The Simplest Skirt You Can Make

 Hello Readers. Happy Halloween 2025

 Sewing is so much fun. I love to put pieces together and make something new and hopefully wearable. My daughter gave me a piece of amazing argyle fabric that she didn't want and it was perfect for making a very simple, very basic skirt. This is the kind of skirt I wish I learned to make in junior high sewing class when I was forced to make a tote bag. The bag wasn't fun or cute or colorful. It felt like a wasted opportunity. If the sewing isn't fun, why are we doing it? We can answer that later. For now let's make a skirt.

 

Before and after.

 

 

This is the fabric my daughter gave me. It is a soft knit and I love that. The argyle pattern was fun and nostalgic. It was also a perfect rectangle. Believe it or not, that is a great start to making a simple skirt. The wider the rectangle the fuller the skirt will be.Wrap it around yourself to see if it will fit well. If you want a very full twirly skirt, you need a wide rectangle. I only had the amount I was given so I will work with what I have.

The first step was to fold the right sides together and sew the ends together. This is going to make a tube shape and that is the beginning of the skirt. 

Now, we need a waist of some kind. There so many ways to make a waistband. I wanted this to be so simple that a very beginner could do this. I am going to attach wide elastic to the top edge of the skirt. That is going to be the waistband. Elastic is comfortable and it is easy to fit. It forgives when You had a big slice of cake and it is easy to put together. Choose a color that matches your fabric.

Measure your waist. This is so important. You want the elastic to fit around you comfortably. Even elastic can be tight if it is too small. Every body is different. Your waist isn't the same as mine. Cut your elastic the size you need. You want it tight enough ti hold up your skirt but not so tight it hurts your tummy. Connect the ends of the elastic with a zigzag stitch. I like to sew over mine back and forth a couple times to make sure it will never come apart. I overlapped the edges of my elastic and stitches over the edge to hide any fraying threads.

Use pins to attach the skirt to the waistband. You want the skirt fabric to be evenly spread around the elastic waistband.

Now, My skirt is all pinned and it's time to sew. I like to use pins or clips to arrange my fabric for sewing. It makes it easier to sew. I used a zigzag stitch because I want to be able to pull the skirt on over my hips and bum. It needs to stretch to do that. If I sew the elastic on with a straight stitch it won't be able to stretch as I want. 

Now I can check my sewing. Did I miss any spot of fabric? If I did (Or you did.) It's OK. No one is perfect. Just go back to that spot and go over it again. If your thread and elastic match well, it won't show at all. 

The last thing I need to do is hem the skirt. Any length is fine. Trying the skirt on is the best way to decide how long it should be. I marked my skirt and folded the lower edge under and stitched it down. The fabric I am using is a knit so it won't fray. A woven fabric would need to be folded under twice to hide the fraying edge.

My skirt turned out great. It is as comfortable as sweatpants but so much cuter.

I feel like it really works with this "Pink Ladies" jacket I found at a swap. I think it's too much. Maybe for Halloween? We'll see. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- This skirt was so simple and I really like it. I wear it with a brown sweater in cooler weather. I like the bit of pink with all the brown.

 

The Velvet Cape Part 2

 I am re-posting Halloween costume ideas for October. A great place to start is with a cape. A black cape can be a vampire, a witch, a Medieval Lord or Lady, a hermit, a bat, a spy.....

 Hello Readers. I am back with more of this velvet cape. I originally got this in the mail from Amazon. I didn't order it, it was sent to me by mistake. (They didn't want it back and acted like I was crazy when I reported it. So, thanks to Amazon, I guess.) I used most of the cape to make a dress but I still had the top of the cape left over. What should I do with that?

Before and after.

 

This is the dress I made from the cape. I turned out well enough but there was a lot of cape leftover.

 

I had the whole top of the cape leftover but it was pretty thin and lightweight. What if I lined it with something?

 

I had this red, white and black LLR dress. It was too small for me so it has been sitting and waiting to be used for it's fabric. Today is the day!

 

When I was done with the dress I cut the extra fabric away from the cape and I had a short velvet cape, it was ready to wear, but it would be nicer if it was lined.

 

I cut the skirt open and spread the cape on top. I thought the skirt would be similar in shape and size to the cape. And it was! I used the cape as a pattern to cut the skirt into a matching lining piece. I sewed them together with the right sides facing each other. Then I turned the pieces the right way out.

 

I used a second piece of fabric to make the lining of the hood. I used the velvet hood as a pattern for the lining. I stitched it to the hood along the edge with the right sides facing each other, then I connected the lining pieces to each other inside the cape.

 

The lining made the cape more fun and added a layer of warmth. 

 

My new cape is so much fun! I don't know if I needed it but I really like it!  And if I have a super hero emergency, I am ready. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

***Year End Update- This cape was very handy at Halloween because my youngest decided 5 minutes before walking out the door that he really wanted a cape. And I was ready!
 

 

 

 

 

 

Jars to Canisters

 Hello Readers. I like to re-use and re-cycle whenever I can. It's good for the environment and saves me money. I like both of those things a lot. I also prefer to use glass containers for food storage instead of plastic containers. This is a great way to get free glass containers. Let me show you what I mean. 

 Before and after.  

I started by buying a big jar of pickles. (It took a while to eat all of these.) It doesn't really matter what is in the jar, I wanted the biggest jar I could get. This was in the biggest jar I could find while I was grocery shopping. It also had a label that I could peel off, I did not want a jar with a label painted right on the glass because that paint would be harder to remove than a plastic or paper label.  

I also bought a large jar of olives. (It took me quite a while to eat all of these too.)  

