Applique Your Sweatshirt Dress
Ok, so I bought some items of clothing last week and I am just totally let down by the things I got. I’m trying to upcycle my clothes instead, and my first upcycle completely bombed. :( It sucks when you have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear. It can be so easy to just keep buying new things when the newness wears off from the things you acquire. But a more eco and super fun option can be to alter your clothes to turn them into pieces you are totally excited about! Going green does not have to be dreary and bleak, you can have fun along the way, learn some new life skills and figure out ways to live that totally jive with your values.
Last month I bought this sweatshirt dress and when I wore it my husband said it looked like a night gown. That is always the worst thing ever, when you are totally jazzed about something new and your partner doesn’t like it much. Instead of resigning this sweatshirt dress to dreamland, I leveled it up instead with some simple applique! Now I can’t wait to wear it!
Applique is really easy, and if you sew you have probably already tried it before. These patches can be sewn on by hand or machine, so even if you don’t have a sewing machine you can still do this upcycle. You don’t have to sew up to the edge all the way because the point is the fabrics will unravel a little on the edges to create a lived in look. Applique is so incredible for covering stains and holes on clothes. I actually did a similar project before with a holey black t shirt dress and muslin for leaves. It was my favorite item of clothing after that and I wore it all the time!
Here are a few tips for doing this project. It is pretty self-explanatory, but I did learn some things along the way.
You can use pretty much any fabric for the fabric leaves. Just make sure the color contrasts enough so that the leaves pop.
Pin the leaves onto the sweatshirt dress first before you sew! I just grabbed the pile of leaves and went to town, but had to go back in and add a few more to get a look I was happy with. If you pin them on first you will have a pretty good placement of everything before sewing. Once the fabric gets all bunched up at the machine, it can be challenging to see the overall design. So lay everything out first and pin with safety pins, then sew.
When you are sewing on the leaves, always try to keep the sweatshirt material flat around the leaf shape you are sewing. I was fighting the sweatshirt the entire time, because it kept bunching up around the needle. So just take your time, go slow, pull the fabric taut around the leaf as you are sewing and you will rock this!
I am so excited to wear this dress everywhere I go! Applique is a great way to level up a basic top or dress. This only took me about an hour to finish, and I’m off to enjoy my new look!
