Upcycled Elastic-Waist Skirts

Guess who wasn't in the mood to have pictures taken of her new skirts?

Good guess.

My friend gave me a few of her old maxi-dresses, which easily made skirts for Little Sister with plenty left over in case I want to make myself a matching skirt or possibly summer dresses for Little Sister.

There's another one too, but I wasn't getting photos of that one today.

No pictures, please.

A condition of me taking any pictures at all was that she would wear this pink sweatshirt dress on her head, long-hair style.

Don't even think about removing my sweatshirt hair!

It was a really simple skirt to make--I just cut panels out of the dress (the little ruffle between tiers was already there) and the lining, using the existing hem, and attached them to an elastic waistband using this easy method.  I made the top layer a little longer than the lining.

She did cooperate for a second and almost gave me a smile.

She wanted to try out an updo.

Before deciding she'd rather look at the pictures than be in them...

Let me see!

Attack of the pink-haired monster

Aaaaand we're done here.

Maybe I'll get pics of the other skirt at some point too?  She pretty much just wants to rotate between the two of them for her wardrobe every day.  The length is a perfect compromise between the "long-long to the floor" skirts she really wants and the practical short skirts I will let her wear so that she doesn't trip on them, and it's a hard length to find in store-bought skirts.

Upcycled Infinity Scarves

One of the types of items I had for sale at the craft show that I did were upcycled infinity scarves.  I have made several of these before, but these were a little different.  One, because I used a different fabric on the inside and outside of the scarf.  This was great because I got to play with coordinating fabrics, which I love, and also this was great because I could use smaller sweaters, AND I could have leftovers to make matching armwarmers.  When I made scarves all out of one sweater, it had to be a pretty big sweater and I had to use all the material from the sleeves as well to get the scarf to be long enough.  But this way, I could save the sleeves to make into cute snuggly matching armwarmers!

So, want to see some examples?  And my fantabulous modeling skills?

I threw in that upper right one of me gazing into middle distance for some variety.

Note to self--iron the wrinkly bedsheet if you plan to use it as a photo backdrop.

This one's the only one that's not upcycled from an old sweater--this is the same vintage sweater knit I used to make my stretchy pencil skirt with pockets.  But the black secondary fabric is an upcycled nightshirt!

These actually all had matching armwarmers, but some of the photos looked ridiculous didn't come out so you'll have to use your imagination.

A friend suggested I photograph these sets while sitting on a swing, holding the chains.  That would be perfect!  Now if I could only get one of my kids to take pictures of me swinging, instead of whining for me to push THEM on the swings when we're at the park! But really--it would be a pretty great way to get a scarf and armwarmers both in the shot in a little less awkward-looking manner, if I could just figure out how to get that picture taken.

The scarves are all slightly different sizes, since they were cut from different sweaters, but the range was that I cut two panels that were each between 7.5 and 10 inches wide and between 52 and 60 inches long.  Both of those panels were usually pieced together from cutting up sweaters and t-shirts, but when I used jersey sheets or yardage of knit fabric on the back, I was able to cut one long panel for the non-sweater side.  I assembled my two panels into an infinity scarf using this tutorial--the explanation for joining the two ends together is SO MUCH EASIER TO UNDERSTAND than the way I have been doing it!

I've been working on a big new batch of these, since I'm going to do a couple more shows before Christmas and I sold all but three of the 13 I made for the last craft fair!  I'm really excited about some of them--I will not be sad AT ALL if they don't sell and I have to keep them.  A girl can never have too many scarves, am I right?  Or I guess I could give them out to my friends as Christmas presents, if I decide not to be selfish.

I did a craft show!

I did my very first craft show this weekend, at my son's elementary school.  It felt like a pretty good way to give it a try--I had a reason to be involved, a portion of my sales were donated to the school, it wasn't a huge event.  I was really excited and nervous when I was accepted, but I am so glad I did it!

