hotel room crafting: part 1

spring is in full gear around my house... not the weather but spring cleaning, painting, and wardrobe creating...

so while in little rock i made this shirt for boy using MADE's 90 minute shirt tutorial...

started by making my pattern, also using MADE's pattern tutorial... and a magazine from the conference because i forgot paper...


i used this thrifted (woman's, shhh...don't tell) shirt... i really liked the colors

one thing i would say is the tutorial suggested serging the edges of your binding pieces or leaving them raw... i don't have a serger and i wanted it more finished than just raw edges so i put my own spin on it.

after cutting strips of ribbed knit long enough to go around the neckline, i pinned the edge to the neckline...

sewed around with a straight stitch and pressed the seam up...

(pressing on both the front and back will help it lay)

then i pinned the binding over to the width i wanted... you can see i had plenty of extra width once i pinned it over.

topstitch the binding an eighth of an inch from the seam...

i sewed a second topstitch an eighth of an inch up from the first one to give it a more finished look...

trip the back side of the neckline and repeat for the other side of the shirt...

then continue following the 90 minute shirt tutorial... i didn't think it turned out too bad for a sleep deprived, hotel room, all-nighter craft fest, with no cutting mat and rotary cutter, no measuring tape, and no boy to check size with. i might tweak the neckline/shoulders a little next time. they were a little wide.

oh... you can follow the same steps to add cuffs to your sleeves if you want. i just used the finished the hem from the original shirt...

more hotel room crafting to come... and more spring wardrobe creating/thrifting/refashioning...

stretching the wardrobe budget

have i been crafting much? no, not lately. oh, because i've been catching up on laundry? no. laundry caught up! it NEVER happens. the minute that last load is folded and put away someone changes clothes... (the main reason i have tried to convince my family we all need to be nudists...lol)

what i have been doing is getting ready for two semi-annual children's consignment sales that we have in our area; just between friends and rhea lana.

this is how i obtain the vast majority of boy's wardrobe.

this is my second time to actually consign clothing. i am hoping to bring in enough income to take care of all boy's and my spring/summer wardrobe needs... and maybe even my honey!

it took three evenings to go through stored clothes, press and hang, enter and attach tags. it really isn't too bad. organization is the key and both sales' websites give great tips for this...

i managed to get it all done while packing, organizing things for my boys, and getting things taken care of at school in order to go to AGATE (arkansas's annual gifted education conference). four hours from home, leaving my boys at home to take care of themselves for an extended time (for the first time).

don't worry, i only cried twice before i got out of town... (roughly ten miles)... but i packed my sewing machine and some half finished projects to keep me busy at night. i'm going to start a new club. something like hotel room crafters of america...

happy day of love

boy is a little heart breaker... and needed a valentine's shirt to show it. when thinking about what i wanted to do for his shirt (because i have this thing about making him shirts for special occasions...it's kinda like you get to make a costume and what's better than that?) i wasn't sure what i wanted to do. then i found this pattern from little blue boo, then i saw this: Little Blue Boo/Dharma Trading Design Challenge

i decided that boy's valentine's shirt couldn't just be another long sleeved tee, it needed to be a cute hoodie with a little bit of rocker baby edge... an old black tee and some black and white striped jersey from the local thrift store... i used scrap jersey for the heart and banner applique and hand painted heart breaker. i think it gives a little more of a prison tat look...lol. cost 15 cents and one hour...
(not counting the pattern cost $9 which has provided several shirts already and goes up to size 7 so i can use it f-o-r-e-v-e-r...so it doesn't count.)

this was the first little blue boo pattern i have used. it was very easy to read, had great step by step pictures, and tips for sewing jersey... i was really impressed. ashley has so many super cute patterns for little girls and i love that they all reuse old t-shirts.

gettin' crafty: sticker book

boy is getting to the age that he needs something to keep him entertained when we are out and about. the grocery store cart and high chair at restraunts are not places he particulary enjoys sitting for long. something about thinking he needs down to explore...

i'm always looking for things that will keep him happy sitting without buying a new toy or cookies...
so when i saw this tutorial from samster mommy for a sticker book i thought i'd give it a try. after all, boy likes to take the stickers off the produce while we are shopping...

he was pretty impressed. and if you get tired of sticking the stickers on the book then taking them off to stick on again you can always stick them to your foot...

gettin' crafty: new "old" mirror

working on adding color to the house... slowly...
what did i do with this dirty old mirror and two bed rails i picked up at a flea market? oh, and some spray paint, can't forget the spray paint...i made this mirror to hang over the mantle... ohhh... i like that! i have seen similar mirrors for $500 to $1500 dollars... just as roughly done as mine...crazy!

gettin' crafty: jersey skirt

i saw this really cute Jersey skirt tutorial on ruffles and stuff then a few weeks later i picked up some pretty cranberry jersey at a thrift store... this is my version of disney's skirt. i love it!
pair it with a dressy top and heels or a t-shirt and boots, wear it with a high waist or folded over. any way you go it's super cute and comfy. total cost: $1 and 30 minutes...

gettin' crafty: sweater refashion

i bought this sweater off a clearance rack for $3.

it was way too big, but i really liked the green and the hood.

i put it on and used safety pins to fit it on the sides and

shoulders. (if you turn the sweater inside out first you don't

have to move the pins to the other side before you sew.

of course i didn't think about that before i started...)

i did a straight stitch then followed it up with a zigzag stitch

to help keep it from raveling. trimmed the seams and done.

this will be swell over summer tops.
a great way to extend the wardrobe for next to nothin'!

gettin' crafty: men's t-shirt refashion

browsing through the local helping hands i found an old, very worn, large men's t-shirt and i LOVED the front of it. it would be perfect for my little farm boy. so i bought it for next to nothing, took it home, cut it to pieces, and put it all back together again.i zig-zag stitched with a mustard yellow thread across the shoulders, around the top of the sleeve (where i attached them, leaving the unfinished edge showing) and around the hem, using a variety of stitch lengths to give it some character. i used the original hem of the sleeves so they didn't have to be restitched.

it came out SO CUTE. i'm in love... ahhh... a sweet, one of a kind shirt for boy for about a buck and thirty minutes of cutting and sewing!

gettin' crafty: neck ties please

my sister sent me this and it is the inspiration behind all these neck ties

(picked up at helping hands for $9)

i think the dresses are a bit beyond my mad sewing skills, but with any luck sister will have a super awesome skirt from my neck tie find.

gettin' crafty: wardrobe refashion

i have taken up a challenge to reduce, reuse, and save a little cash by refashioning old clothes i already have or that i pick up at thrift stores. i will be signing my official pledge for 2 months of clothes refashioning mid august. for 2 months starting sept. 1 i will refashion my wardrobe and make no new purchases.

i'm cheating just a little in that i am starting my refashioning projects now so that a: they will be ready to start the school year and b: because i have time now and won't later.

picked this dress up at helping hands. it is a classic "grandma" dress, but the print is a watercolor style flower that is everywhere right now.
shortened it, took the top off, and made a sash for the waist.

option 2: wear a long top pulled over waist.

find out more about wardrobe refashioning at www.wardroberefashion.net

table refashion: after

after

i think it should sell pretty quickly.

table refashion

before

working on stuff for the flea market (The Chicken Coop). refashioned this little kitchen table and chairs, turned out super cute! i love the colors.