How can you alter old clothes so you may give yourself a "I-have-new-clothes" feeling? I have tons of old stuff I don't wear just because it's not "different" enough for me, and I'd like to fix them up. I need ideas on all kinds of clothes, and I wear pretty much any style of clothing, depending on my mood for the day. I don't have a working sewing machine that I know of, but I am pretty good at hand-sewing clothing. Help me out, I'm broke and need new clothes for school!

Thanks bunches, love,
Ruby

I had a pair of boot cut jeans that were too slim in the legs for me (I like more of a flare so that you don't get that whole, here are my pants and then here are my shoes directly underneath at a 90 degree angle) so I cut them halfway between my knees and my feet, and now they are my favorite pants. I wear them everyday and that slight flare was just enough to keep from looking like barbie.

T-shirts are great things to cut up and make into new stuff. Ones that are too tight can become little tank tops, tube tops (there's a post about this, I think), halters, etc. Ones that are too big can become skirts, patches, pillow cases, even quilts.

Sometimes things that skirts can be modernized by shortening the hem or adding something on to the bottom (like a pretty color coordinated ribbon or ruffle) to make it interesting.

I also like to take plain stuff and embroider it or bead it or iron on letters or put on patches or sew on ribbons or fabric. Makes them more interesting.

My little sister wants to be a fashion designer and I have to give it to her that she knows how to make her old stuff look new. Her favorite thing to do is take shirts with logos that she likes and re-invent their shapes (make them tigher, change the neckline, cut out the back) and re-hem pants into shorts or capris. personally, I think it is just about taking what you like and making it look more like the stuff that people are wearing nowadays (as sad as that sounds for people who call themselves "individualistic")

Just have fun with your stuff (hopefully stuff that you aren't too attached to) and if it turns out looking like crap, at least you entertained yourself in the process.

Guess I should be up on clothing trends for younger women to answer this, but here goes: Take a dress you never liked and cut it off into a tunic or even an elastic waisted top with a peplum.

Change all your buttons to funkier things you have around, or old buttons you've collected. They don't even have to match if you get a theme going.

Look at everything, I mean every thing you own clothes or material wise, and see what you can do with it. Old clothes can become sleepwear and sometimes vice versa. Scarves turn into belts, rope or necklaces can be belts.

A Danskin or bodysuit you might not wear by itself can be layered under a larger shirt.

Any trims you have can really make clothes exciting. Couched cording on the shoulders and cuffs, or running down a leg seam, beads in short solid strings added to a T-shirt neck, lace peeking out from the bottom of jeans, little bows from pretty ribbon sewn on in place of buttons. Take the collar off a tailored shirt, hell, take it off a t-shirt, chop off sleeves to three quarter lengths and cuff them. Use fabric paints with a light touch so that it looks more manufacturer applied than purchased at a church bazaar. (hey, I really like those fancy sweatshirts and blouses and aprons that people do, but too many become boring.)

And when clothing budgets are tight, wear perfume and jewelry every day. Sounds a little like Marie Antoinette saying to let the peasants eat cake if they are starving, but we usually have *something* around we can use, or can get it on the cheap. Even keeping sachets or gift soaps in with your clothes will give you a nice scent.

Beth

i just spent a whole weekend in front of my sewing machine....

here's what i did:
took and old shirt that i didn't like the neckline of, cut off the top turned it into a tube top, but since i don't like tube tops, i cut the straps off an old bra that were a matching colour and sewed them on to the top, cris-crossing at the back.

took an old long tight dress, (orange polyester with flowers!) and sliced the hem diagonally then hemmed it that way, it looks really funky now, i love it.

cut off the ruffled sleeves off an old black dress, now it's a pretty goth sundress.

cut an old pair of blue tights into sleeves (you know, where you cut a hole in the crotch and stick your head through that)

i also generally fixed up my clothes, fixed all the rips and hems and loosened some of them so now i can wear more of them.

dyeing is also a fun way of revamping clothes, there's a thread on this, and yes, check the thread on turning tee shirts into halters.

buying cheap but fun accessories is a great way to feel like you have new clothes. i bought this fabulous white vinyl belt with grommets on it this weekend, it makes me feel like an 80s rock star, yay!

or make a new funky bag, or a bracelet/cuff (take some funky material *i used leopard print on one side and pink fun fur on the other* and sew it into a 2 inch thick strip long enough to go aroud your wrist and then some, sew some velcro or snaps on it, and you've made a punk rock style cuff!)