Ruffle skirt at solstice festival

Its been a whole since I posted this skirt, but it's quickly becoming one of my summer favorites. After seeing one in the Garnet Hill catalog, I was inspired to make one. Together with an aqua sequin top, handmade leather ring belt from Fernand Footwear and my favorite shell necklace, I felt like I was channeling my inner mermaid!

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!

{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.

 

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!

tablecloth to wrap skirt with pockets!

This pink fabric was from a tablecloth I found in my thrifting adventures. It was in nearly pristine condition, and since I love hot pink, I snatched it up! The red fabric is left from some wedding purses I made for my cousin a few years ago. It was reversible, so I decided to use each side for one pocket. Now when I put on my skirt, I figure out where the pockets will go on the front and wrap accordingly. Works great with leggings or a jersey skirt underneath for warmth! 

community sewing studio class - pants to skirt, part 2

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For a longer skirt, we cut up the inseam and pulled out some stitching.

Some possiblities for an insert in the front of the skirt and some applique for embellishing.

A lightweight pair of pants and a pieced skirt:

Measuring for length and then for width of the flouce, to be sure it's the same size as the bottom of the waistband section of the skirt.

Using a pinking shear to trim the edges so they don't fray.

The next artist class is the Make your own Hat Workshop with our friends Nadia, Sonja and Amy Daniels Moehle. We are going to be making Greta Garbo inspired hats from recycled materials. Nadia will also show you the color wheel and talk about how to choose colors.

It's on Sunday, May 22, 1-4pm, at the Grow Benzie community sewing studio, $20. Let us know if you can make it! It's warm and green in the greenhouse too, so stop by and see what's growing.

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!

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 wrap skirt with pockets

Here it is, in action. I love having pockets for my camera, phone and handkerchief. And I LOVE my new boots! They were a christmas present, and I've been waiting for the snow to melt so I can wear them.
The river was gorgeous, not as high as it was yesterday. The road was graded yesterday, and that was quite exciting for little f. A dump truck and a grader working on the road. We spent a long time just watching them work. Today, it's a tray of flour in the kitchen with some matchbox trucks. It's been good for hours of play!

This is one of my favorite jackets, and it had a rip on the hood, so I made a little wool bunny patch for it. Our snacks are tucked away in a mesh drawstring bag with a fabric top and cordlock.

revamped jeans to skirt

Here's a tiny version of my favorite jean skirt. It's comfy with plenty of pockets (of course, I love them so, you know!). It's especially fun over a pair of leggings with some groovy boots. On Sunday, I'll be teaching a class at our Community Sewing Center - the dream has become a reality! We have two new sewing machines so far, and are raising $$$ for four more! Back to the class, which is at 1pm. Bring your own pants or choose from the stash we have collected. Better yet, join us tonight, Friday from 7-9pm for a clothing swap!

This one is serged on the hem, but it can be left raw, and just stitched with a straight seam so it won't unravel.

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?

what I'm working on now...

You can see I have a little helper for this project! It's a wrap skirt that I have had for a while but not worn much. I modified the hemline, cutting off a bit and serging it more evenly. Then I decided it needed pockets. And it seemed fun to have one pocket that was somewhat hidden, in the same fabric as the skirt. The other pocket is a great screen printed fabric I got on etsy a while back.

recycled patchwork kid's clothes

How could you resist? Shari at SorenLorensen Design makes the cutest patchwork from recycled clothing! And this picture is so cute it's not even funny. Wouldn't little guys look good in this hoodie?

So you can order the size you need, along with any other specs and she'll whip it up for you!
There's a blog too, which has some fun creative tidbits!

christmas comes at the same time every year...

And this year, I'm determined to be somewhat prepared. It really should not be a surprise a week before the big day. Seriously. Last year I made some stockings, but they were not like this. These are a sweet patchwork personalized with the names of your family members and pets (if you are so inclined). What should I get for our new puppy and two kitties? You can get your own from handmade pretties

You'll find all kinds of other recycled goods there too, skirts, ponchos, balls, etc...

Snazztastic! How could I resist a name like that? These snazztastic pants used to be a sweater. I love the striped waistband which looks like it's made from a ribbed cotton sweater. Brilliant idea!

This is for that tiny part of me that wishes to be pregnant again (incidently, the rest of me is not so sure that another baby is going to help me get more creative time!) It's a skirt, no wait, it's a poncho. Multi-purpose clothing is genius. And it would go with everything because it's patchwork! From what I gather, custom options for sizing and colors are also available. It would be great in jersey (t-shirt fabric) too!

Very pretty, indeed.

recycled denim jean skirt - flirty!

Just posted these in my etsy shop, I have several made from old pairs of jeans, and want to figure out how to post the sizing. Any thoughts? They ride really low on the hips. Measurements are about 3-4" smaller than your actual hip measurement. This weekend I wore them with leggings and a long shirt, tucked in, so it was quite cozy. And the pockets! I could go on and on about how I adore pockets for holding things like camera, phone, hankie, paper bits, lip balm, cash, keys, etc.  It's nice to have belt loops for a cool belt or scarf.

And this outtake from our photo shoot is a perfect glimpse into my reality.

The sleeveless turtleneck is a very large black cashmere sweater with the sleeves removed and side seams taken in a bit. It's exactly what I had in mind when I started the project. That makes me so happy!



When I was teaching in GR at the UICA for Artworks, one of my students wore a skirt like this one day, and I loved it and was inspired. It's been through a year or two of R&D and it's still at the front of my closet.

devilmademedoit recycled wool and cashmere clothes!

Wow. I want it all. Dresses, sweaters, cowls, skirts all in recycled wool and cashmere. Super stylish. I could look great, be warm and comfortable. You'll want it all too. Tamara does an amazing job of putting it all together.