Linen Scrap Skirt

 Hello Readers. I don't like to waste fabric or fabric scraps. I try find a way to use them. I made shorts from a pair of wide leg pants and thought the legs looked wide enough to use for a skirt. Let me show you.

Before and after.

I used the top of these linen pants to make a nice pair of shorts for summer. But the legs were long enough and wide enough to make something else. 

I had already cut the legs off. I was going to make a skirt from that nice linen. 

I cut the fronts and backs of the pant legs apart. 

That gave me 4 pieces of linen. 

I wanted to sew this wide cotton ribbon in between each linen piece. That will make the linen I have large enough for a skirt. 

I connected each piece of linen to this wide cotton ribbon. I alternated linen and ribbon until I had sewn them all together. Then I connected it into a tube shape.

Here is my tube. It is starting to look like a skirt!

I added a simple elastic waistband. I used a zigzag stitch to attach the elastic to the top of the skirt.

Then I turned the elastic under and stitched it again.

I pulled the waistband smooth for this last part.

After sewing the elastic shrinks back and makes this little gathered paper-bag waist look. It is a little wrinkly but the linen is going to wrinkle so they will look good together. I hemmed the bottom of the skirt and I was done.

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

***Year End Update***- This skirt was so easy to put together and it is light weight. It was great in the summer heat.

Linen Pants to Shorts

 Hello Readers. I have had these linen pants for a long time and they have been waiting to be refashioned for a long time. I already had a pair of beige linen pants. I did not need 2 pairs. Let's make something else. 

Warm weather is coming. Let's make shorts.

These pants were made of very nice linen. I liked the wide legs but these were really wide and long on me. And they had something I hate. 

There was a horrible nylon lining. Nylon makes me itchy and it is hot in warm weather. The linen fabric is great in heat but if you add a nylon layer, it ruins it for me. A lining can make the pants last longer and drape nicely when they are worn but it isn't worth it for me. I started cutting the nylon layer out.

 

I literally just cut it out. It was connected along the waistband and I cut as close to the waistband as I could without cutting the linen. If I get any stray threads when I wash these pants I can trim them. It will be inside the pants no one will know. (Shh, don't tell.)

Here is the entire lining. Good riddance nylon. I never liked you anyway!

I cut the pant legs off. I wanted to save those legs for another project. Come back tomorrow to see the pant legs refashion.

I turned the hem under twice and stitched it down with a straight stitch. Easy as pie!

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

 

Linen & Silk

 Hello Readers. I found these linen pants and silk top at a thrift store recently. I thought they would be perfect for work because it is really warm here. It doesn't cool down until late September or early October. Linen and silk breath and keep you cool when it's hot.

Before and after.

This shirt has a wide waist tie that made it really awkward to tuck the shirt in. I usually tuck things in. I thought I could just remove the 2 pieces from the sides. 

 

I sewed the 2 pieces together and made a small scarf. But it has a seam in the middle.

I stitched the center together into a tube to hide that seam in the middle. 

It turned into a fun accessory.

I added a little snap to the shirt to keep the neckline closed. It was a little too low for me. This was easy to add by hand.

I took the waist and hips of the pants in a little to keep them higher on my waist.

The whole outfit fits better and looks more put together. It would be perfect for work. But a weird thing happened. I quit my job before I even wore this. My husband's schedule changed and our childcare situation changed and so my schedule had to change too. That means more time for sewing, I hope. We just roll with it. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- I made this for work and quit my job. I love the outfit though.

 

Lovely Linen

 Hello Readers. The older I get the more I hate polyester fabrics. They just don't breathe. I feel like I am wearing a plastic bag. I love wearing linen because it is so comfortable.  Call me a princess, I need to breathe. 

Before and after.

I found these pants abut a week ago at my local Goodwill. I brought them home and threw them in the washer. I like to wash all my thrift finds right away.

 

I knew I was going to have to do some sewing to make them fit but I didn't care because I saw the tag that said "100% linen". They would be so nice for work.

 

These pants didn't have any stretch and are meant to be loose and baggy. I decided to take them in about an inch on each side. 

 

When I sewed a new side seam it was 1inch from the edge. I sewed through the front and back layers of the pant leg. That means I actually took them in about 2 inches. 

 

I used the same method to take in this shirt.

 

I liked these together so I put them on and went to work. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- This outfit was great for work in summer. I quit that job but I will be wearing this again this summer