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?

Old Dress to New Top

Hello Readers. I love dresses and I love to wear dresses. But every once in a while a dress comes along that is just an awful mess. Today's dress is one of those disasters. 

This dress had the shoulder pads that were mandatory in the 80's. It also had some elasticized shirring that had seen better days. It was misshapen and made my chest seem....asymmetrical. It wasn't good.  Other than that, the material was a nice rayon. It also had a sash that tied in the back. The sash came in handy later.

    

I decided the best thing to do was cut the top of the dress off and say goodbye to it.That top was stretched in a crazy way.

I turned the skirt piece upside down and cut out a boxy shirt shape. The top of the shirt is actually the hem of the dress

I used my machine and connected the side seams and the seams under the sleeves. I left the shoulders open. The edges are finished because that is the finished hem of the skirt.

I ironed the sash and cut it into 6 pieces. I am going to use these little pieces to connect the front and back together.

I attached the little pieces along the back of the shirt. (It looks like a curtain.)

Next, I attached the little shoulder straps to the front of the shirt. It is sort of an off-the-shoulder shirt and sort of a cold-shoulder shirt. It's a hybrid shirt!

I also made some cutoff shorts. I figured out the length I wanted and after I cut off the first leg, I used it as a guide for the second leg. I would have trouble getting them the same exact length.

I really wanted a pair of denim shorts with a frayed hem. Nothing says relaxed summer like frayed denim.

This is a great outfit for the heat and humidity of August. 

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

*Year end update- This shirt was so much fun. It was great on a hot day, and the shorts were worn all summer.

There's a Hole in My Sweater

Hello Readers. Big dramatic refashions are fun but sometimes just a little change is needed. Today's post is about a simple sweater that needed a little fix.

This sweater is not really very exciting. It's just a plain black cardigan. But we all need some basics in our closet right? This sweater had a little hole on the shoulder. I couldn't wear it like this. If it isn't fixed the hole will get bigger and bigger. I will fix it and maybe I could make the whole sweater a little more fun as well.

    

I decided to add something to hide the hole and the little mending job I did. I chose some giraffe buttons I have had for ages. (I think they were my mothers. Thanks Mom!)
The little giraffe was cute and I love using items I have sitting around. (And that little giraffe deserved to get out of the sewing box and see the world.)

That little giraffe had some friends too. They all deserve to get out of the sewing box. I replaced the buttons on the front of the sweater with these cute little giraffes. The red is a nice contrast with the black sweater and they just look fun.

    

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

*Year end update- I still wear this light weight sweater often it is great to layer over other shirts even in winter. 

T-shirt Mania 6; The Giant Purple One

Hello Readers. This is the last of the t-shirts for a while. I am glad I was able to get through them and clear some space in my sewing area. For the last of all the t-shirts I refashioned this giant purple shirt.

This is the only one I really didn't like.

The shirt looks pink here but it is more of a fushia/purple.

This shirt was SO super soft. That was really all it had going for it. It was too big and baggy and shapeless. It wasn't fancy, but I was sure I could rework it and make it more attractive.

And I hoped, less low cut in the front. 

  

 I cut off the edge of the V-neck, but not the seam. That was easy.

   

I added some bias tape at the neckline. I thought it would break up all that bright purple and dress the shirt up a little.  I made a loop in front to make it more interesting.

    

This all turned out to be a big mistake. The bias tape was too thick and heavy. The thin knit of the shirt didn't go well with the heavy trim. It made the neck very stiff and ruined the soft relaxed feel of the t-shirt. 

I hated it.

***   PART 2   ***

I knew I would never want to wear it. I admit I was a little frustrated. (ANGRY!) And I cut the entire neckline with the trim off. I cut the seam out of what was left of the shoulder (But left the sleeve intact.) and tied a little knot at the shoulder to again raise the neckline. I cut the shirt up in haste and now the head hole was way too big again. 

I decided to let this t-shirt spend it's life as a beat-up exercise shirt. It was soft enough that it would be a good match with soft leggings when I am working out. (Reality Check - Walking at a moderate pace like every other mom out there.)

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

*Year end update- This shirt was fine for exercise. It wasn't a great refashion success.