REFASH! A collaboration with Swapaholic
A couple of months ago, Swapaholic got in touch with me with the exciting opportunity to collaborate for their “Reimagine” swap party in July 2019. They sent me a bag of second-hand clothes collected from previous swaps, and my only brief was to embark on 3 different refashion transformations. Well, what a treat!
Some of the clothes were damaged and rejected for swaps, while some of them were still in good condition but somehow not picked up in the previous swaps. Regardless of the condition, I was in love with the choice of colours and fabrics that the second-hand pieces provided. You know me - I’m always ready to turn something old into something new again!
REFASHION #1: 1950's style gingham set
The pick
I decided to use this gingham blouse for one of the refashion projects because .. gingham, duh. Well ok, not just that. This blouse is a great choice for a refashion project because the design of the blouse (with the extra large ruffle along the neckline and the long sleeves in particular) and its larger size mean that I will have ample yardage to play with for creating something new.
The idea
I knew I would have enough fabric for a separate top and bottom. To make things easy for me, I decided to make a simple skirt with an elasticised waist. The embroidered flowers were a design feature I wanted to keep in the final garment, so I decided to make a simple gathered skirt with the embroidered flowers along the bottom hem of the skirt. Other than sewing the sides together, sewing an elastic casing and inserting the elastic, I didn’t have to do much to make the skirt.
For the top, I decided to make a tube top using shirring elastic because shirred tops seem to be so “on trend” these days. They keep popping up on my feed! Anyway, I have been meaning to try to use shirring elastic so I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to start.
With the remaining pieces of fabric I had, I decided to make a long strip of fabric that can be used in many different ways. In my photos, you will see me using it as: 1) a headscarf, 2) a faux top for a vintage-inspired halter look, 3) a “belt”. I’m always thinking about outfit yield when it comes to sewing! I’m sure there are more ways I can wear the scarf so keep your eyes peeled, I might end up with 10 (or even more) looks by the end of the year.
But for now, I can already think of 7 different ways I can wear this refashion project and I think that’s pretty rad.
The final garment
And these are the final looks!
REFASHION #2: The cha-cha skirt
The pick
Another type of garment that is great for a refashion project is a maxi dress or maxi skirt. Similar to a larger garment, the added length of a maxi dress or skirt can provide additional yardage for refashioning. When I saw these 2 bright dresses, I knew they were perfect for my next refashion transformation. The bright orange and dramatic fuchsia just seem to go so well together! Also, the fuchsia dress came with a lining in the same fabulous colour, which meant that I really had a lot of yardage to work with for this refashion project.
The idea
When it comes to thinking about how to execute a refashion project, I often try to make the sewing as simple as possible. The idea of cutting the dresses up into long strips of rectangles, then joining them up to make ruffles just came to me immediately. Also, because the colours of these dresses are so vibrant, I wanted to use that to my advantage and create a final garment with a design that is as eye-catching as these colours. And so, I made a tiered ruffle skirt with alternating colours for each layer that is reminiscent of the style of a cha-cha skirt.
The final garment
And now, here are some photos of the skirt in action!
REFASHION #3: The basic pencil skirt
The pick
This oversized grey jersey dress became a natural candidate for my next project because of its colour and its material. Jersey knits are great to work with for a refashion project because the stretch it has offers more room for error in the cutting and fitting of the final garment.
The idea
Again, I'm all about thinking simply when it comes to refashioning. The idea of making a semi-fitted pencil skirt with an elasticised waist came to me because I wanted a skirt with a classic silhouette and neutral colour to add to my wardrobe. To make this skirt, all I did was chop the length of the dress off, sew an elastic casing, insert the elastic casing, and taper the width of the skirt as needed with straight stitches lengthwise. This refashion project was completed in less than 30 minutes!
The final garment
Here's how the pencil skirt looks in action. I am pairing it with a cut-up t-shirt that I was actually wearing at home on the day that I was sewing this. They happen to pair nicely so I figured I would just style the skirt with the top for a "street fashion" look.
And there you have it, all 3 refashion projects that I did recently in collaboration with Swapaholic. If you're located in Singapore, love fashion and want to be more sustainable, why not consider swapping instead of shopping? Swapaholic hosts regular swap parties at various parts of Singapore and they always have a great selection of styles! The next swap will be held on 7th September at Marina Barrage. Keep your eyes peeled on my posts on Instagram because I will be sharing a code for sign-up on Monday (29th July).
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my creative thought process behind these refashion projects. Which one is your favourite?