Clothing Makeover: Three More Bodyline Blouses

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

The latest craft project is another clothing makeover, technically three makeovers.

Three different blouses, all bought from Bodyline.  I had so much fun fixing up the last one I had to try my hand on these three. 

Two have fairly minor issues with them, but hang tight for the last one.

This cute blouse didn’t need that much done to it.

It has some of the prettiest lace I’ve ever seen and the cutest heart shaped pearly buttons.  And I normally don’t go for ruffles down the front of a top, but the ones on this blouse are actually really cute.

However, the problem lies with the ruffles.  They added the same ruffles across the sleeve, there something about this placement that bothers me.  It makes is so hard to enjoy the really pretty lace, isn’t it pretty though?

Anyway, just a bit of time with a seam ripper was all it took.  Ruffles no more!

I had actually intended to remove the faux pearls on the collar because they kind of clash with the buttons.  But I kind of got use to them, they do add a nice touch. 

So now this ruffly and pearly blouse it ready to be worn.

This blouse needed a little more to be done.  For starters, I love the ribbon bows down the front, but not the odd bows on the sleeves.

However, the biggest issue is the collar.  The wide lace is actually one of my favorite laces used by Bodyline, but I don’t like it enough to have two rows of it on such a large collar.  It makes it look like the blouse has two collars, and both ginormous.

Removing the lace leaves behind a visible seam.  I could have just covered it up with a smaller trim, but I decided to remove the collar.

Then pin it back  on backwards, and re-sew…

…to make a “new” collar.

The odd visible seam is now on the underside of the collar.  It did get a little bunched up while re-sewing, but it’s not that noticiable. 

So now the cute ribbon bow blouse is ready for use.

This final blouse came out of a lucky pack (the one this dress came from) and needed the most work of all. 

Being from a lucky pack meant flaws, like missing pieces.  It was suppose to come with detachable sleeves so it could go from short sleeve to long sleeve for cooler weather.

It did come with this cameo pin along with a ribbon necktie.  It is scratched up and in need of a makeover too, but that will be for another day.

Anyway, the problem with this blouse is the overly ruffled collar.  It’s funny how ruffles have been getting in way, I normally love them.   These ruffles are so not flattering, so I carefully cut them off with tiny scissors.

After cutting, the blouse now has an simple, yet elegant high neck collar.  This would be good look for those into vintage and antique clothing. 

However, I’m not really into high neck blouses, so back to more cutting.

I cut off the collar and cut a new, slightly square shaped neckline.  I find this much more flattering for me.

I then cut off the edge of one of the old ruffles and stitched it along my new neckline. 

After turning and topstitching…

…It looks like this.

I added a snap to close the top and a little bow for decoration.

I made matching bows for the sleeves to replace the odd looking ones.

And now my new collar-less blouse is ready to go.  These blouses were so much fun to alter, I wish I had a few more to work with.  Maybe later.

Here’s the updated list:

• Dress makeover
• Doll undies
• Cameo and Hearts
• Blouse makeover
• Phone case
• Outfit
• Mother’s Day
• Costume fix
• Jammies
• Bonnet

Five down, five more to go.  The next one will be ready in a few days, look forward to it.

Give it a try:

• Loops & Threads™ Start-to-Sew Kit
• Singer Sewing Kit Beginner's
• Loops &Threads Seam Ripper

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Sewing for Dolls: Socks and Lingerie? Plus Tutorial Links

My latest craft project is doll clothes, so why did it take so long to post?  You will see shortly.

First I made several pairs of tights and socks, several more pairs to be exact.  I made some before out of old tights (see From Socks to Doll Sweaters), but I’ve gotten more ball jointed dolls since then.  Meaning more itty bitty feet to cover.

No complaints though, doll socks and stuff are fun to make and so cute.  Look at these adorable thigh high socks I made for my newest doll (her name is Misako).

And I made this pair of crew length socks for my only boy ball jointed doll (the last thing I made for him was these cute t-shirts).

And finally I made two pairs of tights, a pair for my newer doll and a smaller pair for this one (her name is Momoko).  I used a cute lacey pair of tights that had dots all over them.  I found them at 99 Cents Only Store.

The best part is that this time I managed to make some printable patterns for all theses socks and tights.  They are sized for msd (1/4 scale) and yosd (1/6 scale) ball jointed dolls, and are included with this tutorial posted on my doll blog.

Now for the more interesting part of this project. 

Doll Lingerie

As expensive as ball jointed dolls can be, sometimes they don’t even come with underwear.  So you either have to buy them separately or make them yourself. 

Naturally I went with making them.  And if I’m going to sew doll sized undies, then I’m going to make them cute!

I made these two sets from t-shirt scraps, lace, ribbon and a bit of elastic.  They were actually pretty easy to put together.

