Men's Shirt Refashion Tutorial {Dress Sewn for $6}

I made this dress in a couple of hours for just $6.

 

Talk about a lucky score!  I found a stash of enormous men's dress shirts at the Salvation Army for $2 a piece.  I grabbed four of them in this pretty, robin's egg blue color, and another four in a soft, buttery yellow.

I normally repurpose men's shirts into aprons like these (click here for details in a prior blog post):

 

 

...But decided to give dress-making a go this time.

I started by taking one shirt and narrowed the sleeves and bodice:

I picked the pocket off of a second shirt...

...Then cut it in half, just below the arms:

I baste stitched along the cut line then pulled the threads to gather it:

Then stitched closed the button placket:

I pinned the gathered shirt to the first shirt and sewed them together.

 

I topped stitched the waist, where the bodice meets the skirt:

 

 

The dress was complete.  Until I tried it on and realized it was way too short (at 5' 10" this is a very common problem for me!).  So, I took a third shirt and cut several inches off the bottom...

...And pinned it underneath the hem of the dress.  Following the hemline of the dress, I top stitched the pieces together and stitched down the button placket of the third shirt.

Dog walking on a sunny spring day was the perfect excuse for donning my new dress.  Notice Twyla's collar corsage?  Click here for the blog post on how I made it.

 

Oh, and why wear just one pearl necklace when you can pile on 7?!

 

I love it when I can elicit a big eye roll from Captain Project!

What a Year!

Today I'm in a bit of a reflective mood, thinking about these past 12 months.  What a year!  A few of the bigger highlights in my world...

 

*Captain Project got a nice promotion and we moved up from Florida to Northern Virginia

*Our son made it home safely from Afghanistan

*Retro Revival continues to do well

*I have the most amazing blog followers and customers

 

In between sewing over 600 aprons, shower caps, sleep bonnets, sleep masks, swim wraps, doily table runners, etc. I made some time for a few special projects.  My favorites:

 

Click on these links and you'll be redirected to my previous blog posts for the project details:

1. RX for a Rainy Day {Upcycled apron}
2. My Vintage Doily Christmas tree skirt was published in GreenCraft Magazine
3. Whip up an easy deep conditioning hair potion like a Kitchen beautician
4. I finally Organized my lace
5. Upcyled vintage Christmas planters
6. Easy pillow tutorial from a plastic bag
7. Create a gallery wall in 4 easy steps
8. Aprons made from mens' shirts
9. Retro Revival Swim Wraps {New product launch}
10. Decorate a chocolate box for Valentine's Day
11. Aprons from vintage bath towels
12. Make a tutu Christmas tree skirt
13. Upcycling vintage tablecloths into aprons
14. Easy lined drapes tutorial
15. We painted our barn!
16. Vitnage planters upcycled into pincushions

I'm so looking forward to the new year, reading your blog posts and following all of your creativity.  It's going to be a great year!

 

Wishing you all nothing but the best in 2014.  Always!

Oh Doily Night {Vintage Doily Christmas Tree Skirt}

 

For those of you who've followed my blog for any length of time, well you know I'm crazy about vintage, crocheted doilies.  And that I'm always looking for new and creative uses for upcycling my enormous stash.

 

My latest creation is a Retro Revival Christmas tree skirt.

 

For this project I cut out a 56" hexagon of muslin fabric and randomly pinned over 30 doilies onto it.

 

 

 

Then I meticulously hand stitched all of the doilies onto the muslin.

 

 

If you look closely at this picture, you can see the antique, lace collar I sewed around the center circle.  It fit perfectly!

 

 

 

I lined it with more muslin so that it's nicely finished.

 

 

I used all sorts of doily shapes in varying shades of white and ecru.  It's even prettier in person and I'm in love with it!

 

And bonus ~ the current issue of GreenCraft magazine loves it too!  They've featured it in a three-page spread!

 

 

 

Eke, I'm so excited!  Hopefully, someone else will be too ~ I've listed this heirloom-quality beauty in my Etsy shop and it's ready for shipping.

 

 

Hope you all have a creative day!

Bottle Brush Trees + Vintage Planters = Christmas Cheer!

My fascination with repurposing vintage planters continues.

 

 

I picked up these beauties when we were still on the farm in Florida.  I placed a bottle brush tree in them and then went to town adorning them with all sorts of Christmas baubles.

 

 

This sweet girl (and the Santa) is a 1950s Napco.  She wears angel's wings and is carrying an armful of gifts in her mitten-ed and muff-ed hands.  Around her Christmas hat and coat is that wonderful spaghetti trim so adored by collectors.  And notice her ruffled dress?  It's a gorgeous shade of turquoise blue.

 

 

This little gal is holding a lantern in her gloved hand.  Her face is so sweet.

 

 

Tucked in among the new and newer decorations are vintage goodies...

 

 

...Including teeny tiny elves, reindeer and Santa.

 

 

 

I had so much fun making these!  And bonus?  I feel as though most of my finger prints have been seared off from the glue gun so if my Retro Revival career falters, maybe I can become a criminal!  Hahahaha!

 

 

If you know of anyone who might be interested in these, please direct them to my Etsy shop.  Believe it or not, Christmas orders are pouring in and I'm happy to report that the selling season is off to a brisk start!

Vintage Planters Repurposed into Pin Cushions

 

My little stash of Retro Revival vintage planters that I repurposed into pin cushions?

 

 

They're available now in my Etsy shop.

 

These little darlings make perfect gifts for that someone special.

 

Hope you have a special day!

Glad Rags Vintage Clothing Documentary Filming

(Photo courtesy Glad Rags)

 

The Glad Rags team (that's Vallerie Perrault on the left and Brianne Richard on the right) visited Retro Revival to film a segment for their documentary film series, "Glad Rags."  The gals are traveling across the USA, from Boston to Los Angeles, exploring the history of textile production and sustainability of vintage clothing, by interviewing people who buy, sell, live and love vintage.

 

Brianne contacted me a few months ago after discovering this blog.  Isn't Blogville an amazing place?!  She and Vallerie were interested in filming me and learning more about how I collect and upcycle my found vintage linens into aprons.

 

I was nervous about their visit, not knowing what to expect and never having been filmed before this.  Turns out, I had no reason for worry because they were the sweetest young ladies!  So smart and passionate about vintage linens and clothing, and within minutes we were laughing and chatting like old friends!

 

(Photo courtesy Glad Rags)

 

They're heading to Raleigh and Florida next, and then on to Atlanta, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and ending in Los Angeles.  If you know a person or place of textile interest, please let them know!  Their email is gladragsdoc@gmail.com.

 

(Image courtesy Glad Rags)

 

 

The team, including their friend Heather on the left, wrapped filming by playing a bit of dress up in my aprons ~ so fun!

 

You can learn more about Glad Rags and their mission by visiting their website.  You can also follow the adventure on their Facebook page, Flickr page, and Instagram.  The documentary series will hopefully be ready to debut sometime after the new year ~ of course I'll keep you posted.