How To: Thrifted Jeans and Blazer Refashion

Welcome back to another video! Today I am walking you through how I did my refashions for my most current module. I refashioned a pair of men’s jeans into jeans for myself and also did some tweaking to a vintage navy-blue blazer to create some great pieces. As usual, let me know if you have any questions!
What I’m wearing:
Out of Print M6649 Top: www.etsy.com/listing/55663843...
Megan Nielsen Patterns Dawn Jeans: megannielsen.com/collections/...
I got the module idea from Christie Ressel (a KZbin Stylist). For more information: • HOW-TO BUILD A CAPSULE...
I’m turning my men’s jeans into the Megan Nielsen Dawn Jeans (straight leg view, cropped): megannielsen.com/collections/...
The blazer was thrifted:
Buttons were from Wawak: www.wawak.com/Garment-Constru...
3/8” shoulder pads were from Bias Bespoke on Etsy: www.etsy.com/listing/20542344...
Giveaway Information!!! You can still win a $100 gift certificate to Smuggler’s Daughter!
Giveaway is open until May 12th, 2019 11:59pm EST. The video to enter: • Giveaway and Me Made M...
Also, use “TOMKAT” at checkout to receive 30% off your order in May. This includes the sale section as well!! www.smugglersdaughter.com/
Don’t forget to follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing!
Blog: www.tomkatstitchery.com/
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Facebook: / tomkatstitcherycarmel

[@AshtownCreations]

Love that the blazer says “Made in Canada”🇨🇦! Don’t see that enough anymore ❣️

[@TomKatStitchery]

I agree!

[@BonnieLeeTexGirl]

When I saw those shoulder pads, I had to laugh because they reminded me of costume designer Nolan Miller's "power looks" which he created for the original 1980's TV series Dynasty. The women even wore shoulder pads in their nightgowns and peignoirs. What a hoot! He designed 3,000 costumes over the course of the series, working with a weekly budget of $35,000, which I wouldn't mind having. :))

[@TomKatStitchery]

Yes! These definitely reminded me Dynasty!

[@shirettejohnson8326]

Thanks for sharing all the great tips! I'm exciting to try something like this.

[@sallydingle321]

Great information again Whitney 👌...thanks so much 😁👍💝😘

[@letaterrell8138]

Members Mark is the name Brand of SAMs Club ! Love that you are refashioning these jeans ! Love this idea and will try this on other items . Bless you .

[@georgiannajoseph6747]

Thanks so much for these ideas. I just found your channel and really like it. Your teaching style is clear and informative!

[@TomKatStitchery]

I’m so glad!

[@dallasmandy]

Yaaaaaass! Much awaited. Thank you!

[@StayStitching]

I LOVE your hair this way! I think it is much more current than the straight curled under look, which reminds me of the nineties and pilgrims. (Sorry, sister! I'm older than you, and we all had that look in the nineties, except with bigger bangs.) After your hair is completely dry, just use to hands to crunch out all the gel crunch, and it will be gorgeous! There's about a million videos here about how to deal with wavy hair, so I won't go into much more detail, but you have fantastic hair, you just have to learn how not to fight it.

[@valclements7092]

Thanks Whitney, always look forward to your new videos. Have a fabulous weekend. Val 🇨🇦🇬🇧❤️

[@TomKatStitchery]

You too, Val!

[@mollysmith6055]

Great info...I've always wanted to try to do this!

[@megcheyfitz2856]

Great video! I learned so much from both of your refashioned projects. I feel silly, but I’ve never really understood how to put in shoulder pads. This really clarified the whole process.

[@TomKatStitchery]

That's fantastic! Sometimes a visual "how-to" is all it takes.

[@k3of5ks]

This was sooooo good and helpful in answering many of the questions I had in deconstructing the jeans. I think Members Mark is Sams Club private label. Thank you so much for the help and for another great video. 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@TomKatStitchery]

It was my pleasure! Thanks for placing the jeans for me. I was wondering whose brand that was!

[@pamelabaker4127]

Thank you so much! It would also be helpful to know how you would shorten the sleeves. Love your vlogs.

[@FabricFest]

That shirt!!!! Love it!!!

[@TomKatStitchery]

Thank you!

[@DoloresDeeBodnar]

Great Remake

[@judym414]

Great video. I have never refashioned anything, but you made the process look...well, not easy...but "attemptable"! I have the same heavy wavy hair and the spring and summer humidity is not my friend. I routinely say to my husband, "Looks like today is going to be another Rosanne Rosannadanna day!" (SNL reference for those too young to remember Gilda Radner:)

[@TomKatStitchery]

😂 I got the reference right away!

[@susandt3856]

You look adorable in that outfit. I’m a curly girl so I really like your hair this way! Follow The Curly Girl method and embrace the look.

