Frankensweater with an embroidered Cute Possum (because they really aren't very cute in person)

Damian needed a sweater, and since I had a couple of moth-eaten wool sweaters, let the sewing begin!  I offset the button placket to the right because I thought it would look interesting, used mismatched buttons from my mom's button jar, and lined it with an old t-shirt so it wouldn't be itchy.  Since I've never seen a cute possum, I decided to be cheeky and make one up!  I embroidered around some scraps of felt, securing my felt possum to a scrap of cotton, then used a fancy stitch on my machine to create the border and secure it to the sweater.

My little bubby boy loves it!

P.S. if you like Cute Possum, do feel free to vote for #30 at http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=190090
www.prudentbaby.com is running an awesome contest to win a new sewing machine that I've been drooling over for months.  Peace, love, and recycle!

Quick and Easy....Pillowcase Diaper Clutch with Changing Pad TUTORIAL!

At last! Two months have elapsed since last posting....I think I fell into the blogging abyss!  Have been sewing up a small storm, but remember as I'm finishing up a hem, "Oh yeah....I have a blog that could use some updating.  Huh.  Well, since I'm almost done and didn't take any pictures, I guess I'll wait until the next one."  Repeat times ten or twelve.  What is my haste?

Pillowcase dresses, my friends!  I am so fortunate that I'm getting requests!  Yes, requests!  Thank you to my loyal Doodah fans for your support.  Pillowcase dresses are selling like crazy, despite the change of season quickly approaching. And why wouldn't they?  They make wonderful shower gifts for the giver who is thinking a year or two down the road. 

So there I was.  Gazing down at a beautiful petal pink floral vintage pillowcase I just scored at a thrift store.  I have been wanting to cut into it for a week, and now it's time.  Oh, but I should make that shower gift that I need for the shower we are attending....TOMORROW.  Planning isn't my strong suit.  This isn't the worst planning I've done.  I'm not late to the shower, pulling pins and clipping threads while driving.  But still, it is tomorrow.  But the pretty pink pillowcase is tempting me.  Dilemma.  I'm staring at the pillowcase.  And then...*hallelujah chorus*

What about a pillowcase diaper clutch?  Can I?  Will it work?  I'm in a bit of a time crunch, but my uber-supportive husband say "go", and right then and there, I'm going to make up something new, do a tutorial, make a gift and use that beautiful pink pillowcase.

My first tutorial!!!!  Away we go....

The Quick and Easy Pillowcase Diaper Clutch with Changing Pad

*makes a great last-minute baby shower gift!*

Materials:
1 pillowcase, and for the measurements in this tutorial, I used a 31 1/2 inch by 19 1/2 inch pillowcase.
19 inch by 4 inch strip of contrast fabric. 
1 snap closure, magnetic or otherwise, your choice. 
19 inch by 19 inch square of batting. 
Thread, iron, yardstick, fabric marker, machine, and the accoutrement of sewing.

1.  Press your pillowcase so it is wrinkle-free.  Lay it out in front of you.  The opening is at the right, the short, closed end on the left, the long seam is at the top, and what you are looking at will be the inside of the clutch.

2.  Mark your pillowcase with straight lines A through E as illustrated above.    Make two "x" marks where indicated, and transfer them to the other side of the pillowcase, which we will now refer to as the outside of the clutch. 

3.  Next, slide the batting inside the pillowcase and move it to the very end, smoothing it out and using a few pins to hold it in place on edges and corners.  No image or illustration here.  Ensure that it is smooth and not lumpy or shifted inside the pillowcase. 

4.  Starting at the top, stitch the length of line C, then line B, using a straight seam. Or a fancy-schmancy decorative stitch.  Whatever you like.  Starting at the top where the original pillowcase seam is preferable to ending there, as  the seam could shift.

5.  Turn pillowcase over so you are looking at the outside.  Set half your snap on the X between C and D.  You can go through all layers of pillowcase; it won't show anyway.











6.  Turn again so you are looking at the inside.  Fold the opening of the pillowcase along line D so the opening edge meets line C.  Press the fold.  Pin in place with a few pins toward the center.

7.  Stitch the length of lines E and A.  Stitch the side ends closed, forming the two pockets for the diapers and wipes.  Reinforce the ends of your seams with extra back stitching or a tiny, short zigzag.  The body of the clutch is almost done! 

Just one more little detail...

8.  Make a tab to hold your clutch closed.  On your contrasting fabric, right side, set the other portion of the snap at the end, maybe an inch or so from the end.

 Right sides together, fold in half so you have a 9 1/2 x 4 inch rectangle.  Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, stitch both longer sides, leaving the short end open. 

Turn right side out and press.

Fold under a half inch at the open end near the snap and press, closing up the tab. Stitch end closed.

 9. On the outside of the changing pad portion, find your X located between lines A and B. With the snap facing down, place the fold portion of the tab on the X so the snap end is crossing line A and the snap is nearer to the left side of the pillowcase. Pin in place. Fold clutch to make sure it is correctly placed and reposition if necessary. Stitch yourself a little square on the tab covering the X, thereby attaching the tab to the pillowcase. If you are feeling frisky and fun and have fonts, go crazy on the tab portion covering the X and put names or word, or use cute stitches to make your square. It will be on the outside so use your imagination!

10.  Fold along line E, then along line A, then fold along the space between B and C.  Snap tab in place.  Admire your work.  Unfold, place a diaper or two in one pocket, a case of wipes in the other.  Refold and give to a wonderful mama to place in her purse for those times when going into a store for just a sec and doesn't want the whole diaper bag. 

