Tablecloth to Dishtowel

 Hello Readers. I have been upcycling a couple tablecloths I had. The last scrap of fabric became a dishtowel. 

Before and after.

I made a bathrobe, and honestly, it was difficult. 

 

I also made a 2 piece set that had a weird flower/crotch situation.

 

I used my serger around the edges of the scrap piece I had. It was a rectangle so it was almost a dishtowel already. 

 

I turned the edges under and sewed them down. 

Here is my new dishtowel. It was a simple project and it will be handy in the kitchen. 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.

A Scrappy Christmas Dress

  Hello Readers. It is Dressember 2024. I am wearing and refashioning dresses all month to participate in this fund raiser. This organization works to help the victims of human trafficking. Currently there are an estimated 27million victims around the world. Most of these victims are women and girls. That is why we wear dresses all month, to raise awareness of this issue. I will be wearing and refashioning dresses all month. Visit their website to learn more.

Let's make a dress from some scraps.

 

Before and after. 

These wonderful over-alls were wide and very stretchy. That is how this dress was possible at all. 

 

I mean it was s-t-r-e-t-c-h-y.
 

I cut the bottom of the legs for my last project. 

I put the pant legs together with the right sides facing each other. 

I sewed them together. The Christmas design on the fabric is in all different directions so I did not need to make sure it was right side up. 

I basically made a stretchy tube dress. This is going to be tight and strapless.

It matched my coat dress. That would give some extra warmth on a cold winter night. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

Long Sleeve Bolero Jacket

 Hello Readers. I had this piece of fabric in my stash and I liked the colors and softness of it. What could I make from it? It was a smallish scrap and it was an unusual shape. 

Before and after. 

Here is a look at my plan. Do I have any talent or skill at drawing? No. But this is the best I can do. I thought I could make a bolero type jacket. 

I cut the piece of fabric a bit so that each side was the same or symmetrical. 

I also had this satin sample square and I thought it would make a nice lining for the back of my little bolero jacket. I also thought it was just pretty and was happy to use it. 

I cut the satin piece the same size and shape as the green fabric. I was going to sew them with the right sides together along the top and bottom. 

 

I had already used my serger on the open edges to prevent fraying. When I was done sewing them together I turned the whole thing right-side out.

 

Here is a look at the 2 pieces sewn together. I liked the satin as a lining. I wanted to connect the sides to make sleeves next.

 

I am not sure how this was heavy and thick enough to break both needles in my serger but it was. The back of the collar can stand up or...

Or I can fold it down and let the satin inside peek out. 

The hemline of the jacket is curved because the piece of fabric I had to work with was curved. I love how it looks though. The sheen of the fabrics makes this look quite dressy and I think it will be nice for a holiday party or event. 

But I might just wear it to the grocery store because I like it so much. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- I haven't had the chance to wear this jacket. But I love it.

 

 

 

 

 

Odds & Ends I Found in the Sewing Pile

 Hello Readers. I do a lot of sewing and refashion projects and sometimes I cut clothes apart. I save the pieces for later. I can be forgetful and when I find the piece later I am always surprised.

Cleaning out my sewing stash led me to these gems.

 This cotton skirt was very classic in shape and style. I liked it immediately.

 

It seemed to be cut off a dress. I has some trouble remembering what happened to the top of the dress but the skirt was great. It just had a rough cut edge that needed to be finished.
 

I used my serger to keep that cut edge from fraying more. A zigzag stitch would also work well for this.
 

 There wasn't much length to work with. I turned that serged edge under and stitched it down with my sewing machine.

 

The skirt had a 1/2 inch waistband now. It wasn't wide but it seemed to work well. It has buttons down the front to get it on and off. That fix at the waistband was all this skirt needed. How long has it been waiting to be fixed? (I hate to think.) 

 

I also found this slip dress in the refashion stash. I wasn't sure when I had picked it up or where I got it. I loved the copper color. The top button loop was broken so I would need to fix that.

 

 I decided to sew the V-neck closed. It would feel more secure that way. 

 

The arm holes were too low on me. Half my bra would be hanging out with it like this.

I decided to fix that problem by shortening the straps from the back. I opened the back, shortened the middle...

...and sewed it shut again.

 

Fixing the dress in the back was easy and the arm hole is much higher now. The fit is much better.

The slip dress is the perfect slip under this cotton skirt. 

 These 2 really work well with each other. I added a sweater to keep warm. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I loved these pieces and wore them but they are both very thin and are better for warm weather. It is cold and wet here in fall and winter.