Red Plaid Pants

 Hello Readers. I like to go to thrift shops and clothes swaps. You never know what you will find. I love to find unusual things. These red plaid pants caught my eye at a thrift store so I grabbed them. I remember having a pair of red and black plaid pants in 7th grade that I thought were so cool. The epitome of style in the 80's. These pants took me back. 

Before and after. 

I don't try clothes on at the thrift store I just buy things with fabric I like and bring them home. I decided later what I will do with them. As you can see, these were too big. That is OK. 

I did not want to loose those pockets on the sides. I used my serger to make new seams on the inside of the pant legs. 

This worked really well. I sewed up one leg to the crotch. Then I sewed up the other leg. I sewed over the crotch a couple times just to make it strong. I also sewed a new seam down the middle of the back. (I will call it the butt crack seam.) That made the saggy butt look better. I sewed the front seam as well but it only needed about 1/2 inch removed. This made the pants smaller but kept the original shape. It also left the pockets alone. 

 

 

I was feeling the red plaid and it made me think of Christmas. Honestly I would love to think of anything besides current events so ... HO HO HO! Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

Making Bell-Bottom Jeans

 Hello Reader. I thought I would make a simple monochromatic outfit from this purple shirt and pants. I got side-tracked and ended up with these little bell-bottoms instead. 

Before and after.

These jeans are not great on me. The length isn't right. 

I think this was the biggest problem. The waist was too big. It added bulk where I do not need bulk added. (I had 3 kids. I have plenty of tummy bulge without these jeans adding to it.) 

I marked where I needed my new side seam to be. I made the jeans smooth and flat and I sewed a new seam in the right spot. 

I cut off the extra fabric. You can see my new seam here. 

I wanted to close up the edge so it would not fray. That would weaken my jeans over time. I used my serger but you could also use a zigzag stitch on the edge to prevent that fraying. 

I cut some length off the jeans. They were too long on me. (#shortlegs) I thought I would use some of this cut off fabric to make the jeans into more of a boot leg shape.

I used a seam ripper to open the jeans on the outside seams. 

This is where I got distracted. I remembered I had some fabric in a similar shade of purple. I could put some of this polka dot fabric in the openings I had made. 

I switched my plan and decided to add this fabric in the openings. Why not have some fun with these jeans. 

 

I made my fabric triangles very sharp and neat with my rotary cutter. This will make it easier to sew in the jeans neatly. I used this triangle as a pattern for the second. They need to be identical.

I sewed the purple triangles to the small inner strip of fabric at the seam. 

I ironed these panels and they looked very sharp and crisp. And they were so much fun. 

I thought I should add a tan layer because the little dots were tan. But I had several tan vests? Why so many? I don't know. 

I chose this long one. It is actually a dress that my daughter refashioned into a vest. What do you think? Was this the right piece to layer on top? Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

Monochromatic Black on Black

 Hello Readers. I wanted to put together some monochromatic outfits from the clothes on my refashion rack. This mock-neck sweater is a men's medium and my daughter didn't want it. Where these dressy pant's came from is a mystery. I really don't know. Let's make a simple but cool outfit.

I look like I work at an art gallery and I am going to sell you a blank canvas and say it's modern art.

Everything was just too long. The waist and hips fit well but the pant legs were too long for me. (I'm short.) The body and the sleeves of the sweater were too long too. I guess medium men have longer arms than I do. I wanted to shorten the pants and crop the sweater. 

 

I shortened the pant legs and sewed a new hem. 

 

I used my serger to shorten the sweater. I turned it inside out and folded the hem up. This will put the new seam inside the sweater. The serger cuts the excess fabric off as it stitches along. I took about 4 inches out of the body length. I stitched right along the top of the waistband so the new seam will look like it is part of the waistband. 

If you do not have a serger you can still do this. I will show you using the wristbands. I cut the bands off right at the top and set them aside. 

I cut off about 3 inches from the sleeves. Now I need to reattach the wristband. I will have to stretch the wristband as I sew to make them fit together but sweaters are stretchy so that will be easy. 

I put the cuff and the sleeve together with the right sides facing each other. You can use a serger here or use a sewing machine with a zigzag stitch. I am stretching the cuff but not stretching the sleeve. I sewed all the ways around the sleeve and it was put back together.

