Add Shape With an Elastic Waistband

Hello Readers. I fell in love with this white floral dress when I saw it. The giant flowers in retro colors were so fun. It was a little loose but loose dresses are in, right?

Before and after.

The loose flowy fit was something I liked about this dress but.. it felt like it was too much of a good thing. It needed to fit better but I didn't want a fitted dress. 

This dress had a seam around the middle. I thought I could use that to change the shape of the dress just enough to make it more flattering.

Here is a look at the inside of the dress. That seam is going to help me out.

I had some 1/4 inch elastic and I thought I could stitch the elastic to the seam. I would not need to alter any other part of the dress. I could just add some elastic and get a better fitting waist to this dress.

I folded the dress in half so I could access the seam from the inside of the dress and look how the size of the elastic matches the size of the seam. This will work well. 

I tugged on the elastic gently as I stitched with a zigzag stitch. I didn't need to make the waistband my exact measurements I just want to bring the waist band of the dress in a little so this will work out well guaranteed. I sewed around the waist seam of the dress and kept gently pulling the elastic. 

When I had sewed all the way around my dress at the waist seam. I stitched back and forth for a few stitches to secure the elastic. I cut the elastic off and I was done.

My dress was done. The waist fits closer to my body but it's not tight anywhere. The new more fitted waistband  makes the whole dress less overwhelming. 

This dress was perfect for a fun birthday dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant. Yes, I had a birthday. I am 51 now. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I know how I feel about this dress though. It turned out really well. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I love this summer dress. The big flowers are fun and the dress is easy to wear. It's a winner for me.

Pouch Pocket Top

 Hello Readers. I hope you are enjoyed spring and looking forward to summer. I have loved all of "Me-Made-May". It is fun to scroll on Instagram and see what other people are sewing. Today's post is about a fun top I made with fabric from my stash. 

I love these pockets!

This top all started with this sewing book for beginners. "One Piece Wearables". All the patterns included are actually one piece so it is easier to make a completed project. It can be overwhelming when the pattern has a dozen pieces to put together.

I have been wanting to make this top for a while. The pockets look really big. I could put so much stuff in there. This was my daughter's book and she had already cut out all the pattern pieces so I was ready to get sewing. 

This pattern was one big piece that got folded and sewn together one small step at a time. The first step was to sew bias tape along the edges of the pockets. I used some bias tape I had on hand.

I did all the pleats next. When that was done I started connecting the center front. It was going to have a V-neck. 

 

 I was getting ready to add the bias tape to the neckline and I realized I did not have enough bias tape. I was going to have to add this plain beige bias tape onto the fancy bias tape I was using to make a long enough piece to go around the neckline.

 

I went on a side quest to get my bias tape situation figured out. I have never connected 2 pieces of bias tape and it was so much geometry and shapes and angles that my brain was stretched to it's limits. It was like high school math all over again. (Math was NOT my best subject.)

I got back to work and used the bias tape to finish the neckline and also the arm holes. 

 

There was supposed to be a tie in back made of even more bias tape. I added elastic across the inside of the back panel and called it a day.

 

It worked to define the waist.
 

This was a fun project and I really liked the pockets. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

***Year End Update- This top is cozy and the pockets are so handy. 

 

 

 

Gold Vest

 Hello Readers. I got this dress at a swap and the lace top really caught my eye. I didn't like the whole dress but I loved that gold lace.

Before and after.

The under part of the dress was nylon. I really don't like nylon. It is itchy and hot. But again, that lace!! It was so pretty. No one else took it so it came home with me.

The lace top was attached at the edges with tan bias tape. It also had a tan nylon lining. I thought I could carefully cut out the lining and keep all the seams and edges intact. I could have remove the vest easily. 

The edging was all in a tan bias tape and I wanted to keep it because the lace would fray by itself. The lace really needed the edges protected by this bias tape. I wanted to remove the lining by cutting it away but I needed to keep the edges in place.

 

It took about 10 minutes to fully cut away the lining. I sped up this video for you  to see. You can slow the speed if you want to see the whole thing. I cut along the edge of the lining all the way around the top of the dress. I was careful not to cut the bias tape or the lace around the edges. 