There was very little information about how much traffic would be at this fair, so my main concern was inventory.  I had pretty much NOTHING when I found out I was doing the show, 4 weeks exactly before the event.  I spent all of my spare time shopping and sewing up until the week before the show, when I started tagging and figuring out a display.  I am so lucky that I have a mom and MIL who also do art shows, because they hooked me up when it came to the booth.  Oh, AND I'm lucky that neither of them were doing a show last weekend!  If I'm going to do more shows (which I think I will), I'm going to need to buy some stuff for displays because I probably won't always be able to borrow their stuff!

Speaking of which, here's how my display turned out:

Fleece hats up on the left, coloring wallets down on the table, headbands in the middle,
and upcycled scarves and armwarmers on the right.  

Ignore the stuff stacked up on the stage behind me--even though it was kind of an ugly backdrop for my booth, I actually loved my spot because the stage functioned as an extra counter space behind my booth for me to spread out my stuff!  I will definitely need to be more organized next time when I don't have that luxury.  I was shuffling bags/stickers/receipts and stuff more than I wanted to be since I didn't have a great system in place.

I felt really good during the show.  There was constant traffic, and because it was a fundraiser for the school people were in a generous mood, and there were a lot of familiar faces of parents I'd seen around the school.  I'm not sure if I would feel more awkward at a show in a less-familiar venue, but I was surprised that I didn't feel more weird about hawking my wares to strangers.

One of the reasons I wanted to do the show was to see how people responded to the different products I have.  I mean, I think it's all cool, but you never know what the people are going to want.  So I learned a lot about where to put my time when creating inventory, and also I have some ideas for how to rework the displays to allow customers a better look at things.

Now that I've started looking into other events, I realize how spoiled I was at this one--the event was one day only, just 5 hours!  Now I've been looking at other applications and finding out that they are two 9 hour days, and thinking, Nope!  I don't want to give up my whole weekend sitting at a table!  But I will probably have to just bite the bullet and do it--I still have a lot of inventory to sell!

Speaking of inventory, I'm planning on juicing up my poor forlorn Etsy site with some of the leftover product.  Which means I'll have to cross my fingers for cooperative young heads to model some hats and headbands.  Not sure if that will be happening this week!  But when it does, I will update my link.  The photos, aarrrgh--that is the reason why I just can't keep my Etsy site up to date!  Anybody else have that problem?

Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca: Halloween 2013

Just in the nick of time, these costumes are done!

Now, look.  I know that Chewbacca isn't Luke Skywalker's best friend.  But The Boy wanted to be Luke, not Han.  And that dog--well, if there was any sort of Star Wars costuming going on, I was determined to dress her up as Chewbacca.  Originally, back when Little Sister was going to be Princess Leia (instead of Rapunzel), then someone in the family would have dressed as Han Solo so that Chewbacca was tied in a little better.  But you cannot deny me the chance to put a space bandolier on that dog and call her Chewy.  I have been imagining it since she was a puppy 10 years ago.

Since I'm on the subject, I'll talk about the dog costume first.  My rules were that I would spend no money and little effort on this costume, since it was FOR A DOG.  So I made a strap out of an old piece of black upholstery fabric that I had in my stash, attached velcro to the ends to hold it together, stuck a piece of duct tape down the length, and attached strips of black pre-made bias tape that came from Grandma's stash by sewing down either side of the duct tape.  DONE.

She only chewed on it a little.

I had planned on making The Boy's whole costume, but when he started Tae Kwon Do at the community center a few weeks ago, he got really excited about the uniform.  His dad told him that if he earned "Student of the Week," he'd buy him a uniform.  Well, that uniform pretty much looks exactly like what Luke Skywalker wears.  I wasn't going to reinvent the wheel.  It did take him until October 26th to earn it, but I believed in him.  I wasn't totally off the hook though.  First of all, the pants were way too baggy.  So I made a pair of more Luke-ish leggings out of a pair of sweat pants I picked up at Goodwill, by tracing around a pair of his PJ pants.

