Dress Of The Day with Angela

Photo by Trevor Sharot. The Spare Pillowcase  I had a pillowcase lying around. It did not match anything else. I was about to fold it up with sheets, as I scanned my clothes for something new to wear. Why not wear it as a top? Was it large enough? It was long enough, but was it wide enough? I needed to try it on, over my head. Cutting? Could I do that without cutting it? Only as a front piece on a white tee-shirt. It was too big for that. Could I wear it over my head without cutting it?  No. It has a long slit which would do for the waist. I had to cut a short slit in the centre of a short side for the neck.  Where to Cut I made a small snip in the middle in order to insert the end of a pair or scissors. The Collar Pillowcase top, collar. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Pillowcase Brand Domus. What you need 1 A pillowcase 2 Scissort (ideally pinking shears).   3 Optional matching ribbon for a belt. You can wear it just as a top, with or without shorts under...

 I showed my friend Carolyn how I had cut a pair of trousers to make a skirt. I had shown her how to use pinking shears. Pinking shears from Wikipedia. The plainest have silver or black handles. I prefer coloured handles. If you have two pairs, you can remember which is which more easily. If the resulting skirt is too long, you can hoist it up at the waist. Or raise it above your bust line under your armpits. The next day Carolyn called me. She wanted to do the same to an old pair of trousers (Americans say pants) and turn them into a skirt.   She asked me, "Can you meet me for lunch - and bring with you your pinking shears!" They cost twenty dollars or more. If you use them to cut paper, they go blunt, won't cut, and leave frayed, ragged edges. Because of the shape, they are impossible to sharpen. Seam Rippers She also said, "The unpicking is going slowly because I don't have unpickers."  The usual term is seam rippers. They are much cheaper. Two dollars fo...

 Turquoise fitted bed sheet cut into a jacket. Selfie by Angela Lansbury. I looked at a fitted single bed sheet. I want a new outfit.  The single bedsheet is too small for my double bed. It does not match anything else. I could loosen the elastic at the corners and use it as an emergency bed cover sheet, just on my side of the bed,  when sleeping alone in the six foot wide double bed, perhaps when having an afternoon nap, when my large duvet cover, washed first thing in the morning and hung out to dry, is not yet dry from the washing and airing. But it does not match a pillowcase. I have no need to keep it for the bed. I have too many sets of bedding. I have not the energy to change the bedding every day for the novelty. But I do like to wear a new outfit every day. I can never have too many clothes. Yes, I might as well convert the spare fitted sheet into an outfit I can wear. Cutting However, the challenge of converting the item, with the elastic still in it, overwhelms...

  Angela in a converted skirt from a white uniform. Photo by Trevor Sharot. It took less than five minutes for me to slit up the inside legs of a pair of discarded white uniform trousers. (Americans say pans. To the British pants means what Americans call underpants.) If you wear the skirt as I do, the two slits are at the sides. The pockets are centre front and centre back. CUTTING The pinking shears are my latest joy. I bought them from Spotlight in Singapore. Instead of the usual serrated edge like a series of small A or V shapes VVVVVVVV the shears cut a series of neat scallops like tiny of domes. It looks very neat. The white camisole top is by Choccolat. I concealed the revealing spagetti straps with a cover up denim mini-jacket. Useful Websites Spotlight https://www.spotlightstores.com/sg/search?text=pinking%20shears Cost Singapore dollars $18.90 About Angela The Author The Author - Quick Quotations Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publish...

Angela Lansbury wearing pyjamas, with pyjama bottoms slit to make a skirt. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Why convert trousers into a skirt? I didn't want trousers. In hot weather I like to feel free in a skirt. I hesitated. Would I wear the garment? I told myself, Go on, wear it. My internal dialogue went like this:   No. I am not interested.  In that case, it is just taking up space. You have nothing to lose. You might as well cut the bottom half.  If it goes wrong, I still have lots of fabric Or could sew it back together.  The decision was made. How To Cut? I took the trousers and a pair of pinking shears. The material was catching. I used ordinary sharp large scissor, holding the join of the fabric very carefully a short distance from the blade.  I slit the trousers from the ankles to the crotch. Where to cut the hem? I had previously realised that if you have a large hem it is worthwhile separating the two sides by unravelling the sewing along the join to gain a ...

  Dress of the day 200. Photo by Trevor Sharot.  You can brighten up an old outfit with a new collar. It makes me feel good. I have a new look. I feel it is a way to create variety for the family. Something new for them to see every day. I have made a collar or cape from a child's skirt previously. On one occasion I had to cut a slit to make the collar lay flat. I left the elastic waistband intact. I slit the cape so it would go over my shoulders and allow me to move my arms comfortably. This garment had another design. Matching tights were attached. Clearly I had to remove the tights completely, or slit them to make  hole for my head to get through. I cut cautiously. I try to cut as little as possible. You can always cut more. As the saying goes, measure twice, cut once.  I think, save cutting and save sewing. I cut the slit down one side of the leg seams, only to about a third of the way along. This left me with two hanging tubes of matching material. I tied them t...