Ruffles and Lace Tee

I finally did it.  I made this shirt from Tea Rose Home. (This top was long sleeved, and I cute the sleeves off and sewed the ruffles right on top of a stain on the front of the shirt!)

And then I had my sister model it for pictures.  It looked better on her than it did me. 

So I told her to keep it.  And when she goes on a date, I tell her to wear it.  It looks that good on her.

Now I need to make me a new one for myself. :)

Hope you had a wonderful weekend like I did! I have some gorgeous pictures to share on Thursday!

~Lynette~

Flowered Side Paneled Top

(The hem lays flat, it was just super wrinkled that day.  Sorry about that!  Just keeping it real…)

I bought this brown shirt for $5.00 at Seagull last year.  I added these panels because the shirt felt a little tight.  Here’s my sister modeling it for you.  I used this tutorial from Crafterhours.  It was pretty easy to follow.  The only thing I don’t like about this shirt, is that there are two seams at your arm pit that kind of bug me after wearing it for awhile.

Have a fabulous day!

~Lynette~

T-shirt Gone Cardigan: Navy Blue Ruffles

(I am wearing this with a cream shirt underneath.  No idea why it appears to be stark white.)

This used to be a shirt.  I came home one day, and my husband had been helping with the laundry, and I discovered that there was a grease stain at the bottom of the shirt in the middle.  No biggie.  So I cut that thing right down the middle, grabbed two strips of scrap navy blue knit, and gathered one each end.  Then I sewed it to my shirt, and I have a brand new cardigan.  I love this one because it’s a thin shirt, and it’s easy to layer and I don’t get too warm in it.

Catch a Wave Top

(Don’t you love the blue half-painted 84 Jimmy in the background…that’s what I affectionately drove back in high school…and it still runs on a good day.)

Hi there!  Here’s a 20 minute project tops.  I started a corsage shirt last summer, and never ended up liking how it particularly turned out.  I still had some extra fabric from the second shirt (I bought a very large size).  When I saw this project, I knew I had to try the technique!

Super simple, super quick, and you can try it too!

~Lynette~

How to Make an Adjustable Waistband the Easy Way

I have been searching for the perfect light wash jeans for about a year now.  I never really found any.  So I made something work, like I’ve learned to do recently.  I used this technique to fix all 5 of my professional dress pants that I got from target.

Some pants can be altered this way, and some can’t.  Here’s how to figure it out.  Take your fingers and try to pull apart the two layers of fabric that form your waistband on your pants.  If they can pull apart around the whole waistband, then you can use this technique.  If not, check out this tutorial for an alternative route.

You’ll need:

Pants

elastic (I use woven, and make sure it’s thinner than your waistband)

Buttons

Needle and Thread

Safety Pin

First, mark where you want your buttons to be on the inside of your pants.  I usually put them where a belt loop is on the outside of the pants so your stitches to hold your button don’t show. (Do this on both sides of your pants, I just pictured one side.)

Then lay your elastic on the inside of your pants, and cut it to size matching it up with your button marks.

Now we’ll mark where we want our buttonholes.  I did the first hole 1/2 inch from the edge, and then spaced the other two holes 1 1/2 inches apart.  I only do three holes, but you can do more if you’d like.

Make button holes on both ends of the elastic piece.  A little nervous about making button holes?  Check out this tutorial from Dana @ Made.  She makes it easy.

Sew both buttons on over your button marks.  I start the knot on the inside of the pants, and also end the knot of the inside to make it as invisible as possible.  I used yellow thread here, but you could use something that actually matches your pants.

Then take your seam ripper and make a slit to form a casing in your waistband.  The hole should be on the back side of the button.  You don’t want your hole closer to the zipper side.  (That was really hard to explain!  Let me know if you have questions.  The next pictures may help too.)

Now take one end of your elastic, roll it up so it makes it kind of bulky, and pin it.  Then thread your elastic through your casing.  When you get close to the end, make sure to button your elastic to your pants so your don’t lose the other end of your elastic inside the pants!

Here’s an inside view of them all done.  I usually wear my pants set to the second button.  As they wear and get washed, I usually can put it back at the first.  The waistband looks a little scrunchy when you’re not wearing them, but once they are on they look smooth.  Super simple, and now you won’t have falling-off pants!

And while we’re on the subject of jeans, I’ll show you what I did to these boring pockets!  Embroidery thread fun stitch, and that’s what I came up with.  I searched for a tutorial for you, but I couldn’t find it’s “generation,” correct stitch.  If you want to know how, let me know and I’ll make a quick tutorial.