 

Here is a closer look at the lining and the bias tape around the edge. I cut as close to the bias tape as I could. I worked slowly so I didn't mess it up. 

 

I used a seam riper to remove the stitches holding the hook and eye closer in place. I didn't need the metal hook and eye anymore.

 

I turned the lace piece around and it was a really pretty vest.

 

  The tie was meant to be tied at the back of the neck but when I reversed the vest the tie was a pretty bow in front. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- This was such pretty lace. I still like to wear this. It is light as air and nice in summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make Magnets to Remind Yourself of What's In the Refridgerator

 Hello Readers. I can be forgetful. I try to make sure everything important is in my calendar, I put all my important items by the door the night before so I don't forget them when I leave in the morning. But one thing I never remember is to cook and use all the fresh produce in the refrigerator. I needed a way to remind myself what I had so I could use it all. Groceries are expensive, I don't want to waste them.

These homemade magnets are going to help me.

I found these magnets while shopping on Amazon. They are actually like little pockets to hold a small photo with a magnet on the back. They are going to help me remember what I bought and hopefully get me to eat more fresh produce.

I started by writing the name of the fruit or vegetable. I also drew a picture on a small piece of note paper. My youngest child saw this and really wanted to get involved so this became a family activity. He helped draw the pictures and write the names. We also talked about what fruits and veggies we liked and bought most often. 

When the picture was ready, I slid it into the pocket. The magnet is on the back so this is a very easy project. I just stuck the magnet on the fridge.

We made a magnet for every fruit and veggie we could think of. We skipped things we don't ever eat. You can customize this for your shopping and eating habits.

In the end I decided to put all the foods we had on-hand to the left. The magnets on the right are not currently in stock. You could put your magnets at eye level so you can see them easily and put the ones you don't need to see down lower or on the side of the refrigerator. You could also put pictures of leftovers or things about to expire on the magnet pictures. As always, do whatever works best for you.

I hope this idea helps you. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- These are still on my fridge and my son loved making them. They do help me remember what I have but I still forget at times.

House Dress to Chic Dress

 Hello Readers. This big bold floral print really caught my eye. It seemed so bright and cheerful. It had a big ruffle at the hem and ruffled sleeves that made it look more voluminous than it really was. It made me look more voluminous than I really was too. 

Before and after.

This dress seemed like it would be great for a refashion. Could I make a shorter summer dress? Sure I could.

I decided to cut off the ruffle at the hem. It made the dress too long for me. It had to go.

I used this dress pattern to get the shoulder shape I wanted. The body of the dress was nearly identical to the pattern already. My work was going to be very easy.

I had my dress front and back ready to sew. I liked this new sleeveless dress.

I put the front and back together with my serger so I would have neat seams.

Those ruffles were calling to me. I decided to put the sleeve ruffles back on my dress. 

The ruffles added a nice touch and made cute little cap sleeves.

The skirt of the dress had a fun high-low hemline that I really liked. It was easier to see it with the extra ruffle out of the way. I loved how it all came together. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- This is still a great light weight summer dress. It will come back when the weather warms up.

Making Work-out Tanks

 Hello Readers. It is honestly cold and rainy today but I know summer is coming. Its going to be hot and i am going to want to go sleeveless. I decided to take these 2 men's t-shirts and make 2 tanks.

Before and after.

I had a big t-shirt.

Actually, I had 2 of them.

I am using the Luna pattern from Helen's Closet Patterns. (Not an ad.) It is free to download. I love free! It is a loose tank top. Perfect for summer work outs. Or moderate walks. Or watching TV. Whatever you are in to.

I cut out my fabric pieces. I am going to make 2 of these tanks. The men's shirts I had are a perfect material.

 I needed to put them together.

I used my serger to connect the shoulders and the sides of the shirts. 

I liked how that stitching looked so I used the serger on all the edges. I liked the visible stitching.

These light flowy tank tops will be great in the heat of summer. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I haven't worked out in a while but it isn't because of these shirts. The shirts were great.