Refashion - dress from what?

After all that fun making dresses for the girls I didn't want to be left out.

The Tuesday before Christmas Steve and I were invited out to dinner - a grown up dinner, with no children!  (Well, the baby is still nursing every 2-3 hours, so he had to come, but he sleeps pretty much the whole time) And that afternoon when my mother's helper came, instead of doing any of the 2,001 things I needed to get done before we left for Christmas, I decided to make myself a new dress.
Out of an afghan.

It was something someone had made for us as a wedding gift, but Piper (our 220 lb lab mix) had used an edge of it as a chew toy one time, and I have never been sure of what to do with it.  I didn't really know how to fix the edge (have a mentioned that I cannot crochet?) and I didn't have the heart to just throw it out.  So it's sat around for the last five years, mostly being used by the kids to make tents.
And that day I figured, "what's to loose?"

a puppy's work

I really wasn't sure what it would come out like when I started, but I rather like it.  With knee high boots and a pretty scarf?  Unfortunately, after finishing it and trying it on that afternoon, I realized that there was no way I could nurse in it, short of taking the whole thing off, and so I didn't get to wear it that night after all.  Oh well, one of these days...


Instead of bothering with a pattern, I first cut the muslin slip and basted it together to be sure I had the fit I wanted.  Then I marked the few changes I wanted, and took it apart and used it as a pattern on my afghan. 

It was a really simple pattern - just 4 pieces, so it went together really quick.  I will say that cutting that blanket made a lot of fuzz everywhere!  I was finding it for weeks.

What do you think?

 

 with a belt?

back view

I still haven't worn it.  Maybe next winter when I'm not nursing anymore.

what can you do with a scrap?

Another thing I had to finish before Christmas were some little odds and ends for a fundraising event I got to be part of.  A group of amazing women have been meeting every week for months, working on some amazing projects to help destitute women and children in India (check out this post and this post for other projects).  Lately we have been working on a huge assortment of doll clothing and other crafts (all from completely donated materials) to sell at a Christmas bazaar, with 100% of the money raised going to help people in poverty.
It turned out to be an amazing event, and lots of money was raised, which was wonderful.  But today I wanted to share with you the one little "scrap dress" I was finishing up, because it turned out so cute I just may need to make one for Ailidh or Joy!

ruffles, ruffles, ruffles

oversized flower

a great color combination

and the ruffle pants underneath...

a little better look

the straps adjust and tie with a bow in the back

so pretty

 Here are some of the other things on display - don't they look mouth-watering?  If you are interested in actually getting to own one of these adorable things for yourself (or a little girl in your life) and helping impoverished people at the same time, check out New Life Frocks.

A little bit of that...

Ever had a piece of clothing that you really like (the color, the cut, even the way it fits) but it just doesn't cover enough?!  

I was having that same trouble with this dress.

 

 Much too low.  

That and the fact that the skirt didn't make it halfway to my knees in back, but was several inches longer in the front.  And no, it's not a maternity dress.  It's actually one I got on clearance somewhere for about $4.  Probably because of the hem.

But if I evened the hem all the way around it would be scandalously short, and I couldn't really wear it anyway without a tank underneath because of the low cut top.  So, I just never wore it.
Until I finally decided to do something about it.  Just in time for it not to fit because of my new belly!

 The best part is - I like it even better than before!

 How I did it:
I started with a length of coordinating green cotton.  First I cut around the hem to even it out, then added a ruffle to bring the length down a little more.  I left the front panel a little longer and used a shorter ruffle, just for fun.

 

With the leftover green I made another thing ruffle at the neckline, covering up all that cleavage and tying the dress together all at once.

Now, why didn't I do this sooner?

Refashion: Team Spirit!

Everyone in our house was sporting orange last week, as Daddy was getting excited for the "big game". 

Everyone, that is, except Ailidh.  Somehow we didn't seem to have any Clemson stuff in a 2T, and the 18m shirt she'd been wearing was just too tight! 

So, I pulled out this 3m onesie that never fit anyone (it was so big across the shoulders and much too short through the snaps), an old orange t-shirt from Steve's drawer, (good ol' t-shirt drawer again!) and about 20 minutes later Ailidh had a brand new Clemson pride dress!

 How I did it:
It was really simple.  The pictures pretty much say it all!

 

Summer daydreams

So, I shared how I couldn't let the summer go without "one more little sundress", right?  But I liked it so much I decided to make "one more" again!  This time I made the adult size: here it is on my lovely sister-in-law.  Makes me think of lazy (before kids!) summer days.  Perfect for a weekend at the lake.

Summer Daydreams Dress

 
 

How I did it:  I made it just like the 3T size, using an adult t-shirt for a size reference.  Everything else was basically the same, except I made 5 box pleats on each sleeve instead of 3.

Summer Sunshine Dress tutorial

I know that summer is drawing to a close.  School is starting back up, nights are getting cool again, and "fall activities" are all everyone is talking about.  But I just can't let go of summer without one more little sundress.

Can you call it a refashion if it's made from a sheet? 

The Summer Sunshine Dress

(My friend's little daughter is the adorable model.)

This really is a quick and easy project!  All you need is some lightweight knit material (I used leftover scraps from a knit sheet I had cut up for something else).

 Lay a t-shirt over your fabric (double thickness) to act as a size guide.  You want one that fits rather big.

I decided to make a 3T size, for A to wear next summer, so I used this shirt of JL's.

Cut a rectangle about 1/2" larger than the t-shirt at the top and sides.  Cut off the bottom about 1/2" below the waistline.

Next, cut two pieces for the skirt that are the same width as the bodice piece at the top, but angle the sides out so that it is larger on bottom.  This works best if you fold the pieces in half, to be sure you get the same angle on both sides.  The length is up to you; I used 13".  Cut the waistline in a slight curve, dipping to the middle.  Cut a matching curve along the bottom. 

 You should now have two rectangles and two skirt shaped pieces (Here are mine, still folded in half.)
















Lay your t-shirt over your two rectangles again, and mark the edges of the neck opening and sleeves.  Leave about an inch under the sleeve to allow room for the box pleats.  Be sure both sides are even.

Sew up the side seams and the shoulders seams, then fold over the fabric at the openings and topstitch.

Now, mark at the shoulder seam and four inches below it on the back and the front for your box pleats.  Put outside markings an inch on each side of your three original marks.  Fold the outside marks in to the center marks, and pin the box pleats in place.

Topstitch the box pleats in place.

Now, sew the two skirt pieces together along the sides, then attach the skirt to the bodice, right sides together.

Shir the waistline.  I used 5 shirring lines, 1/2" apart.

The last step is just to attach a ruffle to the bottom.  I cut the remaining fabric into strips, sewed them end to end to form a tube, and then gathered the top edge.  Don't worry about hemming, the knit won't fray!

 

And that's all there is to it!

A little trick for a quicker ruffle: sew your gathering stitch with elastic thread on bottom.  All you have to do is pull it up a little, then stretch the seam out and shake it a bit to get a nice even ruffle.  Don't worry about it being the exact length -- you can just stretch it a bit as you sew to get it to fit. 

I made this one about a 3T (using JL as my model to get the size right!) so that A can wear it next year.