Hope you’re having a fabulous day!

~Lynette~

Ruffle Shirt with Impromptu Flower

I made this shirt about a year ago.

And I started the post a year ago too.

(My cute sister modeling the shirt for us)

I finally got around to getting a photo it, and here’s the post.

I was planning on doing this to this shirt, but once I pinned the ruffles on several times in several ways, I decided the style is too bulky for my little body.  So I opted for something more simple, and I love it.

I just sewed one ruffle (2.5 inches wide) to the front neckline.  I ended up getting off track and sewed the ruffle a little crooked, so instead of picking apart the seam…I just added a flower to the top! 

I had a bit of ruffle left over, so I just set it on the shirt in a flower shape, and sewed it right to the shirt with my free motion foot. 

I added a button, and a little pleat and buttons to the sleeves, and I love the end result!  Sachiko from Tea Rose Home shows us how to do the sleeves in this tutorial (and yes, I NEED to find me some lace so I can make that whole shirt too).

Took me about a year to find some lace…but I did it (made the whole shirt that is). 

That post is coming up soon. 

Promise!

~Lynette~

How to Make Beaded Watch Bands Using Beads as Spacers

Hi there!  I’ve got a non-sewing tutorial for you today.  I needed a bit of a breather, and since beads were my first crafty endeavor, here we go again.

I’m going to show you how I made this watch band. (They were super popular a couple years ago, and still are…I just never made them.  I was given one from my student teaching cooperating teacher, and now I’m hooked!) 

If you’ve noticed most watch bands, they have silver pieces divide each section of the watch band.  They are called spacers.

And I couldn’t find any in my area…or 400 miles away from my home either (although I didn’t look very hard because I was spending over $100 on just fabric…more on that later).

So I decided to improvise.

I used other beads to act as the spacers, and I came up with this fun look.

You’ll need: 

Claw Clasps (I have used small, but I got bigger this time)

Stretchy Cord- I use 1.0 mm, but I think I’d like to go a tad smaller next time I buy it for using smaller holed beads.  I’ve heard that .8mm works well, but I couldn’t find it when I was hastily looking.

Super Glue

Scissors, beads, a brain

Ready, Set, Go!

Cut a piece of string.  I can’t tell you how long, because you’ll have to figure it out according to your wrist size.  And because we’ll be using beads as our spacers, add on several inches to that for safety’s sake.  The first band I made was barely long enough for my husband to tie.

Take two of your clasps, and form a bead sandwich like so.  You’ll want to you either 2-3 small beads, or one kind of short/long one.  Trial and error baby.

This is important.  See how both of the hooky things where you open them are facing the same way?  I didn’t think about this the first time I made a band, and ALL FOUR clasps were set differently…may need to chop that one up and fix it.  So pay attention.

String beads any way you like. 

Big, small, chunky, matchy-matchy, pattern, or spontaneous. 

It’s up to you.

When you’re about 1/3 done with your band, slip on one of the beads you’ll be using for your spacers.  (Pre-test the beads to make sure you can slip 2 pieces of the string through your beads.  Some beads may not have a big enough hole.)

Now take the other string, and slip it through the bead to make a loop.  Confused?  Have no fear, I took more pictures of the process on the 2nd spacer of this band.  Stay tuned.

Pull tight, and you’re 1/3 of the way!

Add more beads until you’re 2/3 of the way.  This middle section should be your longest section by the way.  The other two are kinda short.

 

Slip on that ‘spacer’ bead. 

Then take the other string and put it through the other end of the bead.  Does that picture help?  Thought it might!

Pull those two strings, and you’re 2/3 done with this thing!

Put on more beads until you’ve got it to the size you want.  Then make another clasp sandwich, making sure the hooky things are facing the same side as the OTHER clasps on the other end. (Sorry, forgot a picture of this part!  Oops!)

Then tie a square knot (right over left, left over right).  Then I tied one more right over left, just for fun.  Then I spaced the beads out like this, super glued it, and kept my hands there to take a pic for you. (I was terrified of getting super glue on me by the way!  But I made it.)

Let the super glue dry, cut the ends of your string close to the knot, and wear it out to walk to the mailbox (that’s where I’m headed!)

~Lynette~

White Embellished Belt

Hi there!  Don’t worry, I’m not sharing another shirt today.  I have something else for you.  Here’s a belt (from an old tshirt…does that surprise you any?) that I made using this tutorial as inspiration.  I wanted it to have a more finished look because I was student teaching at the time and wanted it to look professional.  So I simply sewed a tube of fabric, embellished with flowers like this, and attached velcro to the ends.

