So I've been getting a bit distracted ....But back to work and with a new name...I'm going to call it the Make Do And Mend Wardrobe Refashion anyone care to join me?

This dress fits really well so I've taken a pattern from it

What with Sew mama Sew give away day who wouldn't be distracted.But  I'm now really getting back to the job in hand. I'd like to join some other sewers doing wardrobe refashions so have been looking around for people to team up with. If you know anyone doing something similar or who wants to do something similar please let me know.

 I've decided a little while ago that I'm really going to try not to cheat to much with this wardrobe refashion. In my ever growing library I have a copy of make do and mend, I read it all ages ago and when refashioning it suggest that you should unpick the clothes,wash and press them and then take your pattern and cut it out of the fabric.This didn't make any sense to me a couple of years ago when I could think of so many short cuts but right now after a few projects where although I certainly had success with a good few some of these things just aren't quite right so I'm going to do things properly this time wherever possible.
 So  I'm renaming my refashion the Make do and Mend wardrobe refashion.

The idea was to use existing clothes i love in my wardrobe,take patterns from them and use them to remake clothes I don't love so much.and off course use anything else you have lying around as well.fabric,notions etc,Would anyone care to join me?I'm also intending to make more homeware and accessories from my old clothes and scraps so any beginner seamstresses need not feel left out.

Just a bit too dirndl. The dress I'm refashioning at the moment. i do kinda like it but It doesn't look too good on me making me look like an extra in the sound of music and not in a good way!

I'm not real crazy about too many guidelines so I'm going to keep them kinda flexible but this is what I have in mind.

• You can use anything you have in the house or can get from from friends or family.You could get friends and family to donate clothes for you to take apart if you don't have many.
• It is fine to buy zippers,buttons,fabric etc as long as this is in order for you to make use of something you allready have but only after you've checked to see if you could use something  in your stash or could get hold of something for free, perhaps taking old clothes apart for the buttons and zippers.
• You should try to use free patterns where possible either taken from the clothes you allready have.or things you have in your stash or maybe you could swap traced patterns with other sewers.or perhaps from burda.Be creative!
• I do really want to keep a vintage feel to this so I'm thinking using vintage clothes to take patterns from,using vintage or vintage style patterns.drafting your own vinatge inspired etc.Although more modern refashions can be nice to I'd like to keep this vintage inspired.
• Anyone can join and leave at any time.It's not a fixed time project.whether you  only want to do one refashion or a whole wardrobe.

The idea is to make your wardrobe better using the least amount of money possible. I started doing this because I had more clothes in my wardrobe which didn't fit or suit then ones which did, a small budget, and also lots and lots of things bought second hand with refashioning in mind which I never quite got around to. I'd like to end up with more clothes which do fit and suit me and less which don't

A little break from sewing and some really cute ducklings

We were just about to leave the park and didn't have much bread left when some ducklings appeared were I had left some bread earlier It didn't take long before there were loads and one even ate from my hand.

Teenage ducks all lined up

This little duckling ate from my hand.

Soon there were lots of ducklings

The little one was eating from my hand

A few more fabric scrap creations

Jewellery pouch made from a teensy bit of 2 different coordinating t shirts

Mobile phone cover made from a bit of jumper leftover after I made 2 cushions and some legwarmers out of it and a scrap of t shirt. It actually looks much nicer in reality but somehow doesn't look great on photo.

The accidental softie: I was intending to make a cat toy and really quickly and badly whipped this together just to test the pattern i made but as I put the face on it really started to look cute so I put some more (this time deliberate) bad stitches on and finished it. I think it really has charachter. If I do make a cat toy in the future I'll remeber not to put the face on it.I couldn't bear the tought of a cat hurting my poor little softie mouse