Monday 22 February 2016

Greensleeves - My Hippy-tastic Wardrobe Refashion




You've probably noticed that I've got a thing for sleeves of the bastard massive variety.


After my weekly eBay search for all things hippy and vintage with huge sleeves and coming up with dresses undeniably stunning but ludicrously expensive (£495 for a handmade cotton dress!) I thought I'd make do with what I already owned.


I bought this Indian block printed maxi dress from Moseley Vintage Fair back in 2014. Although I loved the gauzy cotton fabric it never felt quite right, the skirt was too voluminous and overly long & the shirred bodice wasn't great. As the poor thing had languished unworn in the wardrobe for almost two years it was well and truly in need of a makeover.


I chopped off the offending bodice, removed a couple of panels from the skirt to form sleeves, added a zip and some elastic to the top of the skirt, using it to form the main body of the dress, hemmed and elasticated the sleeves and sewed them to the top of the skirt. It took about an hour (but I've got to give it another going over, Stephen Squirrel's pointed out that, in my haste to get into Walsall, I've sewn one of the sleeves on backwards).


Now I can get a thermal vest on underneath and it's short enough not to trail on the floor when I wear it with my low heeled boots. It survived a brisk walk into town this morning but I did get Jon to do the washing-up after lunch, bastard massive sleeves and mundane household tasks aren't happy bedfellows. 

Linking to Patti and the gang for Visible Monday.

Wearing: Customised block print 1970s maxi (£10 from a vintage fair), 1970s lace-up suede waistcoat (Xmas present from Liz, 2013), Antique Orissan pendant (last seen HERE), Suede ankle boots (Schuh on-line sale, 2016)
We've had this weekend off! I've read two books ( The Rescue Man & Blind Faith) and Saturday's Guardian from cover to cover, seen the wonderful Bridge of Spies (again!), watched Trapped, The Voice, The Lens, a fascinating BBC 2 documentary about Rudyard Kipling's time in India and the first gripping instalment of The Night Manager (don't understand why Tom Hiddleston's a sex symbol though, he's far too posh). We've had a hilarious Saturday night out on the town with drinking, dancing and posing for random selfies with complete strangers, eaten takeaway pizza & chips and finished off all the booze in the house. We've got back to back fairs this weekend coming so it's noses firmly back to the grindstone now!

See you soon.

49 comments:

  1. Love the dress it looks fantastic. I always feel refreshed after a weekend off and enjoy a good book. Are your books charity shop finds too? X

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  2. massive bastard sleeves don't work to good when cooking either.

    Great remake on the dress

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  3. Und so, the engineering genes of my female Teutonic ancestors is kicking in...here we have gorgeous bastard massive sleeves, jah! And we have also the logistical -- not to mention safety hazard --considerations of said sleeves worn during the performance of daily tasks. The solution? Bring back detachable sleeves a la Elizabeth I.

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  4. What a great idea to make a wearable dress it suits you a treat x

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  5. A ray of sunshine just when I need cheering up.....I adore those sleeves but sadly as a hard core fat bird I can vouch for the fact they always end up in your gravy

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  6. What a great make over. You're right - massive sleeves trail about all over the place when in the kitchen. Best leave the chores to someone else.
    xx

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  7. What a fab make over - so clever but simple too. Literally loved your Indian tales. How are you not sponsored to make TV programmes? Someone is missing a trick there. My friend and I are hoping to get to India soon. I've done quite a lot in Thailand, which I love, but can't wait for India. x

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  8. Sounds like a fandabidozy weekend to me and a great frock revamp missus.
    Can't wait for Val to bring my vintage curtains back as a frock n skirt n top.
    Will have to work off all the cakes I've eaten in London first though xxx

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  9. genius! should adopt this massive sleeves thing - "sorry dahling - i can´t make you dinner - the dress would catch fire..." :-P
    xxxxx

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  10. Looks like a brilliant refashioning. Well done. x

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  11. You've done it again! What a fab make-over, and who doesn't love a massive sleeve? Gorgeous. xox

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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  12. And a fashion designer to boot! I want to see how those sleeves could possibly be sewn on backwards. The dress is so much more becoming on you now and the proportions proper. What an eye you have. Maybe Jon will come up with an invention for the "can't work cuz my sleeves are too dangling, dear" situation.

