Author Archives: Kat

About Kat

I started this blog to share with you all the results of years of turning trash into treasures. Hopefully I'll spark some new creative thoughts and if that happens I hope that you'll share your discoveries and together we’ll build a blog that will singlehandedly reduce global warming and save the world! Okay, maybe that’s a grand goal but we should be able to at least downsize our own trash output.

Quick and Easy T-Shirt Makeovers #1

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I didn’t think that each of these quick and easy casual t-shirt refashions warranted it’s own post but I did want to share with you all how quick and easy it can be to makeover a t-shirt from ordinary or unwearable into something that you love.

Too Short T-Shirt Grows Up

I love this t-shirt that I picked up from Crossroads (a local consignment shop).

Isn't all this detail amazing!?

 

I later learned that it originally cost $$ at Bloomingdales! It fit nicely, the only problem was that it was too short. At first I tried wearing it with a tank underneath but I didn’t like the bulk. I tried it for awhile with a cami but on warm days I didn’t like the extra layer. I even used a “topless tank” but it would get twisted around and again on warm days it felt like an extra layer. Finally it dawned on me that I could just add a “mock layer” myself and have a t-shirt that I both loved AND was comfortable in.

Because I don’t like to do hems, especially on stretchy fabrics and why should I have to when there are so many plain t-shirts and tank tops out there that I can sacrifice to the cause. In this case I cut the bottom 4 inches from a stained white wife-beater tank top that I had been planning to dye, but considered this to be a better use of this particular tank top. There are plenty of stained white tank tops out there to be dyed. This one was going to become part of an amazing t-shirt. Then it was a matter of simply stitching the tank top tube to the inside of my t-shirt and …

Ta-da!

Boring Black Ribbed T-Shirt

I had this black ribbed t-shirt that had a nice detail on the neck, but that wasn’t enough to rescue it from plain-Janedome.

boring but comfortable

interesting neck detail

 

 

I thought that adding a graphic to the front of this t-shirt would be an easy rescue. I had a patch that I liked but it didn’t stand out enough on my shirt.

originally rescued from old BF's shirt

 

So I backed the graphic patch with an iron-on patch from my sewing kit.

sometimes 2+2=more than 4

 

Then sewed my new patch to my t-shirt and I’m enjoying the resulting new t-shirt.

up close

the whole T

Off Shoulder Long-Sleeved T-shirt

I had an old Old Navy t-shirt that I liked a lot but I’m just so over the basic crew-neck T so I decided to bump this one up a notch. I don’t have any before pics but you’ve all seen a basic brew-neck t-shirt.

I carefully cut away the ribbing at the neck so that I could use it either in this or a future refashion. Then I drew my new neckline on the t-shirt with chalk and cut it out, unpicked the sleeve hem and bottom hem and lettuce-edged the neckline, sleeve edge and bottom of the t-shirt using a light blue thread that matched the graphic on the front of the shirt.

neckline edging

sleeve edging

 

 

Tried it on and wasn’t completely happy with how the neck-line fell so far down my arm. I wanted it slightly off the shoulder, not falling off! I always miscalculate how much to cut from a neckline, but because this is a common mistake of mine I’ve cooked up a few solutions. For this rescue of a refashion gone wrong I cut away the serged edge of the ribbed collar so that I had a strip that would be long enough, when cut in half to serve as mock-cami straps.

close up of mock cami strap

both straps attached to t-shirt

finished t-shirt

 

Smelly Plastic Containers

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Next time you leave a plastic container with a meatball sandwich and hard-boiled egg in your car for two days baking in the sun there’s no need to throw it out; the plastic container, that is. Please, PLEASE throw out the sandwich and the egg.

To take the smell out of plastic containers, wet some newspaper, scrunch it up, put it into the container, and seal it up. Put the container into the freezer for a couple of days. When you take the container out, throw away the newspaper and the smell will go with it. I’ve used this method when my I left a salad with onions and garlic in my car for a few days and it really does work. FYI: I washed it in the dishwasher with very hot water before employing the newspaper method, but when it still had an odd odor to it I tried the newspaper method and it worked beautifully.

