1# The Uneducated Seamstress' DIY (no sewing needed!)

I sunbathed in the back garden today, listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, as it grew colder, wrapped in a blanket.

Weeks ago, when my mum came back from the Caribbean, she opened her suitcase which released a pungent musky smell (it had got stuffy due to the long, long flight). She pulled out clothing which had been given to her by a friend, a green corduroy trouser suit, a black skirt and batwing top set, all of which were not 'her thing'. I kidnapped the batwing top and gave it to my Oma and kept the long black islamic style skirt to customize.

Regular readers will know I'm obsessed by high waisted skirts right now,

Step 1: I pulled the skirt from hip level to waist. It had a stretchy waist so this was done easily.

Step 2: After deciding what length the skirt should be, pick up a pair of sewing scissors and start snipping. Cut the skirt so its longer than you actually want it and (warning:) add a couple of inches onto the length you want as it will probably shrink in the wash. Cut as evenly as you can, remembering that the back should be a little longer.
Step 3: You've got rid of most of the material now, so now cut up to the length that you want it to be, remembering to add a couple of inches. (In a later post I'll show something you can do with this piece of excess material.)

Step 4 (optional): Hem the ends of the skirt. I didn't do this as my skirt was really long and had flowing so it's hard to see the ends of the skirt clearly.

Sorry i have no before pictures-here's the after.

Sorry to go on about it but don't forget I'm trying to get rid of that new military jacket (it's too big) so if you like it, name your price and it could be yours!

Readers of Sally Jane Vintage will notice that she did a post like this not so long ago, but it turns out the same weekend before I had done the same thing to my skirt and wanted to share the idea. I don't want to be accused of copying posts. =)

Actually, it used to be a top.

Before we begin, just in time for an early dinner, have a look at The Vintage Society. I'm not going to add an outfit adoring collage (time's ticking) but she has lovely dress sense and is in the middle of some interesting vintage projects...

Looking at my blog, I'm really lacking in photographs, and although i love to read, a blog is just not a blog without photographs. Here are a few very un-Easterish shots I took round Easter.


I'm really lusting after a professional photographic black camera.




The left photo shows what's left of a threatening sticker (a dog baring its teeth) which has been stuck on the back window for longer than we've lived here. The last 2 are quite bleak, but sometimes it's nice to see something raw, un-airbrushed.


This is what I wore yesterday (Easter monday).
The past 2 days, when my mum's seen my outfits, I've got a 'what are you wearing?' reaction. That either means I'm starting to fullfill my goal of not blending in with the crowd-or I'm going horribly wrong. But it is better to try and fail then never to try at all. =) Oh, and meet my new trench/jacket! Half price (reduced from £30 to £15) on my last trip to London.

Trench jacket- H&M
Grey cardigan- Topshop
revamped skirt (originally top)- Zara
3 layers of tights to face the winter cold- ?
boots- Dorothy Perkins
scarf- Primark
Belt- Topshop
necklace- vintage

I love the high waisted skirt trend. I really wanted to wear one yesterday so flicked through my wardrobe to see if anything could be manipulated to transform into a skirt. I came across this t-shirt. It brings back good memories; July 2006-Year 9 school trip to Paris. Before we crossed the channel to come back home, the teachers let us loose in a shopping mall. Me and my friend Caroline ran riot shopping and were (probably the only) girls who discovered a Zara tucked away in the mall. It cost me something like £10, the red and forties/fifities style family sat round the breakfast table are what made me buy it. Maybe it had always been like that, maybe i was shopping too quickly to notice but the ends actually rolled up and the t-shirt looked shorter and less flattering. So it seemed to be doomed to a lifetime inside my wardrobe.
Yesterday I pulled it over my legs and kept pulling it over my hips until the neckline stretched. The belt and grey cardigan I wore covered up the sleeve holes.



Before I came home, I stopped at C&H Fabrics and bought some wire and Mexican red dye. The wire for my art work, the red dye because I'm starting to actually love the return of tie-dye and am planning on doing some Dye it Youself. ;) Fickle must be my middle name as a few weeks ago, scanning through the latest Topshop lines, I groaned at the sight of a tie-dye skirt.

Next stop was the only vintage shop in my little town, Second Sight. Most of the things in there are pretty ugly and over priced but I spotted two pairs of lovely vintage designer shoes which I am very tempted to buy for my upcoming online vintage store this summer...One pair was vintage Roland Cartier, purple stiletto pumps with a nicely rounded, slightly pointed toe. I'm not the biggest wearer of purple, but the shoe were so pretty! They also had a little purple button on each toe. Let me know if you like the sound of them and I can tell you more.


I'm off now, remember my little addiction? I need to go papermache one of my bras. (art!)

Kiki x