Tuesday, March 6, 2012

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!



Monday, March 5, 2012

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!


Thursday, March 1, 2012

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!