june at noon

Some of you asked me to show you the “refashioned” summer wardrobe that I decided to attempt just days before we left for our summer vacation. Since I’m currently working on some Christmas gifts, which means no photos for you until January, I thought I’d get on with it and grant your request.

Let’s start with the things that went well. (And please excuse the not-so-great photo lighting.) The first thing I made was an incredibly simple design involving a men’s T-shirt turned halter tank.

It was very easy to do, although I am dubious about the underarm fat that shows in certain poses. I especially like the rope-style straps. Pop over here to see the inspiring tutorial.

I made the sundress version for my daughter, too.

(It’s very cute on her, but very hard to get a good photo of her these days.)

The next thing I made was a skirt out of vintage fabric that was given to me by my sister. I used some matching jersey knit to make a waistband. This one was a quick job of measuring myself and sewing tubes, with some gathering thrown in.

And then I made a tote bag out of a cheap beach towel, inspired by this tutorial. (This was done in the very latest hours the night before we left and was totally unnecessary, but I really like it anyway.)

I didn’t want to spend the extra cash on multiple towels, although I love the patchwork look of the original, so instead I used the striped ends of the towel to add some extra interest. I was also able to use leftover pieces to create an outside pocket and two inside pockets. It’s nothing special, but it might be my favorite thing that I made.

So, that’s it for the successful part of that undertaking. Next week I’ll share the not-so-successful projects and the resulting philosophical musings. And now I’d best get back to those Christmas gifts!