Dress to T-shirt Refashion

A while ago I got this little dress from the charity shop from the pound rail, I thought it would be ideal for the warmer weather but after trying it on it was not so great.  Only a pound after all so no loss really but the fabric is really fine t-shirt material,  you know the kind that you wouldn't really want a skirt out of for fear of underwear showing through.  Also it has really big arm holes that come down at the sides and go in at the back so it shows bra straps, not great!  However fabric is fabric and I thought it would be an opportunity to practice revamping an item into something different so I decided to make a t-shirt from it.

There was nothing much that could be done with the top of the dress other than make two small sleeves as it had a deep v front and back, therefore not a lot of fabric there.  So I decided to cut the t-shirt shape from the bottom of the skirt. It was a bit of a squeeze as the shape only just fit and the hem had a curve.  Looking at that image now I am going to re-run that bottom band as some white stripe is showing uneven.   This is me in my haste to get it up and on for todays post, it will be corrected.

I have tried it on and it is a good fit but just sits at the waist, so skirts with a proper waistband required to pair it with or trousers that sit at the waist.  There will be no low slung garments worn with this top!  I have used bias binding at the neck also, the original v neck on the dress was very floppy due to this fabric, it holds much better this way.

Here is the item before cutting...

 You can probably tell from the image that the fabric is quite flimsy but it is ideal for trying things out on.   Below is an image of the pieces I cut, I had to do a bottom band just to give it a bit more length.

This was quick to make up and I think this is a good way to try things out, if you have something you no longer wear then why not make it into something else, even if it is just for the practise.

Scrap Busting Make-up Bag

It completely slipped my mind yesterday  but I was featured on the Minerva website with my Burda jacket, you can see the full post here Burda young jacket Minerva crafts  you will have to scroll down to find my jacket as the website is updated regularly.  I got a quick slot this time only three days after sending in my post so that is probably why I forgot!

Follow the link above if you want to know the exact fabric and read the full post.

Today when I got in from work I made a quick make-up bag, this will go in my gift box that I have decided to start.  Jo over at Three stories high always does this and I think it is such a good idea, I have been meaning to start but never do, well now I have.  It usually gets to about three weeks before Christmas and I think,  why didn't I start making things early in the year and then I would have all these handmade gifts.  There are lots of ideas out there, so I just have to keep the momentum going now. Here is todays make..

It is quite roomy and made from a piece of leftover fabric form a skirt I made last year, a random bit of lining and the pink stripe is a shirt.  I think this would go nicely with some new products to fill it as a gift? Make-up, skin care or hair accessories? 

It has a dusky grey lining so it can be thrown in the washer when it gets dirty.

Here you can see the bottom so it is spacious.   I also added a little wrist strap, for no particular reason other than I like it.

Today I also missed deliver of a package and I think it may have been my dust sheets, I ordered them to make some curtains to hide all the stuff on the shelves at work, hopefully it will make one area look a little more tidy so I am interested to see what kind of quality they are.  It was the cheapest option and I thought with a bit of bunting to cheer it up it should be ok.   We will see.

Organised Sewing

This is a somewhat misleading title actually as it implies I'm organised which I don't think I am but I do try.  The latest effort on this front is trying to get my odds and ends of sewing equipment into a fashion where I can see what I've got instead of hunting around knowing things exist but where?

I don't have a huge fabric stash as I know some of you do, any fabric pieces that are hanging about is usually because they are leftover bits or duvets spotted at the charity shop.  I have a couple of large pieces due to that.  Still I don't like to waste any of it so every bit gets saved as you never know if it will come in handy, up to now this has consisted of hastily folding and shoving in a box or drawer.  that way is not very efficient as you have to lift everything up to see what you have at the bottom.

  A while ago I read the Marie Kondo book, it has not made me housekeeper of the year but my tights and tops are certainly easier to find.  With that in mind I decided to stick with my storage box for the fabric but I have turned everything on its side.  As some of the pieces of fabric are really not that big they will not stand up the way tops do when using  this method so I cut up stiff card from a box, lots of pieces of it the same width as the box and just pinned the fabric to it.

It is a bit like files in a cabinet now and like I said they are not that big but they are easy to see.  I have a few more pieces in a drawer but not a lot and a bag that is full of really scrappy little bits.  A while ago I was taking unwanted bits from my mother in law or a friend but I was finding I didn't really like the fabric quite often so it was more stuff just hanging around the place.  I love to recycle items but you have to like what you are working with don't you.

