Sew much fun

Well, since getting my second hand Serger I have been sewing when ever I can sneak down stairs. I have been enjoying making journal covers for gifts,  I really need to make one for myself too.
They look great in linen, Umbrella Fabrics (from Australia/home) is perfect! I buy a little $10 pack of scrapes and can probably get 3 or four out of it.

The project that followed the journals was my Otis Pants inspired by the Bonds pants (also from Australia). On our little holiday A. gave me some heavy jersey, it's dark green, super baby friendly but need to be personalized. Of course I printed on it. I liked this idea from Lil Blue Boo so I printed the stripes and then added the scull and cross bones, and I am in love with the our come!

Finally I made up one of these tee-necklaces. One t-shirt from the thrift store $2, scissors, needle and thread and a bit of time up your sleeve. I'm quite impressed with my creation, so much so I am sending my sister one, she is a fab sewer and super stylish.

yoga pants

After making my first pair of pants out of a tee I had to make another. This time I wanted to try a simple style I saw when I was home in Australia, Bonds Roomies, ( I love anything Bonds!).

This tee was a long sleeved tee that I bought for $3 at Zellars. (I have already made a pair of pants out of the sleeves). Note: the cut of this shirt is a little off so keep that in mind when you look at the photos.

First I measured the length of the pants I made in the last post and added about 2 inches, total 17".

Second I drew the shape (from memory) of the pants. There are only going to be 2 pieces to these pants so there needs to be a big space between the legs to create the crotch. The hem of the tee with become the hem of the pants which will save you some time.

Third: The bottom of the tee's side seams can be used as the leg seams so you will just sew the top half of the legs (this saves sewing and pinning). Cut out the pattern leaving 1/2" for seam allowance, working with jersey like this can move a little once you start pinning and sewing so it's better to be safe than sorry. :)

Fourth: cut out an oval. I know that the Bonds version of these pants doesn't have a gusset, but I wanted to try one.

Fifth: pin the gusset, and sew all the seams.

Sixth: line your pants up with a pair that you already like the fit of to determine where to fold over to create the waist, then pin it.

There you have it a pair of Roomies, if your little fellas bottom doesn't have a diaper on it then these will be baggy in front. They are definitely comfy pants. I will add a pic of my little man wearing them soon.

man oh man do i love these pants

The weather here is lovely, my little man and I are spending more and more time down town, browsing and playing at the park mostly. Today we were out by 9am to grab a few things at the store, followed by a visit to the cafe.
Next we, well I decided to hit the Thrift Store, seriously, it is my fave store in town. I have been finding some real treasures lately, today I bought 2 tees for myself (woohoo) and then this Nikita tee. With the plan to make the perfect pair of comfy pants.

This was such an easy project you should really try it. I laid out the tee and cut to pattern pieces (one to become each leg) this means I don't need a seam up the side. I was also able to use the hem of the tee as the hem of the pants, which saves time and looks really neat. Sewing the crouch first then the inside legs, followed by sewing the waist band and threading some wide elastic. Last I sewed in one of my little tags and the original label off the tee on the back and there you have it my fave pants.

a week at a glance, part 2

I bought this dress in Australia at the thrift store, I love the idea of wearing this flowy thing, but it just never worked. As usual I have hung on to it for a year, before I decided to upcycle it. There is enough fabric to make two skirts plus some.

You can't see it but there is a seam running around the waist of the dress, so I cut it there and then just used half of that to make one skirt. Next I decided how to do the waist, I have had a lot of fun with elastic thread already and didn`t have any thick elastic so I used two thin bands sewn separately so that it creates a thicker waist band look. Super simple but I like it and will enjoy wearing it.

odds and ends

I have been doing some thinking about where to from here... and still not quite solidified my new direction. So I have made a few things to keep me busy. A practical laundry basket, an upcycled tee for Rio and just now a few prints.

I am really happy with these, Rio's tee is going to go into a competition over at I Am Momma and the prints are just for fun, patches for future projects I think.

a night off

So as you know, I have been sewing like there was no tomorrow, but after a longish day I find the sofa is calling my name. Rio has been up since 4:30 had a nap for 2hrs and still isn't asleep yet. I also miss my man who is away on a family guys trip in the sunny US. Not having the energy to search Netflicks for a decent movie I am watching angel eyes on Tv... it's not worth watching so here I am.

I did sew a project for myself last night, I had a funky pair of pants from the thrift store that didn't quite work on me, so I set out to turn them into a tote. I was going to take the front and back of a leg and sew up where the zipper would have been.. well after hitting them with the iron I melted the lace that made the one pocket interesting. Anyway I replaced that section and then chose a fabric to line them with and sewed a strip on the outside to add a little something. The final product is a little smaller than I planned but that's ok, it's suite water bottle and snacks.

The tally for the market is 20 items!!

A shirt to a skirt

Finally I did it. Learning how to turn a large men's shirt into a skirt has been on my to do list for a while. A few nights ago when Rio had gone to bed I left Aaron to play Wii and headed for Athena's.
First of all we decided on simple is best, I cut the sleeves off the shirt and cut across the body. Then I sewed down the sides (as the shirt was a little wide) then hemmed the top and I left the original hem of the shirt for the bottom. Next the new skill, ruching which uses elastic thread, to create the waist band, so cool and easier than i thought. I reattached the pocket with a border of contrasting fabric, and there you have it my first skirt.

I enjoyed this so much I went to the Thrift store the next day to make another one, this time I took off the buttons and put a pocket on the side.