recycled skirt and petticoat from t-shirts

Last night at the open studio/sewing circle, I made this skirt and petticoat from the tutorial by maya*made, which was given to me by a friend. It was pretty clever, using the hem of a tshirt for the waistband. Once I figured it out, the second skirt went together within an hour. I have plans for several more! In two weeks, on February 27 from 6-9pm, there will be at class at the sewing studio at Grow Benzie if you want to make your own. Bring some t-shirts (xlarge works best unless you want to make panels) and 1/2" elastic, along with a $10 donation for the studio.

At first I wasn't too sure I would wear a petticoat, but when I tried it on with my boots, I was in love! A few more rows of ruffles added to this one will make it perfect! My next one is going to be in an oatmeal color.

The best part? Having two layers of fabric makes it more flattering in the back, since t-shirt fabric can be a little on the light side for my taste. It also eliminates the possibility of having it get stuck to your body - so embarrasing!

Have I told you how much I love my Frye boots? They are worth every penny even at full price! Somehow they transform every outfit to a level of sublime, don't you agree?

recycled sweater skirt

A while back, we were headed out on a date night with all our little buddies parents. We were excited to see them and have adult conversations while the kids had time with their grandparents. As I was getting dressed, I couldn't seem to find what I wanted - something warm, cute and fashionable. Now this happens more often than you might expect. It results in a frenzy of activity in my studio as a pile of collected goods is transformed into the finished piece. The inspiration for these projects is often prompted by just such a deadline.  I'm so glad it all worked out this time!

recycled and revamped sweater dress for the Little Sister!

Look at that beautiful smile! I arrived at my friends' house yesterday with a bag full of clothes and my sewing machine. We look through them to find something that would fit first. Then we chose the fabrics for the sash and skirt. After a little stitching, more trying on and a little stitch ripping (this means I truly love you, Sunny! Normally I find all kinds of ways to get around it.)

The owl was on another shirt which was too small, so it was cut off and restitched here. I gathered the skirt fabric and added the shawl collar to fill in the too-large Vneck on the sweater.

I think she likes it!

The Little Sister is part of an amazing homeschooling family with a non-profit site that encourages reading. Check out the books for walls project!

Clutch for mari

{this moment} project 231

One extraordinary moment from this week that I want to savor and remember.

What inspired you this week? Share your link in the comments.

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at soulemama.

 

More than a diaper bag, a system for mom and baby stuff!

A few posts back, you saw Krista with her fab new diaper bag. Here are all the details you might not have seen. I'm working on another one for a friend out in Baltimore, and thought that some of you might be interested in something custom, either for yourselves or for a friend. Wrapped in a reusable fabric gift bag and tied up with ribbon, there's no need for tissue paper. This particular design concept has been through intense R&D, so I know the system works!

Something red and modern were the starting points for the design.

And loads of pockets for all those little tiny things. I remember my diaper bag pockets were filled with tissues, prefold diapers and an extra cover, a spray bottle with water and a few drops of tea tree oil and some nice organic cloths for wiping hands, face, toys or any surface that needed disinfecting, some toys and tiny books including a small photo book of "people who love you", eventually crayons were added to the toy pocket, fingernail clippers, nose squeegee, black walnut salve (best for diaper rash!), calendula salve (for all things skin related), snacks for baby and for me, pacifier that he rarely used, a spare outfit, nursing pads and probably a few more things too.

And for mama, a coordinating little clutch, so as not to lose her identity and also to make it easy to go out without baby.

There is a funny story about the zippered pocket which involves a curious child, the post office and a tampon. There was not a zipper on the first version of this purse but as you can see, there is now...

A pocket on the outside is great for phone, receipts, lists, coupons, etc... in my favorite Heather Ross mermaid fabric.

A little recycled scrap detail along with a very cool vintage button adorn the front of the clutch. Photos can also be added to make it more personal.

My camera lived in the outside pocket of the bag, as all my friends can attest. I've captured so many wonderful everyday moments in our little guy's life with his buddies and that makes me so happy. It's my photojournal, since I don't seem to find much time for writing.

As always, a key hook is great not only for keys, but also for the pacifier or anything else you need to find quickly, as long as you remember to put them on there in the first place...

And that my friends, is the way that I survived the first three years of my son's wonderful life! Krista will be filling her bag soon, as we anxiously await the arrival of "baby a + baby b" I hope you will be inspired.

cool kid's clothes made from upcycled t-shirts and such

It was this jacket that first drew me to lilygiggle. I was searching for recycled boy clothes. Time passed and I found the site again, with a similar search. Destiny? Must be. Beth makes all kinds of great clothing patterns, and has the cutest little models! Want to stay in the loop? Check out lilygiggle's facebook page and a FREE pattern when you "like" her page.

And right now for you, my faithful blog readers, she is offering a 25% discount in her etsy shop, just use the code REVAMPED until August 13th.

Turns out that Beth is friends with Jay from chickenhill! Wouldn't be great to sew with these girls?

Thanks to Beth for taking time to answer a few of my questions.

How did you learn/who taught you to sew?
Originally I was a self-taught fashion design wanna-be teenager. I had grown up around very talented seamstresses, both grandmas were amazing at it as well as my own mama so there were always sewing machines around. My grandma would take my goofy 8 year old "fashion illustrations" and create the garment just by looking at a child's sketch. One day I just decided I was going to figure out how to sew and made myself pants that I wore all the time even though they were technically sewn completely incorrectly. Maybe that's why I don't mind sewing a bit "out of the box". It's great fun to experiment. Later I was taught to be a proper seamstress at Savannah College of Art & Design while I was completing my major in Fashion Design.

