Thursday 11 June 2015

Refashioned jeans to Simplicity 1787

Hi fellow stitchers! I have wanted a colour blocked denim tunic for ages, and now I have one. And I love it!


I started out with a pinterest board, pinning lots of gorgeous denim tunics; you can view my board here if you are so inclined.

Then, I started to see other bloggers creating beautiful denim shifts (I love Su's newlook tunic from "Butterflies and Lemondrops", and "Justsewtheraputic's" denim Laurel). Suitably inspired, I began.

 
My first decision was to recycle some old jeans for colour blocking; I then decided upon a pattern. I went for a dress pattern I had made before and love wearing: Simplicity 1787.
 
 
The shape of the pattern pieces immediately lends itself to colour blocking. The dark blue is from my old (non-fitting since having baby No. 3) jeans, and the light blue was gifted to me by a friend. The level of stretch was very similar, so they worked well together.
 

 

The pockets are the best feature of this pattern. Useful, but stylish too. I lined them with scraps of floral fabric so they are pretty on the inside too.


I love the Sixties vibe this dress gives off, it almost feels like it should be on Star Trek! But it is still modern enough to get compliments. I need to get brave enough to say "I made it" in reply, I usually just say thank you! 

 
For the back, I was determined to have an exposed zip, as I felt that aesthetic would suit the denim. I lost count of how many overly complicated youtube tutorials I watched on how to do it!  In the end, it was relatively easy to attach the zip. Though having said that, I did break THREE needles putting this in! My machine just did not like going through the double thickness denim, facings and zip tape! But it was worth it.
 
 
 

I did originally play around with the idea of sleeves, which do look nice. But in the end sleeveless won out.
 
 
 
It is just what I wanted and planned; this is why I love sewing - it is truly a very addictive hobby.


18 comments:

  1. Wow Louise this is absolutely brilliant. hands down my favourite me-made of yours so far.
    I have never seen this dress pattern before and am rather tempted to get it after seeing your awesome dress.
    I agree that the sleeveless shift work so well with the two-tone denim.
    You should definitely enjoy replying that you made this when people ask x
    Enjoy those compliments because I think you are going to get lots more.
    Superb!!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, I am really flattered.

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  2. Love it and it's such a creative way to refashion jeans!

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    1. Thanks, I hate throwing things away it seems to wasteful, I always try to use things even if I just cut old clothes up to use as cleaning cloths!

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  3. I totally love this! Especially the pockets!

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  4. This is totally great. Love the style and you'd never know it was made from jeans. The pattern is really similar to a vintage dress pattern I bought, love those pockets

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    1. It is really great to wear too, one of those items where you feel really confident.

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  5. The shape of this dress is wonderful. I think the color blocking and pockets make this special.

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    1. I think I will consider colour blocking again, it is such an easy way to add lots of impact.

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  6. A great way to put old jeans to good use! It looks like a really comfy and wearable dress. And you're definitely right about sewing being addictive!

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  7. What a fantastic refashion! Such a clever and stylish way to use old jeans. I especially love the pockets. :)

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    1. Thank you, it is fun thinking up new ways to refashion.

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  8. Argh I've been meaning to comment on this for ages! I love it! I've never considered that pattern before but I just love this version! I'm sure you'll wear it loads this summer. You're so clever to make it from old jeans!

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    1. It's a great pattern and deceptively easy too.

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  9. This is sooooooo good!!!! You NEED to shout from the hills that you made it! Although you should then expect an orderly queue to have formed of people waiting to ask you to make one for them! xxx

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    1. Ha ha! I am trying to be better at saying "I made that" don't know why it makes me so shy!

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