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tropical tablecloth tote

I’ve started making some things for my shop again. There is some thrifted fabric in my stash that needs to be repurposed before I can go garage sailing again this year. I used a little bit of this tablecloth to make a small sock knitting basket a few years ago. Now I’ve gone in the opposite direction and made a big beach bag tote.

tablecloth beach tote

When I washed the table cloth, it lost a lot of the canvas-like stiffness that I liked, so I had to line it with something sturdy. I chose some heavy duty upholstery fabric to do the job.

tablecloth beach tote

I also tried something a little different with the gusset and added these vintage buttons on the side. Aren’t they cute? I love them!

tablecloth beach tote

I’ve got the rest of this tablecloth cut and ready for more totes. Not sure if I am going to make something different or make more of the same.

What do you think?

recycle: Tablecloth from the thrift store, lining from a garage sale, thrifted buttons. More photos in my shop.

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wardrobe refashion: linen skirts

It’s no secret that shopping for pants drives me nuts. And the capri pants I complained about last year didn’t even make it through the season. So, I’ve decided to make a bunch of skirts for this summer and yesterday I started with these two linen lovelies by Laura Ashley.

laura ashley linen skirts

No before pictures because I didn’t change that much. They were really long and too big in the waist. Here’s what I did to them.

  • Washed in hot water and tumble dried to preshrink them.
  • Chopped off about 10 inches and made a 1/2 inch double fold hem.
  • Used a seam ripper to open up the elastic waist casing.
  • Cut the elastic down to the right size and then sewed everything back up.

I am absolutely in love with the result. The linen is so lightweight and soft—perfect for summer. I thought about making them a little bit shorter, but spending time at the park today with our crazy Nebraska winds convinced me they are the right length. Also, I’m loving the fact that they have pockets!

thrifted: Bought these at the Goodwill 99 cent sale. That’s right! My Laura Ashley linen skirts cost me a whopping $2.

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elephant blanket becomes a pillow

baby gund blanket pillow

When my daughter was born, we received a sweet elephant Baby Gund blanket as a gift. It’s super soft and cuddly. It’s also pretty small.

The other day I asked her what she wanted to do with it. She definitely wasn’t ready to part with it, so I suggested making it into something else. Something else that might get used, like a pillow.

baby gund blanket pillow

She loved the idea! Especially when I told her she could help. If you have one of these and are looking to turn it into something for a big girl or boy, it’s easy.

Step 1
Using a seam ripper, open up about 2-3 inches of stitches on the side.

Step 2
Stuff it with polyfil, starting with the legs first and working your way toward the middle. This is a great step for your child to help. My daughter LOVED doing the stuffing.

Step 3
Close up the side with a blind stitch.

baby gund blanket pillow

reshape: I love it when my daughter gets excited about working on a project with me. She adores the pillow and is proud to say she helped out. I think we just added a few more years to Ellie’s life with us.

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wardrobe refashion: the first of many t-shirts

nebraska t shirt

You know you’re getting old when the phrase, “They don’t make them like they used to…” creeps into your conversations. But seriously, can someone explain to me how my Gap t-shirts from college are still going strong almost 20 years later, but t-shirts from the past few years are falling apart?

I have this grand idea of updating all of those boxy, over-sized tees into a more modern and flattering fit. First, I need some practice. I’ve made a few patterns from existing t-shirts that I like and I’m also trying out the t-shirt pattern in Wendy Mullin’s Sew U Stretch.

My first try was a thrifted XL Nebraska shirt. It turned out pretty good for a beginner shirt. The sleeves are kind of tricky, though. I definitely need a little bit more practice before cutting into my ol’ Gap favorites.

thrifted: I always try to practice on thrifted material and clothing first. I’d rather mess up on a 99 cent t-shirt than on the good stuff!

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wardrobe refashion: lollipop shirt

applique t-shirt

My daughter was absolutely devastated that her lollipop shirt had gotten too small. (Yes, devastated—three-year-old drama is so… dramatic!) So I did what any sewing mama would do: appliqué.

applique t-shirt

I used heat-n-bond and reinforced it with a zig zag stitch. My only mistake was leaving the extra heavy duty needle in the machine. I hope these holes don’t get any bigger!

applique t-shirt

refashion: Appliqué is a great way to give an old shirt new life. I can’t believe the new shirt is a size 5/6. My baby is getting so big!

