Add Lace

Hello Readers. We have come to the end of January and I hope you were able to stay warm and cozy all month. This sweatshirt was warm and cozy but it was also plain and could use some fun and excitement. 

 

Before and after.

This sweatshirt is about as exciting as plain oatmeal. There just isn't anything fun about it.
 

When I saw this brown sweater I did not like it that much. It was not a pretty color and it looks like used coffee grounds. There was another problem. The placement of the lace made the whole shirt see-thru in places I would not want to be seen. I don't know who decided the shear lace should be on the chest of a woman's shirt but it just didn't work for me.

It had one thing I did like and that was the off-white lace. I could take all the pretty lace trim from this brown shirt and use it on my sweatshirt. I could use the pretty lace and also make sure my new shirt would cover what I thought it should cover. I only used the cotton lace. I left the cheap brow polyester lace behind with the used coffee grounds.

 

I also had some lace in my stash I could use.

 

 

I cut the neckband off and I used a small zigzag stitch and attached the lace around the neck. 

 

I used the lace as a collar. I also cut the wrist cuffs off the sweatshirt and added the lace to the ends of the sleeves.

I also added the narrow lace around the back of the neck. I had just enough.

 

 I was feeling monochromatic so I grabbed these super long tan pants. 

 

They came from the fence next to my dentist's office. They said "FREE", so I took them home. (This is a small town.)

They just needed to be shortened and hemmed. They were just my size but way too long

 

I did some cutting and some hemming. 

I was having a really VERY BIG hair day but the clothes came together really well. I liked the lace on the sweatshirt. It added interest and texture. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- I still really love the lace added to this sweatshirt. Somehow it seems dressy but it's still just a cozy sweatshirt

Sweatshirt to Dress

 Hello Readers. I hope your January is cozy and warm. My theme this month was "Stay Cozy". This sweatshirt was cozy and soft and it made me look really pregnant. I knew I could do something with it that would not look so maternity.

 

Before and after.

 

 

This sweatshirt was super cute. Was it maternity? It sure fit like that. I am 49 years old y'all. I am not having a baby at this point. I would probably die if I tried it. I had a baby at 42. It was very difficult. Let's try for a different look.

 

 

I had a plan to make this sweatshirt into a mini dress. I was going to use this off-white shirt to help me.

 

 I cut the floral shirt because I just needed a few inches from the body of the shirt.

 

 

I cut the dress in half and wanted to put a piece of the floral shirt in the middle of the dress. The top of the dress would remain the same. 

 

There was going to be a band of floral fabric in the middle of the dress. The sweatshirt top and the floral shirt were almost the same exact size so they were easy to put together. I used my serger but a zigzag stitch would work too. I wanted to re-attach the skirt to the bottom of the floral fabric piece. This would make the dress longer and the floral fabric would add some interest. Almost like a belt.

 

 

The skirt was bigger than the floral piece. I needed to arrange the skirt so it was evenly distributed around the floral band of fabric. I used pins to hold it. I decided to fold the extra fabric down to make pleats. 

 

I folded the pleat down and pinned it where my thumb is pointing. It was easy to sew over the folded pleat when I attached the skirt to the rest of the dress.

I added an off-white shirt under my new dress for warmth and to cover my stomach a little more. The sheer floral fabric was such a cute addition to the plain sweatshirt. I love it. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

*Year End Note From Chickie- Love this dress. It's perfect over leggings and very cozy.

Mother Son Flannel

 It's been a rough week or so at my house. My youngest was sick. And then the older son got it. It's actually the perfect time for these cozy flannel clothes. 

 

Before and after.

 

We all need cozy clothes to wear at home while we eat chicken noodle soup, right?

 

These were men's flannel pajama pants so I had plenty of fabric to make some shorts for myself. I could have made pants but I wanted to make something else as well.

I used a pair of sweat pants to make my son a pair of plaid pajama pants.

 

I cut out 2 legs and put them together. 

I added some stretchy ribbing as a waistband. 

 

I told my son we had to take a picture of these pants. I offered candy as a bribe. Without any direction, he struck a casual yet professional pose.
 

I removed the Italia logo from the sweatshirt to see what I had left to work with. . 

Then I decided to cut the sweatshirt up the front so it would be open like a jacket. I replaced the logo with left over plaid fabric.

I had a matching casual pajama set that was perfect for being lazy and staying home with my son.He is sick but the fever is gone and he is back to playing with Legos all day. I hope y'all are well. Get plenty of fluids and rest. And go make something fun for yourself, if you are up to it. 

