Free Dress

 Hello Readers. I went to the dentist. (No cavities.) As I parked my car I saw that the dentist's neighbor was giving away clothes. I am a scavenger at heart so I took a look. I found a fabulous red dress. 

Before and after.

I spoke with the woman and she said she likes to clean out her closet and give clothes away like this. It's like a yard sale but it's a give away.  

This dress was cute. I love the color. The dress was too long. It was so long I realized that I could refashion it into a 2 piece set. (I love a 2 piece matching set.) 

  

The bodice was really pretty crochet work. It was completely see through so I will wear it over a shirt I guess. The skirt had a lining but the top didn't. 

 

I cut out some simple pant legs. I positioned the pants at the bottom of the skirt. This left enough at the top to wear it as a shirt. It also means I could use the hem of the skirt as the hem of the pant legs. That will save time.

 

I sewed the pants together. 

 

I was going to use this elastic to the waistband. I like the design and colors with the fabric. 

 

I sewed the elastic together to make a circle and pinned the elastic around the waist of the skirt. 

 

I stretched the elastic as I stitched. Using elastic is an easy way to finish the pants and it's also really comfortable to wear. 

 

I cut the lining out from what was left as the dress. I hate nylon linings. I won't need a lining anyway. I will be wearing this top over another top. That will keep me covered.

 

I had to hem the bottom of the new shirt but that's all I had to do to finish it.

 

My new matching set was done in no time. It's comfy and perfect for days when I want fall weather to come but it's still hot and humid. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Simpilicity 8175 Skirt

 Hello Readers. I love to try new patterns and today I am trying the short skirt from Simplicity 8175. Simplicity is usually pretty simple so hopefully I can do this well. I have some modifications I want to try too. Let's do it! 

 New skirt using 2 fabrics.  

 

I am going to make the shorter skirt on the cover of the pattern. I am using the paisley material but I will add some of the green for the pockets and a waist tie. I am making that part up as I go along. 

 

I cut out all my pattern pieces as directed. I used the paisley for everything except the pieces that make the pocket. For the pocket pieces closest to the body, I am using the green. It will be a small but visible pop of color. 

Here are all the skirt pieces layered as they would be when they are sewn together. It helps me to see them all together.

 

Here is the skirt sewn mostly together. When I sewed the pieces I put the right sides together and then turned them right-side out. This was a great pattern, it went together easily. 

 

Here are the waistband pieces. There is one for the front and one for the back. They are supposed to be sewn together and a zipper added to get in and out. I didn't want a zipper. Zippers look nice but they lock in the size of the waistband and do not stretch of let me have ANY extra room. This was not a stretch fabric so I didn't want a zipper. Let me show you what I did instead. 

 

I attached the waistband but did not sew this side of it together. Here is where I am going to deviate from the plan. I am going to add a couple pieces of fabric to the waistband and make a tie on that side. The pocket is not fully closed at the top so that is how I will get in and out of it. 

 

The outside of the tie is the paisley material but the other side of the ties is the green fabric. This will harmonize with the pockets and add a little more of that fun green color.

 

When the skirt is worn and tied on the side it will stay closed, my stomach will be covered but I can tie the tie a bit tighter or looser depending on how many cookies I had the day before. I really like clothes that are adjustable and allow for a bit of size change. Who doesn't gain or lose a bit around the middle at times?

  

This skirt is perfect because it is pumpkin spice season and it is still 98 degrees where I live this week. We are hot!! Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

 

 

 

 

Lace Top

 Hello Readers. I needed a simple dressy evening look for a night out on the town. I didn't have a ton of time to spend on it but I wanted something pretty. and comfortable! This lace top was just the thing. 

 Before and after.  

 This top had a beige lining in it originally. It was acetate and that is hot, sweaty, and irritates my skin.  (I need to breathe.) It also looks like my skin a little like I am not wearing anything under the top. I decided to cut the lining out of the top and wear something else under it.

 It was simple to cut out the lining. I slowly worked my way around the top until the lining was cut away.  

I added elastic to make puffed sleeves. It just seemed more dressy and more feminine.

 I threaded the elastic through the hem of the sleeve and tied the ends together. 

The elastic is comfortable but gathers the sleeve and makes a little puffed sleeve.  

Apologies for the bad photo. I wore my new top over a tank top and went out to see a show with my daughter. It was a great evening. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

Quick Evening Dress

 Hello Readers. I was going to New York City and needed a nice evening look. I am getting dinner and a show. This dress seemed perfect but why is it so long???

