Easy Holiday Vases

Hello Readers. I hope you are looking forward to Valentine's Day. It is a time to tell your sweetheart that you love them. It is a wonderful time of chocolates, flowers and Valentine cards. (Note- As Miley Cyrus says in her latest song, You can buy yourself flowers. You can also give yourself chocolates and you can write yourself a card to remind yourself of how fabulous you are.) Anyhoo... let's talk about flowers. 

I bought these flowers and chocolate candies myself. I wanted them so, I bought them. Let's embrace taking care of ourselves in 2023.

I started with this small glass teapot, a small glass cup (A shot glass.) and some Valentine's Day M&M's. I am using glass containers so that the colored candy will be visible. 

A larger container would work too. But the bigger the container is the more candy and more flowers needed to fill it up.

I poured my candies into the teapot. Did I eat a few? Yes. But I filled the teapot about 3/4 full. Now I need to put the little glass in. 

I needed the little glass for the flower stems. I will put some water in the little glass to keep the flowers alive. This tea pot is shallow and small so I could wiggle the little glass into place. In a taller container it would be best to put the glass in first and then add the candy around it. 

I filled the small glass with water. I only filled it about 1/2 full so that it wouldn't over flow when the flowers are put in.

I cut my flowers really short because this teapot is short. I just stood the flower next to the teapot and cut it to the length I thought was right. I put them in one by one and tried to scatter the different colors around. I didn't want all the white or red all together. I wanted them to be evenly distributed around the arrangement.

 

I love how the whole arrangement turned out. 

 

 I also made a second vase with artificial hydrangeas.

 

  I put the conversation hearts in the vase. Will my family steal some when I am not looking? Yes, but that's OK.

 

I checked the flowers for size by holding them up to the outside of the vase.
 

I cut the flowers to the length I wanted and then added the flowers to the candy filled vase. The candy helped keep the flowers standing up straight and not falling over. 

 

 These flowers didn't need water so it was easier to put together and they can't wilt or die so it is a great arrangement for people that can't keep plants and flowers alive very long. This would be great for an office or work setting when you can't water flowers regularly. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

***Year End Update- These vases were fun and my family ate all the candy in a few days.

 

Lounge Wear From a Crochet Blanket

 Hello Readers. I love lounge wear. I decided to make some lounge wear from this blanket. I don't know how to crochet but I liked the idea of using an old blanket to make something. It was a little messy to cut and sew this material but it was fun to try and make this idea work. 

From an old blanket to cozy clothes.

Here is a look at the blanket I used. It was at a clothes swap and no one else wanted it. So, it came home with me. It was in good condition. I gave it a good wash and got to work. 

I cut off one side of the blanket to make my new top. I wanted all the colors in the top so that is where I cut it off. I also wanted the scalloped edge at the neckline so the blue edge will be the bottom of my shirt. 

 

The first thing I did was use bias tape to cover the cut edge. This will fray really fast so I needed to keep the whole thing together while I was working. The bias tape is like a sandwich to keep the yarn from falling apart.
 

Here is a look at the top. I used my dress form to help me get it all pinned and clipped in place. 

While I was sewing I did a couple things to make it easier. I used this little sewing gauge to keep the yarn from getting stuck on the presser feet.

I also put strips of tissue paper under what I was sewing so that it might glide more smoothly along as I was sewing. When I was done, I tore the tissue paper away. If there are any little bits left they will come out in the wash.

I used a pair of leggings as a pattern and cut out 2 legs. I sewed them together. 

 

This is a look at the inside seams of the new "blanket pants". You can see a bit of tissue left on the seam. It's OK. It will wash out. 

I used this stretchy ribbing as a waistband. It was left over from a recent jacket refashion. 

My new lounge wear from a blanket is done. The knit had a lot of stretch and give so it was really comfy. This wasn't the easiest material to sew through but it was fun and I am digging my new pajamas. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- This was a soft cozy outfit that was destroyed sadly in the dryer. One little piece of yarn got caught on something in the dryer and some of the yarn strings came un-woven. I was so disappointed.