*yay!*


My first tutorial!  How did I do?  Was it clear?  What can I do to improve?  Hope you find it useful.  :)

Thanks to www.diagramly.ly for the easy to use diagram software! 

and now....the exciting conclusion (warning: excitement levels may vary)

When we last visited the boring baby blue shirt, plain and tall, it was not what I would tag and call my own.  Bulky finished edges, kinda roomy through the back.  Yeah.  So I trimmed the yellow and pink nightgown-turned-bias-tape at the seam....

folded the excess down on the front and stitched a straight seam on the back, securing it in place....

then trimmed it right up next to the seam, leaving a raw edge with the yellow and pink knit.  When you tend toward bohemian and upcycled style, you can do this!  It isn't fussy, it is cute and fun!

I also put a few pleats in the back to take up the extra fabric and provide a slimmer fit.  Adds a bit of interest, too.

Would pockets make it too busy?  I can't decide.  I haven't put it in the store yet, so pockets might make a great sequel.  Whaddya think?  Should I add some pockets? 

Baby Blue Shirt, plain and tall

So I found this pale blue shirt in the closet, and cannot figure out where it came from!  It is a big and tall shirt, and the collar is stained.  My favorite!  Great fabric,  and lots of it!

Here we go!

I started drawing it out on one side, changed my mind and redrew it a bit smaller (a little more multi-sized). 





(I also thought I could do something with the sleeves, like make a little pair of bloomers for underneath, but upon dreaming up what that would look like, I passed.  I really like repurposing, but I don't think sleeve cuffs for pant legs would be as cute as it would look like an arts-n-crafts project.) 

After cutting out one side, I folded at midline, and traced the other side.  There!  Cut out front and back in one cutting. 

To finish, side seams stitched and serged.  So now what?

I have a stash of ribbons and ric rac bits that fills an milk crate.  So I got to play around til I found a layout I liked.

Thinking about finishing the raw edges....enter sleep shirt!  Lots of fabric, nice amount of stretch, and a little pink print to give boring blue a girly sweetness.

Moving forward....


I cut out 2 inch strips, folded them in half and pressed them, then serged the raw edges, right sides together, to the neck and arm openings.

And.....

Yeah....I must be honest, I didn't like the look.  It looks too bulky on the finished edge.  Not petite and girly.  So I tried it on my niece....and confirmed.....I need to fix it.  I said I would post today, so I'll leave you in suspense to see what the "fix" looks like.  Next post will have the finished, store-ready product.

We all have ideas that don't work out.  I just like to post mine!  The joy of working with salvaged fabric and no pattern is that I don't have to hope for the best, I make my own best work happen.  Just have to be creative.  See me tomorrow. :)

Don't give up on me yet!

Yikes!  Has it really been a month since I've posted?  Just a wave to say I'm still here, I've got a real post with pics coming up, and thanks for being patient.  The hot weather is not doing me any favors as far as excess energy, and I've had a sick kid that I wouldn't dream of putting on our wonderful new babysitter.  Priorities arranged, kids in the pool with dad, and I'm in my upstairs oven/sewing room putting together a new dress for the store.....here's what I'm working with....

Give me a day and check back to see what happens next!

2 piece with a reversible top, 3t-4t

I'm really liking the idea of reversible clothing for kiddos!  It doesn't take much effort to make an outfit with two choices. 

With this little number, I gathered some of my favorite remnants left over from old projects for a top/capri outfit; the reversible option was born of the need for lining the garment.  If there is lining, why not make it cute?  Why not make it cute enough to wear on the outside?  So I set out with my basic top pattern pieces, got my yardstick out and started drawing up a new back closure, using the existing pattern piece as a guideline for the side seams and arm and neck openings.  It was just a V from the shoulder opening, past midline, then back to the bottom of the side seam. 

Emma, my gracious and adorable little model, shows the top's back closure.  Summery and cool, and the turquoise makes me think of the pool at Grammy's house.  Add a couple of large buttons from the button jar collection, and some bias tape to finish the pant leg hems and arm openings.  The reverse side of the top is the same as the capri pants elastic casing, white with tiny turquoise dots (not shown).  If anybody is interested in how to make the top with the single button back closure, let me know!  I'll make another one and take pics along the way.  This one is currently for sale at Kindel & Company. Hope everyone is enjoying summer as much as I am!

Workin' shirt 6-12 months *SOLD*

It's so fun going through the donations my friends drop off!  Inspiration awaits.  A few years ago, I would have wrinkled my nose at this one and maybe harvested the buttons. 

The stains on the front show that someone was a very hard worker.  Now the back.....that is where the re purposing lies.  Since I can't find my tailor's chalk, break out the kids' washable markers and start drawing! 

The button placket resembled a bib, representing many meals, but the buttons underneath got cut out and used.

Salvaged some denim jeans to form the button placket, just need some holes.  I like the stand collar look of the original shirt, so I kept that in mind when I cut out a new one; I saved the original label on the outside, used some baby novelty scraps for the inside.

 Can you tell that I'm just making stuff up as I go along?  There's a long term plan, but it's flexible.  Note to self:  pinning ultimately saves a lot of seam ripper action.  I just get so excited to see the finished product that I try to skip pinning, then regret it and delay the moment when I get to hang it in the store!  Made some sleeves from the original sleeves, just traced the arm hole and added a seam allowance. 

Got to use the fancy schmancy font to embellish the pocket, much to my delight.  Tags, and now it is in the store SOLD!  So my new mantra is "pin even though you don't feel like it".   Thank you, Susi S., for the super-fun donation!