[@elizabethtaylor4448]

I agree Susan. She drunkenly a curly girl too. Just needs a little curl love!

[@karolprior2436]

Thanks for that Whitney, very helpful. As for the hair....mine is similar in its wavyness and doing its own thing. What works for me is not brushing it.... I haven’t brushed it in years! I’ll sometimes put an afro comb through it, but mostly I just ‘comb’ it with my fingers. Sounds mad but like I say, it works for me 😀.

[@TomKatStitchery]

I don’t brush mine either unless I’m wearing it straight. There always comes a time in the Spring and the Fall where the humidity changes and my hair has to readjust. It’s always interesting!

[@karolprior2436]

TomKat Stitchery a nice way of putting it 😅

[@map2932]

I have crazy, wavy hair that refuses to behave. Deva Wave Maker styling cream helps like no other product. I love the idea of updating the 80's jacket. Too bad I moved and donated all of mine!

[@TomKatStitchery]

Ooh! My stylist carries the Deva line. I’ll have to check that one out!

[@nanastevens4094]

Great video. Always thought it would be too labor intensive to refashion, now it's a definite maybe. BTW, Members Mark is Sam's Club brand.

[@TomKatStitchery]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

[@kscheuerman5378]

Whitney, I still like your hair & I was ready to tell you again! My hair couldn't be straighter. Many years ago I paid a lot of money to have my hair spiral permed. Why do we often want what we can't have? The days of struggling with hot rollers, curling irons & perms are over for me now. My girls use flat irons which get so hot I'm afraid their hair will burn off. I will be honest I think i would find it frustrating trying to tame the hair or allowing it to be the boss. I enjoyed seeing what you did on the jacket. The jeans are what I was looking forward to learning about. I keep thinking about making a jacket out of thrifted jeans. I have altered Jeans to make them narrow in the legs that's all so far. I really try hard to be a perfectionist when sewing. There is this funny thing that happens.......it never, ever is perfect! When I'm done, now I tell myself I did my best and that's it. Thanks Whitney, You always teach me something I didn't know. God Bless.

[@TomKatStitchery]

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the videos! I’m also planning a jean jacket later in the year with thrifted jeans. It’s a great way to save some fabric money and get denim that’s already been worn in!

[@patriciaferrito9245]

Love that blouse with the fishing lure fabric. Did you make it? If so, I need that fabric!

[@TomKatStitchery]

Yes I did! It’s a Robert Kaufman chambray that a bought a few years ago from fabric.com, I believe.

[@georgianasstudio]

My hair is straight but, sometimes it busts out a heavy wave. Now that I'm menopausal, it's gone freakish. Washed my hair Friday, put Aragon oil through it, dried it then went out Friday night in the rain is it turned into frizz ball! Your hair looks great curly or straight.

[@TomKatStitchery]

That is kind of you to say. Hormones are so weird and do just weird things!

[@kathymcconville6428]

You really broke those changes down into doable steps. Question: When you turn the jacket inside out, can you shorten the sleeve length? I was trying to see the end of your sleeve where it's hemmed as I often need to shorten jacket sleeves. Another very informative How To. Thanks.

[@TomKatStitchery]

You certainly can do that. That’s the way an alteration professional would do it!

[@marshadimond441]

I have been looking for a shirt pattern that has an applied placket piece like the one you are wearing. The only ones I can find are the turned-under-facing types. Can those be modified to do the placket? Or is there a pattern you could suggest? BTW, I love the individual tutorials you are doing.

[@TomKatStitchery]

Yes! You can add a placket to any sleeve. I just sewed up the Sedona shirt by Designer Stitch and it uses a tower placket. Also, the grainline Archer shirt has an add on that includes a tower placket among other things. I actually use that placket piece for all my shirts that don’t include one. Actually, a sleeve placket tutorial would a good one to add 🤔.

[@vickifenlon6279]

My hair is wacky, crazy! Much worse when I lived in Michigan; not quite as crazy since I moved to Ireland, but still very curly!

[@TomKatStitchery]

Yes! Environment plays such a huge part. I feel like I should live in either a REALLY humid climate (like the tropics or Florida?!!!) or a really dry one (Arizona maybe?) This in between stuff has it acting all kinds of weird. Maybe I should just move to Ireland - you know - for the sake of my hair. Lol!

[@annaholliday161]

Wonderful! A lot of picking for the exchange of a great worn down look! I've got to do this! I have the jeans! Did you reset the riveted pockets? The jacket is right up my line as I'm altering for other people.

[@TomKatStitchery]

I did add new rivets to the back pockets and to the front pockets. I just kept the coin pocket river!

[@TomKatStitchery]

Rivet, not river 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@annescanapico2181]

Good video, thanks. The jacket looks good. My thoughts are that your shoulder is going to drop because of the thickness of the old shoulder pad. Are you going to take up some of the shoulder seam? I always have to do that.