 

Before and after.

 This dress was too long. I gave it a big cut in length, I wanted long but not this long. 

 I can't be dragging my dress own the side walk in New York City. Gross!

 

When my dress was cut it needed a new hem.

  

 I used my serger machine to sew around the bottom. I folded the edge under and sewed it down. Knits like this don't fray but I wanted to look nice and neat. I didn't have a ton of time to get myself packed and organized so a simple cut and hem was perfect for this night out. 

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

Travel Wardrobe NYC Edition

 Hello Readers. I wanted to make some new tops to wear around New York City as I explored the city. I made some simple t-shirt style tops using my favorite pattern. I used a pattern I knew I could rely on and put together quickly.  

 

I was in New York City for 3 days so I wanted 3 tops. I bought these fabrics recently and wanted to make some new casual shirts. Traveling got me inspired to sew.  

This shirt was perfect for fall.  

 These mushrooms were so cute! I used this Very Easy Very Vogue 8062 pattern for both of these shirts.  

I wanted to combine the blue and pink spools of thread in one shirt so I used the Chelsea pattern from Fabric Store. com. It is a raglan pattern so I was able to mix the 2 fabrics easily. 

These spools of thread were irresistible at the fabric store. I had to bring them home. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

 

 

 

 

Using a Duvet Cover for Clothing

 Hello Readers. I found this duvet cover at Goodwill months ago. I loved the colors and it was 100 % cotton. (Yay for natural fibers!) I didn't need a duvet cover, I just wanted it for sewing clothing. I took it home and now I can show you how I used it and what I made. 

Duvet cover or 2 piece set, you decide.  

Look at the beautiful design. It is light weight cotton and great for the heat of late summer/early fall but the color is perfect for the changing season's vibe and style. 

 

I used this pattern for my top. It is Very Easy Very Vogue 8062. I have made the t-shirt many times but this time I am making the sleeveless top. 

 

I used this pattern for the pants. It is Simplicity 8175. I liked the cropped wide leg on the cover. You can use any pattern you want but make sure you are using fabric that suits the pattern you want. This duvet cover doesn't have any stretch. It wouldn't make nice leggings or a great swim suit. 

 

The back of the pattern will tell you how much fabric to use but also what kind of fabric to use. The woven cotton of this duvet is cotton and a similar weave to linen, which is named in the pattern. I am all set. 

 

There should be plenty of fabric for both my pieces but choosing a cropped pant and a sleeveless top means I won't need quite as much fabric as longer pants and long sleeves. These patterns don't need a lining or double layer which would also take up a lot more fabric. When cutting my pieces with the rotary cutter I was careful to avoid the change in the design. It might look great as a border at the hem of the pants or at the waistband but an area of solid brown that ended up in the crotch would ruin the whole look. Be careful when you cut out fabric with a design, the pattern can look different when it is sewn into a garment. I used only the floral areas of the duvet cover so it would all be the same pattern. You should also watch out for the open end of the duvet cover. It may have buttons, ties, or a zipper to close it up. Make sure all of that doesn't get in the way of your pattern pieces.

 

I cut out and sewed up my pants completely before I made my shirt. I didn't want my pants half finished and then not have enough fabric to finish because I had already cut out my top.

When my pants were fully finished I cut out my top and sewed it together. I could have just cut everything out but if I made a mistake and needed an extra pant leg, I couldn't have been able to cut it out if I was out of fabric. 

When I was finished with everything, I had some extra fabric. I decided to make bias tape with that extra. I didn't do this until I was completely done with my pants and top. I could have used store bought bias tape if I didn't have extra fabric to finish the armholes or neckline.

 

To make your own bias tape you can cut stripes of fabric at a 45 degree angle and then sew them together. Line up the 2 pieces like this and sew diagonally at the corner to connect them. 

 

I cut off the excess fabric where I had sewn the strips together. You can see how they make one continuous strip of fabric. Connect as many pieces as you want or need for your project. 

 

Bias tape is single fold or double fold. You can fold and iron your bias tape based on what you need. It's easy to put together and costs nothing if you use fabric you already have on hand. 

  

My new outfit came together easily and you would never know it came from a duvet cover. This was a great source of fabric and more economical than buying fabric from a fabric store. Take your time and you can make some beautiful garments no matter where you source your fabric. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.