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  13. Oh, Vix, I never tire of seeing your beautiful dresses! And you wear them so well. Glad to hear you had a fun weekend! :)

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  14. You've had an excellent idea with this dress, it is now much more attractive and wearable! The waistcoat is then fine over, perfect! As your expression rightly satisfied: yes, my dear, you are a genius! And what a beautiful bustling Saturday, but we in the house, we only went out last night for a party with old Italian music, but we drank only lemonade, behind the bar were all so clumsy!

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  15. Excellent makeover I'm properly impressed. I know what you mean about bug sleeves though. I always trail them in me dinner.
    That sounds like a weekend of perfection. I'm enjoying Trapped no end, though I do miss Saga quite a bit.
    Here's to a great week.
    Loves ya.
    xxxxxx

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  16. Well, you are a clever old thing! The sleeves are amazing - very mediaeval looking - the dress has been totally transformed and it looks lovely on you.

    It sounds like you had a really good weekend!

    I'm loving 'Trapped' it has me totally gripped. Not too sure about 'The Night Manager' it may improve, but I'm not gripped - yet. What about 'Happy Valley'? Can't wait for tomorrow to see it.

    I've just started book 4 of the Elena Ferrante Neapolitan series...

    xxx
    Veronica
    vronni60s.blogspot.com

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  17. What a great makeover! It sounds like you had a lovely weekend too xx

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  18. Bloody hell, is there anything that you can't turn your hand to? That is a fantastic refashion. Nothing wrong with a bit of "bastard massive sleeves". They look fabulous as do you in your frock. I love that waistcoat. Looking amazing as ever. Xx

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  19. Aw go on and cook-Fanny Cradock survived massive sleeves on ballgowns in the kitchen.

    That is such a great re-make of the dress. I don't have the sort of vision you do (or the improvisational sewing skills) but I am marveling at yet another of your one of a kind creations.

    I'd stop you for a photo too!

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  20. magnificent sleeves!! Glad you revamped that dress, such a cute print!
    And your weekend looks like heaven to me!, fabulous!.
    besos

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  21. Another ace transformation, yes those sleeves do have the medievals about them...Eleanor of Aquitaine on acid peut-être? No wonder you get stopped for selfies with passers-by!
    The telly has been jolly good lately. (makes a change) I'm bereft now Young Montalbano has finished...phoar! Friday night's Spin almost makes up for it.
    Have a good week. x

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  22. I love maaaaassive sleeves too! This is amazing!!!!! I love what you have done here! Check out this Doctor Who costume! I lusted after this dress for yonks as a teenager and got a family friend to make me a black version (not SO successful) for my concert dress but it was never quite right!x

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  23. You've done an amazing job! What a transformation. And how sweet of Stephen Squirrel to watch over you! :)

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  24. Love the vest with the dress-pulls it from out of this world (in a good way) to sass and polish!

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  25. Brilliant!
    I rather like the backward sleeve, it makes the dress look even patchier.
    I'll have to hunt down that BBC documentary on Rudyard Kipling's time in India.
    http://calmlycookingcurry.blogspot.com/2016/02/tamatar-wangan-kashmiri-style-tomatoes.html

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  26. You are a wizard at the sewing machine!

    And what about that statement necklace! Wowza.

    You do look like a wizard in that first photo...casting your vintage fashion spell on the world.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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  27. One sleeve backwards, one sleeve frontwards. It's a Look!!! I love this but you are so right. Big sleeves are for ladies of leisure. I almost set myself on fire trying to cook breakfast in my bell sleeved kimono.

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  28. That's it. I'm going to go add massive bell sleeves to all my dresses now. You're so clever, backward sleeves and all!!

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  29. SO FABULOUS! I love this "up-cycled" frock, its always great to to something you're a bit *meh* into something you love. I feel like I need at least one frock with huge sleeves now. Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend off - sometimes its so good to do a whole lot of nothing xo

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  30. Great fix on the dress! It's such nice looking fabric that it's great you were able to turn it into something you're happy with.