Skinny Space Pants!

That left the belt and the boots.  And lo and behold, look what Melly Sews posted last week!  Tutorials for a Luke Skywalker belt and easy boots!  I totally lucked out.  I cut down an old leather belt I had saved, and used a faux-leather remnant I bought a while back for a project I never got around to for the belt.  I used velcro on the flaps instead of snaps, and I did change the light saber holder so that it would actually hold the light saber, which is handy.

And the boots were super easy, and they work great!  These I made from a weird pair of knit pants found at Goodwill--there was a surprising lack of anything beige in the t-shirt sections.

Show me your boots!

Boy, you give a kid a light saber, and all of a sudden he just wants to pose for pictures.  He's got some moves, I tell you.

This is what I got when the posing was pretty intense and I asked for "just a casual, relaxed Luke."

And if I ever complain again about how hard it is to take pictures of kids, I need to direct myself back to this post, where I tried to photograph a kid AND a dog.  CRAZY impossible.

Look over here!  Go that way!  Sit down!

We tried using dog treats.  Want to see what happens when Luke carries Chewbacca treats in one of his pouches?

We are so ready for trick-or-treating tomorrow!

DIY Rapunzel--Halloween Costume 2013!

I didn't think I'd be able to squeeze in any blog posts before my first-ever craft show on November 3rd, but then I saw Project Run and Play's link up for Halloween costumes, and since the costume was done and the photos were taken, all I had to do was get the post written so I could join the fun!  I should totally be sewing away right now, but a little break from the show prep will be good for my sanity.

A couple of months ago, I thought we were all set for family costumes.  My son is obsessed with Star Wars, so he wants to be Luke Skywalker.  We had convinced my daughter that she wanted to be Princess Leia. Our dog IS Chewbacca.

Picture it.

Husband and I would figure out something--The Boy wanted his dad to be Obi Wan Kenobi, so I guess that left me as...Yoda?  Han Solo?  I don't know.  But then Little Sister decided that she wasn't really interested in Princess Leia after all, and what she wanted was to be Rapunzel (specifically, the Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled).  And she wasn't budging.

I should be thanking her, because since I don't feel the pressure to have family theme costumes, I'm not making costumes for myself and the hubby any more, giving me more time to sew for the craft fair.  Plus, I really had fun making the Rapunzel costume.

For reference.  Downloadable wallpaper image via fanpop

I used a purple microfiber sheet that I found at the Goodwill outlet in the perfect color for the main fabric, and accented with a pink burnout knit that I bought for $1/yard a while back at Walmart.  The pink elastic trim was another bargain, purchased for 30 cents a yard at a fabric store clearance.  The ribbons were handed down from my husband's grandmother.  The only thing I purchased specifically for this costume was the sheet, which I probably paid about a quarter for.

I did end up hemming the under layer up a bit after taking these photos.

Back view

She kept clasping her hands together like this while I took photos.  No idea where she got that!
Must be a princess thing.

And the real score was finding this free printable princess pattern and tutorial from The DIY Mommy.  It was so easy to adapt into a Rapunzel costume, and her directions were great.  And the pattern just happened to be the right size for my daughter.   My main adaptations were swapping out the ruffles for my scalloped elastic, and shortening the sleeves and adding more elastic and the knit long sleeve to the bottom. Oh, and making the skirt split with a layer underneath.

This costume will have a long life in the dress-up trunk.  The elastic neckline and waistband means my daughter can get into and out of it by herself, and there's plenty of growing room.  It also means the construction is easy, since there are no closures.

I keep admiring all of the details of this costume.  Little Sister wanted me to finish as quickly as possible, so while I was making it, she kept telling me to leave off the ribbons and trims.  Who does she think this costume is for, anyway?

I love the pink scalloped elastic trim, the criscrossed ribbon front, and the sleeves are my favorite part!