I don't have a dedicated room just for sewing, it is a desk at one end of a room off my kitchen.  It is a nice bright space so I don't mind this but it does mean I can't spread out too much.  The extent of leaving a work in progress is, it will be on the desk. Or sometime on the mannequin beside the desk.

After having a little look around ideas on pinterest for storage in a small crafting area I have seen some gorgeous little spaces but they are tidy. Does anyone ever do any work in these spaces or is it just me that is incredibly messy, currently at the  moment  there are a friend's trousers on my sewing table to take in, some pegs and a few other bits ( Ha so much for the sorting!)

I am getting there, small steps as they say.  What are your sewing spaces like? Are you an  organised creative or happily sewing amongst the loose threads like me?

Another Man's Junk

Well as I said the other day when my husband cleared out the shed for his mother, some of the stuff would come in handy and it has already.  In amongst the various bits he sorted were some pieces of wood and huge selection of screws and nails.  He was very happy with these and most of them were still in the boxes.

 So when I was at a loss as to what to do with all the peas that are growing, having exhausted our pot collection (for now), he quickly put together this little frame using the wood, screws and string.  The trough at the bottom was also damaged and split so he repaired that as well.  To think I was worried at first that nothing would come up and now I'm wondering where to put things.

I let the cook know at school today that I will be needing more of those tins, she said ok so more planters to come there then. I have seen some ideas where there is a frame built on the floor that just boxes in the soil but it is not high, then there are frame sides with just chicken wire over them.  This may be an option for keeping the pets off so I can plant straight into the ground. However the good thing so far about having everything raised is that it seems to be keeping the slugs away, for now at least.

We have a few strawberries turning red, I'm not entirely sure how long to leave them until trying them.  I will have to research that, there are some odd shapes though and a few resemble boxing gloves.  Not that I mind as long as they taste ok, just wondering why they are so misshapen?

 Ok the one above on the right is the perfect strawberry shape so my husband said that one is his.

I have removed the runners now after realising they are taking energy from the fruit and we shall see if they take in the compost, then we may get more plants.  I should have done this sooner I now know but you learn as you go.

One lone tomato has appeared I hope it isn't going to remain lonely, there has to be a first I suppose.

Also looking forward to trying these, you never see yellow courgettes in the shops, or at least not where I shop.  Maybe in Waitrose? More variety perhaps in the posh shops.

Anyway whatever the outcome I am enjoying watching things grow and that is the main thing, it's quite exciting when the seeds pop up and I waited weeks and weeks for the lettuce thinking the seeds were duff and now I have loads of those too.  They just seemed to grow all at once, just as well because we get through lots of salad, and on that theme I'm off to cook the dinner.

Quick Sun Hat

Today I thought I would have a go at making a hat, the weather has been so nice and the one I have falls off my head every time I bend to do something.  I found this free pattern over at Lost in Paris for a bucket hat, the one there is made out of denim but I have used some black cord I had left.  While you are there checking out the pattern have a look at her gorgeous wedding dresses made from vintage lace they are amazing.

Here is my version of the hat, it is reversible and I made it a bit smaller then the pattern so it wouldn't slip off.  I intend to make another and I will stick to the size stated next time as while mine fits now, it is snug.

Ok for doing the garden I think.

The pieces are straight forward you cut two of each of the side and rim pieces and then the top then just repeat in a contrasting fabric.  These would look lovely for little ones made up in various designs, my hat will only be for the garden I am not a big hat wearer but this one does the job.

It is a great way to use up fabric as well, there is no saying you have to have it all in the same fabric, you could do a patchwork version for hanging about in the garden or even out in public if you are bold enough.

Here is the other side, a bit brighter this way and that fabric was from a vintage style dress I made for someone and the leftover bits are still cropping up in things about two years later.  I think when I make another one I will do a shorter top and a wider brim.

I stitched this up today in between sniffles, hay fever has finally hit but it won't keep me in.  I know there a re different types of pollen that affect people differently but at the moment I feel flu like, I know it's not that though.  Marvellous isn't it,  you wait for the sunny days and then  get the sniffles.

Well I have a glass of wine with my name on it for later and The Handmaids Tale to watch, it is so very dark.  I had to stop my Margaret Atwood reading earlier this year as she was bringing me down a bit.  I have also started another book which is off to a depressing start, so if anyone has read any good humorous books lately please share I could do with some light reading to offset the heavy stuff. 

