Add Ruffles to a Shirt

 Hello Readers. I wanted to make a fun shirt and used a ruffle to jazz up a simple t-shirt. This was a pretty easy sewing project. A beginner could do this easily. Let me show you how I did it. 

  

Before and after.  

I used the ruffle from this blue and white dress. I had to shorten the dress anyway and saved the ruffle for this project. You can also use a ruffle that is pre-made for you. (Similar here.) I used approximately a yard and a half of ruffle on each side of my shirt. I needed a bit less than that, but that is a good estimate. You will need to adjust the measurement based on the shirt you are using for this project. 

 

I cut the sides of my shirt open. I needed the sides open so I could attach the ruffle to the shirt on each side with my sewing machine or serger. 

 

I cut the sleeves and shoulder seams off too. I made sure my ruffle pieces were a bit longer than my t-shirt so I could sew the ruffles and shirt together and have enough extra length in the ruffle to hem it to match the length of the shirt. An extra inch to make a hem will do nicely.

 

I used my serger to sew the ruffles on the sides of the shirt. You can also used a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. A serger and a zigzag stitch will give and stretch a little bit so they are both great for knits like this t-shirt. I sewed my ruffle to my shirt, with the right sides facing each other, from the bottom of the shirt front, up the shirt, over the shoulder, and down the back of the shirt. I did this on both sides. 

 

It looked kind of like this. I liked the shirt in general but this is the time to match the length of the ruffles and the shirt. You might have a long tunic or a more cropped length. You can fold the edge of the ruffle under twice and stitch it down. 

  

I turned the edge of my ruffle under and made a small hem at the bottom. I used my basic sewing machine and a straight stitch to sew this. 

 

When the ruffle and the shirt are the same length, it will be even all the way along the bottom when you lay it out like this. The ruffle will hang down a bit when you wear it and have some movement when you move. It's really lovely.

 

This shirt needs sides and sleeves. I spread out the shirt and made sure all the edges were even, then I pinned the ruffle in the middle, where I wanted the new side seam. I sewed a straight seam on the outside of the shirt, on the ruffle, connecting the front side of the ruffle and the back side of the ruffle. It was hard to see in the pictures, so I put the tools on top of the seam. This seam ends about 5-6 inches from the top, that makes the "sleeve".

 

I tucked the shirt in here but it can be worn out too. I love how it turned out. Adding the ruffle adds to the size of the shirt and makes it more roomy too. Who doesn't love more room? Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shortened by a Tier

 Hello Readers. Look at this beautiful dress. I got this at a clothes swap or a thrift store... I can't remember where to be honest. It doesn't matter. I loved the dress, it is the lightest cotton. It even has a light cotton lining, perfect for summer. What more could I want? Well, I want to walk. And I want to walk without tripping and falling. This dress was just too long. That's an easy fix. 

Sometimes we need to shorten things.   

I thought this dress was so pretty, I just loved it. But I also like to walk about without falling.

Let's get right to it. I cut off the bottom tier. I cut off the entire lowest tier because I didn't want half a tier. That would look weird next to the rest of the tiers. I thought I should remove one full tier. I saved that bottom tier for another project.

 

I ironed the new hem before sewing to make sure it was nice and neat.

  

I turned the edge under twice and made a new hem. I used my sewing machine and a straight stitch to make this hem.

 

I also shortened the lining because it needed to be shorter now that the dress was shorter. 

 

The lining was not going to be seen but I didn't want it to fray or be messy. I used my serger all along the bottom edge of the lining. That is all it needed to stay neat under the skirt.

 

I liked the shorter length. 

 

The skirt is still super twirly! Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Those Outlets

 Hello Readers. We all like our home to look as nice as possible. Sometimes the functional items in the house are not that cute. Like my kitchen outlets. They seem like they should blend in more. Or could they just disappear? (But, I'm going to want them later. I am really attached to my electricity.) Let's hide them and make the kitchen cuter all at the same time. 

 Ugly outlet./Easy Solution. 

 I am not against modern inventions like electricity. I don't want to live by candle light at night. I just don't always use all these outlets and they don't look fabulous. I can fix that though. Let's hang some art!

