Flower Power Part 2

Hello Readers. Today is the second part of this refashion. 

It all started with this floral top. The flower is so pretty, the fit of the top is awful and puffy. I gave it a cut across the top and took the ruffle off what was left of the shirt.

Actual sewing!

I attached the ruffle to the neckline of this tank top. It was super easy and quick.

It is totally inappropriate for the Snowpocalypse we are in right now so I added a sweater. I didn't wear it out anywhere because I was snowed in. FOR FIVE DAYS! (It doesn't sound long, but it felt like ages.) It took that long for the plows and front loaders to get to us.

Here is a re-cap of both tops. Do you have a favorite? 

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

Flower Power Part 1

Hello Readers. Today's project is part one of a two part refashion. I will post part two tomorrow.

It all started with this top from a clothes swap. I went with some friends and while we all liked the flower, we didn't like the fit of the top. It was to puffy in all the wrong places. I looked like a balloon in it. It was a shame because the design was so pretty. I started by cutting the top ruffle off. It was really quite unflattering where it fell across my chest. I won't throw the ruffle away, I have a plan for that ruffle.

I also had this great blue T shirt my mom handed down to me. I love this color. It was a little plain and could handle some enhancement. The blue matched the flower well. They were meant to be together.

I pinned the lower half of the flower shirt onto the blue T. I was hoping that by cutting the flower shirt in half it would look more attractive than the original shirt.

Here is a picture of actual sewing.

Here is the finished shirt. I cut the extra blue fabric away and cut the  elastic at the bottom of the flower shirt. It helped the shirt calm down, lay flat and deflate. I like the flat version much more. It is also warmer and covers both shoulders.

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

Blizzard Beanies and Gloves

Hello Readers. We are still in the middle of Snowpocalypse 2016. SNOW EVERYWHERE!! It inspired my project today. We were snowed in so I had time to think about the cold and how much I wanted a new wool blend beanie hat. I wanted simple and warm. Free wouldn't be bad either.

I started with this pink sweater from a clothes swap. I don't wear much pink. It's just so...pink. It isn't my favorite color. A little pink is great, a lot of pink is too much. I knew it would be cute and warm as a hat. It is part wool. Wool is really warm so it would be nicer than some cheap acrylic hat from a discount store. And I couldn't go anywhere, I needed a project.

Here is the first step. I cut off the ends of the arms and the bottom of the sweater. I figured I could make two beanies out of this. My daughter would love a beanie hat. And it would keep her warm while we shoveled out the cars. We were working and taking breaks to rest and dry off. An extra hat would be a blessing.

Step two was stitching them up and cutting off the excess. I rounded the tops of the hats. The material is very stiff, but it went through my sewing machine fine. I didn't take the time to try to iron the new seams. They worked without it.

Here we are in our finished hats looking out at all the cold snow we had to shovel. These are nice and warm. Perfect!

What did I do with the sleeves of the sweater? I played around with making a mitten/glove hybrid. I wanted my fingertips and thumb to stick out because I always take my gloves off to use my phone. These do the job, but lack style. I stitched between each finger and that helped keep my fingers warm. These aren't for shoveling or playing in the snow, just staying warm on a normal day.

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

Blizzard Leggings with a Skirt

Hello Readers. It is day 4 of our big blizzard of 2016. Snowpocalypse. Snowmaggedon. What ever you want to call it, I live in the center of it. We got 3 feet of snow and we don't usually get snow like this. We don't handle it very well. I am in a distant suburb of Washington DC. This area can't handle snow and it makes the news when we freak out. Seriously, read about it here.

Snow of this amount means I am going to have to get out there and shovel, shovel, shovel. I will need layers for warmth. I don't own any long underwear. Some winters we don't even get snow, I don't need them. But now I need them something awful. I had these leggings with a skirt attached. I think they are for yoga. But I am not doing yoga so the skirt will have to go.

I quickly cut the skirt off at the top. I cut close to the waistband. That was it for the leggings. They won't fray and with the waistband stitching there it won't be obvious that I cut anything off. The real work was yet to come.

They now fit under my pants and I can head outside without freezing to death.

Seriously, this is A LOT of snow. There are two cars and a driveway, my sidewalk and lots of bushes and plants under there. I was much warmer with the extra layer. 

My whole family got to work and we dug out. We are still waiting for a plow to come clear our road. I hope you are warm and cozy where ever you are.

Now go make something fun for yourself. 