    Sounds like you guys had a great weekend. I've just added one of the books you read to my Goodreads list, The Rescue Man, which I look forward to reading. It sounds really good. Nick's aunt Lucy was a nurse at St. Thomas in London during the war, and had so many interesting and sad stories to tell about that time.

    I recently read "All the Light we Cannot See", which takes place in the France during the war. I liked it a lot.

    xo

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  31. You are so the Queen of massive bastard sleeves!! Well done.

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  32. I don't get the Hiddles-as-sex-symbol thing either, but each to his or her own, I guess.

    The maxi looked nice as it was, but it's GREAT after the revamp.

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  33. You look fabulous - as ever. But I REALLY must take issue with your comments about TOM!!!! The Sainted Tom is glorious and adorable and yes, posh, and funny and can dance and is Loki and can do impressions .... *sighs wistfully* Sex on legs :-D

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  34. What a clever idea. And there's no way you can possibly wash up with sleeves like that which is an added bonus! xxx

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  35. As a fan of sleeves, I'm loving your creation! How you completed this masterpiece in one hour, I will never know.

    What a riotous and diverse weekend you had. Reading and dancing and film. Sounds like perfection to me!

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  36. The Hiddlestone thing is, he's big with the Americans who adore posh Brits, and he does a damn good villain!

    I gave up on big sleeves, I destroyed too many things waving my arms around as I was speaking!!

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  37. Oh my, look at those big'uns! Sorry, that came out a bit Carry On - sleeves, darling, I'm talking about your sleeves! Fabulous makeover, it's given the dress a totally different vibe, and it's beautiful!
    A weekend off, lucky sods... But back to work now. I was talking about you and Jon today, telling a volunteer how you work together - we both said we couldn't work with our partners, or not without wanting to kill them anyway!
    Have a good week, love you! xxx

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  38. There's loads of good telly at the moment: really enjoying Trapped and the Night Manager - agree with you about Tom Hiddleston - and I bloody love Happy Valley.

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  39. My gosh. How lovely! Why aren't you working in a Fashion House?

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  40. Brilliant re-working there Vix. You look amazing wearing those sleeves - you carry them off perfectly...well, perhaps not for household chores though!

    Nah, Tom Hiddleston does nothing for me either. He looks too clean cut, I like 'em rough around the edges! xxx

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  41. Fabulous make over looks gorgeous on you even though I did chuckle about sewing the sleeve on backwards and trying to do the dishes wearing not practical but looks amazing :-) dee xx

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  42. You are so friggin fantastic!!!
    (and I agree re: T.H.)
    xo

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  43. That Stephen Squirrel's a gimlet eyed beastie! He's obviously the Tom Ford of the Feline world. Which actually is very fitting given who he lives with. Lovely job on the frock. Yep, those sleeves are big! Does this mean we've run out of India photos? I hope not or I'll feel like I did at the end of The Bridge. Yes, Trapped is getting good now. There's some seriously unpleasant characters, mind. Yes, he's a bit neat for me, but hey, that's alright. I've already got plenty of TV boyfriends! Xxxx

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  44. I do love a "Bastard Massive Sleeve" myself, but they are terribly unpractical and end up trailing in the dishwater, your food, etc. Nice re-make on the dress. It's such a useful skill to be able to take something you don't wear and transform it into something you like.

    I just finished watching "Black Books" on Netflix at Melanie's suggestion, and have been doing some reading as well. I liked Tom Hiddleston's character in the Jim Jarmusch film "Only Lovers Left Alive". He was more disheveled-looking in his role as a depressed musician/vampire.

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  45. You have such a good eye for this refashioning malarky! It looks great. As usual I am inspired by your creativity x

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  46. Groovy transformation and a thrifty approach to lovely.

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  47. Ooh, the sleeves! Love them! The picture where the dress is hanging from the tree, it looks like a patchwork version of my wedding dress before the bodice is put on :) my sleeves reached the floor before being knotted xxx

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Lots of love, Vix