Double Dipped

Background story- I was making a dress for one of Ansley's friends and thought it would be awesome to use a sheet that a neighbor gave me and give it the ombre treatment. The ombre part looks fine but there's a big splotch of dye on the back (boo!!) so now it'll be a play dress for Ansley and I have a few days to start over.

Since I'd cut up the sheet, I decided to use as much of the unstained part as possible- including a shirt and circle skirt for Ansley and a circle skirt for me. I didn't mean to make Ansley's shirt so short, just short enough that she can manage by herself in the bathroom (if you know what I mean ;) ). This was my first time dyeing elastic. I used the whole bottle of dye, really hot water, and extra salt but the beautiful royal blue turned into a light periwinkle and the ombre effect is less pronounced.

I dipped in the bottom section of each item (except for my skirt- the darkest section is on top and the bottom is white) for the longest time and tried to "constantly stir" as the RIT bottle says. After about ten minutes, I submerged more of each item in the dye bath, then a bit more a few minutes later. Maybe I need one of those electric stirrers and/or shouldn't be in such a hurry and try to dye four things at a time. I will also buy 100% cotton for the next dye project, unless I want a more pastel colored result.

Oh and in case you missed it, I blogged about Ansley's jacket here and yes, she did pick those boots.

And don't forget to enter the giveaway, at the bottom of this post.

Turtleneck Refashion

I looked everywhere for a better picture of me wearing my favorite 25 cent refashioned turtleneck but this was the best I could find. I won't tell you what I don't like about the picture b/c then you'll go looking for it. haha. And yes, that's another circle skirt. I actually covered the elastic band and like it but will stretch the knit band more next time so it's not a bit lumpy.



Made using this tutorial, originally posted on Tricia's blog, Made by Me Shared with You, as part of Toptober Fest.

I got each of these turtlenecks for about a dollar. They were a few sizes too large for me, which is great for refashioning. Now they're some of my favorites.

I used a shirt that fit well (with a similar amount of stretch as the turtleneck) and traced the body of the shirt, adding my seam allowance. (I kept the bottom hem of the shirt in tact). If you want the neckline to be more scooped in the front, open up the shirt and line up the side seams (so you're only cutting one layer of the shirt instead of two). I left my necklines symmetrical.

I kept the original hem of the sleeve bottom as the bottom of my new sleeve. My grey shirt had three quarter length sleeves and I wanted half sleeves so I didn't trace the full length of the grey shirt sleeves. (make sure the fold of your shirts line up). I was able to keep the sleeve seam the same too (only cutting the top curve for the shoulder).

I sewed the body of the shirt, right sides together. I sewed the sleeves in (shirt inside out, sleeves right side out). (not pictured)

Using the scraps from the side of the shirt, I cut some strips to bind the neckline. (both the shirt and the strips are doubled in this picture). Since the fabric isn't stretchy in this direction, I should've cut more. (more like 90% of the neckline, rather than 80%). I'll show you what to do if that happens to you too.

Even out your strips if necessary and sew short ends together to form a loop.

On the right side of your shirt, sew the binding while gently stretching the binding loop. Start in the back of your shirt.

Open up your loop and add another scrap if you need to. Since you started in the back, it won't be as obvious. Reclose the binding loop.

Fold the binding up and over the neckline (so the raw edge is now on the inside of the shirt) and sew with a decorative stitch.

Go model your shirt. Skirt refashioned and blogged here. (They matched great when I got dressed in the dark).

My Signature Style (at least for this week)

I'm still defining what my signature style is and this post helps a lot, but would've been even more helpful last week. :)



This outfit features some of my favorite things- the colors, the comfort of knit, and a little bit of fun. This ensemble is also one of my favorite refashions.



The exterior of the jacket was made from an oversized sweatshirt that I bought on clearance for $3 at Walmart. I love the color and how the outside feels sturdy. However, the inside felt really cheap and yucky. Inspired by Jessica's outerwear, I lined the jacket with a green minkee from my stash. I made a pattern for the jacket based on my favorite sweatshirt cardigan from LL Bean and another one of Ansley's sweatshirts. The shawl, the button strip/placket/I obviously can't think of the word, and pockets came from the sleeves of the sweatshirt. Luckily Tricia posted applique tips before I sewed on the pockets and I used a tight zigzag around the pockets and am happy with how ti turned out. I also used my cheater method for buttonholes.



The dress was made from a $1 women's sundress, also from Walmart. I unpicked the shirred portion at the top (I'm saving it for something different since shirring and I are not friends, ha) b/c I needed every bit of fabric. The bodice is fully lined and I gathered the skirt portion using two basting stitches instead of one. I'm happy with how the cap sleeves turned out this time around.



I made the leggings by tracing a pair of Ansley's leggings. They aren't anything special, except that the fabric also came from my stash. And the legs really are even, they're just caught up in her socks.

