Fabric Scrap Scarf

 Hello Readers. I was given a pile of fabric scraps and sample pieces a while back. (I have a nice mother-in-law.) I try to use the fabric pieces based on the weight of the fabric. Thick fabric makes nice cushions and bags, but soft fabric is better for clothing. This gray fabric had a nice gentle feel and drape to it. So let's make a cute little scarf. 

 This is my new fabulous fabric scrap scarf. 

 My mother-in-law worked at a fabric store for a long time and she collected and shared fabric with me. (So nice!) Do you see the upper left hand corner is missing? That's OK. If you look at the upper right hand corner, you can see a small hole. That's OK too. I am going to work around these issues. Life is about making the most of what you have, so is sewing. 

 

This gray fabric was very soft and silky. Stiff or thick fabric would not work very well for this project. I want this scarf to drape gently around my neck, stiff fabric won't do that. It was VERY cold where I live so I thought it would make a nice scarf. I only had to do a little work to make it nice and neat. 

 I thought a triangular shaped scarf was best for this piece of fabric. One corner is missing so I had to trim it a little to make the sides even. I used my rotary cutter because it cuts so easy. I also used the edge of this quilting ruler to guide my cutting. I wanted a nice straight edge that I was cutting.   

  I folded the piece in half with the right sides facing each other to sew it together.  

I sewed around the outer edges together. I sewed around the triangle to sew the cut edges together.

  I had that hole to use to turn it right side out.

 

If you don't have a hole like this, you should leave a small opening in the side seam to turn your scarf right side out.  

 But what about that hole? It's OK. I used a needle and thread to sew the edges of the hole closed by tucking the edges in and stitching it together. It won't show when the scarf is on anyway. 

I tied a small knot on one corner and tucked the other corner into the knot. That would keep it on my neck and hide the hole I sewed shut. 

 This scarf turned out really well. It was soft on my neck and a nice extra layer to keep me warm because winter just won't stop this year. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

Fabric Scraps to T-shirts

 Hello Readers. Hot summer weather means t-shirts. I realized I had so many fabric scraps that I could make several t-shirts from all the scraps. I would piece them together and make as many as I could. I like to use fabric scraps, fabric is too pricey to throw out the scraps. Let's see how making my own t-shirts goes. 

 It's a t-shirt bonanza! 

All of my t-shirts started here. This is my scrap basket. It was getting pretty full so I decided to organize it. I realized some of the fabrics went together nicely and I could make some t-shirts for myself. 

I used this pattern. It is Very Easy Very Vogue 8062. It had small cap sleeves that were part of the shirt itself. It seemed easy to put together and I was going to make several so a simple pattern would be best. A similar pattern would be this Simplicity New Look 6216. This pattern is for a shirt with the same kind of sleeve so you only have to cut out the shirt front and back and sew them together.

I sewed the scrap pieces together until I had enough for the front and/or back of the shirt. 

 

I was basically making panels that I could cut into a shirt shape. I held the pattern piece next to the pieces of fabric to make sure the fabric was big enough to cut out my shirt piece. Every shirt turned out different colors and arrangements based on the scraps I had to use. 

 

When I cut out the front and back of the shirt I sewed the shoulders and side seams together as the pattern directed. 

 

 I hemmed the bottom of each shirt by turning the raw edge under twice and stitching it down with my sewing machine. A good beginner machine is this Singer sewing machine.

 

I wanted to make the necklines as simple as possible (And use the least amount of supplies.) so I used my serger around the neckline (Rainbow colored thread.) and then turned it under and stitched it down with my sewing machine. 
 

This shirt had a lot of linen and I loved the colors. I didn't stop there. 

 

I put scraps together without much plan. I just liked the colors and patterns. 

 

I just had to make the scraps go together until I had one connected piece big enough to cut out my shirt. 

 

I used my serger on the edges and then turned them under and sewed them down. 

These shirts were fast to put together and I started to get obsessed. I kept repeating the process. 

I liked these fabrics and they were already cut into strips so this shirt is going to be stripes. 

I was on a roll and I kept going. 

 

 Some of the fabrics were so much fun. I don't know where this cat fabric came from but I loved the cats with the polka dots. 

 

Little french bulldogs? Yes, please!

 

Bumble bees? Of course. 

 

This one includes a piece of embroidery that I found at a thrift store. 

 

When I got to these shirts, I realized I had enough scrap fabric to make matching shorts. So with my "Go big or go home" energy, I made 3 pairs of shorts. At this point, I was tired of making t-shirts. I had more than enough for the hot days of summer. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purple Palooza

 Hello Readers. I like to sew and that means there are a lot of fabric scraps. My daughter and my Mother-in-law also like to sew. That means there are even more fabric scraps at my disposal. I always want to try and use them. I don't like to be wasteful and fabric is expensive. Let's make a scarf from some pretty  purple scraps. 

I went on a purple binge. 

These were the scraps I had to work with. This was a very soft knit material. I really liked it but it was small and oddly shaped. 

This soft purple fabric was a bit gauzy and my serger had a bit of trouble with it. My sewing machine would have torn it up completely. As it was I broke 2 needles working with this fabric. I connected the pieces of fabric with the right sides facing each other. 

  

It kind of looked like this, 2 long narrow pieces. I wanted to connect them into one long narrow piece because scarfs are usually long and narrow. I sewed 2 short ends together but left an opening to flip it all right side out.

I wiggled the right sides out of the scarf. 

I sewed the opening closed by hand with a needle and matching thread. 

The material has a nice drape so it makes a great scarf. 

 

 I thought this shirt matched the scarf. The shirt had a tie at the waist that would be in the way if I tried to tuck the shirt in. I always tuck in my shirts so I needed to change this. 

I could cut off both pieces of this tie and I could sew this opening closed.

I clipped the sides together. 

This was easy to sew closed. 

I could wear the finished shirt untucked but I can tuck it in if I want. 

I loved the color of this belt with this shirt and scarf but the length of the belt was way too long on me. That's OK, I had a plan to fix it. 

So I cut it. That's right. I just cut it with a pair of sharp craft scissors and left the cut edge. It was leather so it wont fray or fall apart. The belt buckle will hide this cut end anyway so it won't really matter how it looks.

I used sharp scissors with a tip and made a hole at the right spot for me. It doesn't look as nice as the original but this buckle will hide the hole I made too. I kind of stabbed the belt and turned the tip of the scissors in a circle until I had punctured the belt. It was not difficult. I just had to apply a little pressure. I had the cutting mat under the belt so I did not damage the table. 

The design of this buckle hides all my cutting a hole making. The buckle fits in the hole I made and the belt looks just like it should when it's worn. No one knows I cut it and made holes in it. well, no one but you. (Shhh, don't tell.)

 

I was really feeling all this purple. The belt was great with this shirt and vest. (Yes, I have purple sneakers. Don't judge.) Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.