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. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Maximize Your Closet Space

 Hello Readers. I think everyone would like more closet space. If there is someone that doesn't want more storage or more closet space... I have never met them. Let's make every inch count in the closet. I don't want any wasted space in my house.

I am going to use every inch of my closet. Let me show you how I did it.

 

 I have lived in this house for 23 years, why have I not used this empty wall space. It could be used for hanging or storing something more than these 2 ties. 

 

This closet really isn't that large but it has some shelf space and some hanging space for clothes. but there was no nice and neat way to store bags and purses. It was always a mess. 

 

I know, it looks really bad. I tried to hang some on the end here, but some were still on the shelves. It isn't easy to find things in a messy situation like this.

 

I began by asking my lovely assistant to help me. He has been helping me for about 30 years so he is used to it. I wanted to hang bags above the doorway inside my closet and also down each side of the doorway. It's going to be a rainbow shape around the closet door. He marked out measurements using the ruler on a level so we can hang the hooks evenly spaced apart. My hooks will be about 6-8 inches apart. If you have small bags to hang, or scarves, necklaces, hats or ties, you might want a different configuration. You can use you closet wall space for anything you want to hang, your wardrobe will probably show you what you need to hang. Find the messiest pile and start there. When you hang items up on the wall, it isn't a mess anymore. It's now an easily accessible accessory center. 

 

We drilled small holes in the wall to start. These holes are spaced the way I wanted but it doesn't need to be perfect, it's just the inside of my closet. It's not plastic surgery. These holes are for the anchors and screws to go in. 

 

We hammered in the anchors. These will help the screws stay in the drywall better. The bags I am hanging are not very heavy, they are empty after all, but I do want them to stay securely hung for a long time. 

 

These are the hooks I used. They were simple and a good size but you can use any hooks you want. 

 

 Seriously, you could use anything you want. This is actually meant to hold a hand rail on a stairway. Rummage through your junk drawer and use whatever you have. You could use nails but they can be rough and scratch your bags or you if you hit one by mistake walking into your closet. Be careful and choose something safe for your space. 

 

Now it is time to hang the hook. We drilled the screw into the anchor we hammered into the wall earlier. The anchor will keep the hook in the wall even if I put items on and take them off over the months and years.  

 

Here is a look at the hooks on the right side of the closet door. And of course my handrail holder. It's odd but I think it will work great, it will be able to hold a bag with a wide handle easily. 

 

I started hanging up all the bags I needed or wanted to keep. This was a good opportunity to get rid of a few and donate them. 

 

The bags are nice across the top of the doorway and down each side. They fill in the wall space. The bags are not in my way or blocking anything else and I can see them all easily. It is nice to have them all within reach. I like to change my bag often and this makes it easier to do that. This space would be just as useful holding a hat or tie collection. They would all be easy to see and grab while getting dressed. 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tank Top Vogue 8062

 Hello Readers. When I tell you that I like this pattern, I actually LOVE this pattern. I have made the t-shirt so many times... but I had never made the sleeveless top/tank top. That seems like an over-site on my part so I decided to try it out. 

This is the greatest pattern ever, IMHO!

I bought just enough of this fabric to make this tank top and not much more. I could not make my usual t-shirt so I decided to try the tank top of the same Vogue pattern. I am glad I did because it's just as great as the t-shirt.  

This pattern calls for neck facing to finish the neckline and I don't like neck facing. It feels kind of weird in the shirt. I decided to make bias tape to finish my neckline and arm holes. I could use store bought or I could take a lot of time, cut lots of narrow strips, and put together my own bias tape. The upside is that the bias tape matches the shirt exactly. 

 

I had fun with this shirt and I even has leftover bias tape for another project in the future. 

 

I know fall is here and we are all enjoying our pumpkin spice lattes but it's actually about 90 degrees Fahrenheit where I live. It won't cool down until the end of September so this sleeveless top is perfect for right now. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

 

 

 

Hanging Doors That Don't Fit

 Hello Readers. I was given these lovely antique doors. They came from my sister-in-law. They are really pretty but they are not a standard size. How could I hang and use them if they don't fit in my doorway? Let me show you what I did. 

I recommend having a handy assistant to help because these doors are heavy. 

These doors would be perfect for my closet but they are too short and too wide. I want them because they are pretty and if I hang them above the floor by a few inches, the air from the air vent in my closet can come out. The openings at the top will help with air circulation too. My bedroom is a long rectangle and there are no air vents on the end. When I had the original closet door closed, it blocked the HVAC from flowing freely. I removed the original door a few years ago. I had a curtain for a while... Anyway, let's hang these perfect doors. 

  

All of the original hardware needs to be removed to get it out of the way. It sticks out where we need a smooth surface and it won't look nice and neat with this extra hardware hanging around. It came out with some simple un-screwing and can be put back in place if I ever need to take the doors down. This is good for renters that might need to relocate. There is going to be very little damage or marking up of the walls. I think your landlord would approve. 

 

The next item you will need is 2 long pieces of wood or MDF trim like this. I used one piece on each side. They need to be as tall as the door frame. Natural wood boards would work but I picked this because it was already white like the area I am hanging my doors and I could skip painting and save myself some work. You can use what is easily available to you.

 

We measured and cut the pieces off so they matched the height of the door frame. We needed to make the wall level and flat with the door frame itself so we could hang the new doors flat without removing the door frame itself. No remodeling here!