To make these underwear sets, I first did a bit of “research” mostly to figure out how to make a doll sized bra.  I found several cute doll tutorials (mostly videos), including these:

• How to Make a Monster High Doll Bra – This video does as it says, it shows how to make an itty bitty bra for a Monster High doll with lace and ribbon and such.
• How to Make a Miniature Doll Bra for Monster High Dolls – Same as above, are you noticing a pattern?
• How to Make doll panties - Victoria's Secret inspired Doll Lingerie – The matching underpants for the above tutorial, also more Monster High.
• How to: Cute Doll Underwear - DIY Bralette & Lace Underwear for BJD / Barbie – This is underwear set made from stretchy lace.  Depending on the lace you use, you could make this for almost any sized doll.

This one was the first set made.  I use thin lace for the band and the straps of the bra and used the same lace on the matching underpants.  It’s simple and cute.

For the second undie set, I used thin ribbon for the bra straps instead of lace.  Then I made little bows for the front of the bra and underpants.  For the other set I threaded the elastic through the waist, but with this one I stitched decorative elastic on to the fabric.

Because they were so cute and fun to make, I made a tutorial for MSD (1/4 Scale) ball jointed doll sized underwear and bras on my doll blog, feel free to check it out if you or someone you know has dolls around this size (or if you just want to laugh at my doll’s crazy antics).

Here’s the updated list:

• Dress makeover
• Doll undies
• Cameo and Hearts
• Blouse makeover
• Phone case
• Outfit
• Mother’s Day
• Costume fix
• Jammies
• Bonnet

Four down, six more to go.  I should have the next project up in about a week, but first there may be a little surprise.  Look forward to it!

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Sparkly Tulle Phone Case with Tutorial

This post may contain affiliated links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Here’s another makeover project. 

This time I’m taking my plain old cell phone case and making it super pretty.  And I made a tutorial, so you can try it too!

Here’s what you need:

• An old phone case
• A large scrap of tulle or another pretty lightweight fabric
• Scissors
• Tissue paper
• Pencil
• Various glues, see below for recommendations.
• Something to spread glue (sponges, cotton balls, etc.)
• Gems, beads and other embellishments

Here is my old phone case.  I ordered it online, but it didn’t look quite as pretty as the product photo.  It’s suppose to be rose gold, however it looks darker and blander in person.  Time to change that.

First you cover the phone case with tissue paper and trace around it to make a pattern for your fabric.  I’m using gift tissue I got on clearance last Christmas.

Mark areas that shouldn’t be covered, like the camera hole thingy.

Then carefully cut out your paper pattern and compare it to you case.  Trim off edges and such as necessary.

Pin the pattern to your fabric of choice and carefully cut out. 

I’m using this pretty sparkly tulle.  I’ve used it for this fairy costume dress and this wrap skirt (also for a costume), and now it’s being used for a phone.

One thing that will help make this part easier is ironing the fabric (yes, tulle can be iron on really low heat).  If it helps, you can also try tracing your tissue pattern on thicker paper if it’s too hard to use otherwise.

Next is to glue on the fabric by spreading the glue on the phone case and then apply the fabric, smoothing it down as you go. 

I recommend using Mod Podge, but you can also use Tacky Glue.  It’s best to water down the Tacky glue so it’s easier to spread.  I forgot to do that, and it shows.

Let the glue dry for a few minutes, and then dab more in areas that seem to need it.  This is also a good time to trim off any excess fabric that you might have missed before. 

Then set the case to the side to dry some more.

After it is dried completely, you can have fun gluing on gems, pearls, and anything else you want.  I recommend using Aleene’s Jewel-It for this part. 

Let the whole thing dry for about a day, then show off your pretty new phone case.

Here’s the updated list:

• Dress makeover
• Doll undies
• Cameo and Hearts
• Blouse makeover
• Phone case
• Outfit
• Mother’s Day
• Costume fix
• Jammies
• Bonnet

Three down, seven more to go.  The next project may take a while to put up, but hopefully not too long.

Give it a try:

• Aleene's Original Tacky Glue-4oz
• Aleene's Jewel-It Embellishing Glue
• Mod Podge Matte-8 Ounce

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Jewelry Makeover: Turning Earrings into Cute Necklaces

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

My last craft project involved altering old clothes, so this one involves changing up accessories, specifically jewelry!

If you remember my Comicon Haul video, you will recognize these cameo earrings from the Victorian Folly grab bag.  The heart earrings on the right I bought at the CVS I work at, they were on clearance fro $2.99.

I don’t actually like wearing dangling earrings, so what do you do with really cute but unwearable earrings?

You make necklaces!  I picked up some clasps and two different chains at Joann’s, and gathered some jump rings I already had and my jewelry tools.  They come from this basic jewelry kit.

Just had to remove the earring hook to start.

For the heart I had to swap out the ring for a slightly larger jump ring.

