Helllllllo everybody! Welcome to Day 3 of Refashion Your Summer Wardrobe! Have you entered our giveaways yet? There's still time! ENTER THIS ONE! It will take 30 seconds to enter & closes this Friday! And don't forget this one! It closes Friday, July 7, so you still have time! :)
Today I wanted to dedicate some time to offering up my best thrifting & refashioning tips as I answer questions I got from you guys a couple of weeks ago on Instagram and Facebook.
So, without further ado, let's get started!
What is refashioning?
It didn't occur to me that some poeple don't know what refashioning is! haha! Kay, well, my definition of refashioning is that it is taking unwanted clothing (whether things from the thrift store or those shirts in the back of your closet that you never wear) and giving them a second life. By altering, adding details, changing necklines, sleeves, and shapes, reconstructing, re-envisioning! It's all about recycling, or "upcycling" as we call it, clothes!
Favorite thrift stores/places to get pieces for refashioning?
Kay! My go-to thrift stores just kind of depend on where I am! Haha. I have found that I miss my SoCal thrift stores as there seemed to be more variety, a bigger number of stores, and cheaper prices. If you're in the Inland Empire area, my favorites are Quality Thrift Store in Montclair and Great Deals Thrift Store also in Montclair. I've heard from some friends that love Eco Thrift in San Bernardino.
In Central/Northern California Goodwill is my favorite.
In Utah, I typically go to DI (American Fork and Murray have been my favs, but Provo & Springville are good too!), Savers (more expensive but often has sales), and occasionally I will find things at Tags. I also sometimes "splurge" and pick up pieces for refashioning at consignment stores like Plato's Closet, etc.
The other sources of my refashion pieces are... my husband's closet! haha! My old stuff, and stuff from friends/family. Always accept offers for hand-me-downs! They are prime refashioning material :)
What tips do you have for thrifting for refashioning?
Thrifting is an essential part of the refashioning process. Afterall, refashioning is all about transforming unwanted clothing pieces (and, uh, hello! That about sums up a thrift store! Everything in there is there because someone didn't want it anymore). I've always been a major thrifter, from a very young age. Maybe you are, too! BUT, thrifting FOR the purpose of refashioning is very different from regular thrifting.
- When thrifting for refashion pieces, you have to really walk in to the store with an open mind. Don't skip over those grandma dresses! They have enormous potential, too!
- Take your time. Finding pieces for refashioning takes a while! You can't rush it, you will overlook so many great pieces.
- This sounds totally silly but when I first walk up to a clothing rack, I don't push the hangers to one side look at each garment one by one. Instead, I just look at the sliver of fabric I can see of each dress. This helps me look for quality fabrics and prints without being distracted by shapes, styles, etc.
What do you look for at the thrift store?
FABRIC. That's the number one thing I look for. You have to learn to see the thrift store not as a clothing store, but as your new fabric store. Look for patterns, prints, colors, and textures that you like. And also look for fabric in pieces that come with a good quantity of fabric so that you have enough to play around with.
I also look for specific details (depending on current trends) like embroidery/applique, cutouts, pleats, etc.
When buying pieces to refashion, do I need to size up?
This depends. I do both! Some of my refashion pieces are purchased in sizes much bigger than my own, like this one. Others are technically in my size, like this one (this might surprise some people, but seriously, this dress/kimono thing was a Medium!) And many of my refashions are just changing up pieces already in my wardrobe! Like this maxi dress refashion, this denim dress refashion, or these tee refashions.
The most important thing is that you have enough fabric to work with, which is why refashioners often buy clothing sized up. However, as my blue tribal print dress above illustrates, it is possible to find garments in your size that still have enough fabric. Another trick, is if you are buying in your size, to buy garments that are loose fitting, flowy, long sleeved, and/or maxi length. This will give you some more options when refashioning!
The other factor is what you are wanting to do with your refashion. You can purchase something in your size and refashion it (take it in, alter the fit, the neckline, the sleeves, the hem, etc.,) but you may be slightly more limited on what you can do. However, you can always do things like adding other fabric, trims, etc., that were not part of the original garment, to compensate for not having as much fabric to work with in your original garment.
How much of a plan do you have when you go thrifting? Or is it all just spontaneous?
So, I kind of sweep the store 2 times, with a different strategy each time.
My first time through the racks, I look just at fabric. Look for patterns, prints, colors that I like.
Second, I usually have some photos of trendy pieces that I like in my camera roll, and I'll swipe through it while looking through the racks... to see if any pieces at the thrift store might work for creating those specific pieces.
Are your alterations planned ahead of time or on the spot?
This is similar to the previous question, but focuses more on what I do to the clothes once I have them home. Again, the answer is both!
Some of my refashions, like this one, were planned ahead. I had an inspiration piece in mind, and that was the goal as I began alterations and reconstruction. HOWEVER, even when I have a plan in mind, refashioning always requires flexibility. I kept the same shape and overall feel as the inspiration piece, but I used the unique built-in "trim" found in my thrift dress for details on my refashioned piece.
