I went to Michaels on a mission today — I was finally going to transform my old, frumpy jean shorts into homemade masterpieces. I’d studied up designs on Pinterest, made a list of materials I’d need (cloth, lace, fabric glue) and thought up detailed visions of my soon-to-be adorable shorts. The problem I didn’t see coming? Michaels doesn’t sell fabric.

This was a problem. The nearest fabric store was not exactly nearby, traffic was hideous and I really needed to go grocery shopping. I paid for my fabric glue and left the store feeling defeated. Tossing the glue into the passenger seat, I was just about to get into the car when I noticed the store on the other side of the shopping center — Stein Mart.

Someone once told me that the best fabric came from Goodwill, so I wandered into the department store, looking for the clearance rack. On my way, I noticed a bin of incredibly cheap lace panties, and grabbed two different pairs — one for $1.94, the other for $2.99. Sadly, they were lacking in floral prints, but a patch of color from the back of the store caught my eye, so I headed back into the kitchenware department. There, I found a napkin-like place mat that was almost exactly what I wanted, for a mere $1.99.


So I grabbed these items and left, feeling awkward yet hopeful. When I got home, I pulled out my shorts and got to work. (And goodness, did they need work.)


One pair (bottom) was ancient and frumpy-looking, while the other (top) had a gaping hole the size of China in the thigh. While I wasn’t entirely sure my new materials would work, I figured nothing could make these shorts worse.


I was also apprehensive about the fabric glue — would it work? Would it stain the denim? But since I am domestically challenged in areas like sewing and mending, and should never be allowed pointy objects, it seemed the safest choice. So I chopped off a piece of place mat and glued it over the hole. It was sticky and messy, but once it started drying it looked great, so I continued on with other holes, and some decorations of my own.


Ta da! All patched up and lookin’ brand new! (And no one besides you lovelies will know that those patches are meant for a dining room, not pants!)


The lingerie was harder to work with, though, because of its unusual shape. Both pieces were size large, and provided more fabric than I’d suspected (the largest swath is pictured above), but the elastic band and the awkward seams made the usable patches strangely shaped. Still, both designs were cheap and pretty, and glued on nicely.



Voila! Lace that was supposed to go under the shorts — on top! And now the shorts I used to hate to wear are my favorite pair! All with some fabric glue and a surprise trip to the underwear section of Stein Mart.

Have you made any clothing renovations this summer, lovelies?