Crocheted Blanket Shrug

 Hello Readers. Have you ever tried to crochet? I tried for about 5 minutes and I just didn't like it. My daughter is great at it and she decided to make a blanket. She made part of the blanket and never finished it. I kept it because it was something she made but what could I do with it? Long story short- I made a shrug. 

I went with these colors from head-to-toe. Is it too much?

My daughter made it about 18 inches before she stopped. The stitches are nice and she did really well. The whole piece is about 5' wide. This is really handy because my arm span is about 5'. This would be perfect as one of those sweaters that is just arm and shoulders. I would call it a shrug, you might call it something else, but this is size I had to work with.

I turned the ends in and clipped them in place. This would be the arm hole. 

Here is a look at both armholes turned in twice and clipped in place. Now I will turn it all inside out and stitch it together from the inside. 

With the arm holes and sleeves stitched together the whole thing sits on my back, across my shoulders and down my arms like a shrug. The fit is easy because there really isn't much to fit except the width from one wrist to the other. 

 

I love how it turned out. I had a shirt and a pair of jeans in the same colors so I threw it all together. This was such an easy project because my daughter did all the crochet work for me. (Thanks H!) Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

***Year End Update- This is cozy and colorful. I wear it I the winter to stay warm. 

 

A Quilted Bomber Jacket

 Hello Readers. I made a bomber jacket from what I would call a "Grandma in Boca Raton" jacket. (If you have ever lived in south Florida, you know what I am saying!) Anyway. This jacket was light weight and I like the blue and white color scheme. And the quilting looked really good.

  Bomber jacket.

I forgot to take a before picture! What was I thinking??? This little jacket had no front closures, no pockets, no waistband, and no cuffs. I thought that would make it easy to transform this jacket because there was nothing in my way. Look at the quilting, it was nicely done.

I accidentally bought one gigantic piece of navy blue ribbing and I had to cut strips and make my own cuffs, waistband and collar. This is the collar piece right here. Measuring, cutting and ironing it myself took extra time but it wasn't difficult. 

I stitched the waistband on first. I think the navy blue color makes those big flowers really pop.

The next step was to add the wrist cuffs. 

I cut the original collar off and added the new navy blue collar piece. 

When I added all these pieces I used my serger so that it would keep the ribbing from fraying all over the place. It was a mess and there is navy blue lint all over my sewing room. Was this easy to sew using the serger? No. Was it a pain in the &$$%? Yes. The thread kept breaking and I had to re-thread the serger at least a dozen times. The needles broke a few times too. I do not know why this was so difficult to sew through. I even stopped to oil the whole machine. I got it done but the inside seams are not my best and I am never doing this again!

The last step was the zipper. I waited for this to arrive from Amazon because I really wanted a navy blue zipper to go with the navy blue ribbing I had already added to the jacket. The zipper wasn't that easy to sew on either. I was using a different sewing machine and a straight stitch at this point. My needle broke and it was difficult to get my bobbin tension correct. I still don't know why it was giving me so much trouble. Maybe the fluff of the jacket was unusually tough to sew through? I have no idea. I got the zipper in and top stitched every seam so they would lay as flat and smooth as possible. 

I really did like how it looked though. It is just a smidge big on me but that was perfect because it was actually for my daughter. She is taller than I am so this jacket will be a great length on her. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update- My daughter still likes and wears this jacket and is glad I made it for her.

Bell Sleeves to Balloon Sleeves

 Hello Readers. I have been trying to really use all the items on my refashion rack. I save pieces and parts from projects along with clothes from swaps and thrift stores on a clothes rack in my sewing room. Sometimes items sit for quite a while. This outfit is all from things waiting on the rack and it was time for them to come out and have a moment in the sun. 

 

Before and after. 