Quick Color Blocking

I had to make a pair of shirts like this after seeing Madeline's post. I couldn't find any shirts like this at Walmart but did find some at JCPenney for $5 and they have the slightest sheen and are super soft. I should have cut them a little bit closer to the bottom of the sleeve, and will if I make another set. I didn't realize the front and back of the shirt are slightly different sizes (makes sense but I didn't think to check for it before pinning it) so if the top and bottom of the shirts don't line up immediately, switch one around and try again. :)

Bonus unrelated picture:

Notes from a Class

I taught at a church activity last week about making new things from old things. I thought it was just about sewing, but my friend, Anna, requested I talk about a few more things. I enlisted help from my friend, Michelle, since she's really good at refinishing furniture (among other things).

Here's the info I printed on a little handout (plus a few more bonuses since I forgot them last week).

Things to Reuse/Repurpose (aka the boring section)
Plastic shopping bags- trashcan liners, use in packaging instead of packing peanuts, dirty diapers, wet clothes
Paper shopping bags- to absorb oils from cookies, cover books, wrap packages
Newspaper-cleaning mirrors/windows, packing material, wrapping gifts.
Trash bag boxes/tissue boxes- use to store shopping bags
Food containers (ones you can clean really well)- storage for toys, to transport food for others
Small, sturdy cardboard boxes- to mail packages, kids’ crafts
Calendars/magazines- laminate the pictures for placemats, frame pictures for décor
Greeting cards- can use the covers as postcards or attach to a new greeting card
Laundry baskets- car trunk organizer for jumper cables, water, tool box, etc.
Old vinyl tablecloths/plastic shower curtains- keep in your car to sit/work on if the road is wet when you’re changing a tire, etc.
Scrap wood
Anything else you can think of!

Refinishing furniture by Michelle
1. Sand 2. Paint 3. Sand (distress) 4. Stain 5. Lacquer

How to change something in a crafty sort of way
Spray paint, paint
Modge podge/scrapbook paper
Cover it in fabric- slipcover, pillow case, duvet cover
Replace knobs, buttons, zippers, etc.
Dye or bleach

Clothing Refashioning Principles
*The larger the item is, the more fabric you have to manipulate/ more options you have to change it into something different
*Keep original hems/seams where possible; it makes your finished item look more professional and it’s less work.
*Knits (ie the fabric your t shirts are made of) don’t fray and don’t require all of the edges to be finished, though they may look better if finished.
*If an article of clothing that you love/fits you well is beyond repair, you can cut it apart to use as a pattern to create something new.
*When you’re making a pattern from existing clothing, make sure your new fabric has a similar amount of stretch (or add extra inches where necessary).
*Keep in mind the condition of the fabric (ie if it has holes, stains) and the care of the fabric. (I will not make anything for Ansley that has to be dry cleaned).

I also blabbed on and showed my unironed creations. I tried to update my labels so you can search for refashioned items here
(or just click on that little label at the bottom of the post) and made from a bedsheet items here.

Those Clothes Look Better on Her

I wanted to make Ansley a dress like my new favorite dress. Unfortunately I don't have a little cap sleeve shirt to trace for her. Fortunately I have a few shirts that aren't super flattering on me and that Tyrone doesn't wear.

Here's the first version. I traced a shirt with proper sleeves and tried to mimic one of my cap sleeved shirts. The shape was alright but it was a little big.



More pictures of the dress, b/c she's cute.







Here's the second version. I used the blue dress as a guide, taking in the sleeves at the armhole and the edge a bit. I like how it looks in some of these pictures but it looks tank toppy in other pictures (which is probably partially due to having never washed the brown shirt). Maybe it's b/c there isn't a defined cuff at the edge and/or the fit is a little off? I don't want to make them too much smaller b/c I don't want the dress to be difficult to get into.











Here are some sketches of how I made these:







Tips:
Prewash your shirts! The sleeves on the brown dress were cuter before I shrank them. I'm not too sad b/c it was a practice run anyway.

Stay stitch around your sleeves, if necessary. I definitely had to one the brown one. I sewed a medium long stitch near the edge of the sleeve. The stitch gave it more stability so I could fold it under twice to finish the edge.

You might have to adjust the neckline a bit if you want to keep the original finished neck edge (like on the blue one).

Try not to cut your knits too soon before you can sew them. Some knits curl in a lot.

Easy Slip/Skirt

This is another one of my dollar dresses. It's a few sizes too big, which is perfect for a fuller skirt. I cut off the top, added a casing and some elastic. I like the white ruffle peeking out under other skirts and dresses. My mom would be proud that I'm not anti slip anymore.

Before:

Sweet Sweatshirt!

I took a hand me down men's size large sweatshirt and made a cuter one.



I didn't realize that a lot of sweatshirts don't have side seams. I cut out the design and cut the sweatshirt below the sleeves. I used one of Ansley's dresses as a width guide and to trace the sleeves. I had enough material to overlap the front. I like the asymmetry and the buttons.



Here's the original front of the sweatshirt:





Linked here:

Comfy Jeans

(yes that is snow from this morning. Grr.)

Ansley has an adorable pair of sparkly jeans from the Children's Place Outlet. The only trouble is they are really stiff and don't have any stretch. So I traced a pair of her leggings onto my a pair of my old jeans that don't fit anymore, keeping the original jeans hem and one of the original seams. The seam that I used for the outside was actually the inner seam but it looked more finished. I traced the back and front sections of the leggings with one of my new favorite sewing tools- a washable marker. The elastic waistband will make it easy for her to self dress.

So nice for lounging: