Changing Your Clothes

Shopping, Sewing, Upcycling, Repairing: Make the most of your clothes!

Category Archives: Embellishing

Ideas and tutorials for embellishing existing clothes and other items.


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Fresh from Fashion Week: Multimedia Looks!

I just got this link from Shopbop. It’s a slideshow of some amazing multimedia effects, creative combinations of textures, colors, and silhouettes. Yes, these are high-fashion looks, so I send this along primarily as inspiration— just think about incorporating a single idea from these total looks.

For example, in the first photo (the model with the golden statue, below; clicking on the photo will take you directly to this page of the slideshow), maybe you love the idea of the sky-high burnished-gold boots, but simply don’t get how you can work them (let alone the entire outfit) into your pick-up-the-kids-stop-for-groceries-make-dinner days. Try applying the concept instead: glimmering bronze-finish statement earrings, or perhaps a great belt with a big, gleaming golden buckle.

Gold Boots, via Shopbop Via Shopbop: One of the multimedia looks in this inspiring slideshow. Continue reading →


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Zip It, The Epilogue: Non-DIY Zipper Pulls!

Here’s a great place for hand-made zipper pulls: Lubun Bay Jewelry on Etsy!

Lubun Bay zipper pulls/stitch markers

Gwen’s zipper pulls and stitch markers, in her Etsy shop, Lubun Bay Jewelry!

In addition to zipper pulls (for just $2.50!!), Gwen makes beautiful jewelry, and stitch markers for knitting and crochet. And she can make your zipper pull in the color of your choice! Go and visit her on Etsy!

(And if you’d like to try your hand at making your own zipper pulls, check out my super-new tutorial!)


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Zip It, The Finale: 5 Easy Steps to a DIY Zipper Pull!

In the short amount of time I spent getting ready this morning for my great DIY zipper pull experiment, I learned several things:

1. I have relatively few clothes with zippers.

2. The ones with zippers are almost all invisible zippers. (This is probably due to my preference when making clothes— I find invisible zippers the easiest to install.)

3. The pulls on invisible zippers vary considerably from those of regular zippers.

Why are these facts important? Well, if you look at the following 2 photos,  you’ll see that the available places where you can connect a new zipper pull are quite different:

Regular zipper

Example of a regular zipper. Note the nice, big, obvious hole in the zipper pull.

Invisible zipper Example of invisible zipper. Unlike the regular zipper, the pull on this one doesn’t have a hole; the new zipper pull will have to attach to the horseshoe-shaped piece above the pull shown here. Continue reading →


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Zip It, Part Deux: DIY Pull?

This is the first part of my follow-up on yesterday’s post on fixing a broken/missing zipper pull (Zip It: The Lost-Pull Fix). The next part will include full instructions for making a zipper pull (hurrah!).

When I needed pliers to open my replacement zipper pull, I grabbed the first ones I could lay my hands on, which happened to be in my jewelry-making supply box. They were right next to a package of lobster-claw clasps, and even though I was in a hurry to get that blog post going, it did occur to me at the time to wonder if those clasps would fit on an ordinary zipper pull. Hmm…

This morning, I took a closer look at my jewelry materials. Here’s the result of a quick rummage through my supplies:

Possible make-your-own-zipper-pull materials, clockwise starting with the package of lobster-claw clasps: a fancier brass lobster-claw clasp, a jeweled pendant, faux peridot pendant, faux sapphire pendant, and an old necklace with a pendant that could be repurposed as a zipper-pull ornament.

Zippers are such utilitarian things, why not dress them up a bit? (For all we know, they suffer from a perpetual sense of inferiority, considering the beautiful buttons, frogs, laces, and other closure types that compete with zippers. A lot of zippers are actually invisible! Honestly… how would you feel?)

Continue reading →


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Pillow Talk: Adding a Fab Ruffled Trim!

All right, I know it’s a pillow, not a garment, but after this brief digression, I promise I will show you how to apply this technique to clothing items too, including ready-to-wear fabric clothes, not just knits!

It all started with this pillow, hand-knitted (by me) with Knittique’s Scraplet Skeins. (Click here to go to Knittique’s Etsy shop; the link will go straight to the color shown here. The Entrelac Pillow pattern is also available in this shop.)

Fade to Black Pillow front

The front of the Fade to Black Entrelac Pillow, looking fine, but somehow not quite all there. So to speak.

Continue reading →