Bigger Cuffs= Shorter Pants

 Hello Readers. I wanted to shorten a pair of pants. I am only 5' so I need to shorten all my clothes. These green linen pants had cuffs at the hemline and I thought I could make the cuffs a little bigger, that would make the pants shorter. Let me show you how I did it.

 

Before and after.

 

 

These pants almost fit but if they were a bit shorter they would look better. 

 

 

I unpicked the stitches at the sides of the cuffs that held the cuffs in place. It was easy to remove these little stitches and then I could move the cuffs. 

 

 

These are the loose cuffs now. 

 

 

I refolded the cuffs so that they were bigger. I ironed the new cuffs. (Yes, that is a hair straightener/flat iron. It heats the fabric from both sides and it's very quick and effective.)

I used my sewing machine to stitch my new BIG cuffs in place on the sides. 

This was a quick sewing project and it could be done by hand if you don't have a sewing machine. It made the pant legs about a bit more than an inch shorter. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I love linen and these pants just seemed to always be perfect to me. They are put away until it gets warm again.

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

 

 

 

 

Summer Shorts

 Hello Readers. It is August and I really want to get all my summer refashion projects done. I have a few summer items that need to get finished before fall sewing starts. (Fall sewing?? I can't believe fall is coming that soon!) Let's focus on hot weather and summer clothes while we can.

Summer shorts!

These shorts were great. They just needed a little adjustment. Because they were a little big I could make them fit the way I wanted.

 

I tried the shorts on inside out and then...
 

I marked where I wanted the new side seams to be. I stitched my new side seam with a straight stitch and cut off the excess fabric from the side. 

Actual cutting! 

I used a zigzag stitch to close the cut edges and keep my shorts neat inside. This cotton fabric will fray over time. I don't want that.

I had this vintage scarf that seemed to coordinate well. I decided to use it as a belt.

I threaded the scarf through the belt loops like a belt.

Then I tied the scarf in a knot in the front where I would buckle a belt. 

The shorts fit better, they are perfect for the heat of August and I really liked the scarf with the shorts. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I wore these shorts in warm weather and I love the scarf with them.

Dyeing Crocs

 Hello Readers. I love using fabric dye. It is easy and a fun way to change up the look of clothing. But synthetic dye can also be used on other things. I had heard that you could dye Crocs. I decided to try it out. 

 

Before and after.

 I had a shoe accident. I don't know how I did it but I split my clog sandal in half. Are my feet extra strong? I don't think so. Was the shoe weak? I am not sure but I was at work and I felt my shoe give out and that was it. This is what made me want to try and dye my orange Crocs brown. 

I had bought these Crocs recently and they were much brighter orange than I expected. (I bought them at night from my phone with the screen dimmed. That's on me.) They are amazingly comfortable so I waned to wear them all the time. But the color was an issue.

 

I used this Rit dye for synthetics. Cocoa brown sounded like a neutral color that would be work appropriate. I used a pan with warm water but I did not make the water too hot. Heat will damage your Crocs. They will shrink and they will harden. The best part of Crocs is the squish. 

I added a bit of dish washing liquid as directed. I stirred the dye into the water thoroughly. 

I soaked my Crocs for about 8 hours. I used gloves to move my Crocs around and swish the dye water to make sure the dye was still mixed well. I checked the color of the shoes several times, this was about half way through the dyeing process.

 

*REENACTMENT- I had to weigh my Crocs down because... they float! I put a rock on each sandal, that was enough to keep the shoe in the submerged in the dye.

The 2 different materials in these sandals took the dye differently but I was happy with how they turned out. They are just as comfortable but now they are a dark neutral color which is perfect for work.Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I still like these shoes in brown and wore them into fall when it got too cool to wear them.

Wrap Pants

 Hello Readers. I love clothes that are adjustable. Why isn't it easier to adjust the size a bit when you gain or lose some weight. Imagine if all your clothes were a little more forgiving. (Imagine if people were a little more forgiving!) Anyway, let's talk about wrap pants. 

Before and after. And after.

I used this vintage pattern by Butterick. It is number 6720. I made some wrap shorts last summer that I love so I wanted to make some wrap pants. 

I cut out my pattern pieces. This is a really simple, easy to use pattern. It is basically 2 giant pieces. I had to rearrange mine a little to get my stripes vertical. 

 

Umm... I didn't like them. I think I chose wild stripes that got too wild when they became pants maybe. 

 

You can see what I meant about wild stripes. I decided to cut them into shorts. When I find a pattern is too much I usually try to just use less of it.

 

I had to make a new hem but the rest of the shorts stayed the same. 

 

These shorts are still colorful and wild but I liked them a lot more than the longer pants version. Thanks for reading along, now go make something for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- This taught me to make more careful fabric choices.

 

 

 

 

Use A Travel Pillow For Extra Packing Space

 Hello Readers. When I went on vacation I had enough room in my suitcase and my carry on for all my stuff. I packed carefully and I had everything organized. When I came back... it was different story. I bought souvenirs, I went to thrift stores, I checked out vintage shops and I had to figure out a way to get all my stuff home.

 Use that travel pillow as extra packing space on the airplane.

Travel pillows are common on airplanes and they can be brought on board the airplane without counting as a carry-on bag.

 

Most travel pillows are actually 2 pieces. There is a pillow case that can be unzipped, opened and removed.

 

Inside the travel pillow is a squishy foam pillow. You can remove the foam pillow. This is what I did when I was trying to fit all my belongings into my suitcase and carry-on bag. I took the foam pillow out of the cover. 

 

Once my pillow was empty, I started stuffing it. 

 

I stuffed my pillow case with as many items as I could. I was desperate to get home without paying an extra bag fee.

 

You can see a reenactment of how I fit so many clothes into my pillow. 

 

I zipped up my pillow and it looked... just like a travel pillow. It still works as a pillow as well. The clothes were a bit firmer but still gave me a usable cushion.

 

I hope this idea can help you if you are in a travel situation like mine. Your pillow might help you in more ways than one on your trip.

 

  Did I learn a lesson about traveling light? Yes! Will I remember to travel lighter next time? To be determined. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

***Year End Update- This pillow idea came to mind in a panic at the airport in Iceland. It got me home with no bag fees but I have heard that it is more difficult to get extra items n the plane now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cherry Dress

 Hello Readers. I found this super fun dress at a thrift store when I was out with my daughter. It was so pretty and the cherries were so lively. I was sold. 

Before and after.

Somehow this amazing dress had taken on a matronly look on me. I'm pretty short and  this dress was just too long and it really killed the fun vibe. 

The thrift store is called "The Resourceful Woman" in Leesburg, VA. It operates to help fund resources for women in crisis. They had a great selection and they are doing great work too.

I cut about 6 inches off this dress. It felt like a lot but it had to be done. 

This satin fabric was so slippery that it was difficult to cut. It kept moving around while I was cutting. I used my serger to finish the edge.

The serger made the edge less choppy and it gave me an edge that was less slippery.

I folded the edge under and stitched it down with my sewing machine. The serger stitches made this fabric easy to work with.

I liked the new length. The dress fit everywhere else so I didn't change anything else about this dress. 

 

This was just a new hem but I loved the results. Thanks for reading along, now go make something for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- This dress was so fun and I got compliments on it from friends and strangers when I wore it. I have never had so much of a reaction to a piece of clothing.