$7 Outfit Refashion -- Part Two

I posted the first half of my $7 Outfit Refashion last week. Here's Part Two!

My purchased $7 outfit consisted of a skirt with built-in shorts and a tank top. The tank top had the CUTEST print, gathers at the top, and a little bow. (No "before" picture -- I guess I was too excited to get started!)


I originally thought about taking in the sides, but it became apparent that if I did, the straps would end up way too far apart. I decided to do an alteration very similar to the one in my first Tank Top into Baby Dress tutorial, but with two little box pleats (one on either side of the bow) instead of one. The seams hide perfectly underneath that little bow!

Then for the back, I decided to simply create a center back seam. This automatically moved the straps to the right places. I took more out from the top, and narrowed my seam down to the bottom to create more of an A-line effect. The end result is a racerback style tank dress!


She wears the same bloomers from Part One underneath.

Two super cute new outfits! I love it!!

$7 Outfit Refashion -- Part One

Last week I picked up a cute little girls' two-piece outfit at Walmart for $7. It was size 8 -- obviously way too big for JellyBean -- but I had some refashioning in mind!!

Here's the first half of the refashion:

The skirt had built-in shorts -- and I immediately had an idea for what to do with them!

I cut them away from the skirt as close to the seam as possible.

I sewed another line of stitching around the hem of the shorts. I was careful to make the distance between the original hem's stitching line and my new stitching line just the width of a safety pin.

On the inside, right next to the inseam, I snipped a little hole in between lines of stitching, then used a safety pin to thread 1/4" elastic through.

I folded down the top raw edge of the shorts and sewed to create a casing. I used 3/4" elastic, although if I'd had 1/2" elastic on hand I would have used it instead!

Ta-Da!! Super quick little bloomers with cutie little ruffly leg openings!

I then put the skirt on JellyBean, up around her chest, and measured how much I would need to take out to make it into a little top. I sewed, then cut away the excess. I used the scrap to create two little straps -- which ended up being the perfect length!

I marked them for placement and sewed them in place on the inside of the top.

Ta-Da!! An adorable little sunsuit!

Super quick and easy, and done in one sitting -- supreme satisfaction!


I can tell she feels very cute in it by the way she walks!

I'll show you the second half of the $7 Outfit Refashion soon....

Rhinestone Bracelets -- from Shoelaces!

My son's pirate-themed birthday party was this weekend, and I had so much fun thinking about and coming up with party favors. I've been watching the "fashion shoelaces" at the dollar store for a while now, wondering what I could make with them. Finally the occasion came, and I came up with these rhinestone-studded skull-and-crossbone bracelets for the girls at the party -- myself included!

What you need:

fashion shoelaces
My dollar store carries polka dot, leopard print, flowery print, and skull shoelaces

rhinestone applique
also at the dollar store! It doesn't matter what the applique is, because you will be taking it apart; I picked the skull because it had the most rhinestones!

1/4" elastic
tweezers
iron

STEP ONE: Using your tweezers, gently scrape some rhinestones away from the plastic-y sticker covering on your rhinestone applique. Carefully place the rhinestones where you want them.

STEP TWO: Cut some of that plastic-y sticker stuff and use it to hold your rhinestones in place. Follow the instructions on your applique and press them in place with your hot iron. (Mine had me place a thin fabric over the top before pressing, then press again from the wrong side.)

I loved the rhinestone eyes, but the design needed something more...

...so I added a few rhinestones between each skull.

STEP THREE: Cut your shoelace. I cut mine approximately 6 1/2" for an adult size. Then tuck the raw edges of one side of the shoelace piece inside.

STEP FOUR: Cut a small piece of your elastic. (I cut mine about 2".) Stuff one end of the elastic into your shoelace.

STEP FIVE: Carefully sew over the folded edge, catching the elastic inside. You may need to use a stiletto to push the bracelet through your machine -- I used my seam ripper. I sewed back and forth three or four times to secure it. You will then repeat Steps Three through Five to finish the other side of your bracelet.

Ta-Da! Fabulous and sparkly!!
I would LOVE to see a headband version of this!!