Then just cut a bit chain to my desired length, and add the clasp and now my new heart necklace is ready to wear.  I think it will go well with my new dress (see Clothing Makeover: Altering a Pink Bodyline Dress for Easter).

The cameo necklace was quicker to make, because I didn’t need to use a larger jump ring.  I already have several cameo jewelry pieces, but I can always add another necklace to my collection.

I chose to make only one necklace from each pair of earrings and save the other pieces for later.  Maybe I can make other accessories with them to make a matching set.  Otherwise, I could have easily made pairs of necklaces to give away as gifts.  Kind of like those friendship necklaces and bracelets you see at Claire’s.

Here’s the updated list:

• Dress makeover
• Doll undies
• Cameo and Hearts
• Blouse makeover
• Phone case
• Outfit
• Mother’s Day
• Costume fix
• Jammies
• Bonnet

Two down, eight more to go.   The next project should be up by the end of the week.  Look forward to it!

Give it a try:

• Jewelry Starter Tool Kit

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Simple Flower and Lace Headband Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

As promised yesterday, here is my headband tutorial.

I will show you how to make this simple head band, accented with a pretty fake flower.

Materials needed:

• Glue gun with glue.
• Ribbon.
• A large flower.
• A lace rosette, check out my video tutorial if you don’t know how to make one.
• Scissors.
• A plain headband, I prefer metal ones because they can be adjusted to fit your head without breaking.
• Any other embellishments you want.

First, glue the end of the ribbon to the end of the headband to start covering it.

Proceed to carefully wrap the ribbon around the head band, applying glue as you go.  Be careful not to burn yourself on the hot glue.

When you get to the other end, cut the ribbon and glue down the end.

If you want,  you can wrap a little extra ribbon on the ends of the headband.  This will give it a more polished look, but I’m too lazy for that.

Now for the flowers.  If your flower has a wire stem like mine, you will want to stick it through the center of the rosette.

It looks kind of cute like this. :)

Then you twist down the wire, so it lies flat and add some glue to secure it.

If your flower doesn’t have wire, you can just glue it to the center of the rossette.

As an alternative to the large flower, you can use a cluster of three or more smaller flowers.  Use whatever you like.

Moving on, glue the end of the piece of ribbon over the center of the back of the flower and rossette piece.

Wrap this ribbon around the headband…

…Then glue down to attach the piece to your headband.  Make sure it is where you want it on the headband before you glue it.

Now it is ready for more decorations.

I added a ribbon bow with long tails (check out my simple bow video tutorial if needed), because I thought it looks pretty.  You can add jewels, strands of pearls, or anything else you want.

Enjoy the headbands and have a happy Easter.

Give it a try:

• Offray 3/8"x21' Grosgrain Solid Ribbon
• ArtMinds® Fashion Mini Glue Gun
• 2" 3/4" Cotton White Lace Apparel Trim
• Silver Tone Metal Headbands Frames 5x6 Inch, Sold Per Pack of 10

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Clothing Makeover: Altering a Pink Bodyline Dress for Easter

Normally, around Easter I work myself haggard trying to design and sew a lovely, ruffly new dress to wear on Easter Sunday.

This year, I decided instead to work myself haggard trying to alter a dress that needed work.

Here is the old dress that badly needed a makeover.  I got it in a lucky pack I bought from Bodyline.  The price was really cheap, but I’m not sure how “lucky” I was with this one.

You can see here that the collar had odd stains on it, but that’s okay because I immediately thought it had to go anyway.  The lace looked kind of cheap and the collar overall was unflattering.

In addition to the collar, the elastic on the one of the sleeves was shot, the lace on the sleeves was horrible, the hearts down the front of the dress were overkill, and surprisingly I thought it could stand to have a little less lace and ruffles.

So after some time with a seam ripper and sewing machine…

…Here’s the new dress.

I chopped off that horrible collar and added a touch of lace to the new neckline.  You can see that it’s the lace from one of the hearts on the bodice.  It helps to tie in the whole dress.

Obviously, I removed two of the hearts from the front of the bodice.  One is plenty, plus I can probably make something cute with the other two later.  I also removed two of the vertical strands of lace.

I removed one of the bottom ruffles, then realized the skirt was too short without it.  Oops. 

So I made a white underskirt to replace it.  It’s better this way, and I can wear the underskirt separately.

And finally, I replaced the elastic on the sleeves and switched the bad lace with the lace I ripped off the bodice.  The sleeves look much cuter now.

And just for fun, I whipped up a cute flower headband to go along with my new dress.  I think flower accessories are perfect for Easter, which is why I'm going to make a tutorial for the headband.

Here’s the updated list:

• Dress makeover
• Doll undies
• Cameo and Hearts
• Blouse makeover
• Phone case
• Outfit
• Mother’s Day
• Costume fix
• Jammies
• Bonnet

One down, nine more to go.  The next project should be up in a few more days, but the head band tutorial will be up tomorrow!  Look forward to it.

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