I washed the jars really well in hot water. I gave the jars and lids a full soaking and scrubbing with dish soap. 

  

The heat of the water made it easy to remove the label. I wanted the jar to be clean with no label or adhesive left on the glass. This label came off easily so I was able to move onto the next step.

 

I grabbed some acrylic craft paint. I wanted to paint the lids to make them a little nicer looking. I like blue but you can choose any color you would like. I thought if the lids were the same color they would look a little more cohesive. (I love a matching set.)

 

I painted the lids and let them dry overnight. This would cover the lettering and brand names on the lid. I am going to use these jars for more than  pickles and olives, so I don't want the lids to have those labels anymore. And I love blue.

 

I liked how the painted lids looked. The jars were perfect for any snacks or pantry staples. OR the cookies I made and for the candy I had. They look pretty cute and since the glass is clear, I know if I am running out of cookies. 

 

You don't have to use large jars and you don't have to paint any metal lids if you don't want to. This yogurt comes in a glass jar and doesn't have a lid at all. It has foil on top. 

 

You can buy these kind of reusable wooden lids to use on your jars. They come in all different sizes for all different sized jars. The rubber around the edge keeps the contents fresh. 

  

I washed the yogurt jars and removed the label like I did with the large jars. 

 

 These small jars are perfect for spices and seasonings that need to be stored. The jars and lids are washable and can be re-used again and again. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun (Like cookies!) for yourself and store them in a fun jar. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dress Up Your Bag

 Hello Readers. I love purses and bags and I have noticed there are a lot of designers selling charms and decorations to add on bags now. I don't spend designer prices on anything so I wanted to find a way to decorate my bags with things I had on hand. Let me show you what I put together. 

I found this Coach bag at a Goodwill bin outlet. I like it by it self but it is great with some decorations too. 

 

I can't afford a Louis Vuitton bag but look at the decorations they have on the side. They add color and interest,

Here is another example. They colors and materials add a little color and interest to the bag too. We can do that on our own, let me show you what I mean.. 

 

Here is my plain bag. (It's naked!!) I looked all around my house and found some items to easily add to my bag. 

Here is what I collected for my bag. I found a small scarf, a brightly colored leather cord (Similar here.)  and a chain. (Similar here.)

It was easy to tie a small scarf around the handle of the bag. Any little scarf would work. 

 

This orange cord had a fun tassel and a small key attached. I used a simple knot to attach the cord to the metal ring on the bag. I tucked the long end of the cord down into the bag. The orange was a fun pop of color. 

I had this chain necklace and I thought it would be a great addition to the bag. It was easy to add it to the clip on handle. I didn't need to cut or alter anything I added to my bag so it can all be removed and used or worn again if I want later. 

This black bucket bag is great just the way it is but let's have some fun with decorating it. 

 

I thought red bag charms would look good with this black bag. I found this key chain of a cute little double-decker bus and a small Union Jack flag from London. The key chain slips on the metal ring of the bag with no problem.

 

I found this large old fashioned key in a drawer and it was a nice match of silver metals. it fit right on the clip of the bag handle. 

 

I added a small red scarf to the handle. That red really pops. I just tied a simple knot so it wouldn't fall off. The red scarf was fabulous with the red bus key chain.

 

The red charm and scarf went together so well and they added some bright fun color to this black bag. You can decorate your bag with anything that appeals to you, it can be unique and personalized to you. You can use whatever you want.
 

It doesn't really matter what you add on your bag. It is just a fun way to make your bag more special and you should enjoy the end product. This little guy is my favorite. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack-o'-Lantern Jacket

October means Jack-o'-Lanterns and candy. At least to me and my family. I found this orange cardigan style jacket at a clothes swap months ago and thought it would make a great Jack-o'-Lantern. Let me show you how I put it together. It was an easy project that you could do too. 

I made a cheerful Jack-o'-Lantern Jacket. 

This jacket had a plain, smooth back. That is perfect for my project. You could also use an orange sweatshirt. You just need an open space on the sweatshirt that you can use for your Jack-o'-Lantern face.

 

I started by tracing out my face. I wanted triangles for the eyes and nose. I used a staple remover as my triangle. (It was the only triangle I could find.) I traced it lightly so I could paint over it later. 

 

I wanted a smile so I needed a curve to trace. I used this small lunch plate and traced one side of it to make a round half circle shape. I think tracing is easier but you could also draw out a face free hand if you feel comfortable with drawing. 
 

When I was done tracing the face on my jacket I wanted to paint the face in a dark color to make it really stand out. I used dark acrylic black puffy paint because it has a narrow tip that made it easy to draw over what I had already traced out. The tip made a clean sharp edge and I liked how that looked.

 

I used the squeeze bottle to trace the out lines of the face. I squeezed gently and tried to slowly draw the line of paint on top of the outlines I had traced earlier. It isn't brain surgery so don't get over-stressed about it.  

 

When I had made a nice clean outline of paint, I filled in the center by spreading the paint out with a paintbrush. This paint is easy to use. It is thick and does not soak through the fabric too much.

*Note- If you decide to paint a thinner material, like a t-shirt, put newspaper or something like that inside the shirt so the paint does not soak through and make marks on the other side of the shirt. 

 

I added some zigzag shapes to the mouth. Then I added eyebrows too. I was just having fun, you can personalize your face however you want. 
 

I left the jacket out over night to dry thoroughly. I did not move it for fear that I would smear the face. Once it is dry, it will never wash out. So be careful when you are painting the paint will stain anything it gets on. 

 

My new jacket is fun and great for the month of October and for Halloween, and simple enough to wear to work. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.