Upcycled Design Lab Blog

Almost No-Sew - Dress to Top Refashion

Hey All, I hope that you had a wonderful father’s day weekend I got to spend the weekend with my mom and dad which was lovely but now I am even later than usual with this post. Oh well better late than never right? Fortunately this project actually came together in just two days. Which is record speed for me in case you didn't know. It helped a lot that this was sort of a remake of a previous project. A few years ago I made this woven tee shirt top and this tee shirt weave dress that was featured... Read more →

Woeful Wardrobe Week 2 - Skirt Refashion

. Last week I made a confession about the sorry state of my wardrobe and some of the reasons for it's pitiful demise. This week I have another simple refashion and a few more thoughts on the sorry state of my closet. Somehow in the last few years my perspective changed little by little. Tiny shifts that have effected how I see myself and the world around me. Somehow those things have left me with a much larger dose of apathy and disinterest than I used to have, I dearly want to shed the weight of them. I know that... Read more →

What the HELLo happened to my wardrobe? - Pants Refashion

I took an inventory of my closet the other day, and I can only report that my wardrobe is in the most pitiful shape. When did this happen? When did I completely loose my fashion sense. I know that most people have a few clothes that don't fit, things they don't like, things they don't wear? But why isn't there anything in my closet that I love? Where are the outfits that makes me feel pretty or attractive? The clothes that indicate what activities I enjoy? When did I become this person with a closet full of outdated misfitting uninteresting... Read more →

Whitening Whites the Weird Way

This isn't a thing that I normally bother to write about but I work part time as a waitress. Most of the time it is a perfectly fine way to make a living. Believe it or not I have made a little money here and there from my crafting and this blog but so far I still need to make a living elsewhere. But getting back to my glamorous day job, I go through an awful lot of white oxford shirts. Not that they wear out but they do get grimy. Not even bleach and hot water can get those... Read more →

Refashioning a refashion - Kaftan to Sundress - Upcycling T-shirts

Hello friends, I have a pretty straightforward project this week, it is making me wish for some nice summer weather. As I write this there is snow on the ground and a few weeks of winter left to navigate but spring will be here before I know it and soon enough summer will follow. About a year ago I made this Kaftan from some old T-shirts. I really liked the colors and how the color blocks went together but it turns out that I am not really a Kaftan person because I never wore it. I also had the top... Read more →

Upcycled Work Shirt Refashion With House Paint

So you might think it is a little crazy to use house paint for a clothing refashion. But that is what we do here in the lab. And by we. I mean me, unless you count the dogs and cat but they rarely have much input and tend to be more interested in finding the best place to take their afternoon nap. The hubby is quite supportive but doesn't generally get involved when I start combining fabric and house paint, baby powder and spaghetti noodles or denim and candle wax. :-) Now I suppose that I could have used some... Read more →

1/2 Hour - Favorite Shirt Save

Do you have a favorite t-shirt or pair of pant? You know the go to item in your closet that you choose for both comfort and style? Well I have a few such items in my closet and this top was one of them. I love the square neck line and the drape of the fabric and perhaps most importantly the way it disguises my middle age ever expanding waist line. But, as with all well loved clothing it was showing some wear in the form of the dreaded armpit stains that made it suitable only to wear as an... Read more →

Upcycled Work Shirts To Refashioned Summer Dress

Hello.... Before I get to this weeks project I want to say a big THANKS to plushbeds for including Upcycled Design Lab in their list of the top 25 upcycling blogs. You can read the article here. In one of my other lives when I am not crafting or working on my Ebay Store, I am a waitress. It is not glamorous but it helps pay the bills and allows me the time to pursue my other interests. Most days it is a perfectly pleasant way to earn a living but inevitably there are those times when folks are rude... Read more →

Denim Redo - Upcycled Tie Dye Denim Shorts

Greetings from wet and soggy Colorado! Really, it has been crazy wet here for the last several days and is going to continue on this way for several more, with possible snow tomorrow for Mother's Day! I shouldn't complain since any kind of precipitation is appreciated in our arid state but really I would like not to have it all at once. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that I decided, albeit, a little too late that I wanted to plant a small vegetable garden this year. The spot I selected was full of gravel... Read more →

Hair today Gone Tomorrow - Shamrock Top Refashion

My title isn't completely accurate as my hair will actually be gone later today but as I post this I still have a full head of hair. If you are inclined to donate to my fund razing efforts you can still do so on my St Baldrick Page here. I will be deeply grateful. But you will be getting all kinds of good karma for helping to fund research to cure childhood cancers. If you don't know what I am talking about start here. Shamrock Top Refashion This was a very simple project to complete. It started with this green... Read more →