Resurrect a Damaged Vase

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If Your Vase is Simply Ugly

Paint it! Paint it white. Paint it a bright color. Paint it with metallic. Any way you do it, you’ll be amazed at how elegant the end result is!

(The vase at the left is one of the creations shown at My Two Butterflies.)

Reface a Metallic Vase

If you have a vase with metallic decorations that have worn away in spots it’s quite easy to resurrect.

What You Need

  • gold-leaf kit (or silver or copper leaf)
  • scissors
  • 2 small, soft paintbrushes

What to Do

Dip a paintbrush in the adhesive from the gold-leaf kit and paint loose, slightly irregular strokes 1 to 2 inches wide to cover the outer rim of the vase. Set aside for an hour while the adhesive becomes tacky (it will turn clear).

Cut sheets of gold leaf into 1- to 2-inch strips. Press the gold leaf onto the adhesive. Peel off the paper backing. Dust away any excess gold leaf with the clean paintbrush.

Apply the sealer and let dry for 30 minutes.

You can use the same technique as above to recover the damaged section, but you may find that after metal leafing the rim, that you’re happy with your vase again.

Quickie Repair: Use a metallic ink pen to fill in damaged spots on your vase.

Repairing a Cracked Vase

If you’re not worried about the vase holding water then you can use quick drying super glue to repair it. If possible, spread the super glue over the crack on the inside of the vase. Let it dry and then fill with water to check for leaks. If it still leaks then spread another layer of glue over the crack, again from the inside.

If you want the vase to hold water follow the procedure above but use a two part epoxy instead of quick drying super glue.

Fixing a Broken Vase

If your vase is completely broken you can still save it from the trash can. Choose your weapon, quick-drying super glue or two part epoxy, depending on whether or not your vase will be holding water.

Dry piece your vase together without glue to get an idea of how you’ll glue it together.

Assemble your glue of choice, painters tape (which is better than masking tape as it won’t leave a sticky residue on your vase), rubber bands big enough to fit snugly around your vase and a shallow pan filled with sand.

Glue your vase together one piece at a time. Depending on how your vase is broken you may glue it together one piece at a time, allowing the glue to dry before adding another piece to your vase puzzle. Use your rubber bands, painters tape and pan of sand to hold the vase together while it drys. The pan of sand allows you to rest the vase in a reclining or sideways position while the glue dries.

Zero Waste – Sweater Made Into Capelet

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I don’t know if “capelet” is really the right word for this refashion, but since that was my original intention when I started out on this little adventure I’m sticking with it. What it turned out to be is a shawl, scarf, poncho, skirt and oh yeah, a capelet too.

Almost a before picture.

Ever since seeing Made By Lex’s capelet made over from an old sweater I’ve been obsessed with making capelets. I’ve only made two so far, but I’ll continue to make more. It’s such a simple style but both of my refashioned capelets are surprisingly very different.

This refashion evolved as it went along and ended up being something totally different than I had originally intended. I started out thinking that it would be a little off the shoulder capelet, more like an oversized collar that I could pop on over a cami on a summer day that turned chilly. So I started by cutting off the bottom of the sweater and tried it on. I felt like it was too short so I cut up the rest of the sweater to extend the length and ended up with a super-capelet. It’s a capelet, it’s a shawl, it’s an infinity scarf, it’s a skirt!

cutting

gathering

label that will be part of another refashion - ZERO waste!

I love that the redesign allowed me to make this a zero waste refashion. I didn’t use the label in this refashion but I promise I’ll use it in another one.

with a flower pin

I’ve worn this as pictured above and also as an infinity scarf, as an off-the-shoulder capelet/poncho and as a skirt over leggings. I love that this sweater was completely unwearable – it was soft and a pretty color but it was shapeless, stretched out and wrinkled even after ironing – and after refashioning it into this capelet-scarf-skirt it’s almost a wardrobe staple for me.