**Note: I don't know how secure the rhinestones will be -- therefore I would not give one of these bracelets to a child who might put it in her mouth.**

My New Bag!!

Quick little story on my FABULOUS new bag!!

Way last summer I bought a way-too-big-for-me jacket at KMart (of all places!) for $5. It was a cotton/linen blend, and I was IN LOVE with the print! My plan was to make it into a fabulous new bag for myself. Of course, being me, I have about a gazillion projects going all at once, and it sat in my sewing closet... and sat... and sat.

Fast forward! Through bloggyblogland I "met" THE nicest, most talented sewist! Jen has a blog where she shows off some of her "Before/After" projects. She starts with everything from skirts to place mats and turns them into THE most fabulous bags! Two of my recent favorites are her Brown and Blush bag and her Modern Geometric tote, both made from table runners. Many of her projects end up in her etsy shop, JensBags. Her bags are not exclusively repurposed, either -- she has tons of bags made from fabulous designer fabrics as well!

Anyway, a few weeks ago I pulled out my jacket again and looked at it for a while, feeling lost about how to even start, and then finally had an "AHA!" moment where I realized that JEN was the woman for the job!! Lucky me, she agreed to do it for me, and WOW! Check out the gorgeous results! Her workmanship is meticulous and professional, and she pays attention to every detail. I had a vision of what I wanted, and she was able to make my bag how I pictured -- with a few extra touches she came up with, too! Have a look at her Before/After post about my bag... and look at all the gorgeous bags in her shop! I want this one too!!

YAY! New bag for me, and I love it!!

Makeup Bag from Handbag

I've been in serious need of a new makeup bag for a long time.  Today I finally decided it just could not wait any longer and headed to the dollar store.  (That's where I got my previous bag, and I've been using it for 5+ years!)  I looked at all my options and just wasn't satisfied with any of them -- until I spotted this little handbag!

It was a great size, lined, and with a flat bottom it could stand on, but -- no zipper.  And pesky handles.  I looked at it a little closer and decided it wouldn't be too hard to ditch the handles and add a zipper.  I'll show you how I did it!  Anyone can do this!

WHAT YOU NEED:

~ handbag

~ zipper

STEP ONE:  Remove the handles.  This is very easy, since most things you buy at the dollar store have super long stitches holding them together.  For this particular handbag it was a matter of cutting a single stitch with a seam ripper or fine pointed scissors, and the handles popped right out.  (I'm saving my handles for a potential future project!)

STEP TWO:  Lay your zipper right side up along the top of the inner edge of your bag, about 1/8" from the edge.  You will simply sew along the edge of the zipper the whole length down.

When you get near the end of this side of the zipper, you may need to pull the bag as shown to accomodate your stitches.

STEP THREE:  Turn your bag around and sew the other side of the zipper.  Start with the zipper zipped about halfway.  Sew a few inches.

You will then stop with the needle down, raise your presser foot, and unzip the zipper so you can get past the zipper head without making wonky stitches.  Continue sewing to the end of the zipper.

You're done!

Fill it with your cosmetics, and zip it up!

Can I just say I LOVE that it stands on its own?? My last makeup bag didn't, and I hadn't even realized how inconvenient it was until now!

Christmas Leftovers -- Stocking into Red Riding Hood Cape!

This project tickles me to no end! A couple weeks ago I bought a giant felt stocking at the dollar store, simply because it was an awful lot of felt for a buck. I knew I would come up with something to use it for.

I turned it into matching Red Riding Hood capes for my 9-month-old daughter and her dolly!


SUPPLIES:
~ giant stocking
~ coordinating ribbon


STEP ONE: Turn your stocking inside out and cut away the seam from the top back down to about the middle of the bottom of the "foot."


STEP TWO: Gently peel away the interfacing/stabilizer. It comes of quite easily.

STEP THREE: After trying the stocking on my daughter and marking with a pin where the top of the hood should start, I laid it out on my sewing table and cut a cape shape.

STEP FOUR: Hem all edges of your cape. Felt will not fray, but it will stretch and distort. Hemming will help eliminate some of that distortion. I simply turned my edge under about 1/4" and sewed.

