Friday 12 July 2013

Refashion Friday: Overcoming Refashioning Fears...

Today I want to talk a bit about overcoming any fears that might be holding you back from giving refashioning a try. I guess I'm specifically talking about the fears some people have about potentially 'ruining' an existing garment in their attempts to refashion/upcycle/alter/remake it into something new.

I totally can relate to these fears. I felt like that myself for A. Long. Time. Whether it's a garment you've had for years that is no longer worn, something donated from a friend or relative, or an item you thrifted, the possibility of making what could potentially still be worn into an un-wearble mess leaves lots of us in a state of paralysis. But then sadly the garment stays un-refashioned (or 'fashioned'?!) and it still isn't getting worn by anyone anyway.

If this is the case, then you need to objectively ask yourself whether or not the garment as it stands is still in good condition with years of wear left in it. If the answer is 'yes' and that fact is putting you off from taking the scissors to it, if you can't get over that then it's probably better to 'set that garment free' and donate it to some else who will wear it, or send it to the charity shop/thrift store/op-shop and hunt yourself out a new project starting point. However, if the answer is 'no' you really can't imagine anyone wanting to wear the garment for a number of years as it currently is, then try to give yourself carte blanche to have a go at reworking it if you are inspired to do so.

(image source: Renaissance Girl)

Refashioning Starting Points Sourcing

Your Wardrobe:

One of the best things about refashioning projects is that they needn't cost you a bean. If you fit into the category of being a person who lives in the developed world in 2013, you will probably have some garments in your wardrobe that you haven't worn for upwards of a year. That's just normal. Why not go 'thrifting' in your own wardrobe and unearth one of those items and have a think about how you could refashion it into something that you will potentially want to bring back into regular wardrobe rotation? Laura from Renaissance Girl recently did just that by turning an old pair of jeans into some super-cute Summer shorts (pictured above) inspired by my recent Refashion Friday post. (Thanks Laura for allowing me to use your image in this post.)

Fears of refashioning items from our own wardrobes can sometimes arise from having already formed an emotional bond with the item. I'm not suggesting you go ahead and cut up your teenage Nirvana t-shirt or wedding dress here! If something really is special, and holds important memories, then maybe it would be better to get it out of your wardrobe and put somewhere designated for important, special things. Just a thought. It's important to figure out just how genuinely deep your bond with an item is. If, upon reflection, you aren't particularly bothered about an item anymore (if you ever where), then there's no loss in having a go at reworking it. If you do really like something that you no longer wear remember that, if the refashioning project goes well, you'll be breathing new life into it and can enjoy it afresh rather than leaving it languishing at the depths of a drawer. 


Charity Shops/Thrift Stores/Op-Shops/Jumble Sales/Car Boot Sales/Yard Sales/etc.:

The joy of finding refashion-able treasure in these locations over your own wardrobe is that you haven't formed an emotional bond with these garments, and in fact they've already been rejected for one reason or another by their original owner so you have no need to feel guilty if your project doesn't work out! However, you may experience the same fear as noted towards the top of this post that you don't want to 'ruin' something that someone else could otherwise enjoy. You could try to overcome this by asking yourself whether or not the garment in question is such an unusual garment that anyone else who might want to buy and wear it couldn't find something similar in the shop or elsewhere. If you really aren't confident enough in either your refashioning skills or the idea you had for reworking a garment you really like, then why not buy and keep hold of it for a while to give yourself time to overcome the lack of confidence? If you find you haven't done anything with it a year later, you can always donate it back to the charity shop. 

(image source: A Good Talking To)

Another way to avoid the fear of messing up a lovely garment is to thrift a garment that you like, but don't feel passionately about. Or a garment that is ubiquitous like a mens button-up shirt, t-shirt or pair of jeans. Then if the project doesn't go well and you end up chucking the whole thing in the textile recycling bin, the worst that's happened is you had a learning experience plus you donated some cash to a good cause (be that to charity or the person who was trying to scrape together a few quid by selling their old clothes). This is how Jacq C from A Good Talking To overcame her fear of refashioning, and as a result she freed herself up to create a gorgeous skirt (pictured above) from an over-sized thrifted top! (Thanks Jacq for allowing me to use your image in this post.)