I scrounged up a couple outlet covers that we used when our kids were young. They keep kids from sticking their tiny little fingers into the outlet and getting electrocuted. 

I had a couple but you can buy them almost anywhere. You could probably get 1 or 2 from a friend with kids. They probably have a few in a drawer somewhere like me. 

 I also needed a picture frame. Or two. (Similar here.) I used 5x7 size frames so that they would be large enough to cover the entire outlet. You will need 1 frame per outlet you want to cover. I used 2 frames that matched so the kitchen would have a uniform look. You can use any frame or frames that you like. 

  I used this cute little greeting card as the "art" for my frame. You could use anything you like, postcards, greeting cards, pictures of you and your family cooking or eating a holiday meal would be fun too. 

 I put the card in the frame and used the metal closures to keep the card in just like you would a photograph. I grabbed my hot glue gun to attach the frame to the outlet cover. The plastic outlet cover will stay fixed on the back of the picture frame and the frame itself will "hang" from the outlet cover when it is plugged in the outlet. 

 I used a good size squirt of hot glue on the back of my picture frame. It holds well and dries quick. It is super hot though. Be careful. 

  I pressed the plastic outlet cover onto the hot glue and held it in place while it dried. This only took a few minutes. It dries so quick, I love using hot glue.

When the glue was totally dry, I was able to "plug in" my photo frame. It fits in the outlet and covers the outlet cove and looks much cuter. This is a great way to hang art without putting nails in the wall. Sometimes renters are not permitted to damage the walls in any way.

The best part is that I can take the picture down if I want to use that outlet. I only need some of these outlets if I am cooking for a crowd or setting up a buffet meal on that counter top. Until then, I can see my cute picture. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

Dress to 2-Piece

 Hello Readers. I loved this plaid dress. I grabbed it as a clothes swap and when I go home, it was too big. That's OK, I can work with this.

Dress to 2-piece.  

This dress had so many possibilities. The colors, the ruffle, the straps... Let me show you. 

 

I decided to take the dress apart. You can see the waist seam, it was sewn to last forever. It was THICK!

 

I unpicked all those stitches. It was frustrating and it took a while but it was worth it. 

 

When I was done I had the top, the skirt and the lining. 

 

The top has pretty straps but I needed a couple of them to finish the hemline of the top. I cut the straps off the back of the top. I set them aside. 

 

I pulled the straps from the front to the back. I pinned the straps in place and stitched them in place. I also took the back of the top in to make it smaller. I can't find a picture of that so you just have to take my word for it.

 

I sewed the 2 back straps together into a long belt and sewed it along the bottom of the shirt. I put the ends in front so I could tie them in front. 

 

I sewed elastic around the skirt. When I made the casing for the elastic it made the skirt shorter. It made a full twirly skirt. 

 

In the end, I had a top and skirt I could wear together or separately. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink Shorts Simplicity 1165

 Hello Readers. I have had this pattern for quite a while and I like it so much this is the third time I have made it. When you find a great pattern, you make it more than once. This is the third time I have made it and it is easier and more fun every time I make it. I made these shorts because it is summer and it gets very hot where I live.  

  New summer shorts.

This pattern deserves 5 stars. 

I found this cute pink fabric at Good will. It seemed like a fun choice for summer.

 

This pattern is great because it's simple and there are pockets!! I sewed the pockets to the front pieces. 

 

I put the shorts together pretty quickly. 

 

I pinned the waistband in place. I used elastic in the back of the shorts but not the front. The pattern calls for elastic all the way around the waistband. I like a smooth front better so that is what I'm making. 

 

I hemmed the bottom of each leg. 

 

My new shorts were done. 

 

 The pink elephants are a lot of fun. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrift Finds

 Hello Readers. I love thrifting but not everything fits perfectly. That's how it is. I liked these brown pants so much but the length is longer than I expected. Let's make a quick hem so these pants fit better. 

 

New pants, same short legs. 

 

I found these pants at my favorite thrift store. I like the shade of brown and the zebra stripes were fun too. The fabric was loose and light cotton. The only problem was that were just too long.  

I cut off about 6 inches of length. That were really too long. 

 

I turned the edge under twice and made a small narrow hem. 

 

Sometimes simple sewing is all you need to make thrift store clothes work. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.