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wardrobe refasion: adding long sleeves to a t-shirt

long sleeves on t shirt

I was putting away laundry in my daughter’s dresser and found her preschool t-shirt. I can’t remember the last time it was warm enough to wear short sleeves. I don’t think it’s even been worn once. I decided to add some long sleeves so she can wear it before she outgrows it.

(I know what you are thinking. Why not just layer it over a long sleeve shirt and save yourself the trouble? Well, not only does my daughter dislike wearing sweaters, she doesn’t like to layer shirts, either.)

I used a size 4-5 T sleeve to make the pattern and figured I’ll just roll them up for now. Maybe next fall, I can use them on a different shirt. Look at that beautifully serged seam. Don’t you just love it?

long sleeves on t shirt

recycle: I used the body of one of my old t-shirts to make the sleeves. I was going to post a tutorial, but this seems easy enough. What do you think?

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my creative space

cat fabric tote bag

In my creative space today is another custom bag for my friend Cathy with more cat fabric! She wanted this one really big to hold her ball winder, swift and tons of yarn.

I made it really big.

Then I was worried that it was too big.

I took it to knitting group tonight and she said it’s perfect!

I just need to finish it up and get it back to her. She’s got a bunch of yarn waiting for it.

Now I’m headed over to Kirsty’s blog for more Creative Space inspiration. You should, too!

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blanket finished!

cross stitch baby blanket

I spent more time thinking about this project than actually sewing it. I guess I was being extra careful with it because of all of the handwork. It’s not like I could go out and buy new fabric if I messed something up.

Here were my concerns:

  • The cross stitch had caused the top piece to pucker. I needed it to lay flat. Pressing it with an iron didn’t help much.
  • Both the front and back pieces were quilted and together were too thick to easily fit into the ruffle trim.
  • The ruffle trim was in two pieces and one was wider than the other.

Here were my solutions:

  • I tied the top and bottom like a quilt, working from the center outward. I didn’t want the ties to be visible, so I started and finished inside, sandwiching the ends between the two pieces of fabric.
  • I serged the two fabrics together to create a nice even edge for the trim.
  • I took the trim apart a few inches on each end sewed them back together on a slight diagonal. There are places were the ruffle is shorter than others, but the transition from shorter to longer is a smooth one. I am probably the only one who will notice this.

I learned a lot putting this project together. I’m glad I took the time to think things through. I’m also happy that I had my serger to make things easier!

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did i mention i made a new purse?

poppy purse soule mama handmade home

Seriously, how could I forget to blog about this?! Last week I made the Mama’s Bag from Amanda Soule’s latest book with fabric to match my laptop bag. I absolutely love it. My only modification to the pattern was to add a divider on the inside. You can see it a little bit on the left here:

poppy purse soule mama handmade home

That’s mostly to keep knitting and crochet projects from getting tangled up in my other purse stuff. At first I thought it was a little small, but once I freed myself from carrying around so many of my three-year-old’s things* in my bag, I think it’s just perfect.

*It is a Mama’s Bag after all!

stash: Fabric came from this remnant sale. Book is from the library, but after checking it out twice, I think I should probably just buy it. There are so many things I want to make!

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my creative space

My creative space is full of tiny little stitches. A friend of mine hand stitched this blanket, but doesn’t sew, and asked me to help put it together.

cross stitch baby blanket

I am amazed at her patience and perfect little stitches.

cross stitch baby blanket

And check out this cute ruffle trim!

cross stitch baby blanket

I’ll be sewing the front to a quilted back and adding the trim. I don’t want to machine quilt the two pieces together, so I have to come up with a way to tie or stitch them without interfering with the design. Suggestions welcome!

Creative spaces are hosted by Kirsty in Australia. No matter how early I post mine I always feel a little late to the party because of the time difference. So, I’m going to start posting these on (U.S.) Wednesdays. Now you get an extra day to check out all of the creative goodness!