Neutral Basics

 Hello Readers. I love wearing all one color. You could call it dressing like a crayon or you could call it monochromatic dressing... Either way, I do it when I can. This olive colored skirt and top seemed like a good combo to me. 

There was a problem with the fit of this skirt. The waist was OK but the hips and the length were not great. Whoever made this skirt thought I would be taller and curvier. I wish that was true but I need to work with what I have. 

I marked where I wanted the new side seam. I left the waistband alone but I needed to narrow the hips a little. 

I cut the length by about 8 inches.

I just needed to hem this cut edge.

I love the new skirt. It's simple and neutral. I always forget to get basics in my sewing. This will match so much. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fin for yourself.

The Bandana Dress

Hello Readers. I wanted to make a dress from bandanas, just for fun. I saw one made by @_diydaisy on Instagram. I thought this would be a super easy sewing project. (Spoiler- It was not.) I had no pattern and was just running wild with no plan. That is usually how I operate in life and it usually works out, so please join me on this little sewing adventure.

 I needed a pile of bandanas. (I used 9 bandanas but I could have use 1 or 2 less as you will see later.) The more bandanas I used, the poofier and fuller the skirt would be.

I have been collecting bandanas for about a year. When ever I saw one at the thrift store, I would buy it and add it to my collection.
 

I sewed 3 bandanas with the right sides together. This will be the top of my dress. (It was 1 too many.)

I made another circle of 6 bandanas also with the right sides sewn together. This will be the skirt of my dress. (I could have used one or even 2 less here.)

I needed to sew the 2 circles together but they are obviously very different sizes.

 

  I used large stitches to gather the large circle of bandanas together to match the size of the smaller circle of bandanas. 

 I also used clips to hold the large gathered circle to the smaller circle. Now it will be easier to sew the 2 circles together.

Sometimes your sewing equipment will betray you. I had to take a break.

 

I realized that the whole dress was too big. The bodice (Pink.) was also too tall. I cut the top 4 inches off

Then I angled the bodice. It was just too wide. I sewed all that together and finished the edges.

This is where I was after all that. I didn't love it but I don't give up. I was going to finish this dress.

 

I needed sleeves. This purple bandana will be the last step. I cut it in half to make 2 sleeves. 

 

I liked the purple sleeves but this was very loose and big. I didn't think I would like this on me. 

I added elastic to the waist and the shoulders to improve the fit all over. This made it look much better.

O.K.! Now, I liked it! Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make An Easy Roman Blind

 Hello Readers. I wanted some window coverings that would have a clean and simple look. Let me show you the quickest easiest "faux" Roman blinds you can make in less than an hour. You just need some fabric that you like and some tension rods. These blinds do not need any hardware for installation and would be great for a rental that doesn't allow any holes in the wall.

I have been rearranging and redecorating a little in the last couple months. We found and fixed the leak but to do it we tore my older son's room apart. We had top remove the carpet, padding, baseboards and more. When we finally dried it out and put his room back together, he asked me for new window treatments. He wanted his room dark so I wasn't going to make anything sheer. I needed to make something to block light. 

 

I went with this thick dark green velvet. The windows are rectangular shaped and are 33x64. I needed to cut my fabric the same size as the window. I added 1/2 inch extra all around for the seam allowance. That means my fabric piece is 34x65. Use your window size as your measurement guide.
 

I wanted to line the blind with white fabric and I had extra lining material on-hand. You could also use any white cotton fabric you have. Even a basic white sheet would work. I could use the green on the front and back of the blind but the side that faces the window will probably fade over time. Using a lining will protect the green fabric from the sun.

 

I cut my lining the same size as my green velvet. They should be the same size because one piece will be the front and one piece will be the back. They needed to match each other in size. 

 

I sewed the lining and the green fabric together. I made sure the right sides were facing each other. I sewed all around the rectangle but I left small openings at the top for the rod. (See the next picture for clarity.)

  

I needed to have small openings at the top for the rod.
 

Those openings allowed me to turn the fabric right side out when I was done sewing the rectangle together. 

 

The rod will go in one opening and out the other at the top of the blind. The fabric could hang just like this but we can make it hang neater and smoother with one more sewing step.

 

I stitched across the top of the blind about an inch from the top to make a casing for the rod. This will keep my fabric smoother while it is hanging up in the window.

You will need 2-3 tension rods for each window. These are adjustable so choose rods based on the width of your window.

 

Now the blinds can be hung up. Put the rod in the top of your blind and squeeze the rod into the window frame at the top. 

 

It will fill in the window opening and block the light well. 

 

You can put your extra rods into the window frame where ever you want to raise your blind. 

 

Tuck the fabric behind the lower rod and let the fabric rest on top of that rod. The fabric will fold over it and will lift the blind up and allow the light in. 

 

The more rods you put in the window frame the more folds you can have when you raise your blind. None of these rods are attached or installed into the wall or the window frame so there is no damage or holes in the wall. 

The blind can stay up and open or down to darken the room. These have a very simple look without any embellishment. (Which is what my son wanted.) You can use a brighter patterned fabric with trim to make these brighter and more fun. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

Crop A Button-down

 Hello Readers. I wanted to make a loose cropped shirt that tied in the front. I found this striped shirt at a clothes swap and it seemed perfect for this project. I went right to work.

Before and after. 

This was a men's shirt but it fit well enough. I loved the fall colors and stripes. 

I cut the bottom of the shirt off. I wanted the shirt to end at my waist. I didn't throw it away that extra fabric though. I wanted a waistband that would tie in the front. I would need to make that.

I cut that extra fabric into 2 narrow strips and connected them so it was as long as possible. I sewed it together with the right sides facing each other.

I had to turn the long waistband right side out. It was very wrinkled

so I ironed it flat.

 

Here is my long waistband now I need to connect it to the shirt. 

 

I wanted to match the stripes in the back of the shirt as best as possible. I took this to the serger. I sewed the long strip to the bottom of the shirt.

 

When the waistband was on, I could tie the shirt in front. I liked the finished look so...

 

I liked the shirt tied over this blue knit dress. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

 

 

 

Pillow From a Shirt

 Hello Readers. Fall is here and that means I want some fall decor around the house. Sometimes clothing actually makes great decor. I think this shirt would make a great fall pillow for a chair. Let me show you what I mean.

Before and after.

This denim shirt was so well made but I didn't like it as a shirt. The leaves and vines felt very overwhelming. There were just too many, it was too busy. They were all over me.

I cut 2 squares from the body of the shirt. One from the front and one from the back. The buttons on the front of the shirt are going to be the opening to put a pillow in this cover. My squares are approximately 12 inches by 12 inches. You may need to adjust the size of your squares depending on the size of your shirt and what you are going to use to stuff your shirt pillow with. (More about that in a minute.)

I put the 2 pieces together with the right sides facing each other and sewed around all 4 sides of the squares. I closed up all around the square. Usually you leave an opening in one side to stuff the pillow but I am not going to need that because of the buttons on the front of the shirt.

I undid a few buttons and used the opening to turn the whole pillow cover right side out. 

This is what it looked like when it was done. It just needs to be stuffed. And I can do that because it has buttons down the front of the shirt.

I went out on my front porch and took this outdoor pillow from summer to stuff my pillow. You can use a pillow you have or buy a pillow form. My porch is covered so I don't have to worry about rain on my pillow but use a pillow form or stuffing that is right for your location. There are indoor and outdoor pillow forms. 

I stuffed my pillow cover with the pillow. 

I buttoned up the buttons and put the pillow on my chair. It adds a little touch of fall and makes the chair more comfortable. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.