Today my creative space is filled with finishing. I just finished this laptop bag/purse for myself. Hopefully, we’ll get a little sun today so I can get some more pics. I’m also finishing up another tote for an etsy order. Plus, I’ve got to whip up two gift bags for these projects and I’m going to try and fit in a little mending in the evening.
What’s in your creative space today?
Visit more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s blog.
Even though I wrote this tutorial for a kid’s size dress, you can do this with adult sizes, too. This is the same way I turned a shirt into a skirt.
My daughter and I both love this dress. She only wore it a few times last season because it was too big. This year it is too small. It probably would have fit her best when it was 20 degrees outside.
The other day she insisted on wearing it. (Yes, it was still hanging in her closet even though it was too small.) I let her try it on so she would see that the buttons could no longer be buttoned. While she had it on, I realized that it was just the top that was too small. The bottom fit just fine. Hmmm… what if I turned it into a skirt?
Step 1
Cut off the bottom of the dress. If your daughter is as tall as mine, use a seam ripper. It takes longer, but she needs every bit of length I can save.
Step 2
Measure your daughter’s waist. Add an inch and then cut a piece of elastic. I used 3/8″ wide elastic.
Step 3
Fold the top edge down 1/4″ and press. Then fold 5/8″ and press.
Step 4
Sew the waist leaving an opening for the elastic. Edge stitch the top to help the elastic stay in place.
Step 5
Thread the elastic through the waist casing, sew elastic ends together with a 1/2″ seam allowance, and close up the waist.
My daughter was so excited to see her new skirt. She especially loves the bow. The original dress had a two inch hem. If she’s still in love with it next season, I guess I’ll be letting the hem down, too.
refashion: Sewing clothes is sometimes easier if you don’t start from scratch. Refashioning a favorite piece of clothing can make you happy, your budget happy and the earth happy.
Thanks to whipup.net for linking to my tutorial and welcome new readers! For more crafty updates, visit my Facebook page!
We have a sisal rug as a door mat that we bought from Restoration Hardware more than 10 years ago. I love the look of sisal, but it’s a little expensive. I thought it would be easy to reproduce by knitting with sisal. I got a ball of it at the hardware store a few years ago. It’s still sitting in my stash. I’m just not motivated to knit a big rectangle with scratchy twine.
In the meantime, I found a natural colored rag rug at Target a few years ago on clearance for $5. They only had one. We’ve been using it by our garage door and it works fine, but I don’t really like the look of the tassels. I do like that it is softer than the sisal. It feels a little nicer in our kitchen area.
Then one day at a church sale (have I mentioned how much I love church sales?) I found three more rag rugs that matched ours. The colors are all slightly different, but they are in the same family. I got an idea. What if I cut the tassels off and added fabric trim. I get the look of my favorite rug, but softer and cheaper. (I got all three rugs for $1.)
I’ve washed all of them and I’m just waiting for a little bit of free time to dive into this project. I don’t expect it will take long, but I think there will be some hand sewing involved. I don’t know about putting these under my presser foot, even if they do fit.
refashion: Refashioning isn’t just about making over your clothes. Try refashioning items for your home, too. Sometimes the best way to find the perfect accessory is to make one yourself.
I’ve found a lot of wonderful, crafty women through twitter, one of whom is Kathy Cano-Murillo, a.k.a. The Crafty Chica. When Kathy tweeted that she was looking for bloggers to review her new sewing book, I jumped at the chance.
Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing: Fabu-Low-Sew Projects for the Everyday Crafter is a great beginner sewing book. Kathy’s writing is down to earth and her personality shines through in her projects. You don’t have to love glitter to find inspiration within the pages.
If you’ve never sewn before, Kathy gives you a good, basic overview of threading and using your machine. She covers types of fabric, embellishments and designing your own material. She also differentiates between “must-have” and “luxury” supplies. Advanced sewists will enjoy this part of the book, too. It’s sprinkled with tips, tricks and fun anecdotes.
This is definitely an “artful” sewing book. The patterns are easy, but not boring. I’ll admit I pulled out my box of buttons and ribbons after reading through it the first time. There are also ideas for upcycling and recycling. Some of my favorite projects are:
• sending fabric postcards
• using vintage scarves for a dress
• updating a skirt with ribbons
• embellishing a coat with trim
• making a t-shirt and yarn scarf
These projects will have to wait in line, though. I have a few projects that have been sitting in my to-do pile waiting for some inspiration.
Beach Towel Tote: I saved some scraps from a beach towel that had my name embroidered on it. It’s not enough for a tote, but it would make a cool zipper pouch for sunglasses, sunscreen and a book. I just need to pick out some ribbon and buttons to jazz it up a bit.
T-Shirt Glitter Tote: I’ve wanted to turn one of my ’80s Siouxsie shirts into a tote for awhile now, but wanted something that wasn’t floppy. I can’t believe I never thought of just stitching it to an existing canvas tote. Duh! I may even add glitter.
Bohemian Bed Cover: I have some beautiful embroidered blankets from my in-laws that need to get out of the closet and on display. They aren’t big enough for our bed, so I’m going to add some more fabric. T doesn’t share my creative vision on this one, but I think they will look great!
Bottom line: I recommend this book for any level sewist, especially if those looking for some artistic inspiration.
