Add this to my list - diy t-shirt rug

To be honest I don't know how I ended up on this blog, but I'm so glad I did. Laura has put together a great step by step tutorial, full of pictures to make this awesome rug out of old t-shirts. I want to make on for my son's room...after we move back into our house and he has a room....long story. Such a great idea for up-cycling all of the free t-shirts my husband brings home from conferences. Just add this project to my list.

Old Things Made New : Tie Headbands

I found this great idea on My Kind of Wonderful. Mother and crafter Heather describes how to turn men's ties into little girl headbands. Love them! Go here for instructions

Here is another great headband craft you can find on her blog.

making Maternity Jeans

Ever since getting pregnant I have dreaded shopping in the maternity section and especially shopping for maternity jeans. Even though we have come a long way in maternity wear, I still feel like it leaves a lot to be desired in the style area, not to mention the price of everything. A friend of mine suggested we make our own maternity jeans and I am SO glad that I did. Here are some pictures of the process, although I am not going to go step by step as I used someone elses tutorial which is already very thorough and easy to follow. Find the tutorial by Sew Chic here.

Materials:
1 pair of awesome dark skinny jeans from forever 21 for $12
Jean needles for my sewing machine
black jersey knit
enough wide elastic to go around your lower stomach

Here I am not being able to button my jeans:
I used a chalk pencil to mark the highest point I could zip my jeans to:

and then free handed a curved line around the hips and back of the jeans:


Cut leaving a 5/8" seam allowance:


Sew your band according to directions and encasing your elastic at the bottom:

Pin right sides together and sew to jeans:

Wear them proudly and with style:


Total cost of maternity skinny jeans - $20 and about 2 hours of my time. I call that a steal.

p.s. I made these about 2 months ago and they still fit wonderfully and have held up great. I think I am going to try the same tutorial on a black pencil skirt.

Taking it in for the bargin hunter

I am a bargain hunter and probably some what of a cheap scape so when I look on the far back sales racks I not only look at my own size

s, but also the next two or three sizes up that are often even cheaper. The great thing about buying bigger is that you can then alter it for a custom fit.

I bought this Banana Republic dress for $14, but it is 2 sizes too big (It originally sold for $150 and this was the only size left). Here is how you make it perfect for you:

1. call over a friend who sews or pull out your dress form

2. turn the garment inside out and put it on

3. have your friend carefully pin it, following the existing seam lines (if you are taking it up into the armpit you will need to follow that line down into the sleeve as well).

4. carefully remove the garment with the pins in place ( you might think that you can just pin one side and make the other side match it, but I strongly recommend you don't do that, unless you are very careful it will end up too small).

5. baste stitch the pinned lines and try it on

6. make and remake any adjustments until it is just right

7. sew your seam line on top of the perfected baste stitch

8. serge off the excess

9. look like you paid $150 for your dress

After Christmas Sales are right around the corner!

Old Things Made New : Vintage Pillowcases=Dress

As many of you know I am currently pregnant with my first baby and we are having a little girl. I have found that I LOVE sewing for little girls and plan on making most of her clothes, at least for the first year.

One thing that I love about sewing for a baby is that it takes so little fabric. One thing that I have been finding myself doing a lot recently is scowering the thrift stores for vintage sheets/pillowcases and even large skirts etc... that I could use as fabric to make something for a baby. The other day I found this awesome vintage pillowcase for a dollar and found that it was the perfect amount of fabric to make a little baby dress.

I used New Look 6576 to make a simple baby jumper and it was perfect. I followed Leslie's suggestions for making a full lining instead of a half lining which turned out great. For that I used 3/4 of a yard of some old gingham that my mother had stashed away for the last 2o years. I think the most expensive part of the whole dress was the buttons. All in all the dress cost about $2.50 and took about an hour to make. I am very happy with the results and can't wait to whip up a few more with the remaining vintage sheet fabric that I bought.

Here is a picture of the finished dress. Unfortunately I didn't take a pic of the pillowcase before I cut it out, but you get the idea right?