 

 

This sweater was a hand-e-down from my daughter. She is taller than me so she gives me things she doesn't want anymore. I likes the statement sleeves but bell sleeves are tough when your arms are short like mine. This sweater probably fit her perfect because her arms are longer than mine are.

 

 

Both of these pieces really needed some elastic. Let's start with the sleeves of this black top. I decided to make the sleeves into balloon sleeves. I cut the tiniest hole in the hemmed part of the sleeve, on the inside. 

 

 I threaded elastic through the hole and around the end of the sleeve. 

 

 

I connected the ends of the elastic with my sewing machine. The elastic will keep the puffy sleeve on my wrist instead of having the long sleeve hang over my hands. Look, I can use my hands!!

 

 

The skirt is part of a skort I refashioned last summer. The skort had biker shorts under it and I had been wanting a pair of biker shorts. I cut this skirt piece off the shorts and I loved those shorts a lot. (Still do!) But the skirt was leftover with no waistband. 

 

 

The skirt needed a new elastic waistband. I had some ugly black elastic I could use. It's OK if its ugly, no one will ever see it. 

 

 

I measured my waist and connected the ends of the elastic with my sewing machine. Then I marked where the sides and middle of the front and back should be. I wanted the skirt to be evenly gathered around the elastic waistband. I clipped it in place.

 

I connected the elastic with a zigzag stitch all around the elastic...

 

 and then flipped the elastic inside the skirt and stitched all the way around again. This method uses less fabric than making a traditional casing for the elastic. 

 

 

 It looked great to me when I was done. 

 

 

I wanted to go for a monochromatic look with this outfit. But is it too much black? I like black so you can let me know what you think in the comments. I tried to break it up a little. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update- This sweater and skirt are so soft, and black is always easy to wear. This was a great easy outfit to throw on and it always works.

 

Recovering a Stool Cushion

 Hello Readers. Sometimes the fabric on a piece of furniture isn't what you want. The color can be off or the style is not working in the room. Some pieces of furniture are easy to recover. This stool was fine as it was but I wanted to make it more fun and give it a punch of color with some bold fabric. 

This is such a fun look. 

 

I mean look at these stylish women! It's fabulous fabric for a sewing room.
 

This stool came with a dressing table that was given to me. I love it! I just wanted to change the fabric to something that fit my sewing room a little better. 

I didn't want to refinish the whole table. I just wanted to update the fabric. This kind of stool is easy to work with. I just needed to remove the cushion piece from the stool. 

I just needed a screw driver to remove the screws that held the cushion in place. It was easy to remove. 

When all the screws were removed, the base and the cushion came apart easily. 

This floral fabric was just taped onto the stool. I thought it would be stapled or nailed in place. I decided to remove it and see what was under it. 

Under the fabric was this cream colored brocade vinyl. This was very securely attached to the cushion piece so I left it there and I was ready to start attaching my fun new fabric. 

 

I put my fabric right-side down on the floor. Then I put my cushion piece on top of the fabric, cushion side down. I made sure I had 2-3 inches of excess fabric all around the cushion so I could attach the fabric to the back of the cushion. 

 

I used a very basic staple gun to attach my fabric. The staples will hold the fabric in place over a long time of use. I like to staple my way around the piece so that I get a nice smooth look to the fabric on top. 

 

When I was done stapling the sides of the fabric it was time to do the corners. I folded the fabric under a few times so that the corners would be tucked in tight. Then I stapled the fabric down with a few staples to hold the corners firmly in place. 

 

The new fabric was all in place and stapled down. It only took a little while to put this all together. Now I needed to put it back on the stool. 

It was easy to reattach the cushion because the holes for the screws are still in place I put the base on the cushion piece and centered it so the holes lined up with each other.  I just put the screws in and started turning the screwdriver. 

I thought the new fabric looked great. The colors looked great with the dark wood.

It works well with the table...

 

 And I can move it around my sewing area. This is such an easy project, and it uses small amounts of fabric. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- This stool is fabulous and it is in my sewing room. I love it.