I wore it with cardigans (one of which I will show you sometime soon…maybe I’ll even take a picture of them together!) and solid colored shirts, and loved how it finished off my outfits.  I used silver/gray thread (which you probably can’t really see) on white fabric, and it added a little bit of elegance to the belt.

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

~Lynette~

Anthro Cardigan Knockoff

I love to browse Anthropologie’s site for inspiration, especcially on cardigans.  They have some super cute stuff on there!  I fell in love with the Stretching Sprigs Cardigan, and I had to make one for myself!

I had a purple cardigan that I’d gotten for Christmas and hadn’t worn much because it was a bit big on me.  I slimmed the sides down by sewing a seam on the inside of the sweater from the armhole down to the hem in a curved line.  Once it fit good, I used some of the simple embroidery techniques my mother in law taught me to embellish the front.

This is what I came up with.  It’s not as bold as the anthropologie one, but I was very self conscious of even trying this technique!  I ended up really liking it once I wore it a few times.

Here’s a better shot of both sides of the cardigan.  I have lots more t-shirt refashions to share…like 10 to be exact.  I will try to fit in a bit of variety, but let’s face it…I love refashioning and making old clothes new again!

See you tomorrow!

~Lynette~

Spring Top Sewalong 2011 Entry #2: Floating Flowers Top

Introducing my second top to enter into the Spring Top Sewalong.  It’s fun to have a contest to enter, just so it motivates me to finish projects.  Once I sat down and got started, this shirt only took me a few hours (including the time it took to figure out to embellish this one…that’s ALWAYS the hardest/longest part for me!)

The way the flowers are positioned, they appear to be floating upon the shirt.  It reminds me of lily pads on a pond for some reason.  I like the comfort of the t-shirt, but love the embellishment.  It makes me feel kinda fancy.

I made the pattern based off one of my favorite shirts.  I got the knit from Joann's (It's a thicker knit, and not my favorite, but it worked for this project).

~Lynette~

Spring Top Sewalong 2011 Entry #1: Cloudy Wisps Top

After Christmas I bought two yards of fabric in different colors so I could make some cute shirts for myself.  It’s now the beginning of May and I’ve finally got them both finished.  That’s what student teaching will do to you. Trust me.

I finished the gray one in March sometime, and absolutely love it!  I patterned the shirt after one of my favorites, whose company went of out business and then was re-bought by another company, but their clothes just aren’t the same.  Thankfully, I could recreate the pattern using my shirt, and added some ruffle detail.  I’m entering this shirt in the Spring Top Sewalong held by Made By Rae.  You should check it out, it’s a lot of fun!

(A close up of the ruffle and raw looking neckline)

The shirt is modeled by my cute sister.  (After reading the contest rules, I snapped a quick picture of myself wearing the shirt –it fits me a bit better anyways!  It will be below this paragraph!) The sleeves are half sleeve/three fourths length, for some extra coverage and warmth when I need it.  The neckline is finished by folding a strip of fabric over the ruffles and sewing them so the edges of the strip will be exposed.  The shirt reminds me of wisps of cloud in the spring skies, so that’s it’s name!

Thanks for visiting!

~Lynette~

Tutorial: Making Ruffles the Easy Way!

Today I’m going to show you the way I make ruffles…the easy way.  I learned this from my mother-in-law who has several sewing tricks up her sleeve.  She learned them from working in a sewing factory when she was in her teens.

You’ll need:  Fabric you want gathered, coordinating thread and bobbin
(I used black thread on yellow so you can see what I’m doing!)

Set your machine stitch width to a zigzag.  I like it to be a big one, but just make it a good size.  I do a regular stitch length, about a 3 on my machine.

Before you start sewing, go ahead and pull both the bobbin and the top thread out until it’s a little longer than the length of the material you are going to gather.  Then put the material under the presser foot and lay the thread you pulled out on top of the material as shown above.
We’ll sew a zigzag stitch on top of the thread you pulled out.

When you’re done, it should look like this! 

ONLY trim the threads that just sewed the zigzag.  Keep the threads that you pulled out of the machine before sewing long.  I’ve cut all the threads several times and had to start over!  bummer, so be careful when cutting threads!

Now take those tails and pull to gather, just like you do when you gather with the bobbin thread.  This way is easier, faster, and it gets a more uniform ruffle.  I’ve used this for LONG pieces of fabric, and short ones.  It works the same.

Now you’ve got a gathered piece for your project.  This works great on knits for t-shirt refashions, or cottons for gathers in bags or other projects!  Enjoy!