No Sew (Almost) Pillow

I was wandering through Target one day and saw this lovely, cross stitched place mat.  I loved the colors, I loved the design, I loved that it was cross stitched!  So I bought it with plans to make it into a super easy pillow.

 

 

As you can see this is "almost" a no sew project.  I just needed my trusty sewing kit to sew up the opening for the stuffing.  The whole thing took 15 minutes! 

Baby Steps...

Well it's been 6 months since my last post. Since then we moved to a different state, had twins and survived the holidays.  Now that the Christmas festivities are over I feel I can breathe a little.  The fact that the twins are sleeping through the night a few nights a week also helps a bit!  I have yet to unpack my sewing machine, but am still trying to do a little sewing/creating.  Luckily I have my trusty little sewing kit a friend made for me years ago.  

Color Block Tee

I had this weird mustard/greenish colored shirt that I had a love/hate thing for.  I loved the strange color, but hated how it looked on me.  Solution: Color Block Tee!!!  Here are the pics I took during the process:

Now I get to wear this lovely weird color and not look like a washed-out zombie!

Why I haven't been sewing....

Let me introduce Thing 1 and Thing 2!  Turns out twins make you a whole lot more tired and pukey than just one baby.  So that is what I've been doing: sleeping and trying not to puke.  Luckily I'm now about 20 weeks and feeling much more like a human being and will get back on the sewing wagon!

A Little Nap Time Sewing

I bought this unfortunate romper from Goodwill a couple months ago. Not because I love a good romper (I don't think there is such a thing unless you are a toddler), but because of the pretty floral patter. I decided to do a little refashioning during Andrew's nap and I'm pretty happy with what I came up with.



1. Sad romper. I had already started cutting into it, but decided to put it back together to get a "before" picture.



2. I took out the elastic and cut off the bottom "shorts" part as well as cut it in two just above where the elastic used to be. I pressed it and reattached the waistline part about 2 inches above where it was originally. I also shifted the bottom piece so there wasn't a seam centered down the middle.



3. I sewed about 1/4 inch, but left the extra fabric intact until I made sure it was the right length. Measure twice cut once right? I also went back and top stitched to make the seam look a little more "intentional."



4. Hmmmm a little too boxy. So I employed the tried and true method of laying a shirt that fits over one that doesn't and made some cuts. Still not a perfect fit. I need to take it in a bit more in the arms and maybe add a small strip of elastic in the back, but it will have to do for now because........... somebody woke up from their nap!

Skirt Extender

I have always had a hard time finding dresses that are long enough for me. I like to have the hem hit at mid-knee or just below the knee and this is tricky to find for a 5'9 gal like me. Solution: Skirt Extender!




1. You will need a slip and a piece of lace, fabric or whatever you want to be the part that peeks out under your dress. In this case, I used a scarf I found at target. I cut off the lacy edge to be used for another project...



2. Then I sewed the ends together and gathered the lace until it was the same diameter as my slip.




3. Pin lace to the inside edge of the slip.

4. Sew the lace to the slip and VOILA! a pretty slip that will extend those too-short dresses!


**I need to work on my modeling abilities. Kinda look like a dork, but I was just so happy to be able to finally wear my lovely yellow dress!

Curtains... done!

Andrew's nursery is finally complete! Which is good because he is almost 2. His room was basically already done except for one thing: curtains. I just had plain white blackout panels hanging up which got the job done as far as making the room a dark, cozy place to sleep, but I wanted something a little more cute. I used the tab topped curtains from our old bedroom and sewed on a navy gingham border. I had to use 3 panels because the window isn't a standard size. I never really liked the tabs on the old curtains so I sewed them down in the back which made the curtains hang much nicer.



Yay! One project down. 9 more to go!

I think I have a problem....

Actually I KNOW I have a problem!
I absolutely LOVE to buy fabric, but it is getting out of hand. It's time to USE my fabric and get some things on my list done. So I'm resolving to complete 10 projects in the month of March using some of my hoard of fabric.



Looks like an episode of Hoarders, but the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.
"Hello, my name is Christine and I'm a fabric-a-holic"