803 10 Customising Commandments
Customising If you’re fairly new to sewing or simply fancy dipping your toe in gently, then try customising and embellishing existing items. With just a few tricks up your sleeve you’ll soon be recreating designer looks at high-street prices in as little as a few minutes.
The ten customising commandments There’s so much stuff out there these days. Many of us have wardrobes crammed with clothes we hardly ever wear. It’s pretty wasteful. If I think back to my parents’ generation it was a very different situation. They owned far fewer garments and what they had they looked after. ‘Sunday best’ meant just that. They’d have one ‘good’ coat or dress that would be relegated to everyday wear only after many months or even years of faithful service. Shoes would be reheeled and resoled time and time again, and hand-me-downs were the norm. In Britain during the Second World War the availability of materials was vastly reduced. Rationing meant shopping for clothes was a rarity and what was called ‘make-do and mend’ became a necessity. Clothing was patched, fixed, reworked or jazzed up with unusual trims to give it a longer life. Today, many of us are doing the same thing, for economic reasons and to provide a welcome change to the blandness of the high street. Try these ten simple suggestions for adding an instant dash of chic. Either hand sew or use the machine where appropriate, whichever you prefer. Each of The Ten Customising Commandments will take you anything from a few minutes to an hour to complete, depending on how elaborate you want to be. They’re ideal for both clothes and accessories.
1.Change the buttons I’ve already mentioned that buttons are fabulous to collect and I’m
This frock has been given a quirky new twist by embellishing it
sure that by now you have a jar or tin overflowing with some real
with pink plastic buttons that look like they’ve come straight from
beauties. So put them to good use and change the buttons on your
the counter of an old-fashioned sweet shop. They give the dress
outfit. See for yourself what a difference it makes.
real personality. So the message is – make the switch and make a statement.
Here for example I’ve replaced the standard grey plastic buttons on a classic cardigan with fabric-covered ones found at a vintage fair. Hand-sew
34.
Machine-sew
Chic on a shoestring
Immediately this cardie’s got something going for it.
Chic on a shoestring
35.
2.Big up the shoulders Another easy option is to pop in a pair of shoulder pads. Shoulder pads come and go, but there’s no doubt that when they’re ‘in’ they can give a real fashion boost to a tired-looking top and add structure to your silhouette. Buy a pair of small shoulder pads and insert. Stitch them lightly to the shoulder seam to keep them in place. Then add glittery embellishments to the shoulder for added glitz and glamour.
3.Take a bow Tie a little bow from some leftover ribbon, cutting the ends diagonally as shown and stitch in place. It’ll only take you a minute, but it will add a sweet, stylish note to your outfit. Sew on a whole row of bows if you want to make this trim work even harder or use larger ones for more attitude.
4.Lace yourself up 36.
Chic on a shoestring
Just add a few centimetres of lace and a couple of well-chosen
ladylike finesse. [Picture] Sewn on to a T-shirt or any type of top,
buttons to change your look completely. Add extra lace to create
a vintage lace collar will completely transform it. I’ve added a little
more of a defined look [Picture] or trim the edges of a cardigan for
black bow here too just for extra interest. [Picture]
Chic on a shoestring
37.
5.Go and glitter girl You can now easily find sequin-embellished trims in haberdashery shops, and you’ll certainly have no trouble tracking them down on the Internet. Some are iron-on, so you won’t even have to sew them in place, but even sew-on ones won’t take you long to attach.
6.Add some beautiful bobbles
7.Flower power
8.Tea for two
[Picture] Simply attach artificial flowers to your top for a fabulously
I use the lace doilies that used to adorn Grandma’s tea tray to great
This trim can be bought by the metre, and comes in loads of
decadent look. You can sew them on with very few stitches and
effect in lots of sewing projects. You’ll often find them in charity
colours and sizes. It always brings a smile to my face. Sometimes
take them off before washing. For this reason, this trim is probably
shops, as people just don’t use them any more. The smaller ones
you’ll find it in the upholstery section rather than the haberdashery
best suited to wearing for special occasions – you don’t want to
look sweet stitched on to tops with a button or other embellishment
department. Sewn around a neckline it adds an instant hit of colour
be adding it and taking it off all the time. Alternatively, sew your
in the middle. Just make sure you sew them on in such a way as to
and fun. Try it around the hem of a skirt, or stitched on to the
flowers on to brooch backs so you can simply pin in place wherever
keep them flat against the fabric.
edges of a scarf. I’ve even seen it on umbrellas – it looks fantastic
and whenever you want.
and would certainly make me sing in the rain!
38.
Chic on a shoestring
Chic on a shoestring
39.
10.Rickrack Rickrack has been a little neglected but it’s such a wonderful embellishment and reminds me of my childhood. Add on in rows for impact, or simply stitch in place around a collar to highlight a key colour.
9.Riff-raff For fray aficionados. This works particularly well with cotton fabrics and netting. Tear the fabric into a strip of whatever width you want and neatly fray the edges by pulling out the threads until the fraying is even on both sides. Pin in place, pleating as you go, and stitch down.
