A dent in the pile: Prepping for Me-Made-May-Lite

My refashion and alteration piles are fearfully high, but here's a small dent I've made in it looking forward to Me-Made-May-Lite. I hemmed a pair of thrifted J Crew Favorite Fit jeans 3.5 inches using this fail-proof hemming method, adjusted the collar on an Odille blouse, and refashioned a few items.

This is a thrifted J Crew 100% wool sweater that I wear often even though it looks like a trash bag on me. It is a large, but I return to it because it's got the convenience of a cardigan with the warmth of a coat. When I saw this men's sweater, I got the idea to jazz it up with contrasting buttons. I also took in the sides 2 inches and lowered the shawl collar to make it more flattering.

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This is a also a thrifted knit top by Heirloom Collectibles. I loved the knit, but the color and size was simply unflattering. My idea was to die it black and change the buttons to red ones, but the dye job simply failed. Instead I bleached it, which gave it a neat effect, and I also took in the sides and shoulder seams 2 inches. It's not a fave, but I think I could rock this with some shorts and wedges a la 70s once the weather gets going.

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And finally, this is a refashion of a failed refashion. These are an old, well-loved pair of Old Navy capris that was one of the few garments I wore in Asia last summer. After wearing and sweating in them nearly every other day, I was simply sick of them. I also am more inclined to a darker denim these days.


I removed the cuffs, tapered the leg and dyed them navy blue. Problem? The dye turned out splotchy. I think I just need to swear off dye from now on.

So, I used these Ready Made instructions to make them into cuff shorts. I definitely have a short-shortage in the old closet, so these will be used a lot!

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Happy Aloha Friday everyone! I'm off for the weekend!