Shirt to Skirt Refashion

Hello Everyone! I am finally done with the semester and it feels great! I have one semester of nursing school behind me and just three more to go - but first I will enjoy the summer. A few weeks ago, I went shopping at one of our local thrift shops. I found this shirt on sale for $2 and since I've always wanted to try refashioning something, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity!

 

 

As you can see, the shirt was huge on me. I decided to make it into a simple elastic waist skirt.

 

 

It was very simple to make - I just cut across the shirt at the armholes so I would have a straight edge to sew my elastic on. Before sewing the elastic, I used an overcast stitch to finish the edges. I used 3 inch wide elastic and left it exposed on the top of the skirt. So simple - it took less than 20 minutes!

 

The skirt ended up being way too short to wear as is because I never wear anything above my knees. That was an easy fix though. I just put on a longer, straighter skirt underneath. I think it works and it adds color to the tan skirt.

 

My favorite part of making this was that I didn't have to hem it! I think it will get a lot of wear this summer now that the weather is finally starting to warm up.

 

~Elizabeth

 

 

Linking up with some link parties found here.

The Liebster Blog Award

Hello everyone!! Back in March, Kristin of Sunny Sewing nominated me for the Liebster award! I did some searching and found out that it is an award given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. It is a great way to get to know other bloggers better and to find new blogs to follow.

Here are my answers to the eleven questions Kristin asked for me to answer:

Q1. What drew you to sewing?

I started sewing through 4-H when I was 11 (with quilting!) and I kept at it each year. Then I discovered clothing and my interest in sewing clothes kept growing. I love that I can take a piece of fabric and turn it into something wearable!

Q2. What is your most favorite thing you've made thus far?

My favorite thing so far was definitely this dress! It was my first dress and I am so happy with the way it turned out. Once spring decides to get here, I will be wearing it a lot!

Q3. How many hours a week do you sew?

It really depends on what my week looks like. Lately, I have been sewing 0 hours a week because of school. I would love to be sewing, but school comes first. I have been known to sew for hours on end, because once I sit down at my sewing machine, it is hard for me to stop!

Q4. What is your favorite pattern company to sew from?

My favorite pattern company is definitely Sew Serendipity. I have made several of Kay Whitt’s patterns and I love the designs! The patterns are very well written and easy to understand. Also, Kay is so helpful and is willing to answer any questions about the patterns. 

Q5. Who do you like to sew for most?

I like to sew for myself because I love wearing handmade clothes.  I also like sewing for my younger siblings, especially my little sisters! There are such cute patterns out there for little girls and it is so fun to make them things.

Q6. Roughly how much fabric do you have stashed? some, a lot, or I'm buried!

I’d say I have some fabric stashed. It might seem like a lot, but it’s really just a bunch of scrap pieces from other projects. I really don’t have any yardage stashed that I can use to make big items like clothing. My stash keeps growing with each project I make though.

Q7. What do you like to do besides sewing? Other hobbies?

Other things I like to do besides sewing are read, write, blog, run, be outside, hang out with friends, and cook/bake. Running is a good stress reliever for me and I like to get outside and enjoy the weather when it is nice.

Q8. Who inspired you to start sewing or who inspires you now?

Other sewing bloggers inspire me now! I am always amazed at what they are doing, whether it’s making their own patterns or sewing something without a pattern or refashioning an item into something new. There is so much inspiration in the blogosphere!

Q9. What made you want to start a sewing blog?

I was inspired by other sewing blogs and I thought it would be a good way for me to keep track of my sewing projects. Now, I enjoy sharing my projects with others and I hope to continue growing and learning. The blogging community is so great…I have met so many wonderful people who are encouraging and kind. I have learned a lot from other sewing bloggers too and they continue to inspire and amaze me with their incredible sewing skills!

Q10. What sewing item are you dreaming of getting, regardless of cost?

Oh, I would love to get a serger! Right now I manage with the overlock foot on my sewing machine for finishing seams, but it would be so much easier (and faster!) with a serger! Someday…

Q11. Tell me something about you that most people who read your blog do not know!

Most people who read my blog probably don’t know that I play the violin. I’ve been playing the violin for about 13 years, although I don’t take lessons anymore. I play in my college orchestra, but I enjoy playing for fun the most!

Now, I get to come up with 11 questions for the bloggers I nominate.

1. What are three words that describe you?
2. Why did you decide to start a blog?
3. If you could live in any time period, what one would you pick and why?
4. What is your favorite kind of music?
5. What do you like to do in your free time?
6. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
7. Do you prefer skirts or pants?
8. If you could play any instrument what would you pick?
9. What are some of your favorite books and/or authors?
10. What are you most looking forward to this summer?
11. Who inspires you and why?

 

Here are 11 blogs I nominate:

1. Boyer Family Singers
2. Daisy Chain Creations
3. Little Bunny Quilts
4. Simple Modest Fashion
5. Undeniably, Me
6. Five and Counting
7. Sweet Little Pretties
8. Sewing Like Mad
9. Blue Susan Makes
10. Wunderbar
11. Better With June

Thanks again for nominating me Kristin!

~Elizabeth

P.S. School has been incredibly busy this past month, so I have not been able to do any sewing or blogging! This week is finals week, so I'm almost done and I should have some new sewing projects/blog posts soon.

Spring Easter Skirts

 

 

Over spring break, I decided that my sisters needed some new skirts. Then, when I had extra fabric left, I decided I needed a matching skirt too. I used the Simple Spring Skirts tutorial from Simple Simon and Company and some fabric from my stash. They are so easy to make! You only need two measurements - waist and length - and the tutorial is only 8 steps long! They don't take much time either - I made all three skirts in one afternoon.
 