40.
Chic on a shoestring
Chic on a shoestring
41.
The ten customising commandments There’s so much stuff out there these days. Many of us have wardrobes crammed with clothes we hardly ever wear. It’s pretty wasteful. If I think back to my parents’ generation it was a very different situation. They owned far fewer garments and what they had they looked after. ‘Sunday best’ meant just that. They’d have one ‘good’ coat or dress that would be relegated to everyday wear only after many months or even years of faithful service. Shoes would be reheeled and resoled time and time again, and hand-me-downs were the norm. In Britain during the Second World War the availability of materials was vastly reduced. Rationing meant shopping for clothes was a rarity and what was called ‘make-do and mend’ became a necessity. Clothing was patched, fixed, reworked or jazzed up with unusual trims to give it a longer life. Today, many of us are doing the same thing, for economic reasons and to provide a welcome change to the blandness of the high street. Try these ten simple suggestions for adding an instant dash of chic. Either hand sew or use the machine where appropriate, whichever you prefer. Each of The Ten Customising Commandments will take you anything from a few minutes to an hour to complete, depending on how elaborate you want to be. They’re ideal for both clothes and accessories.
1.Change the buttons I’ve already mentioned that buttons are fabulous to collect and I’m
This frock has been given a quirky new twist by embellishing it
sure that by now you have a jar or tin overflowing with some real
with pink plastic buttons that look like they’ve come straight from
beauties. So put them to good use and change the buttons on your
the counter of an old-fashioned sweet shop. They give the dress
outfit. See for yourself what a difference it makes.
real personality. So the message is – make the switch and make a statement.
Here for example I’ve replaced the standard grey plastic buttons on a classic cardigan with fabric-covered ones found at a vintage fair. Hand-sew
34.
Machine-sew
Chic on a shoestring
Immediately this cardie’s got something going for it.
Chic on a shoestring
35.
2.Big up the shoulders Another easy option is to pop in a pair of shoulder pads. Shoulder pads come and go, but there’s no doubt that when they’re ‘in’ they can give a real fashion boost to a tired-looking top and add structure to your silhouette. Buy a pair of small shoulder pads and insert. Stitch them lightly to the shoulder seam to keep them in place. Then add glittery embellishments to the shoulder for added glitz and glamour.
3.Take a bow Tie a little bow from some leftover ribbon, cutting the ends diagonally as shown and stitch in place. It’ll only take you a minute, but it will add a sweet, stylish note to your outfit. Sew on a whole row of bows if you want to make this trim work even harder or use larger ones for more attitude.
4.Lace yourself up 36.
Chic on a shoestring
Just add a few centimetres of lace and a couple of well-chosen
ladylike finesse. [Picture] Sewn on to a T-shirt or any type of top,
buttons to change your look completely. Add extra lace to create
a vintage lace collar will completely transform it. I’ve added a little
more of a defined look [Picture] or trim the edges of a cardigan for
black bow here too just for extra interest. [Picture]
Chic on a shoestring
37.
5.Go and glitter girl You can now easily find sequin-embellished trims in haberdashery shops, and you’ll certainly have no trouble tracking them down on the Internet. Some are iron-on, so you won’t even have to sew them in place, but even sew-on ones won’t take you long to attach.
6.Add some beautiful bobbles
7.Flower power
8.Tea for two
[Picture] Simply attach artificial flowers to your top for a fabulously
I use the lace doilies that used to adorn Grandma’s tea tray to great
This trim can be bought by the metre, and comes in loads of
decadent look. You can sew them on with very few stitches and
effect in lots of sewing projects. You’ll often find them in charity
colours and sizes. It always brings a smile to my face. Sometimes
take them off before washing. For this reason, this trim is probably
shops, as people just don’t use them any more. The smaller ones
you’ll find it in the upholstery section rather than the haberdashery
best suited to wearing for special occasions – you don’t want to
look sweet stitched on to tops with a button or other embellishment
department. Sewn around a neckline it adds an instant hit of colour
be adding it and taking it off all the time. Alternatively, sew your
in the middle. Just make sure you sew them on in such a way as to
and fun. Try it around the hem of a skirt, or stitched on to the
flowers on to brooch backs so you can simply pin in place wherever
keep them flat against the fabric.
edges of a scarf. I’ve even seen it on umbrellas – it looks fantastic
and whenever you want.
and would certainly make me sing in the rain!
38.
Chic on a shoestring
Chic on a shoestring
39.
10.Rickrack Rickrack has been a little neglected but it’s such a wonderful embellishment and reminds me of my childhood. Add on in rows for impact, or simply stitch in place around a collar to highlight a key colour.
9.Riff-raff For fray aficionados. This works particularly well with cotton fabrics and netting. Tear the fabric into a strip of whatever width you want and neatly fray the edges by pulling out the threads until the fraying is even on both sides. Pin in place, pleating as you go, and stitch down.
40.
Chic on a shoestring
Chic on a shoestring
41.
