Sewing: Refashioned Skirt

  Sometimes it is really amazing to make something new out of something discarded. It's curious and wonderful all in the same action of figuring out how to transform a piece. When you start to look at items of clothing as pieces of fabric then you can really see the potential. This is a simple refashion project...almost a no brainer. 
  I found this really easy to sew pattern. It only has three pattern pieces. The skirt front, back and waistband. I had a beautiful ribbon accented skirt with a broken zipper. I did not want to fix the zipper and little girl needed another skirt...so, I decided to refashion the skirt.

  I began by cutting off the waistband and across the top of the skirt to eliminate the pleats that were sewn into place. Then I cut along the side seams of the skirt until I had two perfectly useful pieces of fabric. Then I proceeded to lay out my pattern and cut it out accordingly.

  Since I had decided to use the already sewn hem on the skirt, I placed my pattern edge along the bottom of the skirt. This way I would only have to sew the side seams and waistband.

  The side-seams are sewn and trimmed. The pattern calls for a gathering stitch along the top of the skirt. This gather allows for a fuller skirt and a smaller waistband. The waistband is pinned and sewn onto the top of the skirt with very easy instructions. There is a small slit left on the inside of the waistband for the elastic. Then once the elastic is fitted and sewn, the slit is then sewn by hand. And whala...the skirt is finished and ready for embellishments.

  I had some flower sequins that I sewed in place by hand. I think it turned out quite nice. I also made up a couple more skirts in which I did different embellishments on. On a blue plaid skirt I embroidered flowers. And on a batik ombre skirt I highlighted certain designs with a gold fabric glitter paint. 

  Refashioning is an easy and practical solution to the old adage, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do with out." It is also very satisfying to give new life to something that wasn't being used. So, don't throw out those old clothes that might not fit anymore or have a broken zipper. Repair them or refashion them. Not only will it save the environment but it'll make your wallet fuller too!

Happy Sewing! 

~Christie

Refashion: Spring Shrug

      The best thing about refashioning an article of clothing is the fact that you do like a quarter of the sewing to get a whole new look. This sweater dress served its purpose until it was ruined by chocolate stains all down the front of the dress. It went into hiding for awhile...until I found it in my mending basket.

   So, I took my Ginghers and snipped a line across the top and one up the middle to create a little shrug. 

    I then cut 2 inch strips of printed cotton fabric in order to make up some bias tape. With the bias tape I pinned it from the top around the front, side, back and around to the other top corner and stitched it into place. I added a button loop and a sparkly button. 

{The natural lighting made the shrug look lavender-ish.}

    I made a fabric flower out of a piece of the bias tape and added some green polka dotted ribbon for the greenery in the little accent.It was delightfully simple to sew up and turned out quite cute. Season appropriate and perfect for any little sundress.

  Aloha!

~Christie

     
  Just a little piano music that I've been listening to. 

Have a great weekend!

Sewing: Palaka Laundry Bag

  Last year I posted a tutorial on how to sew up some Laundry Bags. Remember these?

 I recently used my own tutorial to sew up a masculine version of the Laundry Bag. 

 I used a canvas for the body and a black and white palaka print for the accent material. A turquoise blue thread was utilized in a zig zag stitch around the seam of the two contrasting materials. 

 I also embroidered some initials and added blue buttons. I think it will hold up well. It is a great gift for someone going off to college or on a mission. Aloha.

~Christie

Sewing: Bunny Skirt

 
 Spring has sprung and the fun of the season has finally presented itself. This beautiful yellow shower tree is one of many that have bloomed. Along with the spring rains,flowers seem to be popping out everywhere. There is also an ample supply of springy Easter goods stocked on the shelves of the stores. Chickies,bunnies and chocolate galore. {Oh, how the chocolate does tempt one every holiday season. I'm partial to Lindt chocolate, although Cadbury does a pretty good dark chocolate.} The celebration of new life is key to Easter and every year we celebrate with family. We have an early Easter dinner and let the little ones hunt for eggs. 
  For this purpose I have sewn up a couple of happy spring bunny skirts. Casual enough for comfort and cute enough for holiday flair.

  I opted for bright colors. The orange and turquoise are fun alternatives to the usual pink and yellow. Starting out as a long rectangular piece of fabric,this simple skirt takes shape with an elastic waist and hemmed edge.

  For the appliqued bunnies,I ironed on some pellon to a piece of white felt.

  In order to keep my felt piece clean,I traced my bunny shape onto the back of the pellon paper.

  I then peeled the paper off of the back of the felt and transfered my bunnies onto my fabric using a hot iron.

  Sewing around the shape of the bunny ensured durability to the piece. I enjoyed hand embroidering the eyes and neckties.
 {It was faster work than I had anticipated. All bunnies done in one sitting.}

  I also added a ribbon down the front side of the skirt to conceal the seam.

  And a bow in the front to mark the middle of the skirt. {This skirt is longer on her because it is meant for her big sister. The above skirt is the correct length.} 
I particularly like the hot pink ballet slippers. They add an individual pop of style to the outfit. Don't you think?  
 {I couldn't get her to wear her white dress shoes...she insisted on the pink:)}

Happy Sewing. 

Aloha!

