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!

{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.

 

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?

recycled+revamped baby clothes

Here are some of the recycled+revamped baby clothes that I sent to my friend in Baltimore. Sounds like it might be a boy, but since it's unclear, I tried to keep it neutral. Maybe you will be inspired to add some embellishments as well.

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...

recycled+revamped party dress to party skirt

My niece outgrew her party dress! I loved the fabric when I chose it for her (size 4) and came up with this idea to make it last a little longer. I cut if off below the zipper, about 12" up from the hem and added an elastic waistband (based on her waist measurement - size 7). Hello party skirt!

revamped wool wrap skirt with pockets!

A friend gave me a long wool skirt, so I took it home and washed it in hot water. Then I cut off the pockets and hem and used a wrap skirt as a pattern to cut out a shorter skirt. The pockets were sewn back onto the front. The hem was sewn onto the top for the ties. I left the edges raw, since they are felted and they won't unravel. Then I saw a similiar skirt in a fashion mag with some chunky tights and went digging in my sock drawer to find something comparable! I like the brown zig zag stitching on the pockets and waist, since it adds a little detail to the otherwise plain skirt. And you might already know about my love for pockets!

What have you been making?

revamped mushroom stools

Walking around in papa's slippers, looking at a book with a nice wooly sweater made with love by Aunt Jon. This is a little slice of our lives. It's toasty warm by the fire, which is just to the right of the photo.

The mushroom stools were a gift from "unty", t's brother, scored at a garage sale. He loves the thrill of the find like I do, and while these were two different colors of vinyl at one time, they have been revamped!

After cutting a circle of chocolate brown wool larger than the seat of the stool, allowing extra for the sides of the seat and enough to wrap around to the underside, I cut out some smaller pieces from a creamy white felted wool sweater, set them on the wool on the stool and pinned into place. I stitched those on and then went to find the staple gun.

First, I layed the wool down on the floor, dots down and put the stool seat on top. With my staple gun, I secured the south side of the wool (closest to me) to the underside of the seat. Stretching a little to make it taut, I moved to the north side, and then east and west sides. And then I was able to secure all the places inbetween, pulling a bit to keep the top smooth as I stapled.

Did I mention how much I love staple guns?

time to share!

There are so many of you doing cool things and it would be fun to share! Check out the recycled+revamped group and post up some pics of your latest projects.

revamped cashmere cowl neck sweater and a tutorial giveaway

mmm, cashmere! After a comprehensive closet assessment, I determined that I needed more sweaters. I headed over to resweater where I lucked out and actually got two of the exact same turquoise cashmere sweater! Here's a preview of my next tutorial...




It also has instructions for adding wristwarmers to the sleeves of the sweater! Can I tell you how excited I am to finally have a sweater that has sleeves long enough to be comfortable? Ooh, it's so deluxe that I wore it for two days in a row! I'm basking in the success of another great revamp, especially after my last t-shirt project, inspired by a Generation T sewing party with my friends. It reminded me why I like to sew things that don't have to fit! Perhaps when I get it worked out, you'll get to see it. For now, I'll be wearing this sweater...

What kind of tutorials should I make next? What do you want to learn about sewing? Leave a comment with the details by March 23 and I'll enter you in a giveaway for a tutorial, and you can become a recycled+revamped product tester. Tell your friends.

One of my favorite revamps this year!

Here's a simple maternity/nursing dress or nightie revamp! I found this in a folder to post and am just now getting to it. Maybe you can relate?

This dress was inspired by a great book I found at the library called Born Again Vintage. I made several of these for my friend who was pregnant out of her old knit tank tops, cotton skirts and dresses.

First you cut the shirt just below the bust, and cut the skirt or dress to the length you want by holding it up to your body. Then you serge it to the skirt. Remember to add about a half inch for seam allowance! To keep it even all around, you pin or clip (small binder clips are my favorite, and I keep them on a magnetic pin cushion) the skirt to the shirt in four places, front, back and sides. Then you stretch a little while you are stitching so both fabrics are the same length. For the pocket, sew two pieces of fabric together (or fold one in half), leaving open a few inches to turn. Once you have it right side out, press and stitch where you want it on the skirt, reinforcing at the corners by stitching a triangle.

For myself, I recycled my old T-shirts into snazzy new nighties that work for nursing! Halters and old nursing tops work best. My favorite is the Motherhood V-neck tank. In fact, I'm ready to make some more because they are so comfortable!

Jen's little girl, Winter Rose, was born the day after Halloween, and she's gorgeous! We are working on a new joint venture in baby headwear, so I thought I'd give you a little preview...

recycled+revamped at Reed's Lake Art Festival 2009

It was a hot, sunny day in East Grand Rapids. Thank you to everyone who came out to say hello, and especially those who chose new bags!

Fyn and Uncle Rob helped with the very early morning set-up at 6 am!

My dad came to play with Fyn while we were setting up and tearing down. It was a great Father's Day weekend with my family!

revamped logo

All I want to say is that Jennifer rocks! Here's the newest version of my logo.

www.studio71design.etsy.com