"Yoga" Skirt

Here's a simple refashion that produces a very comfortable outcome!

 I found a very stretchy jumper, along with a very stretchy t-shirt at a thrift store one day.  I liked the color combination and could envision a fun skirt from the two of them.  I determined the length of my skirt and made a chop.  Although the jumper had a zipper, the fabric was so stretchy that the skirt didn't need one.

I placed the skirt on my dress form and pinned it to fit.  I then stitched the side seams and trimmed away the excess.

I cut my waistband from the t-shirt.  The circumference was cut much smaller than my waist since I wanted it to fit snugly.  The height of the waistband was cut allowing for it to fold over on itself to be sewn onto the skirt, then folded over again for the finished look.

I folded the waistband in half and stitched it to the skirt.

The seam was trimmed to reduce bulk.

After serging the waistband seam, it was pressed toward the waistband and stitched down to flatten.

The finished result is one VERY comfortable "yoga" skirt.

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Gingham Goodness!

I love gingham, and apparently I'm not the only one according to these sources...

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Considering my affection for gingham, I was thrilled to find this dress on "half price dresses" day.  I loved the turquoise and black color and the velveteen covered buttons, but it did have a few issues, as noted.

I don't have any process photos for this one.  I essentially removed the sleeves and the collar, then raised the whole bodice up at the shoulder seams.  This brought the waist up, and the neckline!

I used a commercial pattern to cut new sleeves and armholes, then reattached them to the bodice.

I cut about 7" off the length and hemmed it with a small rolled hem.

With the excess cut from the bottom, I made a sash to tie around my waist. 

I'm loving this comfortable, cotton dress.  It's perfect for the sunny weather!

I like to link to these great parties!

"Whoooo" Is Hanging Around The Nursery?

Whose hanging around the nursery these days?  This cute little owl sitting on a branch.  

This is him without the light on...

...and this is him with the light on.  

I love the way the light creates a blue edge around the shade!

My daughter's nursery was lacking in overhead lighting, so this was our way of alleviating some of the problem.

I covered a thrift store shade with some thrift store fabric.  I deconstructed a thrifted swing arm lamp for the actual lighting portion of this lamp. 

I appliqued an owl on a tree branch to match her woodland theme in the nursery.

Vintage buttons were used for the eyes.  The whole project came in well under $10.00

You can see the whole process after the jump.

A Pleasant Peasant Dress

An ongoing refashion series inspired by the 40's, 50's, and 60's.

This is probably one of the simplest refashions I have done lately.  In fact, it was so simple, I failed to take any process photos, so you'll just have to use your imagination!

I came across this picture awhile ago and liked the combination of denim and sheer together.  I kept it in the back of my mind whenever I shopped at the thrift stores.

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While shopping one day I came across this embroidered muumuu for $2.00.  It wasn't exactly like the inspiration photo, but I was drawn to the embroidery on the yoke, and the price tag!

I did a little searching and found that peasant dresses and tops have been around a very long time.  I'd say that they fit into the retro runway series!

 

 

I cut the top of the muumuu off at the waist, allowing about 1" seam allowance for an elastic waist casing.

I also cut off the sleeve length and took everything in at the side seams for a better fit.  I made sure, however, to leave it roomy enough to still pull over my head.

A friend had recently given my a couple of yards of white gauzy fabric.  It was just the ticket!  I measured from my waist down to the length I wanted, adding a hem allowance and the 1" allowance for the elastic waist casing.  I cut two of these lengths from the fabric using the full 45" width for each piece.

I stitched the two rectangles together, gathered the top edge of the skirt and attached it to the bodice with a 1" seam allowance.  I then stitched the 1" seam allowance down to create a casing for the waist elastic, leaving a small opening to insert the elastic.

Once the elastic waist was done, I hemmed the sleeves and the skirting and was good to go!

Thanks to my son for letting me use his fun little retro scooter, lovingly named Jackie, as a prop!

I like to link to these great parties!

Hedgehog Happiness!

My youngest daughter has been decorating her nursery in a woodland animal theme.  To add to the fun, and to give her some lumbar support while nursing, I made her a pillow.

I drew inspiration from this design I found on the internet.  I can't find the original source, but I believe the company is Cocoa Mint Kids.

I cut the various pieces from fabrics that were already in my stash and used fusible webbing to hold them in place.

I then machine appliqued around the fabric.

The details were done by embroidering a variety of stitches.  It helped pass the time as I spent a total of 5 hours on a school bus with my youngest son for his most recent field trip!

Decorative vintage buttons were used for the flower centers.

 Small black buttons were used for the eyes.  Two sizes of black pom-poms were used for the hedgehog's noses.

I finished the edges of the pillow with large piping cut on the bias from some of the fabric that is already used in her nursery.

It was a fun project and should add a pop of cheerfulness to the nursery!

I like to link to these great parties!

For more inspiration, you can check out the toad stool foot stool I recovered for the nursery here, and how I fixed the little guy's dresser here!

Dotted Swiss

An ongoing refashion series inspired by the 40's, 50's, and 60's.

dot·ted swiss

 (dŏt′ĭd)

n.

A sheer, crisp cotton fabric, embellished with woven, flocked, or embroidered dots.

Dotted Swiss is a type of fabric first made on hand looms in Switzerland in 1750. While there are many variations available, the original look is always the same: a sheer, lightweight fabric with a dotted motif. The fabric, which is usually cotton batiste or a polyblend, provides the background that is usually a muted or pastel shade, such as gray, light pink, or cream. The fabric then has dots applied onto its surface in a number of methods. Single colored or multicolored dots can be woven, flocked, printed, or embroidered, resulting in a temporary or permanent pattern on the fabric.

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When my girls were young, they wore dresses made from dotted swiss, usually Easter dresses.  I picked up a skirt the other day at a thrift store with a pretty blue floral pattern printed on top of embroidered dots.  It was kind of an updated version of the flocked dotted swiss that my girls used to wear.  I shopped around until I found a white dotted swiss blouse that could be merged with the skirt to make a pretty retro-inspired springtime dress.

The bodice has small embroidered dots with crocheted lace detailing.

The skirt has larger embroidered dots with a pretty blue floral pattern printed over it.

During the refashioning process, I felt the white blouse was too white for the skirt, so I opted for rows of crocheted lace sewn to the midriff area to mesh the two together.  I like that the floral pattern of the skirt still peeks out from under the lace.

An invisible zipper was sewn into the side seam.

This fun little trail behind me is called "The Hobbit Trail."

It leads through the dense under growth, over a couple of sand dunes, and right onto the beautiful Oregon beach!

The Process