In any case, I tried to balance practicality with authenticity, and it's kind of a toss-up over who loves this costume more, me or my daughter.

And how hilarious is that wig?  It's a cheap adult-size wig that somehow fits her head, and I found it brand new in the package at Goodwill for $3.  It was by far the most expensive part of the costume.

I will be amazed if the wig survives until Halloween. She wants to wear the whole costume whenever we're in the house, and that wig is shedding like crazy.  It gets stuck in everything and Little Sister is whining about hair in her eyes, mouth, and fingers whenever she has it on.  But is taking it off an option she would choose?  No it is not.  That is often Mommy's decision.

I will post Luke Skywalker's costume when it's done, but don't be expecting too much--I'll pretty much be making a new belt and leggings to go over his Tae Kwon Do uniform.

Graphic Print Pocket Tunic

Every time I'm fabric shopping, Lotta Jansdotter's prints catch my eye.  But I haven't bought any...until this summer, when I found some in the outdoor clearance at Fabric Depot for only $4 a yard!  This print, while definitely recognizable as her work, is a bigger version of what I am usually drawn to, although the colors are right up my alley!  So when Project Sewn announced that one of the themes would be Graphic Prints, I knew it was time to cut into it!

Main fabric is Lotta Jansdotter Choma in Bermuda

I actually ended up sewing pretty much exactly what I imagined when I bought the fabric.  A loose tunic that can be belted for more shape, based on this tutorial from Made it on Monday that I pinned ages ago.  I kept it simple by leaving out the zipper in the back (the neckline was wide enough to not need one) and added on-seam pockets so I have a place to stash my stuff when I wear it with leggings.  I used a cotton blend jersey for the binding on the neckline and armholes, and bound it using this method from Kitschy Coo, although since the body of the tunic is a woven cotton instead of a knit I didn't stretch the jersey very much as I sewed it.  Both the band on the hem and the binding were scraps left over from other projects, so that kept this project inside a comfortable budget for me. I used about 1.5 yards of the main fabric, which wasn't quite enough to cut out the front and back panels in one big piece.  That (and because I liked the way it looked) is why there's a panel going the opposite direction in the back.

I think I might unpick that pleat at the back just an inch or two.

Using such a bold print meant paying a lot closer attention than I usually do to cutting the fabric symmetrically and lining things up with my pleats, etc.  I like the way the pleating changes the look of the pattern since I was careful to have things lined up just so--something not nearly as important when using solids or the little prints I am usually working with.

The full length effect

Just belt it! Cinch it!

So that's it!  Jump over here starting Friday 10/18 to view and vote for my graphic print look on Project Sewn, and in the meantime you can vote for the designers in the main contest starting Tuesday!

The Era Challenge: Mad Men-inspired Pencil Skirt and Top

I was so excited for this challenge, I've had my skirt done for weeks!  And yet, here it is on the second-to-last day to join the contest at Project Sewn and I'm just now uploading photos and writing my post!

But, I'm done now.  And starting on Friday, you can vote for me HERE! Just scroll down to the sewalong contestants and look for the photo shown below.  I'm really proud of this look, so I'm totally going to grub for votes this time around.  I'll try not to be too annoying about it!

It's been a busy couple of weeks (I'll share some pics of the wedding I made these outfits for soon), but the real reason I'm behind is because although the skirt came easily, I struggled with what kind of top I should make to go with it.  I ended up making two, since I didn't like the first one.

Shown with the second top

I was at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago and came across this cool vintage sweater knit fabric.  It was $10 though--more than I could justify on an unnecessary fabric purchase.  There was TONS of it, but I REALLY didn't need several yards, and since it was Goodwill and not a fabric store it's not like I could just have them cut off a yard for me so I could buy it for a couple of bucks.  So I sighed and left it at the store, but...I couldn't get it out of my head. I knew exactly how I wanted to make it into something perfect for the era challenge, but that I would love wearing any old day as well.  I bet you can guess how this ends--I went back and bought it.  So if you like it, I've got some extra for you!  About three yards worth!  I didn't realize when I saw it folded on a hanger that this fabric was actually a really long tube.  Have you ever seen that before? I hadn't!

