Maxi-Dress to Maxi-Skirt

 Hello Readers. I love maxi length dresses and skirts. But I am short (5") so maxi length is always too long on me. I have to make my own maxi length. This yellow floral dress was perfect for that. 

 Before and after. 

 

I loved the fun bright yellow, but the top was painfully, obscenely tight and the skirt of the dress was so long it dragged on the floor.  

I cut the top of the dress off. I couldn't fix it, so it had to go. I thought the middle of the dress would make a great waist band because...  

The back of the dress had a lot of elastic shirring. That would keep the waistband fitted around my waist. 

 

I turned the edge under and used a zigzag stitch down to make it look nice and neat.

 

 When I cut away all the extra fabric from the middle and sewed the edge, it looked like this on the front.  

 

And this in the back. You can see the elastic shirring and the zigzag stitch I used to keep the cut edge tucked in.
 

I needed to shorten this new skirt. I cut about 6 inches off the skirt. 

 

I gave the skirt a new hem around the bottom of the skirt so that it was nice and neat. 

 

I wanted to wear the skirt with t-shirt in a casual way. 

 

 I found a great yellow t-shirt to wear with the skirt. This skirt was so comfortable and I love the bright color. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 

 

 

The Shrunken Lining

 Hello Readers. I found this beautiful linen dress at a thrift store when I went to the beach last year. I love blue and white, so I thought this dress was great. And linen is breathable and perfect for summer. I brought it home and I washed it. Guess what, it shrunk. It also had a synthetic lining that did not shrink.

  Before and after. 

I loved this material but I was stuck on all the problems this dress seemed to have. The dress had shrunk but the yucky synthetic lining didn't. The lining was bigger and hung lower than the dress. I also could not button the top of the dress anymore because it was too small. That was going to be a problem.  

I consulted with a sewing expert for advice. (My Daughter.) She had good advice.

 

I cut that lining out of the dress. I hate synthetic fabrics because they are hot and I wanted the linen to be light and breathable. The lining had to go.

 

I ironed the edges into the dress. Removing the lining left a raw cut edge. 

 

I sewed the edges into the dress so that the outside looked nice and neat. 
 

I decided the whole dress was too long for me so I gave it a big cut in length. 

 

I gave the shorter dress a new hem and it was nicely finished.

 

 I liked it worn open over this blue dress.  

 

 I also thought it would be great as a duster over jeans and a shirt. There are so many possibilities. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

 

 

 

 

 

Make an Easy Map Table

 Hello Readers. I am always looking for ways to sneak educational things into my kids lives. This idea for a map table came about because I wanted to hang a big map of the world but I did not have anywhere large enough to hang it. I attached the map to the table so we can see it everyday at meal times and we will learn some geography. 

Attach a map to a table top.  

I got this map from Amazon. You can choose any map you like. You might want a map of the country instead of the world. The important thing about this map is that it is laminated. A paper map is going to get dirty and you can't wipe the paper clean like you can this laminated surface. This map is very close in size to my table. Your table will vary in size. That is OK. You want a map that is very close to the edge of your table on all sides, or the map can be larger and you can cut off the excess. 

 

I unrolled the map and put some items on top to hold it down while I checked the size. My map was wide enough to just reach the edges of my table. That was perfect. It was too tall for my table so I would need to cut it to fit. 

Next, I got some very sturdy shipping tape. I wanted it to be clear so the map would show through it. I did not use cellophane tape because it would be too narrow. I also don't think it would be strong enough to handle daily washing and cleaning up after meals. Shipping tape is wider and more sturdy.

 

I tried to get close to the tape with my camera as I attached it to the table so you could see. I taped one side of the map to the table to start with. This side was the right size and I wanted to hold the map in place on the table for my next steps. I used a long piece of tape and placed the tape right centered on the edge of the table. That way half the tape is on the map and half is folded down and stuck on the side of the table. This will protect the edge of the map from spills and clean-ups. (*Note- This tape could damage a painted or finished wood table. My table is metal on the sides so it will be fine.Test the finish of your table in a spot that won't be noticeable to see if the tape is safe for your table.)

 

My map was not fully taped in place all around the table yet but it was not moving around. That was what I needed so that I could cut the map to fit my table. The corners of the table are rounded so I cut the corners of my map to match using some craft scissors. It was easy to cut through the map.

 

One side of this map did not fit on my table at all. I cut off all the flags at the bottom of my map. I also had to cut off Antarctica. (My deepest apologies to Antarctica and the scientists working there. Please don't take this personally. I have nothing but love for Antarctica.)

 

Here is another look at the taped edge. I used the shopping tape all the way around the table to keep the edge of the map covered. I got a few little air bubbles under my tape but its OK. The tape is secure. And my kids can still see the world map and learn from it. That is what matters.

 

Here is a child recreating what it would look like to eat breakfast at this table. In reality it would be more messy. You can see my son is sitting around Australia. 

 

Here is a view of the map on my table, or, my map table from above. It turned out great. It cleans up really well. I can still put a tablecloth on top of it if I want to be fancy for a holiday or party. We really like it. Thanks for reading along, now go make something for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pants Using Simplicity 8956

 Hello Readers. I wanted to make some wide leg pants/slacks/trousers. I thought the Simplicity pattern I had would work well. Spoiler- It did work well but I didn't follow it exactly. 

These are comfortable and fun. 

I think I got this fabric from my mother-in-law. I thought it would be perfect, The fabric itself was fabulous but I made some mistakes. Sometimes that happens when I sew, it is what it is. Let me tell you all about it.  

This pattern had large pockets and that was wonderful to me. I love pockets, and large really useful pockets are always welcome. 

 

I cut out the pant legs. This was simple until I cut one leg piece in the wrong direction. It wouldn't be that noticeable in some cases. My fabric has a large pattern so it was going to be visible. At this point, I didn't have enough fabric left to cut a new leg piece. I was a bit put off. I decided to go ahead and make the pants but I would simplify the waistband and skip the matching belt. 

 

I made the pleats and tucks in each pant leg and then I attached the pocket pieces to the pant legs. This was easy. 

 

I sewed the pant legs together. 
 

I used the waist tie to make a waistband. The pattern came with a more complicated waistband and I decided to go with something simpler. 

 

The zipper was supposed to go in the side and I cut the waistband to fit. 

 

I hemmed the length to fit me and I was done. I really liked the wide legs. 

 

I really liked the neutral color scheme. This pattern was a winner. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

Made-Up Vest

 Hello Readers. I made some new pants and decided to make a matching vest. The vest gave me the feeling of wearing a suit but the vest was much easier than a suit jacket. 

 

Matchy-matchy!

 

I used this vest as a pattern. It worked pretty well. Vests are so small and simple, they are an easy sewing project.

 

I cut out the back and front pieces. This took no time at all. 

 

I used some iron-on interfacing to make the vest easier to put together. The interfacing makes the fabric a little thicker and stiffer. That makes it easier to deal with.

 

When the interfacing was ironed on, I could sew the side and shoulder seams together. 

 

Here's my new vest. The edges still needed to be finished. 

 

I used bias tape for those cut edges of the vest. 

 

I sewed the bias tape to the edge of the vest. I just stitched on top of the bias tape all around the edges of the vest.

 

Then I turned the edge under and stitched on the outside of the vest all around the edges again. 

 

You can see the way it is sewn here. But the vest is just hanging open...
 

I also used 2 pieces of bias tape to make a tie closure in front of the vest to close it. 

 

Here is the finished outfit. I loved these 2 pieces together. 

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