DIY: Red shirt refashion

I finished this one a while ago, and it’s slowly become my all-time favourite shirt!

I got this from the Salvation Army store for $5. It’s a size 16, but the fabric and pattern were so nice that I couldn’t leave it. I’ve been reading Merrick’s blog and the Refashionista’s adventures (highly recommended!) for a while now, so I felt up to the challenge of resizing it to fit me.

Here’s how we started:

You can see that it’s just a little too big on me! The top of the shoulders hangs well off my shoulders, the base of the arm hole is nearly at my waist, and you can’t even see my hands because the sleeves are so long! What you can’t see is that there is also lots of extra width.

The first thing I did was cut off the sleeves along the seams. I then tried it on again inside out and pinned several places down the sides where I wanted to take it in, then stitched down that line and cut off the excess.

Then came the monster challenge of the sleeves. I’ve never done ANYTHING like this before, but I’ve read a lot of tutorials over time about how it should be done, so I had a general idea. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos of what I did, I think I was concentrating too intensely! First I cut down the armholes so they would fit closer to my armpit than my waist, and at the same time cut the shoulders back to my actual shoulders. I also knew that I wanted the sleeves to be shorter, rather than full length, so I tried them on my arms, measured about where I wanted them, and cut them down in the same shape to match the armhole. To sew it to the body I placed the sleeves right-way-in inside the body of the top which was inside out (so the right sides were together), and stitched the seam. (Full disclosure – I had to unpick the first one and do it again, because I attached the wrong arm to the wrong side!!) There is a little bit of puckering where I could have sewn it better, but I’m the only one that would ever notice, and its really not that bad for my first go!

The finished product! I’m super proud of my first attempt at resizing clothing! It is still a little loose under the arms, and could have cut off a little more width from the body, but I like that its not a snug fit. As I said, its fast becoming my favourite top – I’ve worn it out for dinner over black leggings with boots, and most recently with the front tucked into my lace top jeans. Here’s how I wore it when we went to see Disney on Ice – belted over beige skinny jeans with matching red flats (‘scuse the rubbish late-night photo!):

I think I have the refashion bug now – just waiting for another chance to go to the local op shop again to see what I can find! Meanwhile, Dad has passed on a couple of old polo shirts, I’m thinking I’ll try out Merrick’s idea next…

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5 Ways to Refashion a Men’s Button-Up Shirt (tarapcunningham.wordpress.com)
DIY Chevron Print Shirt and Refashioned Shorts Tutorial (sewloveable.wordpress.com)
Refashioning Session (flossiejamieson.wordpress.com)
T-Shirt Transformations or: How I Learned to Stop Hoarding My Old Shirts and Love DIY Tutorials (shirtkongblog.wordpress.com)
Refashion: man’s shirt to summer top (girlandgarden.wordpress.com)
How to wear a polo shirt (jacamoblog.co.uk)
DIY Series: Keeping Your Shirts Up (thefashionfoot.com)
Skirt Refashion (offsquare.wordpress.com)
DIY Friday: Florals, Florals Everywhere (two refashions in one!) (beingzhenya.com)

A Cheat Sheet For Winning At Life In Your 20s

May19 by Thought Catalog

Reblogged from Thought Catalog:

I’ve always had close friends who are significantly older than me. One awesome advantage to this is they generally treat me to lunch when we go out. (There is such a thing as a free lunch! In your face, Milton Friedman. Okay, obviously the lunch isn’t technically free but it’s free for me and that’s what counts.) Anyway, the other great advantage is I get a lot of tips and tidbits of good advice about how to enjoy my twenties and be independent and all that good stuff.

Happy Blogiversary!

May16 by celastrina

Dear Blog,

I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you for the last couple of months, but I couldn’t let this week end without celebrating our five year anniversary! Let’s take a walk down memory lane…

The original Ballatrina’s Knitting blog header

With my first post in May 2008, I announced my new blog “Ballatrina’s Knitting and Other Bits and Bobs”, which would be used to document my entry back into the world of knitting. Although there were a few disasters in the beginning, my knitting came a long way in a short time. As well as my knitting progress, we also shared some big life moments, as well as a few new flats, which also helped uncover just how much my yarn stash had grown in a few months!

The knitting project that inspired it all!

Over time we also talked about books, and then sewing, and then a tour of local restaurants under the title “Monday Meal Madness” (interesting aside – the guy who used to meet me for dinner in these excursions was at the time a fellow youth leader – and he’s now my brother-in-law!). Ballatrina’s Knitting continued documenting my crafting, reading and eating until November 2009, when I made the decision to hand in my resignation at work, and make the move north to further my studies.