OLD THINGS MADE NEW: T-shirts into Pillows

Some favorite T's from a trip you took might look lovely on your couch. The T-shirt your 4 year old just can't let go of even though it shows their belly button could be hugged and cuddled on their bed. And remember the onesie you adored on your baby? Why not make it into a tooth fairy pillow for your growing little one.

Here's some great instructions from doityourself.com to take beloved t-shirts into pillows. The below instructions come straight from their site.

If you won’t wear those T-shirts again why not turn

them into throw pillows? A T-shirt with a nice design will make a lovely pillow sham. The best part is that some of the work is already done for you.

Materials

• Old T-shirt
• Sewing machine
• Taylors chalk
• Scissors
• Pillow or stuffing
• Zipper

Pick a T-Shirt

Choose a T-shirt that you want to use and check it for tears and stains. As long as the T-shirt is sound and clean, it can be used. You can create memories and talking points by choosing T-shirts with images or messages on them. If this is your first attempt you can practice on a plain T-shirt.

Check the Size

If the T-shirt is not a large size it is possible that you can use the body width as it is. If you are using an existing pillow to stuff the new sham then the size of that pillow will be taken into account.

Turn the T-Shirt Inside Out

With the T-shirt inside out check how much of it you will want to use to make your throw pillow. Mark lines to show where you want to cut the T-shirt. Make sure that you do not mark the lines through any images that you want to save.

Sew Along the Lines

The cutting lines you have marked will become the seams for your pillow sham. Sew along the one near the top of the T-shirt with a sewing machine taking care to keep the material flat. This isolates the head end so you can cut it off and make the material easier to handle.

Make the cut about ½ inch from the stitched line. If you have marked lines down the sides of the T-shirt, sew along those. Cut the surplus material away, again about ½ inch from the stitched line.

Fill the Sham

You have created a sham with one end open. Turn the sham the right way round by pulling the closed end through the open end. You should now see the images that you wanted to save nicely centered on the sham. You can place a pillow inside the sham or fill it with stuffing material.

Close the Open End

Turn the edges of the open in to the center by about ½ inch, more if possible. If you want to fit a zipper to make removing the sham easier, you can do that now. Remove the pillow or stuffing to make use of the sewing machine possible. Use a zipper that is closed and fixed at one end. Sew the zip in place so that the teeth are below the level of the fold. If you are not using a zipper, you will have to close the end with hand stitching.

Thrift Store Pillows

If you shop at a thrift store like this:

Then you are likely to find pillows like this:

(only not so bright and nice looking)

Buying thrift pillows is a great way to reuse and keep your costs down, but there are a few things you should know.

Buying

1. existing trim doesn't matter, but do buy the size and shape you want.

2. existing color only matters if you will be recovering in a light colored fabric, but you can always strip off all the existing fabric and make a simple muslin form

3. smell does matter! specifically cigarette smoke. you will be washing your pillows before use while will take out almost any musty smell, but cigarette smoke will only intensify in the drying process. so, before you buy, take a whiff.

Washing and Drying

1. add a scoop of oxy-clean or other like cleaner to your detergent

2. I like to wash them on hot just to be safe

3. dry them with a tennis ball in the dryer, the ball will help beat out the internal wetness and fluff them.

4. re-cover and enjoy your awesome new pillows.

Any questions?

OLD THINGS MADE NEW: Memory Quilt from Old Clothes

Almost two years ago my husband's younger brother died unexpectedly. As we were trying to put together our thoughts and emotions, as well as a funeral, a neighbor asked my mother-in-law for some of Stephen's clothes for a quilt. What do you do with someone's things after they are gone? So, after my husband took a few t-shirts for sentiment my mother-in-law rounded up an old dress shirt and tie, his painting pants, college sweatshirt,camping plaid flannel, and snow boarding beanie and give it to the neighbor. A few months later, with the help of some of the youth at the local church, the neighbor presented this:No, it's not a technical quilt. And yes, it could be done a million different ways. But, can't you feel the spirit of it? As a family we cherish this quilt because it was made with love and because it is so Stephen. And a quilt like this doesn't have to follow death, it can follow a graduation, a growth spurt, a birthday, the last kid, or time to leave home. Fabric can be more than fabric. It can be memories.

