Stylish Remakes by Violette Room
/Well hello again! It's Rebekah of Rebekah Sews yet again with something a little different today. It's time for a book review! Yes, sewing books still exist. This is a fun and funky one too.
Do you have some old clothes lying around? I know that is a silly question for those of us that have a pile of old clothes to upcycle. Nothing more fun than breathing new life into something that is unstylish or old. Well this book helps with just that! Stylish Remakes by Violette Room, is a book that gives ideas and shows you how to turn old tee shirts, sweat shirts, and flannel shirts into something new. There are 25 projects in this book with ideas for women, teens, and toddlers. Now this book says that these ideas are from "the latest Tokyo street fashion craze". I would love to see photos of that! I do love the look of several of these ideas, while others have me scratching my head. Guess I am too old now to understand some street style and those upcylces will be left for the younger generation. There are illustrations and basic instructions for each project and both imperial and metric measurements are included. I would say that this is suited for an intermediate sewist as you do need some basic knowledge of sewing and if you need to make a smaller or bigger size than the book gives, there may be some slight alterations.
I sewed up two projects, one of which I sewed up twice. My first project is number 14. Tunic from and Oversized Scarf. Can you guess the project? I think the name says it all! You combine and oversized scarf and a tee shirt (or in my case a long sleeved shirt) to produce a tunic. I just happened to have an oversized scarf that I have had for years just sitting in my closet as I never wear scarves but loved the look of it. Needless to say this was a perfect way to use it. I have to say that it hides the belly well and would be a great project for the preggo ladies out there as well. Overall it took about 45min to put together. I felt that the cut measurement on the shirt was a little long and that the top portion should be smaller. For bigger busted ladies I am sure this measurement would be fine, however I am not blessed in that department so off to the thrift store I went and got another shirt and scarf. I absolutely love my second one with a shorter top. Finding scarves could be quite addicting now!
For my second project I sewed up 8. Jacket with Gathered Waist. This project uses a flannel men's shirt to create a cute women's blouse. I didn't have any flannel shirts so off to the thrift store again. I couldn't find any flannel shirts I liked but I did find a button down shirt that I loved for $2.50. After getting it home I find that it is really an 18W shirt. Guess what? This works for upcycling those too big button downs in your closet too. This project took a little longer (about 1.5hrs) than the previous one as it was a little more involved. The end result is great although I would use a little bit longer elastic next time. The only thing I altered from the pattern this time was adding snaps along the placket where the elastic is, as my elastic made the placket gape too much otherwise. The end result is great! Hubby even loved it! That's a win! Need to find a flannel shirt next time as that would be extra cozy!
Overall this is a fun book and really helps get the creative juices flowing. Yes some of the projects I am thinking "what were you thinking?", but many are cute especially the t-shirt romper for toddlers. Some even look super comfy like the sweatshirt dress. Have I caught your interest? Or better yet, have I given you the upcycling bug? Check out the Stylish Remakes book for yourself! It’s fun and I guarantee you won't be able to look at old clothes the same again. Old drab now becomes new possibilities!
Camryn shares her review of the Ms. Figgy's Garment School for Girls book by Shelly Figueroa.