The latest version of the Musical Butterfly blog header

It was at this time that I thought the ol’ blog better grow up a little too, so we left Ballatrina’s Knitting, and started up with Musical Butterfly. Using a new platform, we planned to continue with similar content, but also document the trials and tribulations of being a student in their mid 20s. What ended up happening was less posting (with an increase of assignments, practise sessions and exam prep!) and while it took a little while to settle into what this Musical Butterfly would become, there were good times along the way – including falling in love! (While we are celebrating our five years together, Andrew and I are celebrating our three years together – and 171 days until our big day!).

My first FO while studying – and Andrew’s first appearance as a model!

Both crafting and reading have continued, but since I no longer had time for Monday Meal Madness – and I’d left my eating buddy in another city – the new ‘Foods’ section was born, as I tried out all kinds of new recipes while discovering a love of cooking. Our next venture together – planning a wedding! I’ve also taken a liking to reading style and fashion blogs as I work out my personal style while transitioning into this next stage of my life, so there may be a bit of that popping up too.

Happy 5 years, blog! Looking forward to discovering what the next five years will look like!

Trina xo

PS: Thanks to those who have joined us along the way, your support has been much appreciated

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Happy Blogiversary to Me! (majorknitter.typepad.com)
2nd Blogiversary at Sahrish Adeel’s Blog (nidasbeautybag.wordpress.com)
My First Blogiversary Pawty!! (savannahspawtracks.com)
And Now We Are Nine (majorknitter.typepad.com)

New books (+ 24 hour book sale!)

Feb21 by celastrina

I mentioned that over Christmas I got a few new books – time to show them off!

** STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ON AN AMAZING BOOK SALE THAT STARTS TODAY – WITH FREE DELIVERY! **

Janet Evanovich – “Notorious Nineteen”

The latest dramas of the witty Stephanie Plum! Yes, there are more cars exploding. Yes, there is more tension in the Stephanie-Ranger-Morelli love triangle. Yes, Grandma Mazur and Lula are still hilarious. What more can you expect from this series! Still my favourite series ever, and I was stoked to be able to buy it with some Christmas vouchers. In this book Stephanie goes back to work for Ranger, and what starts as purely a job ends with her life in danger, as always, but also with her wearing a ridiculous bridesmaids dress! On top of that she’s trying to find out more about patients disappearing from hospital beds, which gets her working with both Morelli and Randy Briggs, who finds he’s small enough to fit into a mail chute. Add in some time at an embarrassing nudist beach, and a tiki that keeps bringing bad luck, and you’ve got another awesome read.

I couldn’t put it down – I read the whole thing in one sunny afternoon! Highly recommended, as always.

James Patterson – “10th Anniversary” (with Maxine Paetro)

This is the latest instalment in the Women’s Murder Club series. I admit I haven’t read any of these books yet, but I’m collecting them so that I can read them all through from number one – just haven’t found that one yet! The blurb says “Detective Lindsay Boxer finally gets married. But a missing newborn and a series of violent attachs push the Women’s Murder Club back to full throttle before the wedding gifts are even unwrapped.” (Apparently I have a thing for buying books that mention weddings at the moment!). Really looking forward to starting this series.

This book was a bargain – $3.50 at a clearance sale!

Dean Koontz – “77 Shadow Street”

“Welcome to 77 Shadow Street… where every 38 years a terror descends. December 1897 – A family abducted, never to be found. December 1935 – A household slaughtered in their beds. December 1973 – Terrified workmen see a glimpse of hell. December 2011 – Is 77 Shadow Street destined to be a death house once more? This is not a ghost story. It is something scarier by far.” While I sometimes find Koontz’s work a little overrun with adjectives, this looks like a gripping tale.

This was a bargain too – also $3.50 at the clearance sale!

“Ray Martin’s Favourites: The stories behind the legends”

I picked this up while browsing one day, and flicking through it I found his interview with Audrey Hepburn! Looking further I found transcripts with Heath Ledger, Oprah, Jodi Foster, Madonna and Michael Crawford, among others. Can’t wait to get into this! Though I’ll probably just pick it up occasionally and read an interview at a time, since the book is too heavy to cart around easily!

This was my biggest bargain – I originally saw it in a store on sale for $40 (down from $50), so I wrote it down to keep an eye out for it, only to find it at the same clearance sale for $7!

