Too Doggone Low-cut

 Hello Readers. I like to sew and sometimes it is the smallest projects that are the most important. This is Gordon. He is a rescue dog with a ruff past. (Ruff... Get it? I love puns.) We love him and want him to be comfortable. 

Gordon AKA "Gordy"

We don't know the details of Gordon's early years. He is missing a tooth and part of an ear. He also has a scar on his side from being hit by a car. Usually these things do not bother him. But when the weather changes his scar seems to itch and he tries to scratch it. Then it gets irritated and sometimes starts bleeding. We could put a cone on him or he can wear a shirt. A shirt is much more comfortable.

 

The problem we had was that he doesn't like the shirt and doesn't understand that it is for his own good. He rubs against the furniture until he stretches the shirt and pushes it down. Eventually he can get the whole shirt off. Then he starts to scratch his scar.

 

I decided to do a quick alteration to make this neckline less low cut. I planned to sew the 2 sides together in the middle where I am pointing. If the shirt was less low, it would stay on better.

 

I used navy blue thread and sewed the shirt together. I went over it twice because I know Gordon will liked to be ruff  (I like puns, I'm sorry.) on his clothes. I would have added a button so that it looked cute but he would probably eat it.

 

The higher neck was not tight, just smaller and it just keeps the shirt on much better.

 

Gordon wasn't very happy that I made him wear the shirt but it really is more comfortable than the cone. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself, or your favorite dog. 

***Year End Update***- Gordon still hates wearing clothes but he also hates being cold. He doesn't like his jacket either. It does protect his scar so it's definitely good for him.
 

 

 

 

 

Uncuffing My Joggers

 Hello Readers. I Like joggers but these were not comfortable. Could I remove the elastic and make these joggers into a more simple classic style? Let's try it.

Before and after.

I liked these light weight joggers. The denim was thin and perfect for warm weather. But the ankles were a bit tight. Could I remove the elastic at the ankles? 

 

I could see the stitches. I thought I could pick them out and have loose ankles. 

I used my seam ripper and ripped out stitch after stitch. 

 

The ankle elastic piece came off the pant leg. It was a separate piece that had been sewn to the hem of each pant leg. 

 

The hemline was very wrinkled so I ironed it all out.

 

I used my serger on the hemline to control fraying.

 

After, I turned the serged edge under and stitched it down with a straight stitch to make a hem. This was simple but make the hemline look nicely finished. 

 

The new pant legs (Above right.) felt looser and much more comfortable. This was an easy fix that only took a little while. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update***-I liked these pants but the denim is so light weight, I haven't worn them since the weather got cooler.

 

 

Making Picture Frames Match

 Hello Readers. I had a hodge-podge of picture frames that I wanted to use on one wall. I wanted them to coordinate and look intentionally put together. But they were all very different and did not match each other at all. I was not going to go out and buy all new frames, I knew I could make this work. 

I made this look like a planned collection of pictures in frames. Let me show you what I did. 

Here are the picture frames. There were brown wood frames, a gold frame, a silver frame and one picture with no frame at all. I picked one color to tie them together. Gold was the color that I focused on. I also did a few more things to connect all the frames.

This picture also shows the first way I tried to make a unified look. All these pictures are old looking. They all have a black and white or sepia color scheme. This helps make this whole group look more put together. 

This is the wall I want to hang these pictures on. There are 2 control panels on this wall. One we use a lot. One we only need to use if the alarm goes off. I thought the whole wall would look better if I could cover it up. I had an idea for that.

One of the pictures was almost like a box. I thought I could remove the back and the picture could hang over and cover the control panel. 

I used a thin knife to pry the back loose from the picture and remove it. 

That made the folds of the sides of this picture start to unfold. That was a problem. But it was OK, I had a plan.

I used some gold Duck Tape. Gold was going to be my unifying color. 

I wrapped the gold tape around all 4 sides of this picture. I wanted the color of the tape but I also wanted the tape to hold the sides in place. This worked well. 

The tape was wider that the sides of the picture so I folded the tape towards the back and pressed it down so it would hold secure. 

I simply hung this picture on the control panel. It was very light weight so it will not cause damage. I can lift it off in a second if I need to get to that control panel. 

That control panel is totally hidden. But still accessible. 

I want to highlight the color gold so I used some gold paint. This "Rub'n Buff" is like a thick paint. It can be applied on and it never drips. 

I used a sponge applicator so I could rub the paint on the frames. I wanted a thin coat that would tone down the original colors of the frames. I didn't mind if the original color showed through a little. The sponge let me apply a very thin coat. 

I painted this wooden frame with the gold paint. The roughness of the wood still shows through but the gold is dominant and will tie this frame in with the others. I let this dry over night. 

I used the gold paint on this silver frame too. I applied the gold to the sides to hide the silver a little. I let this dry over night too.

 

I started to hang the frames. I did not use a level or a stud finder. These pictures are not heavy enough to need to be hung in a stud or need a special anchor. I just eyed the pictures and marked the top center of the frame. 

Then I put in a nail where I thought the frame needed to be hung. I wasn't trying to make a precise alignment of pictures. This arrangement was not symmetrical and that helped because it did not have to be exactly even anywhere.

My new picture wall is fun and looks good all put together. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update***- My wall still looks like this. I love it. Fun family pictures are the best.

A New Robe

 Hello Readers. Spring is here and I don't need to bundle up to survive the winter cold anymore. It is time to lighten up. I wanted a new robe that was lighter weight. I used the "Bog" coat pattern by TheSewSew. (Etsy Link here.) and modified it to make a robe for myself. 

 

Lighter weight robe for spring.

 

I decided to use this fabric with a leaf design. I had this in my fabric stash and I like to use what I have.  I have used it before and it washes so well. I know it will be a good choice. And leaves for spring seems like a good idea. 

I spread the fabric out to make sure it was large enough for my robe. I folded the top of the fabric down, that is how you make the sleeves for the Bog pattern. I love how this pattern uses as much of the fabric as possible. It is very minimal waste.

After I cut the sleeves, I folded the body in. It is starting to look a little like a robe already.

I cut out the neckline. I didn't follow the pattern for this. I started using my imagination for this part. I wanted a V-neck shape. 

 

I sewed the sleeves together.

 

I stopped for a cup of tea.
 

I made my front pieces a little wider than the pattern called for. I wanted the front to overlap so I made sure there was some extra fabric. 

I cut the top corners of the front panels at an angle so they would blend into the neckline.

 

I had a small amount of this "bee" fabric and that seemed great for spring too. Bees in spring? That sound perfect. It has a pretty sheen that will make pretty trim.

 

I cut and sewed this fabric into thin strips that I could use as trim on the front of the robe and the belt. 

 

I wanted the trim on the front and around neckline. 

 

This was a lumpy mess. I liked the trim color a lot so I headed to the ironing board. 

It looked so much better when it was ironed. I made the sleeves 3/4 length. I liked the end result. 

 

I added pockets from the scraps I had left. I didn't have a lot of choice about what they looked like. I was just using the fabric I had. 

 

 Was this robe soft and cozy but not too warm? Yes. It was perfect. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

***Year End Update***- This robe gets worn so much, it's almost daily.