Fall Thrift Flips! Sweaters, Hats, Scarves & Shirts

 Welcome to maybe the first thrift flip you've ever seen where the creator does more than just chopping the bottom of their sweatshirts off. Today I'm getting cozy as it's getting colder and redesigning a hat, a scarf, a sweater and two shirts. Please subscribe to be notified whenever I post and enjoy!

Starting from head to toe, I recently got this baker-boy hat and I think it's so cute. One thing though: it's a little plain. The ones I've seen before usually have some kind of ribbon or button detail that I wanted to recreate. I found two buttons of an appropriate size, bigger than a thimble but smaller than a pincushion. I painted them with tan paint, and the paint I used was super thick so it's not the neatest. I tried to smooth it out with several thick layers of topcoat. Closeup it's a complete mess, but I guess the good thing about my fashion faux pas is that because of the pandemic, no one can get close enough to see it. I just sewed them on and that's this thrift flip! Super simple, but it's the little details that make a big difference. This hat has that vintage feel fall raves about.

Next is this shirt I thrifted. It's a really strange blouse because of the fabric used, but it's not uncomfortable so I'll deal. It looks kind of countryish, but I almost live in the countryside now so its appropriate. Literally, drive for five minutes and you're in CORNFIELDS. Insane! Now, I believe that everything has it's pros and cons, including this shirt. The con is that I hate the triangular bandana detail in the front. Too western square dance for my taste. 

However, the pro is that I can just turn the shirt around! This blouse is almost double-sided because of the row of buttons all the way down the back, which is now the front. I made the button side the front and cut out the label to avoid self confusion. Now the weird triangle is hidden underneath my hair in the back. The other minor alteration in this thrift flip is replacing the buttons, which I tend to do a lot. Stores always use cheap dingy buttons, so I often paint over them with nail polish to add a pop of colour or at least freshen them up. Once I changed the buttons on a denim jacket to lime green ones, and it looked sew cool!

However, I didn't go wild and simply painted the buttons white. I think it makes them almost look like they're covered in fabric, which is very posh. I realize this is quite a summery piece, but I'm including this in a fall thrift flip post because I wear it layered over a long-sleeved shirt like this. Not a bad look if you ask me, and not country bumpkin-chic anymore.

This other shirt is also short-sleeved, but the understated indigo colour is perfect for this time of year. This was made for an adult, meaning it was way too big for me. I wanted it more fitted, first of all, and the neck hole was so wide the shirt would definitely slip off. So I turned it inside-out, sat down with my best friend, the sewing machine, and got to work. I sewed down either side to make it less baggy. This also made it more fitted at the waist, so the ruffle flares out more which I didn't plan but appreciate. I also sewed up the shoulders, resulting in a smaller neck hole. Now I think it kinda fits perfectly!

I also redid a sweater, which is short-sleeved like the other two tops in this post! I promise you, I'm a practical dresser. I do not like freezing my arms off while trying to look cute. The majority of my cold-weather tops are long-sleeved, but they also aren't super plain unlike this one. Navy knit sweater, prepare to be thrift-flipped! I added this ribbon drawstring detail to the bottom. Honestly, this was much easier than it looks, especially if you use a loosely knitted sweater like me. Otherwise you have to buy grommets, which I think are pretty expensive and hard to use. What I did was starting from the left I took my darning needle, which is the kind with a huge hole, and threaded by ribbon. I weaved it in and out of the holes in the knit stopping at the middle, where I just left the ribbon end hanging out. I did the same on the right, then sewed the far ends so the drawstring wouldn't get loose. Now I can tighten and loosen my sweater, which I think is fantastic.

The last thrift flip is this scarf/muff situation. Perfect as it gets colder and it's so snug and warm, which makes me very proud because not only did I flip this, but I knitted it! This was the last thing I knitted, made last winter. The fabric is so soft, but sort of hard to work with because fluff came off of the yarn as I worked with it. Also, the bundle was kind of small so the scarf is is too short to stay around my neck without falling. I decided to sew the ends together to turn it into a muff! Super simple process; just sew a line across. Now it's perfect. One last touch: I sewed on this button I decorated (see "A Fall Ball! Autumn Fashions (Styling Outfits + Making Clothes And Jewelry") and ta-da! 

Thanks for reading and that's it for today!