Got a great idea for making old things new? Email us at dearpresserfoot@gmail.com. Share the love.

OLD THINGS MADE NEW: jeans into kid's aprons

In an effort to save Mother Earth each month we will share one way we can make an existing object new for you. We all have piles of fabric and notions that we loved at one point or somehow became bequeathed to us. Maybe you fell out of love or never liked it in the first place, but don't throw it way, reinvent it or give it way. This month's apron project would also make a great gift in a fabric that, maybe not you, but someone else would love. Reuse!

One Summer afternoon a neighbor offered me about 300 lbs of brand new, but defective, Levi jeans. He was just going to throw them away! I had no idea what I would make of them, but I knew they had great potential, and I could always fall back on 100 jean blankets (Merry Christmas everybody!). I have yet to make a jean blanket out of them, and have hardly made a dent in my inventory, but I have made quite a few things (including, but not limited to: hand bags, patches, appliques, and kid aprons).

Making kid's aprons out of jean is simple, quick, and inexpensive. Cost: $1.50 Time: 20 minutes

1. cut up the inseam of one pant leg and then up through the back seam so it opens and lays flat.
2. I laid one of my daughter's existing aprons over the jeans and traced it with a permanent maker.
3. cut it out
4. using your desired thickness of double fold bias tape (it comes in many different colors), cover the edges by inserting the edge of the jean into the fold of the tape. Make sure to leave an opening for your child's head.
5. sew the tape on
6. decorate as desired. we used a little fabric paint to add the child's first name initial and then did a little infer painting at the bottom for our preschool princess project. I have made then for boys as well.

Shirt Skirt

Christine sent me a link to this awesome skirt made out of a dress shirt. It's kinda like a combination of last months pattern and this month's. If you are like me you probably still have another dress shirt that you didn't get around to making a dress with. If that is the case maybe you should make a skirt for yourself.

I Did One

I'm kind of embarrassed to even post these pictures, our camera is dying, our apartment is dark (and messy as you can see) and my child won't hold still, but I did the project in the right month, so I'm posting it! The neckline help post was a huge help for me, I didn't shed any tears or say any bad words. I think I'm going to take the hem up a few inches, but she was so excited to wear it I decided to wait, and now it has strawberry ice cream down the front. :) My daughter is quite slight through the shoulders, so I think next time I'll make the neck area a little bit smaller, I also should have put less elastic in the sleeves because they are pretty big. I thought this was really fun and I'm very happy I know how to make this dress now, my daughter only wants to wear dresses, so this will be helpful.

My Shirt Dress

My husband has had this shirt for years, but never wears it because the fit is weird. This made it perfect for the Shirt Dress. Because the print was so masculine I paired it with a femmy aqua polka dot fabric.

I also had major problems with the neck/sleeves. I started this for my 4 year old and we could not get it over her head. So I ended up re-cutting it and making it for my 2 year old, Evangeline (seen below).

I will definitely try this again, but might take a cue from Kelli and cut the top straight across and then add straps. I am also going to raise the belt a bit more so it creates an empire waist.

I still LOVE the outcome of this one. I'm giving you two photo options....


Shirt Dress: Happy

and Shirt Dress: Cranky

Those red-heads are a feisty group.
Thanks for the fun pattern!
I can't wait to experiment more!
.

Another dress.

I finally finished this little dress this morning in time for my daughter to wear it to church. She was very excited. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I think its a little snug in the sleeve area but that's something I could easily adjust next time around. I think this is one of those projects that you just have to get through the first one and work out all the kinks. The next one will most likely be a bit easier. I love the tip about double-stitching the hem. It makes such a big difference and I will be adding that to all my clothing projects!

I used an old shirt of my husband's that he got a thrift store in New Zealand. It took a little convincing to get him to let me use it. He hadn't worn it in a while and the sleeve and a large tear in it, so I thought I would put it to better use. It looks like it has blue in it but it is actually just a faded black so that is why I did a black waistband. I think she looks like a little country girl on the farm. This was my first project with the blog and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Shirt Dress Finished

I finally finished my first shirtdress. I had some trouble with the neckline and sleeves (I think because I didn't have a serger or a model to try it on) so I finally just chopped the top off and made it a spaghetti strap dress. I added some ruffles to the bodice front and the pocket to the skirt.