Cutting the Cashmere

Hello Readers. I hope you are having a good day. One of my favorite items of clothing is a cashmere sweater. It is soft and fluffy like a warm cloud. This white one was a gift from my mother-in-law. I really liked it but the arms were SO long. (I think most of this blog is about how the sleeves of all my clothes are too long.)

You can see the sleeves are full at the wrist and they hang over my hand. The sleeves need to be shorter and more narrow. I wasn't sure at first how to alter this sweater. Could I sew through it? Would it unravel in my hands? 

To start I made the sleeves more narrow at the ends. It was just the last 6 inches. I cut off the excess and it didn't fray a bit.

Here is the view from inside. The new seam is left raw but it is holding well. It was very easy to sew through as well.

I altered another cashmere sweater as well. This coral sweater was a basic crew neck and I loved the color. It has grown too small. (Let's be honest, I have grown too big. I love cookies and I won't deny it.) I cut down the front and it is an open cardigan style now.

Here is a close up of the raw edge. I left it raw and it still looks great. It was the easiest of refashions.

Thanks for reading, now go make yourself something fabulous.

***Note; I washed and dried both of these sweaters and there was still no fraying where the sweaters were cut.

Super Cool Baby Stuff

Hello Readers. Today's post is all about baby. Well, It's about my baby and the things he likes to chew on. And that is everything. Toys, teething rings, the dog, me, furniture...you name it, he is chewing it or would like too. (It's gross.) I found something better for him to bite on while we are in this teething phase. It's called Chewelry.

What is that? Here is a product description direct from the source.

"Custom nursing necklaces and carrier accessories made with food grade silicone and love. Silicone beads and pendants are soft on baby's emerging teeth!"

They are a unique teething toy. They are strong enough to handle some teeth but soft enough to be comforting. They are colorful and cute too. Misty can create a design that fits you and your little one.

You can also ask to match your carrier. Did you get a new Tula? (I'm jealous, I admit it.) Misty can match the design.

Do you want a rainbow?

Or a penguin?

These are the two I have. One is a clip and one is on a string. They can attach to the carrier or the car seat. There are necklaces for mom too.

Check out the Facebook page or the Etsy site. Use the code Chickie15 and get 15% off. Message her to get the discount at the Etsy shop.

Have a great day readers.

An Elephant Never Forgets

Hello Readers. It is a great day at my house. The perfect day to work on this cute shirt. From a distance you might think polka dots, right?

No, it's a herd of colorful elephants. I love elephants, I always have. And these guys are so cute. This blouse was at a clothes swap and I just had to try and keep them. The blouse was too big and I wasn't too sure about the bow tie around my neck. The worst part was the silky delicate fabric. I hate sewing this kind of material. It is so difficult to work with.

My solution was to add something to the fabric. I needed help to stabilize the layers. I found this hem tape in my sewing supplies. Would it work? Let's try it.

I pinned it in place and then did my stitching. It was like a dream. It was so much easier. I actually stitched down each side of the tape (to stop fraying) and trimmed the excess off. I took a couple inches off each side. It doesn't sound like much but it looked much better when I was finished.

I still don't know if I like the bow tie, but my daughter told me it was nice so I decided to leave it alone. It's cold so I threw on a sweater. It is loose and light weight and covers all the lumps and bumps that I don't want anyone to see. After the holidays and all the holiday eating, that can be very nice.

Thanks for reading, now go make something fabulous for yourself.

The Striped Potato Sweater Dress

Hello Readers. My daughter gave me this sweater dress. She didn't like the fit. I didn't like it either. It is very full through the body and has a tight band around the bottom. The stripes were all different sizes and angles, they didn't match up anywhere.

I didn't take a before picture so, trust me when I tell you that when I tried it on I looked round and puffy. It was pretty awful.

I looked like a potato. It was not a good look for anyone. I try to avoid looking like a potato as much as possible.

I cut it in half and made the band from the bottom into the waistband. I was never able to find a clear pattern to the stripes. I just tried to measure evenly and keep the waist and hem even in length. I tried to make the dress fit me the best I could. The stripes made/make it look uneven and I couldn't find a way to correct that.

It didn't fray along the new bottom edge but it looked rough so I turned it under once and hemmed the bottom with a zig-zag stitch. Then, I tried it on again. 

It is more flattering then it used to be but the stripes are a little weird to be honest. It is a comfortable tunic type sweater dress to wear with leggings. I like it much more than I did before. 

As always, thanks you for reading. Now, go make something fabulous for yourself.