MAKE DO AND MEND - old clothes - altering, upcycling, re-sizing, customising etc

nursemaggie

Pete is up to 5ft 4in these days.

littlepinkbiscuits

Haven't posted on this thread for ages so thought I would share my latest refashion, a £1 charity shop black broderie anglaise skirt into a top.

Here's the skirt



I folded it and a top I wanted to copy the shape of and cut out the shape





Then just sewed it up!



I've since hemmed it and am about to use offcuts to finish the sleeves, just need to locate my black bias binding to finish off the slash neck properly.

[Deleted User]

Love looking at the things folk can make I am a fairly good knitter but when it comes to sewing I hold my hands up and say |I am complete rubbish.I can turn up and down DGS school trousers and sew a button on and the only other thing I do is if as I often do find maybe a tee shirt that has a mark on it I cannot shift I will buy a motif and sew it over the top to hide the mark :):)I have a couple of tee shirts that I like that I have done this to.When at school nearl 60 years ago we had to make a sleeveles round neck blouse.It took me three years as every time I took it to the teacher she said 'No good ,rubbish' and ran her cutting tool down the neat tiny stitches of the hems.edges 'Do it again child' Kinda put me off of sewing forever :)we were never allowed to touch her 'holy sewing machine' either everything had to be sewn by hand.So anyone who makes anything I am really impressed by.But I can knit almost any pattern,even fair isle and cable which my late Mum taught me.Guess I'll just have to watch you clever folk turning out things,so keep the photos coming Great idea for recycling stuff though.
My old towels get cut up and hemmed and used for face cloths or cleaning cloths though

tru

littlepinkbiscuits Your top looks great, thanks so much for posting it and I think I love you I have lots of men's shirts that are in good condition, I want to alter them to fit me. I've been fiddling about for ages but just can't do it, I think you've just given me the solution.

Living_proof

Sorry if this has already been posted but I have been emailed about a (free) two day Festival of Thrift in Darlington on 26th/27th September. It was very successful last year but I found out about it too late. Maybe we could arrange a Meet-Up around this event? The address is: http://www.festivalofthrift.co.uk.

[Deleted User]

What a shame there isn't more of them I looked at the site and it looks great, shame I live so far down south.It would be great if more councils did something like this I'm sure it would be popular and help a lot of people get through these times of austerity

MessyBetty

Hi everyone I don't often post but I wanted to thank you all for your inspiration and to share with you how I saved a pair of boots, not clothing I know but it might be helpful to someone.

I bought some new boots from a famous store in the sales I was very happy with them and threw the receipt away after a couple of weeks. However after a month the sole of the left one came away I took them to be repaired, but after a day it happened again the guy said that if it didn't hold then it was a manufacturing fault. I was so disappointed and thought what I could use that would be flexible and tried silicone adhesive it worked perfectly no more wet feet and it has held for two weeks without any sign of it coming away. Unfortunately I have had cause to wear my boots it's been quite a wet summer where I live.

Thanks again everyone, happy mending

MB xx