Saturday, February 07, 2009

The semi-nekkid seamstress

You might not believe me, but it helps to sew in just your underwear. I know this after working on a couple of refashioning projects lately.

My first one was the large man's polo shirt with NYPD embroidered on it, which the boy got for me last time he was in New York. Needless to say, it was hugely unflattering because of it's very bigness. I only wore it with over-long bootleg jeans and heeled army-style boots; every time, it reminded me of the time I walked into a party thrown by a lesbian work-friend and realised that the room was completely full of short-haired women in lumberjack shirts.

I spent several hours turning that shirt into one more suitable for woman's body shape, mostly by trying on, cutting, trying on, pinning, trying on, sewing, trying on etc. There was an awful lot of trying on, so most of the time my top half was semi-nekkid.

The other project was to take an ankle-length stretch denim skirt that was too tight at the waist, and turn it into a flippy knee-length skirt. As before, there was an awful lot of trying on, so most of the time my bottom half was nearly bare.

This isn't a method I'd recommend using if your sewing machine sits in front of a large picture window, but it's fine if you have curtains. (Also, I mightn't be so keen in the winter.)

Before...

...and after...


(I haven't quite finished the skirt yet.)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"large man's polo shirt with NYPD embroidered on it, which the boy got for me last time he was in New York"

Dude - you've got to get the boy to get you better presents.

Violet said...

well, I'm sure he'd have got me something cuter and more stylish (or more blingy) - but I'm horrendously picky about what I wear and harder to fit, and I don't wear jewellery.

It's better than the koala stuffed toy he got me when he came back from Sydney.

Anonymous said...

Oh fergawdsakes! Even if you don't wear jewellery ALL the time, you need some for those special occasions where a bit of bling is a good thing...like weddings...! :-P
Love your work - can you please fix my skirts that don't fit me anymore?!?

Angela said...

Or you could sew and wear a bikini at the same time. Then call the television stations and try to create a new reality show.
You could call it "Sew and See".
or think of something much more clever.

Violet said...

desiree: sure, if you don't mind the odd clothing catastrophe...

angela: somehow I don't think it would be a big draw, unless I suddenly acquired the body shape of an underwear model. Then it would be a big hit for the late night crowds!

Lumpyheadsmom said...

I'm so impressed. That's so cool!

Violet said...

lumpyhead's mom: oh, thanks :-)

Anti-Supermom said...

I googled 'pencil test' and found your blog :)

Great sewing, I sew but I suck. Had to say 'hello'.