The length of these pants is great and the waist of the sweater hits right at my waist and it looks like it is my sweater and not some mans. Does the black outfit need a little color? I like the black but I also really like bright colors. Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long Sleeve Bolero Jacket

 Hello Readers. I had this piece of fabric in my stash and I liked the colors and softness of it. What could I make from it? It was a smallish scrap and it was an unusual shape. 

Before and after. 

Here is a look at my plan. Do I have any talent or skill at drawing? No. But this is the best I can do. I thought I could make a bolero type jacket. 

I cut the piece of fabric a bit so that each side was the same or symmetrical. 

I also had this satin sample square and I thought it would make a nice lining for the back of my little bolero jacket. I also thought it was just pretty and was happy to use it. 

I cut the satin piece the same size and shape as the green fabric. I was going to sew them with the right sides together along the top and bottom. 

 

I had already used my serger on the open edges to prevent fraying. When I was done sewing them together I turned the whole thing right-side out.

 

Here is a look at the 2 pieces sewn together. I liked the satin as a lining. I wanted to connect the sides to make sleeves next.

 

I am not sure how this was heavy and thick enough to break both needles in my serger but it was. The back of the collar can stand up or...

Or I can fold it down and let the satin inside peek out. 

The hemline of the jacket is curved because the piece of fabric I had to work with was curved. I love how it looks though. The sheen of the fabrics makes this look quite dressy and I think it will be nice for a holiday party or event. 

But I might just wear it to the grocery store because I like it so much. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

Quilted Dish Cover

 Hello Readers. The holiday season is upon us and that means we will be taking food to parties and get-togethers as we visit friends and family. I thought it would handy to have a cover and carrying case for my baking dish. It wasn't hard to make, let me show you.

Take a dish to dinner and keep it warm too. 

I had a piece of quilted fabric that I wanted to use. I have an unusual size dish. It is 9x11 but it is very deep. I tried different ways to fit my fabric piece around my dish first to make sure it would work. I made sure the fabric could wrap up the sides of my dish and overlap on the top of the dish. That is the key to the whole project.

*You could also use an old blanket, pillow sham, quilt, table cover, towel .... anything that you like that has a bit of thickness to insulate your dish.

I wanted to make my cover in the same shape as my dish. I wanted it to have sides that my dish could sit down in. I cut out these squares so that I could sew the corners of my cover. 

You can see here what I mean. I wanted to sew this corner together so the sides would stand up. The extra fabric will cover the top and keep my dish warm. 

 

I used my serger to sew the sides. It will keep them from fraying. You could also use a sewing machine with a zigzag stitch.
 

Here is a look at the cover with the corners sewn so that the sides stand up. There is extra fabric on each side and it looks too big but don't cut it off. It is going to make the top of the cover. 

When the fabric is over the top of the dish those extra "flaps" can be tucked into the cover and add insulation to the top of the dish. 

When these little flaps are tucked in the cover is nicely closed and the dish is covered and will stay warmer than if it was just sitting out uncovered. But those edges don't look great. Let's make it prettier. 

 

 

 I used matching double-fold bias tape on all the exposed edges.

 It will make the cover look more nicely finished. 

I sewed the bias tape with matching thread so that the stitches would blend in. 

The bias tape is folded so no raw edges will show. The bias tape is like a hot dog bun and the fabric edge is the hot dog. I fit the edge of the fabric into the bias tape and sewed all 3 layers together. 

The bias tape looks much better than the unfinished edges. 

I took a piece of wide ribbon that was about a yard long. I connected the ends to make a loop. This is going to be the handles to carry the cover and dish. 

I put the loop under the cover. The wide ribbon will help keep the dish stable and level. 

I pinned the ribbon to the cover so it would stay centered in the middle of the bottom of the cover while I sew. The ribbon needs to be symmetrical to keep the dish level when carrying it. 

The ribbon loop comes up over the top and makes 2 handles. 

I stitched both sides of the ribbon to the cover so that it would stay in place. 

I folded the handles into thirds where my hand would hold it. 

I sewed about 3 inches to make the "handle" easy to grab. 

When my cover was finished it stayed closed over the dish and was easy to carry. And it looks cute too. 

When I open the cover my baking dish is ready to open and share. I hope you can enjoy food and fun with friends and family in the coming months.