Make Water Bottle Cover

 Hello Readers. It is mid-summer and that means HOT weather where I live. I am trying to drink enough water everyday to stay hydrated. And I am pushing water on my kids everyday too. I like my water as cold as I can get it. But it doesn't stay cold. Even at home in the house, my water gets warm quickly. Let's make a water bottle cover you can use at home or when you go out to help keep your water cool. 

You can make a fabric cover for your favorite water bottle. 

I wanted a cover for this water bottle and of course, I didn't want to buy one. I wanted to make one. This bottle fits in my Soda Stream to make seltzer. It's great but it doesn't stay cool. Even at home in my house, in the air conditioning, my water gets warm and the bottle gets condensation on it and can get messy on the table or desk. That's OK, I can fix that. 

 

I grabbed some fabric from my stash. I chose a thick fabric. The thicker the fabric the more insulation you will get from it. Use the thickest fabric you can. A piece of an old quilt, blanket, or beach towel would work great.

 

I made sure the fabric would wrap around my bottle fully with some excess. You will need at least 1/2 inch of over-lap so you can sew the cover together.

 

I used a pencil to mark where the edge of the fabric met after going around the bottle. That told me how big my cover would be. You can do this with smaller or larger bottles. You can make any size you want. This piece of fabric will be squarish shaped to cover the bottle. 

 

I also marked how tall I wanted the cover to be. The top of the bottle needed to stick out of the top of the cover, but I wanted the bottle covered as much as possible. 

 

I added 1/2 inch to the edges for a seam allowance. That gives me room to sew the new seam. I would cut out the larger size square to make my cover.

 

I traced the round circular bottom of the bottle. The cover needs a bottom. 

 

I added 1/2 inch all around the circle for my seam allowance. 

 

I cut out the larger circle. I would sew it to the cover last. 

 

I folded the cover with right-sides facing each other. I sewed the edges together to make a tube shape. The tube should be big enough to fit the bottle in and out. I used my serger for this but you don't have to. You can use your sewing machine if you want. 

 

I took the circle shape that I traced and cut out. I sewed the circle to one end of the tube with right sides facing each other. I used my sewing machine for this because it was easier to maneuver the circle around the sewing machine. 

 

I turned the cover right side out.  

 

You can see the bottom of the cover. It looks great. 
 

I wanted to finish the top edge of the bottle cover. I turned the edge in and stitched it down. My fabric was already finished on this edge so it would not fray. If you have a cut edge, turn it under twice and sew it down to hide the cut edge. It will fray if you don't sew it down. 

 

You new cover should look something like this. 

 

I made a second cover the same way with a piece of an old quilt. I made the quilt cover a few inches too tall so I could fold it down. You can make your cover anyway you like. 

 

I use this bottle and cover everyday at home. I also use this bottle and cover when I go out, I just throw it in my bag. The cover keeps the water cooler and keeps condensation under control. Thanks for reading along, now go make something for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a Problem With This Lining

 Hello Readers. This dress was cute and I liked the colors of the fabric. But the lining was not right. It seemed to have shrunk  Why did the lining shrink? I don't know. But it was not hanging smooth and it was not long enough for the dress anymore. I didn't want to wear it like this. What could I do with it?

Before and after. 

I liked the scattered stripes all over this dress but the lining barely covered my bum. That's not going to work in a light weight white dress. The lining was bunched up and gathered in a lumpy way. Ironing the lining didn't help. I decided to remove it.

 

I started cutting the lining out of the dress. 

 

I cut the lining carefully. I wanted to cut as close as possible to the seams but I did not want to cut the seams anywhere.

 

I cut and cut and cut.

 

I cut the dress shorter so it would be a shirt. I wanted to wear it but without a lining it would be very sheer, a shirt would be more comfortable (Less revealing.) for me. 

 

I liked it as a shirt. It was still just as great as the dress was.

 

Summer means shorts for me and this shirt is perfect with these shorts. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Napkins to Skirt

 Hello Readers. I found these napkins at a thrift store and knew I wanted them to be clothes. They were a nice cotton and I loved the gingham pattern. I settled on making a skirt because I had enough napkins to go around my hips. So, let me show you my faux wrap napkin skirt.

Before and after.

These napkins were so cute, they gave me an idea. Could I make a skirt from napkins? Sure I could.  

Here are my three cotton napkins. They were very over-sized which made this project possible. There was just enough to fit around me. I used approximately 2 napkins for the skirt and 2/3 of a napkin for the front faux wrap panel. 

 

I used my rotary cutter to cut off the folded over "hem" on the sides of 2 of the napkins. The top fold over edge will be the waistband and the bottom fold over edge will be the hem. That means the hem and the waistband casing are already done. 
 

Here is a look at the top folded over seam. I wanted to put the elastic through that casing. I used 3/4 inch elastic because that was the size of the folded over edge of the napkin. 

 

I pinned a safety pin to one end of the elastic and threaded it through the casing. This was easy as could be. 

 

Here are the front and back pieces of my skirt. They are identical at this point so either one could work in front or back at this point. The elastic gathered the waist nicely. I just need to connect the sides. 

 

Here is my third napkin. I kept the waistband or top seam intact and I also kept the bottom or hemline fold over seam intact. I kept the right side seam in place but I cut about 1/4 of the napkin off on the left side.

 

I put the front and back pieces together with the right sides facing each other. You could sew your skirt together like that and be done. But I wanted to add a panel in front so that it would look like a wrap skirt. I put the 3/4 size panel in the middle. When I sew the side seams, one side seam will have 3 layers sewn together at the side seam and one side of the skirt will have 2 layers sewn together at the side seam. This video shows how to stack up the layers for sewing. 