~Christie

Craft: St. Patty's Day Pin

 My husband thoughtfully gave me this book, 

Crocheting in Plain English. 

It had a cute lucky 4 leaf clover pattern in it. It was fairly simple to do and took little time to complete one clover. I decided to make a St. Patty's Day Pin out of it. 
Here is what I did below.

 Perfect accessory for the holiday. 

Make one for yourself and one to give away.

 I think I will make one for my daughter to give to her teacher too. Aloha!

~Christie

Project: Sew Skirtsy Saturday

"Modesty is the color of virtue." ~Diogenes of Sinope

 I recently took part in a sewing project with our YW. We taught the girls how to sew a simple modest skirt. Sew fun and sew easy. The purpose of this project was to give each girl the opportunity to learn a new skill and come away with a new skirt. Modesty was our target. When you dress modestly you show respect for yourself. Skirts to the knee or below the knee are modest and nice to wear. Modest clothing is classy and timeless.

For this project we used the New Look E6710 pattern. There is an easy skirt pattern included that we added length to. It has a front, back and casing piece. The top is threaded with 1/2" elastic. So basically, you sew up the side seams, the hem and then the casing. Quite simple. Great for beginners. We used poplin fabric, which is a great dress fabric. It has a nice weight to it and sews up fairly easily. The girls pinned their patterns, added more length, and cut out the material. (I always think that the cutting out takes the longest in a project.) 

Then the girls sewed up their skirts with the help of us ladies. They did all the necessary pressing in between sewing pieces together. It was a fun time and we concluded it with lunch. The nice thing about a simple pattern is that you can really change it up. You could do prints, add lace, ribbon, flowers...etc. There really is no limit to the fun that you can have when sewing up a simple item. Start a modesty trend in your circle. Sewing up beautiful modest clothing or altering clothing to appear more modest is a great way to rev up some creativity. The talent in the world is amazing...when used for good it's awe inspiring. Aloha.

 

~Christie

Paper Doll Tote

 This was a super fun birthday gift that I sewed up for my daughter's very good friend. It was a simple idea that turned out very cutesy. I especially like the color combination.

  
The inside, of the binder tote, has a triangular pocket and a Velcro attachment. I really like the striped fabric coordinating with the heart and floral fabrics.I sewed the front side of the binder cover to the insides of the covers and added handles and a latch closure for easy transport.

I designed some tags to keep storage of the paper dolls organized. I used fun colors to match the fabrics and adhered them to the clear pockets with hot glue. I also made sure that the glue wasn't too hot that it would melt the pages and made identical tags to adhere on the flip side. I also chose a font that would be easy to read.

I took a strip of 2 inch wide fabric, frayed the edge and gathered the other edge into a circle. The floral fabric is a 1 inch strip fixed in the same manner. I then hot glued them in a layered fashion with a fleece heart cut out and a rhinestone for embellishment. Cute!

Simple fun organization for 

your paper dolls. 

All in a cute little tote!

~Christie

Basic Burlap Runner

 Believe it or not...I have never worked with burlap before. It's surprisingly cooperative. {No ironing.} I needed to make a simple runner for a small table top and I opted to use burlap for my main fabric. Accented in black cotton with white polka dots for the binding. Because it was for decorative purposes only, not for daily wear and tear, I could get away with using the burlap. First, I measured out my burlap to the size of the table top. Then, I cut two inch strips of the cotton material and sewed the ends together creating one long piece. With this long piece I ironed it in half length wise. I then opened up the fold and proceeded to fold the two sides in toward the middle fold. Pressed it into place and then refolded the center fold and pressed once again. Here I have created a large piece of bias tape in which I pinned to the burlap edge and sewed all around the piece, making sure that my corners were mitered. Then for more durability, I sewed a zig zag stitch all around the edge of the material where it met the burlap.

   For embellishment, I took a one inch strip of material and frayed one edge. I then sewed the other edge in a gathered stitch. After gathering the material I sewed the ends together, forming a circle, and added a crochet circle and plumeria button. I then sewed the embellishment in place on the runner. I think it turned out both cute and functional. I feel like the burlap with the black and white material serve as a neutral back drop for a table runner. This was such a fun and simple project. Give it a try and Happy Sewing!

~Christie

A Simple Skirt and a Headband

  Wow,Happy New Year! It has been quite busy since the holidays. I am looking forward to a new year with new creative projects and avenues to explore. Lately, I have been trying to reorganize and transition into some change. Things are finally getting back to normal and I am ready to get crafting once again. Saturday, as I was ironing Sunday clothes, I noticed that one of my daughters needed some new skirts. It's not snowing here, we only wear sweaters at night and in the morning, and so skirts are perfectly weather friendly. I decided to sew up a simple twirly skirt.

      I folded a skirt in half and placed it on the fold of the material. I cut the length I wanted and added to the width of the skirt. Then I sewed both the skirt and the lining separately and then together at the top of the skirt. I sewed a casing for the elastic and then fit it to her waist. It was fairly quick to sew up.

     Then I just had to make a cute hair accessory to go along with it. I cut some strips of fabric and made up this lovely headband. Follow along below.

 ~Christie
P.S. Today marks one year since I began my little blog. So much fun! Thanks for reading and following along.