Wrong Size Turned Right

When we take our trips to Goodwill I refuse to try anything on! I don't really know what the protocol is for the clothes so I just wait until I get home and put them through the wash. Not thinking about the difference in high-waisted jeans I grabbed my regular size, turns out this was not what I should have done. When pulling them up I noticed that they were a significant amount smaller then what I need. I thought that these pants were a total bust, while Anne saw them as an opportunity.

My vision for these was to do some high-waisted shorts with lace. I originally planned on placing the lace on the front and back, cutting up the cream colored blouse I also found at Goodwill, but with the size issue we came up with a different solution. The first step was cutting the side seams all the way to the seat (the top block of the jeans). 

We then put them back on to see if I could button them. We measured from the middle of the button to the middle of the loop. From that measurement we cut it in half knowing that is how much extra was needed for each side of the jeans. Turning the jeans into shorts we made them longer then intended just to get off some of the excess material, cutting them at a slight angle so inseam is longer than the side seam.

It was time to start sewing but there was only one problem, we did not have string that would suffice to our needs. This called for one of our shopping excursions to our neighborhood craft store. We grabbed the baby and took our shopping break. Its always fun to have a look through the colored, textured, and inspirational aisles that laid out in front of us. We knew what we needed, but window shopping and drawing up ideas for our next creation was quickly added to our agenda.

Once our shopping extravaganza was completed we headed back to work. From the excess pant legs we cut up the necessary amount of material needed to add on extra width to the sides of the shorts. We put it through the sewing machine, and after two basic sewing needles, realized that jean sewing needles were definitely a must have in our thrift shopping alterations and added it to the cart of craft store necessities. This allowed us to sew the sides with ease. I tried the shorts back on, deciding finally on the length I preferred and then cutting and sewing along the ends to allow a frayed bottom while blocking them from unraveling into nothing.

Next step was taking apart the blouse. Separating the seams and cutting off the sleeves we were able to take apart the lace from the chiffon like material. Then, carefully cutting with fabric scissors we chose two of the same designs found on the lace to place on the sides of the shorts. Additional lace was also used at the top of the shorts to cover up the imperfections the excess material provided on the seat.

Carefully taking the precautions necessary when it comes to working with lace we decided it would be better to hand stitch the lace onto the jeans as opposed to using the machine. Just with how unpredictable a sewing machine, or at least ours, will be it was best to do it this way. It does take longer but it was worth the extra effort.

When it comes to detail, you should start simple and work your way up. As we got to the lace detailing we kept thinking of additional places and daisy chains we could add to make the shorts even more adorable then they already were. These shorts are probably my favorite shorts I ever owned! The high-waisted style flatters my figure so well and the lace detail is absolutely stunning. Not how I envisioned it when we started the process, but the outcome turned out so wonderfully made that I would have gone into a store and bought them the moment I saw them. My summer wardrobe has been reinvented with some lace, perfect to allow me to follow in the trends but stand out with uniqueness and originality.