STEP FIVE: Try your hood on your subject again and mark where the gathering should be.

STEP SIX: Create a casing for your ribbon. I hope this photo helps my explanation! From the right side of your cape, lay your ribbon about 1/2" below your pin line. Take and fold the pin line over the top of your ribbon as shown.

STEP SEVEN: Sew exactly on the edge of your fold. Make sure you don't catch your ribbon in your stitches!

STEP EIGHT: I sewed a few stitches at the top fold of each end of my casing, as shown. I didn't take a photo, but I also sewed down the center back seam of my hood just over the ribbon to ensure it wouldn't be pulled out of the casing.

Tie a bow and you're done!!

I ended up with just enough leftover felt to make a matching cape for my daughter's dolly, creating the same general shape to fit the doll. I didn't create a casing, but simply gathered the neckline to fit the doll and sewed it in place. I then attached two pieces of ribbon in the appropriate spots and tied it on!

Can you tell how pleased she is?
Who says babies don't like to play dress-up??

Quilty Belt -- TUTORIAL

Today I'll show you how to make a "quilted" belt from a dollar store canvas belt and some fabric scraps!


SUPPLIES:
~Dollar store canvas D-ring belt
~fabric scraps (I chose Amy Butler scraps, of course!)

Step One: Cut off the D-rings and set them aside.

Step Two: Cut your fabric scraps to approximately twice the width of your belt. My belt was 1 1/2" wide, so I shoud have cut my scraps 3" long (It would have made this project much easier if I had cut them longer than 2 1/2"!) The width of your scraps doesn't matter much -- I think it looks more interesting if they are all different widths. Line your scraps up in the order you like, then stack them.

Step Three: Line up your first scrap to the cut edge of your belt, face down. Use your 1/4" foot and sew with the edges of the belt and fabric on the edge of the foot.

Step Four: Turn your belt over and pull the first fabric strap around to the front, pulling it taut. Lay your second scrap face down atop the first, lining up the edges.

Step Five: Sew all the way from top to bottom of your scraps, then

turn it right side up and press.

Continue in this manner until you have covered the entire belt.
(Yes, I am sewing it on the "wrong" side of my machine! No reason! Do it however it makes sense to you!)

This is what the back will look like.

Step Six: Lay your belt face down with the first end you sewed on the right. Using a rotary cutter and ruler, cut one edge of your scraps in a straight line parallel to the canvas belt, approximately 3/8" to 1/2" from the edge of the canvas. (If you don't have a rotary cutter, draw a straight line with a ruler and pencil or disappearing marker and cut with scissors.)

Step Seven: (Oops! No photo!) Cut a strip of fabric 1 1/2" x the length of your belt. (If you're using strictly scraps, you may need to piece this.)

Step Eight: Lay your belt right side up with the straight (cut) side on the right. Line up your 1 1/2" wide strip of fabric right side down on top, lining it up at the right. Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance all the way down the length of your belt.

Step Nine: Press as shown!

Step Ten: Turn your belt over. Press the unsewn edge of your fabric strip up about 1/4".

Step Eleven: Topstitch along the entire length of your belt where your long strip meets the scraps, pulling the fabric over tight as you go.

Step Twelve: Press the opposite side of your belt up over the edge of your belt. You will then pull the fabric strip over the raw edges you've just pressed and topstitch along the folded edge.

When you get to the end of your belt, stuff all the raw edges under your fabric strip to give it a nice finished end (hopefully looking much neater than mine!).

Step Thirteen: The other end of your belt will have raw edges. Thread your D-rings onto your belt, then turn the raw edges once, then over the D-rings.

Carefully sew along the folded edge, securing your D-rings. You may want to hand baste this first so it will stay in place. Then when you go to your machine to secure them, you may want to hand crank the entire length, as there is a lot of bulk. I find this helps avoid breaking needles! I sewed two lines of stitching to ensure it was very secure.

(Awkward self-photo of my belt!)

TA-DA!! It sounds like a lot of steps, but it really is pretty simple!