I can’t believe I’m already on Episode 15 of Refashion Series! This has been a really fun experience and challenge for me so far to try and post a video every week. Thanks for your support, and I hope you enjoy this refashion tutorial!
Episode 15 The Metta Paisley Top
This refashion took less than 2 hours! I love that the new tunic top can be dressed up or down. If you are new to refashioning, this is a good place to start :)
This skirt is another piece that was passed down to me from my late grandmother, Metta. As you may be able to tell from the photo on the left, she was a very petite woman– much smaller than me. This led to an uncomfortable fit that needed a little refashioning.
I loved the colors throughout the skirt and was excited to try a simpler refashion on this item. I’ve been getting a little burnt out trying to go over the top with everything–so simplicity was a must this time around.
The theme of simplicity is fitting giving the nature of my grandmother. She was gentle, often quiet, and unassuming. She was also one of the sweetest women I ever met. I didn’t find out until later in life that she got her pilot’s license before she could even drive a car. She also gave birth to one of her son’s in an old building in Tonga (because there was not a hospital). She spoke Tongan so well, that she was invited to the Queen’s place often, because she could make guests feel more at ease.
She never told me most of these things. I found them out from other relatives.
(Click the arrows on the image to see more views of the before)
For the full tutorial, please watch the video above.
Like I mentioned earlier, this refashion was significantly faster than almost any other refashion I’ve done in years. It was therapeutic.
I really love how the tunic turned out. I feel like it’s still something my Grandma Metta still would have worn. She wasn’t much for sewing, at least not that I’m aware of. But she did teach elementary school, and that just so happens to be the same thing I majored in as well. In fact, I used to be a 4th grade teacher before I started having babies.
My family moved to Texas in 2004, and my grandparents remained in Utah. During the next couple of years, Metta started losing her memory. In about 2007, when I moved back to Utah for school and visited her, she had had tremendous loss in her short term memory capacity. It felt like we had lost her long before she actually passed away.
It’s been really tender for me to have this time dedicated to thinking about her as I refashion her clothing. I look forward to the day when we meet again and I can get to know her on a more adult level and she can share all her stories with me herself.
