Removing Jean Pockets

 Hello Readers. I love to go thrifting and sometimes I find amazing items. Sometimes I find great basics too. These jeans fit so well and the length was perfect. They were a perfect basic. And they were only $1.75!!! I liked the dark wash but not the front pockets.

Removing the pockets.

These jeans were on clearance at the thrift store. They were also soft and had a straight leg cut. They seemed great.

I didn't notice until I got home but the front patch pockets were unevenly placed. I don't like front patch pockets anyway and I planned to remove the pockets entirely. 

 

I used a seam ripper to take the stitches out. I worked from the inside to prevent damaging the outer fabric. I worked slow and went stitch by stitch until I could remove the pockets easily. I didn't want to pull on the fabric or rip the front of the jeans. 

The jeans had some slight light marks where the pocket stitches were. 

 

I used a fine tipped permanent marker in black to hide the little stitch marks. I didn't draw a line over them. I made a small dot right on the light spot to darken it. I went dot by dot until I had blended them away. The permanent marker will stay on through the washer and dryer well over time.

 

I was happy with how the stitch marks had disappeared. I think the smooth front looks better without the pockets. I like the plain simple look of these "new" jeans so much better. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

 

Corduroy Dress

 Hello Readers. I love this color blue. I would call it ultra marine but Google disagreed. According to them it is Phthalo blue. Or Thalo, there were so many color options. I did not learn anything from my color research. Anyway...I loved this jumper dress because the color appealed to me. 

 

It's Phthalo???

 

I found this at a clothes swap and did not realize it would be so baggy. I still loved it and wanted to make it fit. 

 

I tried it on inside out and pinned the sides where I wanted new side seams.
 

I sewed new side seams and cut off a bit of fabric from each side of the dress. 

 

Here is a look at the new side seam.

 

I didn't change the dress in style or shape but I love the new fit. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

 

Green Corduroy

 Hello Readers. I found these green corduroy pants at a thrift store. It was a thrift shop or a clothes swap. I like green so I wanted to make them work for me and fit better. I thought they would be easy to remake.

Before and after.

Corduroy was warm and cozy in winter. These would be perfect if they could fit better. 

I cut the pants apart so I could resize them. I separated the front fro the back.

I used a pair of jeans I liked so I could use the jeans as a guide for the shape of the corduroy pant legs. The green corduroy legs were very full cut and curved. I wanted more of a straight legs. 

I cut the legs the shape I wanted. Now, I could sew the pants back together along the side seams. I did not get a picture of the sewing. Trust me there was a needle and some thread... you know what it looked like. 

Could I wear green and red together? Would it look like Christmas? 

Merry Christmas or Happy Valentine's Day rather. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

Velvet Overalls

 Hello Readers. I have been wanting to make something from this green velvet. It is soft and it seemed thick and warm for winter. I decided to make these overalls because I am starting 2025 as cozy as possible. This is More of a decorating fabric but it seems so soft, I wanted to try it as apparel. 

 

Before and after.

 

I used this Simplicity 5266 pattern. 

I ironed my pattern pieces because this pattern has never been used. 

I cut out all my fabric pieces. I was happy this pattern had pockets. 

I was ready to start sewing but I did not have the right color thread. 

 

I couldn't go to the store thread right away because we got a big snow storm, so I took a few days off.

 

I went outside to shovel snow. My husband also shoveled.

 

I got the thread I needed and got back to sewing. I sewed the pockets on the front of the overalls.
 

 This is a shoulder strap. Once I had thread, it was easy to sew it all together.

 

This velvet was thick but it has been so cold where I live that I love these overalls. They are warm and cozy. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 

 

Sweater Dress Refashion

 Hello Readers. I was given this dress as a hand-me-down (Hammy-down!) and I loved the color. It was a heavy and warm sweater knit. And I love mustard yellow. I didn't think it fit well. It was kind of shapeless on me. I thought maybe it was too long. I wanted to make it I thought I could change it up and I would like it even more.

Before and after.

 

I just felt like I was wearing a sleeping bag. 

 

I cut the dress in half. I thought a 2 piece outfit would be better. I could wear them separately and I could alter the fit to make it less shapeless. 

 

I wanted to add an elastic waistband to the skirt. This would be comfortable and it would bring the waist in  and add some shape. 

 

I used a zigzag stitch to attach the elastic to the skirt. I sewed the elastic right onto the outside of the skirt.

 

When I flip the elastic up the cut edge of the sweater fabric is hidden. 

 

I made the skirt a bit smaller to improve the fit. I added the same elastic waistband to the bottom of the new top. 

 

I love the new outfit. The waistbands that I added don't really show but the new shape is great. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay Organized- Everything In a Phonecase

 Hello Readers. We all get busy and are getting errands on the run. I know I do anyway. I try to carry the absolute minimum to get in and out of the store. I made it easier by making my phone, wallet, keys and lip balm all in one piece. Let me show you.

 All my necessities are in one place. 

I started by getting a phone case that had a wallet attached. It made carrying the important cards and cash along with my phone so easy and convenient. 

This is the outside of my phone case. (Similar here.) It has a zipper to close the wallet. I wanted to use that zipper for my next step. 

I am addicted to lip balm in winter. I can't go without it. I needed lip balm in a tube like this to attach it to my phone case. I like this one because it's also a great hand cream substitute. My hands get very dry in winter.

I used a tack to make a hole in the lip balm. 

I poked a hole in the plastic seam along the top of the lip balm. I used a cutting board from my kitchen to place under the lip balm. I needed a hole for my key ring. 

I used a small round key ring like this. You probably have one in your junk drawer. 

I pushed the key ring through the hole in the lip balm. It went through easily. 

I attached the key ring to the zipper pull of my wallet. This was easy too and it let me have the lip balm on-hand all the time. 

The lip balm hangs off to the side and isn't in my way. 

The zipper works just as easily as it did before so I can use the wallet when I need it. 

What else do I need to run around town getting stuff done?  My car and house keys. I had a plan for that too. I had my keys on a lanyard. The lanyard can attach to the phone case too.

Here is my on-the-go phone/wallet/keys/lip balm setup. I think I can survive with just this in any urban or suburban location. Thanks for reading along, now go make something useful for yourself.