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So – onto details of the sale! I got an email from Book Depository the other day alerting me to their upcoming sale WHICH STARTS TODAY!! Every 15 minutes for 25 hours a new book bargain will go up – and you have to get in quick to get it! As always their free worldwide delivery applies. Click below to find out more details… then come back and let me know what you snagged!

(FYI – affiliate links)

Review: Notorious Nineteen (Audio) (bookingmama.net)
Sorry Book Depository offers discount after delays (nzherald.co.nz)
Books I’ve read week one! (rachaeljohns.wordpress.com)

DIY T-shirt Blanket

Feb12 by celastrina

I’ve seen several of these quilts around on Pinterest, and when Mr EP mentioned that he had a few old band t-shirts that he didn’t wear anymore, I thought it would be a good chance to try one out. Since I have no quilting experience I made it more of a blanket, backing the t-shirts with a soft fleecy fabric.

Before I go into the details of what I did, lets take a walk back through memory lane and have a look at Mr EP wearing a couple of the t-shirts when he was younger!

As I said, I have never done any quilting before, so I really just did what I thought would work! If you have any suggestions for better ways of doing things I would be grateful for you passing on your knowledge.

Step 1:

Step 2: (stay tuned for a hilarious photo outtake with this shirt!)

Step 3: (recognise those old t-shirts?)

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Just a shame that I didn’t take a photo of the whole completed blanket! It was a rush in the end finishing it off and wrapping it up ready to gift, but I’m assured that he loves it! Its the perfect size for snuggling on the couch.

Up next – another one for Miss Stiletto, made from her childhood clothes! I think I will go with the same technique, using sweatshirts as the backing rather than a single piece of fabric.

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Photo outtake: Mr EP ‘hulking’ out of his shirt…

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DIY: No Sew T-Shirt Blanket (osu.uloop.com)
Disney DIY – Recycling Disney T-Shirts (chipandco.com)
DIY Braided Racerback Shirt (amorwithoutcouture.com)
How to Make a T-Shirt Infinity Scarf (scarves.net)
Diy Denim + Lace Shirt (gigislittleshop.com)
DIY T-Shirt Projects: Ideas For Reusing Old Tees (huffingtonpost.com)
DIY Christmas gifts – T-Shirt quilt (anjastudios.com)

2013!

Jan15 by celastrina

I may be a little late off the mark, but happy new year! My friends are calling 2013 “the year of change”, and it seems like that will apply to me as well.

Before I explain more, I want recap 2012:

Top row: T-shirt market bag, laptop sleeve, crochet blankets, origami flowers

Bottom row: iPad sleeve, balaclava, butterfly tunic, February Lady Sweater

(Check out previous year’s round ups here)

As well as all this craftiness, I’ve also managed to read (at least) 20 books, and it also looks like I’m becoming a bit of a foodie!

As for blogging, my top five posts from 2012 were Origami flowers, DIY Jewellery Cleaner, Apple-Cinnamon Pancake Muffins, The story of the proposal, and FO: February Lady Sweater.

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Although 2012 was quite a big year for me, I have a feeling 2013 will be even better. I turn 28 this year, I’m graduating with a Bachelor of Music in March, AND I’m getting married in 292 days! (Be prepared for DIY wedding ideas popping up in a little while as I slowly get things ready). I’m also using this time to change my personal style, which I may also show off from time to time. This has meant a giant clean-out of my old clothes – I already have 5 rubbish bags ready to go to the Salvation Army!

In the short term, things will remain the same – I have a couple of new crafts to show you, as well as a few new books I picked up over Christmas.

Thanks for sticking with me

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Do-It-Yourself In 2013 With These Crazy Projects (huffingtonpost.com)
Crafty DIY Roundup for the New Year (coquette.blogs.com)
It’s the Great New Years Giveaway! (my-imperfect-kitchen.com)
Knit or Crochet Something Emerald (imaginemechanix.com)
Crochet a Sweater You’ll Wear All Year (crochetme.com)
Latest Project (layedbacklife.wordpress.com)

It’s oh so quiet…

Nov3 by celastrina

I hope you don’t mind things being quiet here for a little bit longer, I’m SO CLOSE to finishing my music degree – four more weeks of assignments and exams to go! After three years of full time study (read about the start of it all here) it’s going to be weird to not have assignments – thank goodness I have my wedding to plan!

I appreciate your patience and support over the next few weeks, I promise I’ll be back soon

Here’s a video to keep you entertained in my absence – one of my fellow students sang this in her exam recently and it was brilliant!