So anyway, my skirt!  I absolutely love it.  I followed the tutorial from Adrianna (Crafterhours) on making a knit pencil skirt to your own measurements, and it fits like a dream.  But for the top of the skirt, I modified the Milkmaid skirt tutorial (also from Adrianna--how did I not realize that until just now?  She's competing in this round of Project Sewn, so I guess that's appropriate that I'm using all of her tutorials!  Her Era Challenge Audrey Hepburn inspired look is DARLING--go vote!), adding the pockets on top instead of hidden behind the front skirt panel, and narrowing the waistband slightly.  I like the added snugness that the elastic inside the waistband gives. I had a vision of piping with this fabric.  It gives a nice definition on the pockets--my thinking is, if you're putting pockets on a slim-fitting pencil skirt, there's no way they're going to be hidden, especially if you've got anything in there!  So you might as well draw attention to the pockets!

I also really wanted piping as an added detail above the hem.  But I started thinking about it, and realized that since it's a stretch skirt, I didn't want non-stretch piping going all the way around and making it more difficult to move in the skirt.  I was sad to abandon my vision, but then it came to me--the piping didn't need to go all the way around!  I added the piping in the front, then just past the side seam I curved it down into the hemline.  It reminds me of the door details on classic cars, or something--I like it even better than if the piping had gone all the way around!

I have to admit, this skirt makes me feel pretty damn good about how my butt looks.

If you'd rather just look at the piping and not my butt.  Fine.

Oh, and because I know you care about this kind of thing--I lined it with a soft gray-and-black striped knit--even the inside of the pockets.  I'm kind of sad that it's all hidden because I love the way it looks with the sweater-knit!

Pocket lining--and possibly the only time you will see my nails painted

Now, I'm not sure what era this fabric came from.  It feels a little late '60's-early '70's to me, but the silhouette gives it a slightly earlier feel. I thought it would be fun to make a little cardigan to go along with this.  Sort of a Mad Men sassy-secretary look. I had some mustard-colored knit fabric that I thought would work, and so I made a pattern based on one of my all-time favorite cardis.

BUT, whomp-whomp.  The slightly empire waist of the cardigan and the natural waist of the skirt just didn't work together.  The proportions are off, and it just looked unflattering.

I still like the cardi on its own, so it wasn't a total waste.  The color was terrible with my skin, so I used scraps from an off-white t-shirt for the binding. It's much better on me when that caramel color never comes in contact with my skin! I will totally wear this, just with something else.  It's good with jeans.

I just let the fabric roll at the bottom hem

I love the sweet fabric, despite the fact that it makes me look diseased.

Luckily, I already have a cardigan that I bought at Target that looks way better with it.  This outfit still has a quirky retro vibe while feeling casual--I wore it to meet with the other kindergarten room parents and felt totally comfortable.  I wasn't sure beforehand, but it turns out I am totally a pencil skirt kind of girl--as long as it has pockets!

Dressed down--the contemporary version

But that still left me without a top to use for the Era Challenge!  I went the easy route--I refashioned a dress that I never wore into a top, basically by cutting off some weird button-tab details on the neckline to turn it into a more classic cowl, then cutting off bottom so that it was shirt-length instead of dress. I really think the top and skirt suit each other, again giving the retro feel without totally looking like a costume.

Had to have fun with the styling!

Couldn't resist the kick pose--but my balance is so bad this is the only one I got where I'm not falling over!

So there it is!  My "Era Challenge" outfit!  I would really, really love it if you'd hop over to Project Sewn and vote for me--I'm number 12  in the sewalong links at the bottom of the page!  No email required, just click a button and you're done :)