What the Dickens? & The Final Your Own Twist Link Up #63
About Your Own Twist
Your Own Twist is a monthly link party hosted by Monica of Monica Hayworth (formerly Jersey Girl, Texan Heart) and me on the third Thursday of every month with the goal of inspiring some of our friends to get creative with personal style.
The idea behind this collaboration was to take one common piece or theme and style it our own way with our own twist…Monica and I have both taken a lot of fashion inspiration from one another over the years even though we have totally different styles. It is always fun to see how we can interpret similar items in unique ways or what kind of twist we will each bring to the chosen theme.
But the time has come. The time is now. Your Own Twist is retiring after more than 5 years of joint collaboration between me and my dear friend Monica. Although Monica has not participated in a few months because her priorities have understandably shifted to her beautiful family and her sweet baby girl, I do want to take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation for her friendship all these years.
I cannot remember when Monica and I first discovered each other, but I do remember our super fun coffee meet up back in July 2018 before she moved from New Jersey to Florida. It wasn’t long after that meet up that we launched the Your Own Twist monthly collaboration and link party with our Fashion Icon Halloween costumes. We have had some interesting and silly themes over the years which always resulted in fun and unique outfits with our own twists put on them. You can find links to all 63 Your Own Twist posts right here.
For the final farewell to Your Own Twist, I have chosen this open-ended theme of What the Dickens?
For those who may not be in the know, the phrase what the dickens is basically just a euphemism for any variation of the phrase what the devil (or what the hell or what the heck). Putting my own twist on this odd theme, I did something that might be viewed as a little bit crazy and could possibly elicit someone to exclaim, What the Dickens?!
I upcycled a thrift shop bedsheet into a kimono robe! Yes, indeed. I found this adorable mushroom print bedsheet set for $3 at a local thrift store and I could not resist it. I love all things mushrooms! I never had any intention of actually using the sheets as sheets because that seems kind of gross. Although I guess it is no grosser than wrapping the bedsheet around myself in the form of a kimono robe! Oh, don’t worry, I washed it all thoroughly before I began my sewing project.
I used this video tutorial by Orly of The DIY Designer. I love her videos. They are super easy to follow and she really has some wonderfully creative upcycle ideas. In fact, Orly is where I got the idea for my Frankenstein dresses. But let’s get back to my mushroom bedsheet kimono robe. Obviously a bedsheet is just a giant swath of fabric that is already hemmed making it even easier to upcycle it into something wearable.
I use the word easier with a raised eyebrow because as simple as this robe tutorial is, I still am very much a novice at sewing and my ease was tainted by frustration and neophyte skills. There was a lot of sewing followed by seam ripping and resewing. I completely screwed up the neckline and the sleeves but fortunately you can really only tell upon close inspection. And since no one is closely inspecting my handmade and upcycled garments, it matters not to me that I have made a few mistakes. Mistakes, after all, are how we learn so I will make all the mistakes necessary for personal improvement.
Even with my errors, I absolutely love how this kimono robe turned out! My only complaint really is that the sheet fabric is a little bit clingy and kept sticking to my under clothes. But it is really comfortable…like being wrapped in a soft bedsheet!
I styled my new mushroom kimono robe pretty simply over a black column of leggings, long sleeve tee shirt, and tall boots. I added a red belt, my mushroom necklace, mushroom earrings, and a hat that Jeff calls my gnome hat. The gnome reference really seemed appropriate for a whimsical mushroom outfit. I also wore my olive green fur trimmed overcoat and my favorite floral scarf for a little color injection into this mostly black outfit.
And I still have the fitted sheet and a pillow case in this cute mushroom print! I am thinking of making a circle skirt from the fitted sheet and maybe some kind of top from the pillow case. But for now, I am content with my mushroom robe and need to get working on some more raggery projects!
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
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Outfit Details: Kimono Robe-Upcycled by me from a thrifted bedsheet / Leggings, Tee Shirt, Scarf, and Belt-Torrid / Boots-Steve Madden / Hat and Coat-Rosegal / Necklace-Boutique in Sylva, North Carolina / Earrings-Vendor at Smoked Country Jam
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
16 Comments
Anne M Bray
I made my high school grad dress out of bedsheets when we were told specifically not to! Don’t tell ME I “can’t” – haha.