*Year End Note From Chickie- These matching jammies were fun and the open sweatshirt was actually nice to wear. It was better for taking on and off if I got too warm. 

 

Get Cozy

Hello Readers. I feel like hibernating for a week or 2. Does anyone else feel that way? It's cold and the sun sets early, I just want to hide under a blanket.

Before and after.

This sweatshirt has been in my drawer for a long time. I would wear it occasionally but I did not love it. And these gray sweatpants were a hand-me-down from my mom. They were a little big. I wanted something soft and cozy to wear so I grabbed these and got to work. 

What I really liked about this sweatshirt was the inside. The reverse side of the fabric was more colorful and fun. I decided to turn the sweatshirt inside out. I unpicked the stitches from this tag and removed it to start.

I also cut the front pocket off the sweatshirt. I saved it so I could re-attach it later.

I wanted to make the shirt shorter so I cut the waistband off and then cut some of the middle of the shirt out. I removed about 3 inches. 

I used my serger to connect the waistband and the shirt again. I stitched the waistband on as you see above and then...

When I was done sewing I flipped the waistband down and the sewing is hidden inside.

I shortened the sleeves and re-attached the wrist cuffs the same way. I also re-attached the front pocket. 

These sweatpants were a straight leg style and I wanted a jogger style. I tapered the legs and added cuffs.

I used these old sweatshirt cuffs to make cuffs at the ankles of these new joggers. 

I was able to add a small hip pocket from the extra fabric. 

I actually had 2 pairs of these gray sweatpants so I was able to make a pair of tiny joggers for my youngest. He still likes it when he matches me or his dad. I know he will outgrow it soon but for now we are "twinsies".

I had already cut up this pair of sweatpants for another project but there was enough for a small pair of pants. I made an elastic waist.

 

We were both relaxing in our cozy lounge wear. (I gave him a donut to get this picture.) Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- I wear these joggers all the time but I don't know what happened to this sweat shirt. What did I do with it? I need to investigate this.
 

 

Brocade Bomber

 Hello Readers. The cold snowy weather made me want to do a jacket refashion. Luckily I had a jacket in the stash ready to work on. I got it as a hand-me-down last year and NOW is the time.

Before and after.

 

 I really liked this brocade jacket. The fabric was so pretty. It fit well enough but it didn't really close. It had one little hook and eye closure in the front and that was it. It wouldn't be very warm like that. I had a plan. I wanted to make a bomber jacket with a zipper and ribbed collar, waistband and cuffs.

I started by cutting the edge off the entire jacket. It had a nicely finished edge but I didn't think it would go with my new plan. 

I used my serger to close up all those cut edges. The jacket layers were moving around a lot and it was hard to work with. Maybe I shouldn't have cut the edges off? Sometimes you just have to figure it out as you go. 

I got my ribbing out and ironed it in half long ways. I bought this just to make this jacket and after a year of not buying anything for sewing it felt very strange to buy something. 

I used the serger again to close the ends. This is going to be the waistband. 

I made cuffs from the ribbing as well. The ribbing was folded in half but the cuffs were connected to make a circle. I attached the waistband and the cuffs to the jacket the same way. I stitched the open side of the folded ribbing to the edge of the jacket. You can see the jacket and the ribbing layers above. 

When the ribbing and the jacket were connected on the inside I smoothed the ribbing down. I top stitched the seam so it would lay flat. 

The cuffs and waistband were done and looked good to me. Now it was time for the zipper. 

I got this zipper from Wal-Mart. It was only a few bucks. I needed a zipper that opened at both ends for a jacket and I didn't have one on hand. You can find them on Amazon too but it was a lot cheaper at Wal-Mart.

This is only like the third zipper I have ever sewn into clothes in my lifetime. I am afraid of them. The zipper had a lot of instructions that I did not read. I just did what made sense to me. (That is how I live my life, I don't know what to tell you.) I stitched it onto the jacket like you see above. 

Then I top stitched it so it would lay flat. This also hid the serged edge from view. 

I made the collar with folded ribbing just like the waistband. I needed to attach the collar along the neck. 

It took some pinning to get the collar on correctly and evenly. 

I wanted the collar to taper down and disappear where it met the top of the zipper. I sewed it into the position I wanted and had to cut off the excess ribbing after it was attached. 

 

 

 I took this jacket on a little road trip. It was cold and snowy and I saw a huge roller skate at what seemed to be a trash truck repair center on the side of the road. I can't explain it, I just got a picture and went on my way. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 *Year End Note From Chickie- This is my all time favorite jacket!