Burda Young Jacket and my Staycation

This week has been a relaxing one, we opted not to go away this week despite the fact that we both had the week off work.  This is unusual as we tend to take this week as an opportunity to get away somewhere but a string of rainy holidays helped us to reach the decision to stay home.

It has been great as the weather has been mainly warm and sunny, I have had time in the greenhouse and my husband has got a few jobs done, including clearing out his mother's garden shed. This was a big job and good one to get out of the way, in fact he has  gone off just now to take more items to the tip.  It also brought a few surprises like boxes of nails, screws and hinges that they didn't want but which will of course come in handy for future projects.

We also chose to go out for lunch twice this week, as a nice change and seeing as we have not gone away.  A walk down to the nearest pub with youngest son for lunch one day and an Italian meal on our own on Thursday.  I also managed a catch up with friends which is always good so overall a nice week at home.

My sewing has seen my odd job pile of family repairs disappear and I completed my Burda Young Jacket which is for a Minerva crafts post.  I will show a quick peek and then link to the rest of the post when it appears on there.

This jacket is made from quilting cotton, I wanted to do something different.  I wasn't sure if I had made the right choice when I first cut it out but now I am really happy with the result.  Of course it will only go with a select few items but we all have items like that don't we?

 Unless  of course you build a capsule wardrobe around a few pieces but I can't get my head around that.  I like variety and feel I would be a bit constrained doing that.  It may be something to try for a short period I know Carolyn does this on her blog sometimes.  She picks a selection of her handmade items and wears only those for a fixed number of days.  So perhaps that is the way to do that rather than saying forever and getting bored with your options.

While we were out having one of our lunches a quick peek in the charity shops was had and we came home with a nice summer shirt for my husband for £4 and a dress for me from the £1 rail! Both too good to miss of course.

I love the colour of this dress and it looks like new so I can't understand how it ended up on the reduced rail, I would have thought someone would have snapped it up before now.

There has been  lots of cooking and a few of my veg leaves made it into a curry yesterday, just for me as the rest of the family had fish.

Just a few as it was curry for one, along with a few veg from the freezer and some chickpeas.

I forgot to photograph the end result which also included a very tasty tomato risotto which everyone ate so in light of this I have decided to set myself the challenge to write a post everyday for the rest of this month.  I decided this today as I don't know why but when I do more, I do more if you get my meaning.  So as an exercise in self discipline I am going to do it,  and remember to take more photographs of recipes, walks, and just general stuff.  A friend of mine said I need to get on it as she waits for my posts ha! She may be bored of me by the end of the month.  

Anyway it doesn't mean I will keep this up forever but it may help me establish a better pattern and of course I enjoy looking back on things in this form.  It would be good to know if any kind of posts are preferred over the coming month and of course I always love to read your comments

 

Another Recycled Pallet Planter

Well the veg are growing so nicely that I am now wondering where to put them, things need to be transferred outside but up out of the dogs reach.  So currently I have large Kale plants on a sort of make shift shelf that my husband made, the chard is up on the hanging planter and now there is lots more purple kale and lettuce.

So we had another pallet and I asked if this one could be free standing and have legs, because if my dogs can reach they will eat anything.  I also had these large tins that the cook from work had been saving so they have hole drilled in the bottom and the front panels on the pallets were moved to fit these.

The whole thing has had a lick of varnish here as well, purple kale in the bottom and some lettuce in the top.  I had to stop at this point as I has ran out of compost, there are still eight kale and ten lettuce to repot as well as peas but I have been and got the canes and some pots for those today.  I am very happy with this to think is just made from items that would have been discarded and it has solved a problem.   I am not expecting to last forever but how many things do, maybe some upkeep on the frame.

These kale grow quite big so there will be another move at some point for these, with the younger plants going in here but they will be good for a while.

 The lettuces looked a bit sad after being moved but have perked up again now.

 How about this gorgeous flower on the courgettes, one opened the other morning and then it closed up and now this one today,  A lovely surprise when walking into the greenhouse.

We had intended a day at Bakewell today but as it was overcast and gloomy we stayed home and just had a walk and some lunch.  Also a long wait in the post office to post two dresses that were sold on ebay for a couple of pounds each, hardly worth it really but at least someone will get some use out of them.  I will stick with taking them to the charity shop I think,