Others are not planned ahead, but instead just depend on the fabric and the specific piece. This one, for instance, had no plan ahead of time. I just started playing with the fabric and made it up as I went.
How did you get in to refashionig?
I've always been a thrifter. But let's face it, thrifting is a treasure hunt and it's up and down. Sometimes you go and you find great pieces, other times you don't. I'm not sure how, but I stumbled on two blogs when I was in middle school - Merrick's Art and Cotton and Curls and they introduced me to the idea of refashioning. I was not a good seamstress (still not!), so refashioning felt like a safe, easier place to start.
What was the first refashion you ever did?
Haha! I was just thinking about this the other day. And two projects came to mind - I'm not exactly sure which was first. I SO wish I had pictures of these!
For one of them, I took an XL leopard print button down, collared shirt. I removed the collar and made it a rounded neck. Took in the sides. Shortened the hem. Shortened and took in the sleeves. And added ruching to the sleeves.
For the other one, I bought a pair of very outdated, high waisted, long, baggy floral shorts and turned them into a pencil skirt. :)
How do you find inspiration for your refashions?
Pinterest (you can see my Pinterest here. This will give you a sneak peek into my inspos, sewing ideas, and upcoming refashions! My refashioning board is typically where I draw most inspiration from... also, side note, I give my email friends sneak peaks of my thrift finds and inspo pieces in my weekly email! ;) ), clothing brand websites (favs include anthropologie, bohme, roolee, asos, and shein), and mall window displays (we take many strolls through the mall looking at displays and staying up to date on current trends!).
How do you keep track of your refashion ideas?
Great question! I have several organization "compartments" for my ideas.
1. I pin styles, pieces, trends, and looks that I'd like to add to my closet on my Pinterest refashioning board.
2. I keep pictures of my favorite pins in my camera roll, so I can pull them out quickly while I'm thrift shopping.
3. I sketch out ideas that come to me and pin them up on my "inspiration" cork board in my office.
4. I always seem to get ideas while I'm driving or out and about running errands, so I jot down my jumbled ideas quickly in the notes section in my phone. :)
How do you get rid of that thrift store smell?
This question is so great! I love it!
As I mentioned before, I've been thrift shopping for many years, and so getting rid of that smell is something I've taken some time to figure out! I've found that each thrift store kind of has its own scent (i know that sounds totally weird!) and some of those scents stick more than others.
When I bring home things from the thrift store, I wash them right away. I've found MOST of the time, one good wash is enough to get rid of the smell. But, if there's a piece or two where the smell is lingering, I do two things.... I spray it with some kind of deodorizer --- like vinegar -- and let it sit. Then wash it again. That usually does the trick!
Another method I've used a few times, with thicker fabrics, is I'll steam them. I don't have a fancy steamer, so I've just hung them in the bathroom and turned on a hot shower. :)
How long do your refashions take?
This varies, depending on the particular project! But I typically try to complete a refashion project over the span of two days (it's very choppy process because I have a baby:)) But I find that if I stretch it longer than that, I lose interest or get lazy and sometimes then the project doesn't get finished!
As far as hours... I'd guess an average of 4 hours start to finish.
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ANNNNNDD I GOT A FEW MORE QUESTIONS THAT WERE PROJECT SPECIFIC! HERE THEY ARE! :)
How do you distress jeans and ACTUALLY make them look good?
Okay, so to me, the key to distressing jeans well is... you have to start the distressing process, and then let time, wear, and most importantly *washing* do the rest of the process. I've seen tons of youtube videos and pinterest tutorials that want to show you how to take a clean, untouched pair of jeans to perfect distress in the space of one hour. And my experience has been that these never look right. So, what I've found works best is that I start the holes, cuts, and tears. I do them very small, much smaller than I actually want. And then I'll wear them around the house a few times... rough them up that way, and then, most importantly, WASH THEM A FEW TIMES. AFter you get the rips, tears, and holes started, washing will help to speed up the distressing process, expand those holes, and pull out the white threads in a more "natural" looking way, if that makes sense. The key is... don't rush it! I've personally never been able to create a perfect distressed look in one afternoon. But in a week? No problem1
How would you go about taking in a dress that has an elastic waistband?
I have taken in several dresses with elastic waistbands and you really can just sew right through the waistband! Just make sure you have measured correctly and leave room for stretch so you don't take it in too much.
How would you take in a dress that is pleated?
Kay, a couple of things I would do... First, I would iron all of the pleats reeeeally well, and then I would even pin them down (the ones near where I'll be taking in seams). Then, I would make sure as I'm sewing to sew in between pleats, and in a straight line, if that makes sense... taking care not to sew across multiple pleats. I think it might also help to deconstruct the garment (top from bottom, etc) before taking it in!
Phew! Kay, that's enough for now. If you made it all the way to the end, give yourself a pat on the back. :) Feel free to send me any questions I didn't answer through my blog or my social media! xx
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