September 13, 2014: The Refashion Project

Until North Face or another trendy and reputable outdoor gear company makes jackets for people with special needs, I'll have to continue adapting Cammy's jackets.  

Thank goodness for 16 older cousins who give us trendy and warm hand-me-down jackets!  I actually bought this down North Face for $15 from a Wheaton Mom's group on Facebook which acts as a virtual garage sale.

When Cammy got her wheelchair, it became increasingly difficult to put jackets on her quickly and easily.  I originally put her jackets on backwards by sliding her arms through and tucking the front side behind her.  I quickly realized how silly that looked.  Then, I brainstormed with my mother-in-law on how to cut the jacket so that it looked like it was on correctly, but I would just slide her arms through.  We figured it out! 

It makes getting her ready in the morning so much easier.  When she is cold in school, her aide can quickly slide her jacket on.  Before we had our handicap accessible van, the jackets were so easy to slide on in the carseat.  

I have received so many compliments on Cammy's jackets.  I really would love to pay it forward.  My goal is for people to donate old fleece jackets so I can refashion them for other kids with special needs so they remain trendy and warm. If you have an old North Face, Columbia or another really warm fleece that you were going to donate to charity anyway, please consider donating it to me.  I would love to donate a bunch of jackets like these to other kids who are wheelchair bound to make their and their caretakers' lives a little easier.  

If you are interested in The Refashion Project, please send me a message through the "CAMMY CAN" Facebook page.  

If you just want to do it yourself, here is a tutorial:

Behold the $15 North Face in mint condition I bought used.  

Unzip the zipper and lay it flat .  

Cut the jacket down the middle.  

It looked like a pillow fight after I cut into the down jacket :)  

Now you have the jacket in 2 pieces.  

Use Double Fold Bias Tape to sew up the slits you just cut.  

Add a few pieces of velcro along the new seams so the back can close up.  

Keep the zipper zipped in the front, slide the arms through and velcro the back shut.  

Look how much Cammy loves her new jacket!  She's hip, trendy and WARM like her friends.  

Please consider helping me with my Refashion Project.  If you have an old fleece jacket in good condition (any size), please consider donating it to me so I can adapt it for someone else.  Please send me a message through the CAMMY CAN Facebook page if you want to make a jacket donation.