As you may remember, I went to a private girls’ boarding school for high school. We had to wear long white dresses for the graduation crermony, and the headmaster’s wife was in charge of approving our apparel. In our first meeting with her, she said “…and DON’T use sheets to make a dress.”
Challenge accepted!
Despite the fact that the white cotton sheets provided by the school’s linen service were quite thick and luxurious, I made a double layered skirt for my dress (that I designed myself! Already pattern drafting ten years before fashion school).
Dress approved! No underwear showing through my dress!
Maybe you need the “double layer” approach on your kimono. Make a second one, sew them together wrong side out (leave hems open), and you’ll have a reversible, more sturdy kimono!
Happy Winter Solstice!
xxox
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Anne, you seriously just made my day with this comment! I, too, would have accepted the “DO NOT DO THIS” challenge. Don’t tell me what not to do or what not to wear either. Because you can be damn sure that I’m gonna do it or wear it then! This reminds me of the story that Betsey Johnson shares in her autobiography. She made matching velvet pant suits for herself and John Cale when they got married in 1968. The judge told her he refused to marry a woman wearing pants. So she went into the bathroom and took off her pants. She returned and approached the judge wearing just her long velvet blazer which barely covered her butt and said, “There. I’m not wearing pants.” He promptly married them laughing the whole time! And that is absolutely how I would have reacted to a man telling me a woman couldn’t wear pants!
I love that you made your graduation dress from bedsheets. And I might try to make another robe to double layer this one. But I am afraid I won’t be able to match up the measurements. I didn’t really measure much on the first one! That’s probably half my problem. LOL And I really want a mushroom circle skirt! So I might just deal with the clinginess. It might be better over looser, lighter, summery clothes than over heavy cotton leggings and long sleeve tops. I’ll check it out in the spring and decide what to do after that!
Happy Winter Solstice to you as well, my friend! Give me more minutes of sunlight now, please!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
OMG the mushrooms with the leaf print scarf – love it! The “gnome” hat is perfect with it. I admit to sometimes watching “goblincore” style videos on YouTube; it’s not my style but I do enjoy the nature-oriented whimsy of it. I think “gnomecore” is probably an even better name for the aesthetic!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Gahhh, Sally, thank you so much! I love the idea of a “gnomecore” aesthetic! We should start such a thing! It does sound way better than “goblincore.” Who wants to be perceived as a goblin anyway? That’s kind of weird. But I won’t judge. I just prefer gnomes to goblins!
xoxo
Shelbee
MIDORI
Absolutely love this look and these photos! Such a beauty!
xoxo, MIDORI
https://www.midorilinea.com/blogs/midori-linea/designer-life-to-mommy-life
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Midori, thank you so much for this wonderfully kind compliment! I really appreciate it.
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
I love mushroom prints too! This is such a wonderful upcycle project! The cute hat is perfect with it.
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! Mushrooms are so whimsical and fun. I am not surprised that you on the mushroom bandwagon with me! I shared another mushroom outfit today. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Oh well, I wear a winter coat that looks like a blanket so everything is possible right. If anyone has fun with clothing it’s you. It seems you feel much better, I hope the rest of the family does to so you can enjoy Christmas to the fullest!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Nancy! Ooh I love the idea of blanket coats for winter! And bedsheet robes for spring! LOL I am finally feeling better and have returned to normal energy levels. Thank goodness! That was definitely a hanger-onner! Merry Christmas, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
I really love how you styled the robe!!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Jennifer!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Shelbee, you are creating so many wonderful things…a bedsheet makes perfect sense when you think about it. Actually, I have some Ninja Turtle sheets I’m planning to make into sleep pants for my youngest! And, the gnome hat is the icing on the cake!
Thanks for the link up! Have a wonderful holiday season, my friend!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, my friend! Pajama pants are a brilliant way to upcylce old bedsheets! Now that we all have our health back, I am about to start my next rag curtain. It is inspired by mother and I can’t wait to get started on it!
Merry Christmas!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Love it. Looking so very nice.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick! This mushroom print just makes my soul happy!
xoxo
Shelbee