.  I didn't get all caught up in perfection here.  Because of the crinkle factor of the fabric I just played it by ear.

5) Open any pieces that are tubes, cut out any seam allowances and tags.  Then simply sew all of the pieces together, end to end until you have one long piece.



To create less bulk and tiny seam allowances, I used my serger to create a rolled hem.  If you don't have a serger, don't worry.  You can just do a regular stitch and trim your seam allowances after you've pressed them.

I should also mention that here's where I made one tiny error.  I had every intention of sewing down crocheted lace trim over each of the crosswise seams.  This would've hidden them completely and added a bit more character to the piece.  However, I was having so much fun doing rolled hems I forgot and went on to the next step.  If you want to hide your seams though, this is the stage where you'll add some extra trim over top.

6) Next, fold the whole piece in half lengthwise (right sides together) and sew the long edge closed so that you end up with a big tube.  You can skip this step if you want a flat scarf that's a little wider.


7) Turn it right side out and add some trim to the bottom edges.  If you didn't use an edge that was already hemmed when it was a top, make sure to do a quick hem first.


I played around with some other ideas for trim, like laces or fringe, but finally settled on this lovely beaded edging.  I needed something that would give the scarf a bit of weight and hold it down and this did just the trick.

Make sure to cut your trim about a half inch longer than you need so that you can overlap the ends to stop it from fraying.



And voila!  A shirt that not only one, but two people, didn't want, is now a pretty scarf that I know I'll wear often~

Before


After

Blouse Recycle, Deconstructed clothing, Easy sewing project, DIY Silk Scarf, Easy Silk Scarf, how to sew a silk scarf, how to deconstruct a blouse



Leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Was this a good recycle or should I have donated it?  I forgot to mention that I snipped the buttons off and kept them.  I have big plans for them too!

I've added a few new parties in the linky party tab so make sure
to check them out throughout the week for more great ideas.

And don't forget, if you're a follower,
you can post a link to your blog on the "Follow my Friends" tab.

Have a great week crafting~

16 comments:

C... said...

That turned out really very pretty.

Patricia @ 9th and Denver said...

well, if you didn't want to wear it as a shirt...why not a scarf, I say!

good job, and good tutorial~

Anonymous said...

I think it turned out great!! Perfect for spring, too!
Erin

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, what a great idea! I love scarves and this sounds like a fun project. I guess it's off to goodwill to find a silk blouse.

TheCraftInMe said...

Great job, I love the transformation, the beaded fringe really completes it!

vikki said...

I love love love it. So creative.

melissa said...

I absolutely love what you've done to create the scarf! I've never made a scarf before and was just about to find out how (although with a soft cotton), so I was thrilled to see this here coincidently.(The rolled edges is what I need to figure out)
I think the silk with the bead trim is stunning, you are clever!:) - Melissa xx

Lisa said...

This is so pretty! Great fabric to use! I;m actually working on a scarf made from a blouse right now too. Great way to reuse something you're not ready to throw away!

Etcetorize said...

Thanks for all the great comments guys!

Just a thought...if you don't know how to do a rolled hem you could use a French seam instead. This is super easy.

I'll try to do a post soon showing how to do some different types of hems and seams~

Jill said...

BRILLIANT!I love this ! I'm looking for clothes upcycling projects now to create a resource for those clothes we never wear but can't throw away! It's a dedicated page (clothes upcycling projects), with a long term linky, I'd love it if you would like this up.
I also have a weekly linky party:
http://jembellish.blogspot.com/
Have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success

Alison Agnew said...

very ingenious idea for a fun accessory...i hope your friend forgave you! thanks for sharing on fridays unfolded.

blessings,

alison
stuff and nonsense

Katherine said...

Beautiful! It looks like such an expensive piece and you made it from recycling an old blouse! Great job & thanks for linking up to Gettin' Krafty With It!

nicolette {momnivores dilemma} said...

Tamara-

I'm never throwing anything out again! It's becoming a scarf!

Totally a GREAT recycle. Thanks for linking up to Creative Juice...

WobiSobi said...

Tamara, This is so beautiful, How did I miss this.
Super wonderful Recycle. I LOVE it!!!

Anonymous said...

Great job on the scarf! I am trying to make a bunch of "new" clothes foitr our trip coming up and it has been fun! Love all the ideas out there!

Unknown said...

What a lovely transformation!! It's beautiful. Thank you for linking up to my K.I.S.S. blog bash last week. This weeks blog bash is in full swing again!! If you haven't already please be sure & link up more of your creativity, I look forward to seeing all your great ideas. :)

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