Skip to main contentIf you've already seen the Sound of Music (who hasn't?) or attended the campy, singalong version now playing at Cinema 21 (you really should go), no doubt you've beheld the devilish gleam in Julie/Maria's eyes when she spies those gaudy brocade bedroom curtains. In a flicker, the drapes are re-purposed as play clothes for the von Trapp kinder--soon Friedrich, Liesl and the rest of the rugrats are romping in frocks and lederhosen fashioned with one wayward nun's nimble digits.
Admit it, that resourceful Tyrolean governess secretly inspires you, doesn't she? Well, what's stopping you from transforming a vulgar household objet for your own fall wardrobe? A laundry list of materials are near at hand (or underfoot): worn rugs, bed spreads, upholstery vinyl, sleeping bags, Astroturf, men's suiting, and by all means, curtains--Granny's white lace nightmares just might have a future as hip-hugger pants (goodbye parlor, hello Prince video!).
"But I'm not creative, I can't sew," you object.
"Blah, blah, blah" is my standard response to that tired excuse.
The 1941 "Make Do and Mend" campaign, introduced by the British government to encourage civilians facing wartime shortages to refashion the clothes they already had, produced posters and leaflets busting with ingenious tips. Guess what? They're still around, as are stateside versions printed by sewing-machine manufacturers and trade boards. These insightful manuals provide step-by-step instructions so that everyone--from Handy Heloise to All-Thumbs Alma--can make over a garment. And, since you're working with free materials, there's no pressure to produce perfection. As for style--well, prepare to surprise yourself.
First, scout your materials. Identify and cut away stains, holes, wear spots, any places on the fabric that render it unusable. If you're working from an old garment, tear it to pieces along the seams to find out how much stuff you've got to work with. Is your inner Coco Chanel drawing a blank? Page through magazines to find some cunning garment to copy (the artier fashion pubs are chockablock with "reconstructed" styles this month).
Take shortcuts. If you're way too impatient to read instructions here are a few quick and dirty projects to take you from crap to couture in less than an hour.*
Remember your motivation. Thrift tends to be a virtue born of necessity. Heaven knows that other wide-screen curtain seamstress, Scarlett O'Hara, wouldn't have deigned to don a drape dress if she didn't have to. But who wants to take cues from a Southern antebellum-fashion-junkie-turned-dirt-farmer down on her luck? Every savvy stylemaker worth her pearl buttons channels that social-climbing spitfire with a sharp pair of shears, Maria.
So grab a needle, pull some thread and go ahead and do-re-mi-do-it!
From 1941's "Make Do and Mend":
Gloves or mittens from socks. Find a festive pair with blown-out heels or toes. Cut off the foot end, and sew together open edges. Trace your hand on the sock and stitch along the line--all five fingers for gloves or one thumb for mittens. Makes a great gift!
From high school:
Skirt from jeans: Cut legs off at the knee, then cut apart inside seam. Sew front halves together and back halves together. Yours for nothing, or for 60 bucks at Urban Outfitters. Flip a coin.
From the Fall 2001 collection of a British indie designer:
Sleeveless top from man's button-down shirt: Slice off the sleeves at the shoulders, cut away the collar, and trim the shirttails so the bottom is even. Turn the shirt so the buttons face the back. Stitch shirt along both sides, narrowing to fit your proportions. Advanced option: Make new cap sleeves from the cuffs by stitching them to the shoulders. Run that bad boy through the wash to make the frayed edges look intentional or hem if you're anal.
*A note on method: Feel free to cheat. Staples, glue and no-sew hem tape will do in a pinch for a one-night-only ensemble. If durability is not important, experiment with disposable--plastic wrap or bags (sheen, stretch, versatility), paper (tough art papers will hold for a few hours, but watch those lit cigarettes), aluminum (so futuristic).
Write to me care of
if you want a photocopy of Singer's 1942
.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Liz Claiborne has agreed to donate 10 percent of one day's sales from its Pioneer Place Elisabeth store to local women's shelter Bradley-Angle House. Limited-edition T-shirts and necklaces will be sold throughout October, with all proceeds donated.
WWeek 2015