Altering cardis

Boy I have a lot of cardis!  They come in so handy, especially with sleeveless dresses which I do love to wear to work, in air conditioning! Recently I bought a few plain cardis in op shops because I loved the shape of them - they're not shapeless cardis like most of the ones I already own, but nicely figure hugging cardis with a fitted waist.  But they were boring black and boring oatmeal.  So I had a think about ways to pretty them up.

 
First up I chose the oatmeal cardi and I was inspired to embroider some bright flowers, after seeing some vaguely similar ones on Bates Motel and Neighbours (stop laughing).  I couldn't find any pictures online, and couldn't get a good look at the ones on the TV shows, so made up my own design using grub roses, lazy daisies and french knots. It's a long time since I did any embroidery, so I just winged it.  :)

Next up was a second hand Portmans black cardi and I went with a simple chain stitch to define the neckline and cuffs.

By the way, I just found these instructions for doing chain stitches backwards, which makes it really easy to keep the stitches the same length.  I wish I read this first!

Next up to embellish will be a white fitted knit top.  I haven't quite decided what I'll do with that..

I've altered lots of clothes I've bought in op shops.  Use your imagination and think about ways to embellish something plain or turn an ill fitting dress with gorgeous fabric into a skirt!