The main fabric has Easter eggs on it! My mom and I bought it seven years ago when our local Ben Franklin store was having a huge going-out-of-business sale. I was just starting to sew and we thought it was so cute! It just took me seven years to finally use it.
 

 

The pink, contrast fabric is from fabric.com. I bought it two years ago, planning to use it in a skirt, but never got around to it. That's a good thing too, because it's the perfect contrast for the Easter egg fabric!

 

Spring hasn't made up its mind if it wants to come to Minnesota yet or not (it snowed in my hometown today!), but we braved the cold and went outside to take pictures. My 10 year old sister was being a goofball:

 

 This is one of the few good pictures of her from our photoshoot.

 

This is about the best one I have of the three of us.

 

Mostly, she just wanted to be silly!

 

 What's the longest you've kept fabric in your stash before using it?  

 

~Elizabeth

I will be linking to some of the link parties listed here.



The Covert Robin - What I Made

I had so much fun participating in the Covert Robin swap hosted by imagine gnats! Now that my package is mailed off I can share what I made for my partner. It was challenging at first, beause my partner does not have a blog, so I wasn't able to do any blog stalking. However, after a bit of googling I found her on pinterest and that gave me some ideas.

 

I decided to make my partner a patchwork dishcloth and matching potholders! She seems to like cooking and I thought it would be a useful gift that would brighten up her kitchen! I originally started with squares and darker colors for the towel, but decided to go with strips of fabric and more spring-like fabrics.

 

 

The front of the towel is strips of cotton fabric sewn together in rows. It measures about 9" x 15", if I remember correctly. The back is yellow terrycloth cut from a kitchen towel (it was a bamboo towel and it's sooo soft). I quilted the two layers together by stitching in the ditch so it won't move around too much.

 

 

The potholders are 8" squares using leftover fabric from the towel. I quilted these too and then sewed a binding on to finish the edges.

 

 

It's almost too pretty to use! I hope my partner likes her gift - it should be arriving at her house today!

 

~Elizabeth

The Flip Vest

I was so excited when I found out I won a pattern giveaway for Dana's newest pattern! It's the Flip Vest - a reversible vest for ages 6 months to 5 years. This is such a versatile pattern with many different choices. You can use fleece, flannel, cotton, corduroy, denim and more. Dana gives you options for a velcro or button closure, but you could use snaps or zippers too.

 

The pattern is very easy to follow and everything is explained well with lots of pictures. I had not sewn ribbing before, but Dana walks you through the steps, making it very easy to do and she provides you with two different options for finishing the armholes.  It's a quick sewing project - I made 6 vests in a day in a half!

I think I lost my mind a little bit, but my little brothers were so excited to get their new vests! The 4 year old kept coming into the sewing room and asking if I was done yet. I made the 4 year old a 3T-4T and the 2 year old a 2T-3T. They both fit great right now, but next time I might make it a size bigger just so there is some room for growing.

 

I used flannel for the outside and fleece for the inside on all the vests. I made the button closure, so it's not reversible, but I think the printed flannel side will get more wear anyway.

 

 

I think this is the cutest picture ever!

 

 

I made the 12-24 month size for my 7 month old sister. It is perfect for her and leaves plenty of growing room!

 

 

There is only one pattern piece which makes cutting super simple. The fabric requirements are only 1/2 yard of each for the small sizes and 2/3 yard of each for the bigger sizes. I only had to buy the flannel as I had everything else to make the vest. It was such a hit with my siblings (the 2 year old wanted to wear his to bed!) and I will definitely be making it again.

 

 

I think she is very happy with her cozy new vest!

 

~Elizabeth

I will be linking to some of the link parties listed here.

Snow and Sewing

 

The weather in Minnesota has been interesting. It was starting to feel like spring - the sun was shining, the snow was melting and it was so warm outside! Then on Sunday night it started snowing and it kept snowing through Monday. I was so happy because all but one of my classes were cancelled, including my 8am class and my midterm was postponed!

 

I thought the snow looked so pretty on the trees and in the bluffs, so I took some pictures on my way to school.

 

 

Because of my "snow day" I took some time to start on my Covert Robin project. It's a secret, so I can't tell you what I'm making yet, but I took pictures so you can guess all you want. :-)

 

 

It was so nice to sew again! I haven't touched my sewing machine since before the semester started! There are only two days standing between me and spring break, and I plan to do as much sewing as possible!

 

Since I haven't had much time to sew, I went fabric shopping instead. :) I bought some knit from the Fabric Fairy because they were having a sale and I have been eyeing some of the fabric for a long time. I'll show you what I bought and what I plan to make with it soon!

 

What have you been sewing lately?

~Elizabeth

Covert Robin

    Hello Everyone! This week has been crazy busy with studying for midterms. I have to survive two more weeks and then it is spring break! I'm hoping to do a little sewing over break, since I haven't had much time lately.      Back in February I signed up for the Covert Robin mystery gift exchange over at imagine gnats. We make something handmade for our person and we will receive something handmade from someone else. No one knows who their partner is.   We have all received our partners now, and so I am really excited to get started on her gift! However, she doesn't have a blog so I only know her name and where she's from. That's all I know! I have participated in swaps before, but this is the first time that I have no idea what to make.   Do you have any ideas for me? What would you make?    

~Elizabeth