 

We measured and hung these boards just above the floor trim. You can see that the door frame and these boards make a nice flat, level surface. We know that there are studs in the wall next to the door frame so we can drill and screw these boards to the wall and they will have a strong wood stud behind to connect with. We used screws long enough to go through the boards, the drywall, and into the studs. For us this was about 3 inches. We used one screw towards the top and one towards the bottom of each board. The screw was long enough to be secure in the wood beam, about 3 inches long. 

 

 There were a lot of wood/beams used to build my doorway. This picture is from 2003 when the house was built. Most door frames are built this way. The doorway itself is very sturdy because off all those pieces of wood and that gives me a lot of wood to drill into. 

 

You might not have a photo of your home being built. If you want to be sure you are drilling into a stud in the wall you can use a stud finder similar to this one. They are easy to use and help you be sure what is behind the drywall. 

 

The next step was to attach new hinges to the doors using the screws provided in the package. As I said previously, these doors are very heavy. The hinges we choose are made to hold a heavy weight. I will be opening and closing these doors multiple times every day so to be safe I choose hinges that can hold the weight I need. I also used 3 hinges on each door. The doors are approximately 50 lbs and these hinges say they can hold 50lbs each. I am using 3 of them and that means I don't need to worry about the doors falling down over time. 

 

I recommend using a level to make sure your doors are straight. If the doors are hung tilted slightly left or right, they won't work properly. Both doors need to be nice and straight. 

A plum line can also help you make sure that your hanging the doors straight. This is just a weight hung on a string from above. The weight hangs down and gravity will ensure that it shows you a straight line. This helped us make sure the doors meet in the middle. We hung this from the door frame above with a thumb tack and removed it when we were done. The cinder block helped hold the door while work was being done. You could also use a stack of books, a step stool, or a sturdy cooking pot as long as they are the right height.  

The last step was to attach the hinges to the boards in the wall with the screws that came with the hinges in the package. We used 3 hinges per door and to distribute the weight of the door we put a hinge at the top, middle and bottom. We avoided the open lattice work area of each door so as not to damage it. 

Here is a good look at the way the doors are hung and where the new hinges are located. The doors open and close smoothly and they lie flat on the wall so no changes were needed to the door frame itself. 

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

 

 

 

 

 

A New Length

 Hello Readers. I love to thrift shop. I find all kinds of items but when I find something that seems to be homemade or handmade... I snatch it up. If someone took the time to sew up a garment, I am really drawn to it. They took time and energy, they made so much effort and I love to see that. If there is anyway for me to wear or use the item I always buy it and bring it home. 

This was a cute dress and the neutral beige/tan color was great  for me because I always forget to include neutrals in my wardrobe. It seemed a little long on me and I thought if it was a bit shorter, it would suit me better.  

That turned out to be the right idea because there was a stain at the hemline. I tried to get it out but it would not come out in the wash no matter what I tried. So... shorter we will do. I cut about 6 inches off the dress. We're going shorter.

I turned the cut edge under twice and stitched it down. I used a straight stitch and tried to match my thread to the dress the best I could. This new hem only took about 15 minutes from start to finish. Easy-peasy!

 

This was a wonderful thrift find and I am so glad I brought it home. Thank you to whoever put this dress together. What a gift. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

Dress to Peplum Top

 Hello Readers. Sometimes clothes just don't work. They can just sit in our closet and waste space. When I notice I am not really wearing a piece of clothing very often, I try to refashion it and make it more wearable. Let's refashion this dress into a fun peplum top.

Before and after a quick alteration.  

This dress was a nice neutral navy blue. I love navy blue and I love stripes. I just didn't love this dress. It was very thin material and it felt like it would be sheer in the skirt and therefore, too revealing. I want my bits and pieces covered. My lumps and bumps are personal. I don't want anyone to see any part of my  southern hemisphere. 

 

This dress fit well and it had an elastic waistband already. My new peplum top is almost finished before I even get started. I cut about 12 inches of length from the skirt. I left about 7 inches for the peplum. You can make the peplum as long or as short as you want. It's up to you. Using a cutting mat like this makes measuring and cutting super easy. They are used for quilting a lot but I love them for garment sewing. 

 

I turned my cut edge under twice and stitched along the edge using a straight stitch and matching thread. You can pin the folded edge or iron it in place if you like. Every sewist has different ways to do things. Do whatever works best for you. When I was done sewing, my peplum was a bit shorter. I folded it under twice and each fold was approximately 1/2 inch so my peplum is an inch shorter. Make sure you allow for folding and sewing your new hem when you cut the length for your new peplum. 

 

I used my sewing machine and a straight stitch to make my new hem. I like to stitch from the outside of the garment because it looks neater when I am all done. Don't sew too fast, slow and steady wins the race. 

  

 I used matching thread to sew my new hem. Sometimes it can be difficult to choose what color thread to use when a garment is more than one color. I usually pick the color that the manufacturer used in the original seams or the color that is most prominent in the fabric. This choice for this dress is obviously navy blue thread.

 

Here is my new peplum top. It was so easy because that elastic waist was already in place for me. This was so simple but so effective at changing the dress. 

 

Navy is such a great neutral color. It goes with everything but isn't as harsh as black can be. If you feel washed out in black, navy blue might be a better choice. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.