Make More From a Shirt 1

 Hello Readers. I had this shirt that I didn't love and didn't wear. I decided to make a few things from this shirt. Today's project is a dickie to wear under other shirts to add interest at the neckline.

Before and after. 

There isn't anything wrong with this button-up shirt I just never wear it. It is a little stiff and never feels comfortable when I put it on.

I sketched out the shape of the dickie I wanted. I folded the shirt in half so each side would be symmetrical.

I cut the piece out of the shirt while it was folded in half. I curved the corners because I thought it would lay flat under other shirts.

Here is is my basic dickie all cut out. I need to do a little more to finish it.

I used my serger to finish the edges. These edges will not show when I am wearing it but I don't want it to fray.

I needed to add something to the dickie to keep it in position. These elastic straps will be under my arms.They will keep the dickie from shifting or riding up when I am wearing it.

I used my sewing machine to sew the elastic to the dickie. I went forward and backward a few times to make sure the elastic was well attached.

The straps are soft, stretchy elastic so they will never get too tight.

The elastic straps are on each side and are attached in front and back. They will keep the dickie where it should be under my sweater. 

This striped dickie is great under this simple sweater. It adds a little color and interest without me having to wear the whole stiff shirt. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update- This post got a lot of hits so you guys must have liked it? I like it too.

A Sweatshirt & Flannel Combo

 Hello Readers. I like to match my kids sometimes when they are young. they love it. It isn't that easy when it is a mother and son. I try to put something matching like that together when I can. This would be great to do if you want your kids coordinated for photos or holidays.

This soft sweatshirt and this cozy flannel shirt had the same colors and the same length so I thought they would work well together.

I cut the shirt into thirds. I kept the middle twice as big as the side pieces I cut.

I also cut the sweatshirt into 3 pieces and again the middle was about twice as big.

 

 I wanted to put the shirt together like this. The middle and the sleeves are different fabrics from the 2 different shirts.

 

I clipped the pieces together so they would stay in place while I sewed. 

 

I used my serger to connect the shirt pieces. You could use a zigzag stitch on a sewing machine as well.
 

Here are both the shirts after sewing them both together. 

 

This refashion was a hit. I know he is going to outgrow this soon but for now he thinks we look great. 

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

 

 ***Year End Update- I put these in a safe place so my son and I could wear them and put something in front of them and couldn't find them for about a month. I have them now and we will wear them asap.

 

 

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.

Paper Grocery Bags Help With Holiday Dinner

 Hello Readers. When I get groceries I try to order online. It's just easier. I get my groceries brought out to my car in brown paper grocery bags. I fold them up and save them. After a while you start to get quite a lot of them. I have a couple ideas to use them for a big holiday dinner. Thanksgiving is coming soon in the U.S., and I will be using these ideas on the big day. 

Paper grocery bags? Yes. Check it out.

I like to shop at a store called Aldi. The specific grocery store doesn't matter. The traditional brown paper grocery bags are what you need. 

These specific bags had handles so the first thing I did was remove the handles. I pulled them off gently and slowly. The handles are not difficult to remove. 

I used some craft scissors and cut straight down the side of the bag. It doesn't matter what side. 

 

I continued cutting around the bottom of the bag to completely remove the bottom of each bag.

 

I spread the bag out flat and then continued to cut more bags. The bags will get flatter the longer they are spread out. I needed 5 in total for my kitchen table.

 

I put the bags with the writing side down and used some clear tape to hold the edges of the bags together. I wanted to make a table cover, sort of a "table cloth" out of bags. You can buy rolls of paper to cover the table but the bags are free and using what you already have on-hand is more environmentally friendly.

 

I got some crayons, stickers, candies, and set a table with kids in mind. I put unbreakable decor on the table as well, just to make it fun. 

 

I set the table and scattered the crayons and candy around. The kids can draw and decorate their table. They are going to drip food and get a little messy. It's OK. They are kids, kids are messy. I can roll up all of the paper at the end of the night and throw it all away. Less cleaning for me. 

 

My second idea is a twist on the first idea. If you are setting up a big buffet for a lot of people it can get messy. Using paper bags that have been cut open to cover your buffet/serving tables can save you a lot of clean up. Spread the flattened bags out and put all the food dishes and such on the paper. Use hot pads if you have hot dishes from the oven. 

I used a marker to write down what was in each dish. If you have friends and relatives with dietary restrictions or food allergies then you know how they need to be careful about what they eat. This is a good way to let people know what is in each food without having to tell each and every person as they go through the buffet line. 

You can mark places for all the foods ahead of time to make getting the food out of the kitchen and onto the table easier and faster. When you have a large dinner, someone will spill something while getting the food on their plate, when dinner is over you can roll up this paper buffet cover and throw it away. Less cleaning for you.

I would suggest writing large enough that people can read the writing easily. Older relatives, kids or visually impaired people might not be able to see or read small or cursive writing. Thanks for reading along, and I wish you the best of holidays. 

***Year End Update- Covering my Thanksgiving table made clean up so much easier and I learned that even adults will color as they sit around the table if the crayons are available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking up a Fall Suit

 Hello Readers. This suit was perfect for fall and I loved the tulip hem of the skirt. It needed some work to make it work.

Before and after.

This suit was really dressed-up and formal. I don't need to get really dressed up in my life so this suit is too much for me. But if I took away the jacket and wore the skirt by itself it would be more casual. The elastic at the waist was not doing its job anymore so I would fix that too. 

I really didn't want to remove the pretty hem so I cut off the waistband and some extra so that the skirt would be shorter.

I added a new elastic waistband.

Then I turned the elastic into the skirt. I stitched it down again. 

I used a zigzag stitch around that elastic waistband. 

The waistband is covered with the skirt fabric. 

This outfit felt a little more relaxed than the whole suit together. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update- I prefer to be more casual but if I need to dress up I am ready.