[@TomKatStitchery]

I don’t think I’m going to need to touch the shoulder seam. Since I replaced it with another shoulder pad, it has the structure it needs. As far as the excess room for the larger pad, I spent quite a bit of time remoulding the wool with a ton of steam on a sleeve head board that I have. Time will tell, but I think I might be good!

[@annescanapico2181]

TomKat Stitchery thanks.

[@traceyfearon3373]

Question on the jacket. Did you need to change the angle of the shoulder seam when going to a much smaller shoulder pad?

[@TomKatStitchery]

Technically, that would have been the correct way to fix the shoulder, but then it messes with the armscye and I wanted an easy fix. This blazer is 100% wool so I was able to steam a lot of the extra fullness out.

[@kimberlyturner520]

I need a little help..I'm wanting to make an old mccall's paytern. #5205 anyway, the top calls for '80's shoulder pads, how would I alter shoulder and sleeve to omit the pad? Love your videos. Inspired to make a pair of jeans from older ones now💙💙💙

[@TomKatStitchery]

You probably just need to change the height of the shoulder seam at the armhole. Since shoulder pads go from nothing at the neck to their height at the arm, you will just need to lower the height at the top of the armhole. It might affect the sleeve a bit since you are essentially making the armhole a bit smaller, but you might be able to just ease the excess in and be fine. Does that make sense?

[@kimberlyturner520]

@@TomKatStitchery thank you. And yes perfect sense

[@dayleyspeace2511]

I just found your channel and I'm very much enjoying it. Your tutorials and explanations are great. After watching your video about inserting a fly zipper, it finally sunk in the difference between a fly extension and shield. I also love that you like to thrift and refashion. I recently took 3 pairs of my husband's worn jeans and refashioned into a jean jacket. I am happy with how it turned out and it is so comfortable with the worn denim. I didn't add pockets and I haven't purchased any buttons yet, but I'm wearing it anyway. I posted it on Instagram if you would like to take a look @kdayley1. Thanks for putting your time and energy into your vlog, it is great and much appreciated.

[@TomKatStitchery]

That’s fantastic and I will go have a look. That’s exactly what I’m planning on doing later this year!

[@patriciaoswalt6464]

Shouldn’t you take some of the fabric out of the sleeve cap and shoulder seam that allowed for the big shoulder pads?

[@TomKatStitchery]

If you were remaking the jacket, then yes. However, because it’s wool, it’s very easy to shrink quite a bit out with a TON of steam. I could have redone the shoulder seam, but that would have messed with the sleeve cap and I had no desire to put that much work into it.

[@DoloresDeeBodnar]

Love the shirt.. you are wearing.

[@jodieroundtree488]

yes, not only does my hair make tight curls that frizz, the top layer goes straight :/ so I can either put it up or try to braid the straight part out of the way and leave my kinky curls hang out. BTWS I had perfectly straight glossy hair all my life until I was pregnant with my daughter and she threw my hormones into a whirlwind and my hair frizzed up and never went back! :0 Thank you for your great ideas.

[@TomKatStitchery]

Yes! I have the same issue! The top doesn’t want to curl like the lower layers. I also had much straighter hair before pregnancy. Those hormones are no joke 😂.

[@phylliscampbell2325]

Doesn’t one have to lower the shoulder seam and remove some of the sleeve cap when downsizing shoulder pads? I’m so confused. Lol

[@TomKatStitchery]

Yes. Since this was a ready made blazer, I was trying to get away with doing as little as possible to get a blazer I wanted to wear. If I were altering a pattern that was drafted for shoulder pads, I would adjust the shoulder seam height at end of seam and adjust the sleeve cap height.

[@marciahighsmith4820]

My hair does that as well as is going white at record speed...ugh!

[@carlahumphrey6258]

Whitney You are an amazing seamstress.Love the capsule wardrobes. You do a great job linking patterns and fabrics. The only thing I could be critical about is the into music you use.It is so load I have to quickly turn down the sound so it doesn't blast my eardrums.Then readjust the sound when you start talking.Seriously..am I the only one bothered by this?

[@TomKatStitchery]

Sorry about that! I can tweak the volume in editing.

[@carlahumphrey6258]

@@TomKatStitchery I use earphones. May be why I notice it more than others. Thanks

[@TomKatStitchery]

Carla Humphrey that makes sense! I have started to adjust that in editing so hopefully it gets better!

[@puzzlesgd]

I do the same thing with the volume as of July 2020.

[@tinahemminger1372]

Members mark. Is Sam’s club.

[@TomKatStitchery]

Thank you!

[@annacirjak7306]

Holey moley, you are so very lovely.

[@TomKatStitchery]

What a kind thing to say! Thank you!

[@PKQuent]

I enjoyed the pants and jacket, but I wish you used a table and not your lap. I had a problem viewing it items.