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?

making toys out of all kinds of things...

"Meems, I need a trailer for my tractor."

Hmm. After thinking about it for a while I came up with this solution. A small wood crate from his little kitchen tied up with twill tape which was left over from something and hanging on the bulletin board. It works out great, b/c he can put all kinds of things into it and pull them all around. 

Since then, he has received a beautiful wood tractor with a trailer that swivels and everything, but he loves to play in his two tractor farm.  A pile of shredded paper from a gift is the "hay". I also made him some bales of hay out of felt, but we haven't tossed the paper shreds yet. Today might be the day, as it is all over the rug.

The shirt was revamped, with a big denim star cut from a old pair of jeans stitched over the "cutesy" motif on the front.

cute recycled t-shirt wear for kids

Wow, after being at the cottage, it's tough to get back in the groove here in front of the computer. But...

Look what I found on etsy today! dressme uses t-shirts and other recycled fabrics to make these wonderful combinations. The boy t-shirts are really cool and different. I love that they look good with everything. That's what got me started, but I love the dresses here too, and the little model is so sweet!

What are your favorite sources for handmade, recycled clothes?

Sweet things for boys from We choose joy

This little guy is so cute in his orange beanie! I fell in love with the name of this etsy shop, We Choose Joy. and love that they use recycled yarn for their hats.

And how about this formal attire? I love the sofa too, but that's not for sale. Just the shirts and onesies with these little ties. One of my friends asked me to make one when her guy was tiny, and I never did, but now, I don't have to! Stop by and check out the shop!

boy's headband recycled from t-shirts

This is strip of an old t-shirt, about 3" wide and maybe 18-20" long. If your subject is right there, you could try wrapping it around their head first. The ends are cut diagonally so there's enough to tie, but not too much hanging down. I cut out a tree from felted wool sweaters and stitched it on, not quite in the middle, but off to the side a couple of inches. Tie it on, karate kid style. Am I dating myself by saying that?

Anyway, it's a great solution for keeping growing hair out of kid's eyes! Little f like to wear his when I wear a headband. Mine is just a bit wider and longer, but not much, b/c my head is pea-sized (a family trait).

It's great for keeping hair out of my little guy's eyes!

First there was a sweater torso, which I cut off the crew neck and added a collar made from t-shirt material and a button placket from another sweater. After sewing on the sleeves, I wanted to make them longer, like wristwarmers sewn right on. I took another black shirt and cut off the sleeves and the bottom. Sleeves were taken in a bit and stitched together. Same thing on the bottom.

All you have to do is make sure that the "tubes" you are adding are the same diameter as the shirt. For more detailed instructions, check out my tutorial down a few posts.

Right sides together

Ooh, I'm toasty in my new shirt! It's great under sweaters and the new wristwarmers fit into my mittens, so no more cold snowy wrists.

making kids shirt patterns

Today I found a brilliant tutorial on making shirt patterns, and before I dash into my studio, I wanted to jot it down and share! It's perfect for recycling old shirts into new kids shirts. This one is made from 2 shirts and a piece of fabric from one of my friends. I used the hemmed edges for the sleeves and bottom so it went really fast. For the neckline, I used the ribbing from one of the shirts and serged it on before sewing the lapped neck pieces together and it worked great! It fits really well, although I discovered that it might look better with the lapped part showing in the front.

My friend, Colleen has been asking me a lot of sewing questions lately, and she's the inspiration for this need to share my finds for kids clothes. There must be more moms out there who are sewing, if there are two of us in this tiny corner of Michigan. Perhaps, someday, my book dream will become a reality...

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...