Finally, I think it's important to remember that having an idea, trying it out and it going 'wrong' is way more valuable than never trying it out at all. What are you going to learn from keeping the original notion in your head? And if the project takes an expected tack, ride that wave, how exciting! Plus, an hour spent in a creative pursuit, even if the outcome wasn't quite the wearable delight you intended it to be, will nourish you in a way that doing something like watching TV for an hour probably won't. Not that your project is destined to go wrong, I'm just talking about the 'worst case scenario', which is of course what we have to address if our fears of what we want are to be banished! Happy Refashioning (or anything else you'd really like to be doing), people. 

9 comments:

Jacq C said...

Thank you so much for your encouragement. I'm so glad I took the plunge. I think I was stuck in the 'alteration' mindset, trying to make something fit (I'm still struggling with that when I make something from scratch!). It was a lightbulb moment when I shifted to the idea that the garment I bought was a source of materials and would be better as something else entirely. You totally gave me the courage to do it! :)

Cucicucicoo: Eco Crafting & Sewing said...

Great post! I agree 100% that it's often hard to refashion items that are already in your wardrobe because it's just painful to make that first cut in something you're attached to in some way, shape or form, even if you hate it the way it is. I was thinking of writing a similar sort of post and you took the words right out of my mouth! :) Lisa

Goodbye Valentino said...

As with any new hobby refashioning is a learned skill. My first two tries were unsuccessful and I felt guilty ruining perfectly good dress, but my projects may have been too ambitious.
I believe simple refashions are the way to go for a beginner or someone new to sewing. sometimes changing a hemline , reducing the sweep in a skirt, or removing dated sleeves can transform an outdated garment.
Whatever the goal refashioning can be so fun and satisfying. Thanks for the great post!

Anonymous said...

Well said! Sometimes you need to wait for your skills to catch up with your ambitions. I've just replaced the felted outer shell of a ready-to-wear top that has sat in my scrap bag for maybe two years. I'm very glad that I kept it and I now have a new top that cost me nothing but time.

Anonymous said...

I need to get more involved in clothing re-fashioning. I have so many clothes right now that either don't fit or if they do, just don't DO it for me, you know? They just aren't flattering. So, I usually donate these to charity, but think I may 'save' a few and try to re-fashion them instead.

Sasha Rocket said...

Thanks for this! I recently bought a few items from a charity shop to try and refashion because, although I'm often very inspired by the refashioning ideas you post, I genuinely don't have anything I feel I can cut up (which i guess is the one perk of living out of a suitcase for six months).

Bella said...

Hey, Zoe, thanks for this...got a question for you! I have 3 floor length linen skirts that I used a lot when I lived in the Middle East. Back in the USA, I don't need them to be so long. I am thinking of cutting them off & re-hemming so I can keep using them, but I'm trying to figure out what to do with the fabric I cut off. Any ideas/hints/tips? The pieces will be about 18" x 60" or .43cm x 1.5cm. They are lined nicely, too, with thin cotton. Here's the link to the page where I talked about them: http://bellaindustries.blogspot.com/2013/06/3-long-skirts-upcoming-reveal-its-june.html
Thanks!!

I have to say, after reading this post, though, I'm thinking there's probably a woman here in DC who would like to keep dressing modestly & maybe I should just donate them?!

Miche said...

Great post! I definitely have felt nervous before refashioning, I've been sitting on one in particular for awhile - my boyfriends mom gave me a fancy dress that belonged to her mother, she wants me to refashion it but I'm SO nervous to mess it up. Definitely inspiring though, I know she wouldn't be mad if I messed it up (and, lets face it, there's usually something you can do to save it), maybe I'll start tomorrow..

http://www.buttonsandbirdcages.com

Laura said...

Thanks for the inspiration! The shorts were tested on holiday and well and lived up to expectations :)

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