Monday, November 24, 2008

Recycling clothes and Amy Butler patterns

So I went shopping this weekend, at Goodwill, for some "new" clothes. Being that I sew, I knew I could make some alterations here and there if I saw something I liked, but wasn't a perfect fit. Now, I'm not a label snob by any means....but for used clothing, you just have to rummage through the racks to find the good stuff - Ann Taylor Loft, Talbots, Old Navy, J Jill - clothing that is made with good fabrics that will stand up wash after wash, so that by the time it ends up at Goodwill, it's still in great shape!

I made a killing! I found 2 skirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 4 tops, and my grand total was $32.00. So, that brings me to the above picture.....a great pair of pants/Old Navy. One size too big....I took out the waistband and took in the sides, then replaced the waistband.....

...now the problem....how do I move those hooks over to meet up with the 'claw' that hooks around them? They're not sewn on; rather, they seem to be either glued down really well, or are wrapped/hooked through the fabric, like with magnetic snaps. Any suggestions?!

And here's my Weekender Bag! (Not quite finished - the lining gets made/attached today) I worked on it Saturday at our workshop - with Dolores, who cut out her Messenger Bag, and Chris, who made the bias tape cording cover for her Sophia Bag.
There was some frustration with this bag....a bit on my part - cutting out some wrong pieces, having to read a direction 3 and 4 times to understand it. But then it all came together! (Robyn, I can relate to your frustration w/the Sophia Bag - I had to do some major stretching of the fabric to get it to work around the cording. It wasn't a perfect fit!) But, I love the bag - it's size, it's look...don't know if I'll be doing another anytime soon!

4 comments:

Mara said...

Add a second pair of hooks - the sew on kind. That way you can have expander pants for the holidays!

Robyn said...

Cute bag! I think I've used that fabric before on a diaper bag. I guess Mara's idea is a good one. I've never thought about those hooks. I can never get things like that to match up even when I'm doing it from scratch, and I'm not good enough to take in the waists of pants -- at least I've never had the nerve to try.

I finally get to use my Weekender this week for my trip!

Anonymous said...

The Weekender bag is gorgeous! You did such a great job. I'm so scared to start mine now...is it too much of a pain? LOL

By the way, kudos on the clothing score!

Anonymous said...

Great job on the bag, you know I hate making bags and will always live in bag envy of you all who do....