“Style is not a display of wealth, but an expression of imagination”
~Unknown~
Upcycling or refashioning clothing is a simple way of breathing new life and love into gently used and vintage garments. If you’ve been paying attention to the Sewing and DIY community, you may have noticed how popular upcycling projects currently are. The great thing about upcycling fashion is there are no rules! It’s all about adding your own personal style and spin to items you might otherwise discard without a second thought. If you really think about it spending a little time to refashion items in your closet can be a great way to enhance your sewing and design skills while at the same time saving you a little money. So today I’m sharing one of my quick and easy upcycle projects that anyone can tackle no matter your skill level. I hope you enjoy this quickie and remember upcycling your wardrobe is all about you there are no rules, all it takes is your imagination and a few tools.
Happy Holidays Loves!
Here’s What I Used:
An old Denim Coat (preferably without lining). If the back of the garment you choose has more than one pattern piece and you’re confident that you can take it apart and reconstruct it that’s even better.
Scissors
Seam ripper
2-3 yards (depending on your size) of replacement fabric. I decided to use plaid fabric because it’s a great way to incorporate this type of fabric with very little fuss (All plaid fabric purchased at Joann’s)
Contrasting Plaid Fabric for the Mock Sleeve cuff and the Pockets.
Here’s How I Did It!
Based on the style of coat/jacket carefully remove the back pattern piece from the garment with your seam ripper (including the seam allowance). Do not use your scissors for this process as you don’t want to ruin the pattern piece or accidentally cut away your seam allowance.
Once you remove the back pattern piece carefully iron it.
I wanted to add volume to the back of my coat so I used the slash and spread method to do so. Lay the back pattern piece down on your cutting table or pattern paper and cut several straight lines from the bottom to the top of the pattern careful NOT to cut all the way through.
Lay the back pattern piece onto the new replacement fabric you chose and spread it out evenly based on the width of your fabric.
Remembering how you removed the original back pattern piece put it back together again using your new pattern piece.
Fun Tips: Mixing and matching plaids is all the rage now and what better way to kick your upscale up a notch than with contrasting plaid accents. You’ll notice I mixed things up with a mock sleeve lining and decorative pockets (check out the pictures below).
If you really want to go all out cut the back pattern piece out in two different contrasting plaid fabrics and get real funky with it! Remember THERE ARE NO RULES!
Plaid Fabric Purchased at Joann’s
I added volume to the back of my new back pattern pieces using the Slash & Spread Method found on my DIY Tutorial Page.
I turned the sleeve inside out and traced the bottom half out onto pattern paper using my tracing wheel. After tracing it out I added seam allowance and cut the pattern piece on the fold.
After sewing the seam of the mock sleeve lining I attached it to my jacket sleeve with right sides facing.
Once you’ve sewn them together pull the mock sleeve lining to the inside of the coat sleeve and attach with web adhesive (I chose this method because I did not want a visible seam across my sleeve)
For the Pocket I just added a decorative piece to the top of the pocket with a square piece I created (see Pic below).
1. For the pocket I simple cut a rectangle on the fold that was equal to the width/length of the top portion of the pocket (don’t forget your seam allowance).
2. Sew both ends of the folded rectangle, turn it right side out and roll open edge inside ¼” securing fold with iron.
3. Now take the rectangle and securely place it on the top portion of the pocket. Sew around the bottom hem and finish attaching the pocket to the coat.
4. Give your pocket a good press and your all DONE!