I used my serger to sew the new side seams together. You can also use a sewing machine if you wish. Using a zigzag stitch will help control fraying inside the skirt. 

When you flip the skirt right side out the front panel will hang loose on one side like this. That's OK. It is not done yet. 

 

I used the dress form to hold the skirt. I pulled the front panel across the front of the skirt and saw where I needed to attach the panel at the waist. I didn't pull so hard that the skirt would be tight, I want to be comfortable. I just want the front panel to come across my skirt and give it that wrap skirt look. 

 

I used a small button at the spot where the front panel is connected to the waistband. It makes the skirt look more finished but I didn't make a buttonhole for the button. It is just for looks. 

 

 The elastic waist and the the front panel are loose enough to pull the skirt on and off. No other fastenings are needed.  

 

My skirt turned out cute and casual. I love it. 

 

I wore it to a clothes swap. I gave some things away and I brought some things home that I could use. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Easiest Denim Skirt Hem Ever

 Hello Readers. I really liked this long white denim skirt but it was made for someone much taller than me.  That is no problem because it is so easy to fix. Anyone can do it. No sewing or sewing machine is required. All you need is a pair of sharp scissors and a tool to  measure your skirt. Let's get started. 

 

 Before and after. 

This white denim skirt was perfect for summer. I thought it was just way too long on me. I am short (Just 5') so making clothes fit is nothing new for me. I usually have to shorten things so they fit well. You can see the sleeves of this shirt are too long too. That's alright, I can fix that too. This skirt was made with a released hem. That means there is no real hem at the bottom of the skirt at all. This is a relaxed casual look that is great for denim. The edge has a soft fray and a few threads hang loose. I love this look. I am not a very formal person I like that casual vibe of this skirt. This is also easy to alter to the length that I need it to be. I can just cut the new length with sharp sewing scissors. 

I knew from trying on the skirt that it would be better if I made it about 4-5 inches shorter. I measured          with my cutting mat to make sure I knew where I wanted to make my cut. I decided to cut my new hem off at 4 inches just to be safe. I could cut another inch off later if I wanted to. They say, "Measure twice, cut once." That is good advice in this situation too. If I cut off too much now, I won't be able to put the length back. 

 

 My new hem was not cut super precise. I wanted to show this so you wouldn't feel anxious about cutting your new hem. It isn't brain surgery. I cut as straight as I could and when the edge starts to fray it will all work out fine. Don't over think it.

   

Now that the length is right, I want to get some of that cool fraying at the hem. I used a little scraper that removes pills from fabric. It didn't work as well as I thought it would. Sometimes things don't work as well as we plan. It's time for a new plan.

  

 I tried a new tool. This wire brush was actually made for suede but The wire bristles worked so much better. The brush really made the edge fray well. The edge will continue to fray a bit more in the washing machine every time it is washed. 

 

The fraying will look something like this when it's all done. If you want to make the skirt even shorter you can cut more length off and start the process all over again. 

 

My new shorter skirt was fun to make and nice to wear too. Thank you for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make a Mood Board-Gallery Wall

 Hello Readers. I like to be organized and it helps me to have visual reminders about up coming projects that I am planning or thinking about. I also wanted to decorate my sewing room a little. It has a big empty wall. Let's decorate and create a planning space.

I think this is decorative organization. Gallery walls are a beautiful way to decorate a room but I didn't have that much art work to hang. I had a different idea to use these cork boards like a gallery all uses pictures and artwork.

This is a before picture so you can see what I was working with. It is a little sad and empty in my sewing room. I have my sewing machines on this wall but it is a big empty wall. I hung up the sewing related decor pieces that I had but the painting and the little signs do not stand up well to the wide empty space of that wall. That's OK. The large empty space gave me the opportunity to do something fun with the space. 

I was given these cork squares a while back. I always take hand-me-downs because you never know if you can use them, just like in this situation. The cork boards would let me add some visual interest to my big empty wall in a gallery wall style. And would also serve as organization space too. 

The cork boards did not exactly match. That happens with hand-me-downs too. That's OK, I could still use them.

I played with them a little and arranged them a few times until I got a symmetrical arrangement. That would make the different textures of the cork boards look more intentionally planned. I think symmetry is always visually pleasing too. That will help my wall look good. 

They came with some adhesive squares to adhere them to the wall. 

 

I arranged the sticky pieces on the back of the cork boards and started hanging them on the wall. 

 

I used the painting on the wall as the center point and stuck the squares above and then, next to it. I tried to make sure they were level and equal distance from each other. I just eye-balled it and did my best. I did not use any tools, It just didn't seem necessary. 

 

I had 9 cork squares so I put one above the painting and 4 on each side of the painting. This made a nice balance.

 

To make sure each cork board would stay put, I hammered in a sewing pin. I just wanted a bit of extra assurance that my boards could hold weight over a long time. You can use small nails for this as well.

 

Here is my arrangement, but this is just the beginning. I have things to hang up. 

 

I want to hang things up and I could use thumb tacks but these needles with little spools of thread work just as well and they are more fun for a sewing room. (Similar here.)

 

I started by hanging up some patterns that I want to use soon. Maybe if they are in my sight line, I will get them made sooner. (I can hope anyway.)

 

I added a few more patterns that I liked and wanted to use and I also added small scraps of the fabrics I want to use with those patterns. That might help me keep on track with my sewing plans too. 

 

I had some pretty note cards that I wanted to display somehow. I added those to my wall too. 

 

Here is a look at my new gallery wall-mood board. I love how it turned out! It fills up my very empty space and it is so useful. I can see the projects I have planned and won't forget what I want to make. 

This would be great for a gardener to plan the next garden season with pictures of the garden they want to plant. Seed packets and a calendar of planting schedules would be so helpful. 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.