What was your first sewing machine?
An old Kenmore...good machine...wouldn't mind if I still had it.

How did you start upcycling/recycling?
I would love to say it was because I am so sensitive to the environment (which I do try to be) but, honestly, it was out of being desperately in need of a creative outlet after leaving my job and being home with my children. With one income there were just not enough funds to keep myself in lovely fabrics. The local "by the pound" thrift store became my fabric store of choice. I find that much of my creativity has been sparked first by necessity. I think that people who don't think they are creative probably just never really had to be.

Thank you so much, Beth, for sharing your thoughts with us!

Such sweet flowers and a gorgeous photos too.

This serendipity dress is so cool! It is named with one of my favorite words, so how could I resist? I really want it in my size, but maybe I'll have to settle for making one for my niece... The detail on the waistband is so nice and I love the bows, especially since they are purely decorative, so they can be sewn down once tied.

And this is the perfect gardening skirt! You might already know that I adore pockets. All shapes, sizes and in many places. The buttons on top are like the icing on the cake.

Hope you are inspired to do more sewing!

recycled fashion show

A couple of my good friends collaborated on this entry in the recycled fashion show in Frankfort. Aren't they gorgeous nature goddesses?

camping in recycled+revamped style

Earlier this summer I went to a women's retreat and camped in our van. It's a 1988 Ford van and it has been decked out with curtains and pockets.  There's a bed in the back and it's just perfect for us right now. Of course, I wore my tunic and hoodie b/c they are so comfy. And for those mornings when my hair is crazy - the hat I made at the recycled hat workshop! What am I holding? The last bit of last year's strawberry jam. Since then I've made a whole new batch.

Where is your favorite place to camp?

{this moment) boating on glen lake

{this moment}

an extraordinary moment that I want to savor and remember

inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at soulemama

Hope you have a wonderful summer weekend! Enjoy the water if you can!

recycled+revamped little girls party dress to elastic waist party skirt!

This sweet little dress belongs to my niece, but she outgrew it and we wanted to use the fabric to make something that she could still wear. It was a 4. My sister and I measured one of her skirts and then I decided to cut it off below the zipper and add an elastic waist to make it more of a 6/7.

The waistband is a piece of an old t-shirt, about 3" wide and about 25" long. Again, this measurement was figured based on measuring an existing skirt. Using 1/2" elastic, I measured out at a piece that is about 3/4 as long as the waistband, overlapped the ends and stitched them together. Then I folded the waistband, right sides together and stitched the two ends together.

First, I folded the waistband and inserted the elastic. Using binder clips, I clipped the seams first and then clipped it again about halfway between the seams.

Then I used a stitch length of 4 to make a long basting stitch in both the lining and outer layers of the skirt, stitching the front and then stopping and starting again to stitch the back. Then I gently pulled one of the threads on the front to gather the skirt, and repeated on the back.

Then I attached the waistband to the skirt using the clips, starting at the seams and adjusting the gathers to fit.

And then I stitched the waistband and skirt together. It was a quick little project and turned out great!

Now it has a soft stretchy waistband that should fit for quite a while. It will be so cute with leggings and a t-shirt or a little sweater with tights and maryjanes!

Sweet play kitchen revamp from squirrels in wren's nest!

It all started with this cabinet which was scavenged from the alley. One of my creative friends and fellow blogger, Ashlea, made this sweet little kitchen for her daughter's second birthday. I love the fabric panels onthe bottom and the modern faucet! It even has a tile backsplash and coordinates with their kitchen, which I understand is awaiting a similar transformation, or at least a stove...

hat workshop at the community sewing studio

We "hat" a great time at the workshop yesterday! Amy, Nadia and Sonja came to the community sewing studio and taught us about using the color wheel to choose colors. Then we followed the instructions on from Anna Kata. We used dress shirts, pants and t-shirts for their fabric and cut out circle for our hats. It seemed that stretchy fabric made the best hat band. Then we added some circle flowers and vintage buttons. They turned out great! Thanks girls, for fun day in the studio!

community sewing studio class - pants to skirt

Here's a review of one of the first classes held at the sewing studio at Grow Benzie!

It starts with a pair of pants, or in this case, some tiny jeans. We cut off the legs just below the back pockets, and just above the crotch (not my favorite word, but for lack of a better one just now, there it is). Using the leftover legs, cut four curved pieces, 2" - 4" wide, using as much of the leg as possible.

Sew the curved pieces together to make a flounce for the bottom of your skirt. Pin the right side of the flounce to the right side of the skirt and stitch, leaving a couple of inches unsewn at the ends of the flounce. Once you have done this, you can see where the ends of the flounce can be stitched together, so they will fit all the way around the skirt. If it's not long enough, insert another piece into your flounce. Finish sewing flounce to skirt.

You can use any kind of pants for this recycled+revamped project!

And at the top, you see the adult size, with a wide flounce. This was a bit wider and more curved so it took a lot more pieces to make up the flounce, but Erin did not give up, she persisted and ended up with two great skirts after two hours of class. Way to go, Erin!
On the hem, you can use a regular stitch about 1/4" from the bottom to keep the fabric from unravelling too much. And if it gets stringy after washing, just trim as you would your favorite frayed jeans. 

Please feel free to post links to your revamped jean skirt projects, it would be fun to see them!