something from (almost nothing)

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend. My little sister and her beautiful daughters went home to Hawaii, and all weekend we walked around our home and yard listening to the echoes from their wonderful visit! I channeled my "missing them" energy into making a little something for myself.

I'm rarely the recipient of my own creations, so this was especially fun. Now, I enjoy shopping for a new outfit as much as anyone, but the creative challenge of making something from nothing is too hard to resist. I went foraging in our closets for inspiration. I chose one of my husbands XL T-shirts (with a little chocolate stain in the middle) and an old linen skirt I've had from the early 90's and gave them a make-over ...

Here's what I did: chopped that T down to my size and created four panels for the front and two in the back. I love how jersey lends itself to raw edges...no fraying...so I left the edges as is and exposed the seams ( for an inside-out look) for the panels. Next, a little lettuce edging around the bottom. Here's a shot of the back.

This created a flattering and nicely shaped top. Using Goldie, my dress form muse, was key to getting a perfect fit. The original logo was still visible on the shoulder. Hmmm....what to do? I cut five circles from the original sleeve and attached them as a permanent brooch...with a little felted ball in the center. Done!

For the skirt...sorry no before pictures, I was so enthusiastic about hacking away at it, that I forgot about my trusty camera. This was a simple a-line skirt that went down to my ankles. I never wore it any more because of the length, but who could part with lovely natural colored linen? Cutting it to a more modern length was thrilling. Do you have any skirts or dresses that are too long? You can go cut them...right now...really! I used a very tight zig-zag stitch to finish the bottom/hem...essentially the lettuce edging technique, but without the stretch. I was happy, but it needed something more. Ever since I did the freezer paper prints on the travel bags, I had been fantasizing about white floral on linen. Now was my opportunity to make this skirt totally original. Hello my name is Maya, and I am a freezer paper addict.

I love my new "old" clothes and I'll be wearing them to dinner tonight! I always love hearing what you're up to...what's something you've made from nothing?