A Baggy Waistband

Hello Readers. Have you ever tried on a pair of jeans and had them fit everywhere except the waistband? Sometimes the waistband is too loose in the back, but it isn't difficult to fix.

These denim shorts had a lot going for them. The waistband was high enough. (I have had 3 kids and a low waistband isn't what my mom tummy needs at this point in my life.) The fit was great through the hips and thighs but the waistband was not working for me. The shorts were an awkward length for me too. I would fix that later.  

I started by taking the waistband in on the sides. I thought it would blend in really well with the existing side seam. I didn't want to alter the size anywhere but the waist. I put the shorts out on a table and cut a little triangle shape out of each side. You can see I stitched over the new seam 3-4 times so it will never come undone when I am out in public.A zigzag stitch or a serger would finish the raw edge.

 I wanted to shorten the length a little too. I cut the hemmed edge off the bottom of each leg.

I rolled the ends up twice to make a cuff. I liked the new length but I knew it wouldn't stay up by itself.

I tacked it down with a few stitches on the sides, front, and back. The rolled cuffs will stay where I want them. 

    

I love the new fit. They aren't tighter anywhere but the waist. I need to eat lunch and snacks. I need to breathe. Tight denim is not what I want.

  

They are great for lounging in the sun. Ha ha, just kidding, I am way too pale to sit in the sun. I hide from the sun.

Trust me, they are good in shade too. 

Thanks for reading this post, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year end update- These were perfect for summer and got tons of wear.

Denim Jacket For Summer

Hello Readers. I decided to make an old denim jacket a little more light weight for summer.I thought it would be great over sundresses.

I started with a simple basic broken in jacket. I had removed the pocket flaps a while back because they were covered with shiny gold studs. I didn't like the shiny studs so I just cut them off. You can see how it looked originally here.

    

I cut the sleeves off so I had a denim vest. I just cut along the seam at the armhole. The stitching at the seam will keep the jacket together. The edge will fray a little in the wash. That will give it a great distressed look.

    

I cut out the back panel. I cut along the seams so the jacket would still have a good strong structure to keep it together and hold it's shape.

I needed to fill the back of the vest in with something. I decided to use this sweater. It had a nice crocheted back. (I didn't mind cutting it up because it was also too tight in the arms and I could barely squeeze into it last winter.) I cut the crocheted part of the sweater out of the back. It had a thick self-contained edging around it. I removed the whole thing and kept it it one piece so it wouldn't unravel.

    

It was easy to insert it into the back of the vest. It was really thick to stitch through, but not difficult. Whatever I wear under the vest shows through and highlights the crochet work nicely.

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

*Year end update- This is in my closet and I still like it a lot.

Bedding Fit For a King (Sized Bed)

Hello Readers. My mother in law recently gave me a pile of sheets she didn't want anymore. They were pretty and matched my bedroom.It was great!

   

The only problem was the size. There were twin and queen size sheets. I wanted to make them fit my bed somehow. I decided to combine them all and make a duvet cover for a comforter.

 

I saw first that the queen size sheet was big enough to cover the top of the bed. One side of the duvet would be made of this red queen size sheet.

For the other side of the duvet I used the twin sheets. The red center is a fitted twin sheet. I cut off the elastic and cut it into a rectangular shape. The yellow sheet I cut in half and attached to the sides of the red sheet. It hangs over the side of the bed so lots of the pretty yellow fabric shows. I was liking how it looked so far.

The only problem was that the red fitted sheet ended up a bit shorter than the other sheets. I needed to add something to the top to make it longer.

I decided to add this tiny piece of curtain to the top of the red sheet. It is actually a very small valance. It came from my mother in law too. (She is very nice.)

You can see where I fit it in to the sheets at the top. The straight lines made it easy to stitch together.

I can use either side of the duvet cover and the sheets are machine washable. I can throw it in the wash all the time as needed. It is open at the top so I can put a quilt inside for winter.

I need to wash this all the time because of these 2 troublemakers. They are always spreading dirt around the house.

Thanks for reading this post, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year end update- This is on my bed right now as I type this update months later.

Lining a Lacy Tank

Hello Readers. I was given this pretty tank top. It had a beautiful lace back. I thought the shirt could be a winner. But it needed some serious adjustments before I could wear it.

The floral design was pretty and the length was great, but it was totally see through in the back. This caused me some problems. There was no way to wear any kind of a bra with it. (I'm 46. I've had 3 kids. I don't go bra-less. You know what I'm saying here?) The straps would show through and ruin the look of the pretty lace. It needed a shirt under it but it was already a little too tight. There was no room for a second shirt under it. There was barely room for me in there.

     

I had this light weight vest in my sewing pile. It was a little worn out. It wasn't fit for everyday wear anymore but some of it could be used as a lining under the lacy tank. It already had the right shape in the back. It would be easy to stitch it into the back of the lace shirt to fill in behind the lace. I just need to get that metal buckle out of there.

     

The tiny stripes were a nice contrast with the floral pattern in the lacy shirt. And the additional fabric covers all the open lace in the back of the shirt perfectly.

The shirt was still a little too tight. I cut it open on the sides and put in a little strip of the striped fabric on each side. That little bit of fabric on the sides made the shirt fit so much better.

    

I liked how the shirt fit and it was just loose enough, but not too big. This is a great shirt for eating donuts and drinking coffee.

It's a great shirt for going outside with the kids on a hot day.

 

It's also a great shirt to go see a movie. (I saw Ant-Man and I liked it a lot.)

  

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

*Year end update- This is one of my all time favorites.

The Dress is Too Small

 Hello Readers. Sometimes clothes are just to small. That's life, but sometimes I try to salvage part of a dress if I can. That's what I did in today's post

 I really liked this black and gray dress, but it was too tight in the gray top half of the dress. The black skirt half of the dress was plenty big enough. AND IT HAD POCKETS! Pockets are worth saving for sure.

    

 I did what I had to do. I cut the gray top away from the black skirt. It was just too tight and not worth trying to fix. I was just going to replace this top with something else.

 I chose this champagne pink sweater vest top. I like it but it looks weird on me with that low hanging front. It looks like a loincloth or something. On the plus side, it was soft, pretty, and BIGGER! That was really the most important thing.

    

I used my sewing machine to connect the 2 pieces. I didn't want to make a skirt to wear with a shirt. I wanted them to be a complete dress. I also wanted to cut off the bottom of the sweater that I didn't like. Once they were sewn together, I cut off all the excess material.(Including the loincloth.)

I liked how they went together. I was concerned it might be a little long on me. I was going to shorten it a little but.....

    

Someone else liked it too. Someone taller. Someone that lives in my house. Someone I love.

My daughter liked it and I gave it to her.

Thanks for reading this post, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year end update- This dress didn't turn out as I planned and I always wanted to work on it more. Maybe next summer?