I have no idea if it will actually fit a real child, but I am happy with the way it looks on a hanger.

blue pinstripe dress

Hi PresserFoot fans! I joined the PF circle last month and this is my first completed sew-along project. I loved the tutorial (so many great photos and good instructions) and had fun turning my hubby's shirt into this little dress.

I had intended to make a dress for my 5 year old daughter Anna, but there wasn't enough fabric width wise to do that (but she's that girly in the shirt's before pic not the actual recipient of the dress). It ended up being for my 3 1/y year old daughter, Emily. She generally wears size 4T and that's about what I think this dress size is. I enlarged the suggested pattern measurements by adding 1 1/2 inches all around. I think next time I need to add more space to the underarm area though because that spot is snug on her.

I also added a little ruffle to the bottom of the dress with some additional scraps I had after making the wasteband. If I had some of those cool fabric button cover thingys I would have made buttons with the dark blue scraps, too. Next time maybe.

I love the whole recycle/upcycle idea of turning unused shirts into darling dresses. I definitely see more of these in my girls' futures. Happy sewing! - Leslie

Miss 4th of July

I finished my first shirt dress!!! This one was a real struggle for me. Lots of seam ripping. Not because the idea or tutorial aren't great, but I had to re-figure everything for an 80% four year old. There are only a few scraps left of the original shirt. I also cut the sleeves wrong, but didn't have any fabric left to re-cut them. I should have gone sleeveless, but sewed, seam ripped, sewed, seam ripped and sewed again. I did however make all of the necessary adjustments to my freezer paper pattern, so I expect dress #2 will be a snap. I'll let you know. In the end I am pleased with the result and am feeling a little Betsy Ross coming on.

white summer linen

My dress is finished! And it was the perfect wardrobe for our afternoon outing.
I started with a men's white linen shirt, mixed up the original dress pattern a bit, and added new buttons.For more info and details, please hop over to MADE. Can't wait to see what you all come up with! We still have 1/2 a month left. Maybe I have one more up my sleeve....?

The Shirt Dress: the Pattern

I'm glad to see that many of you have jumped on board, to sew-along. Great fun!

In the last post's comments, it was mentioned that this could be made in a woman's size. Absolutely! Though, it would be more of a shirt rather than a dress. For some great tips and ideas on how to do that, check out clevergirl.org. She offers some very creative takes on men's-shirt to women's-shirt transformations.
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Okay, now that you've found a men's dress shirt to work with, let's get down to business. I won't go over all the steps here, as they are detailed in the tutorial HERE. But I will highlight a few things.

The Pattern
I don't sew with store-bought patterns. I can and have, but I often find that you can recreate many ideas by using an item of clothing you already have. This is how I came up with the pattern here. I took one of my daughter's dresses and mimicked the idea by pulling each dress piece straight (since there was elastic inside) and tracing it onto fabric, to create my own new pattern. This is how I sew most things: pants for my little guy, shirts, etc. You can do this too. It's not hard, just takes some practice and fiddling with. If you have a pattern or dress you love, go with that! Or you can follow this pattern here.
(click on the picture to see in better detail)

PLEASE NOTE: These measurements are for a skinny 2-3 year old. If your child is average size or a little larger, you must extend the areas mentioned below. If you're stuck or not sure how large to make it, measure your child and use those measurements as a guideline. If you're really unsure....make it larger, rather than smaller. You can then try it on and take in the side seams and shoulders if needed.
Or you can always cut out a mock version on junk fabric, sew a few steps, and try it on to see if you're on the right track.

Here are the two pattern pieces you'll need. You will cut out two of each, following the instructions on the tutorial. I hope these images make sense. None of the measurements are set in stone and should be adjusted to fit your child. But these should serve as a guideline.
If you have questions, please leave them here in the comments. Good luck!
- dana