Polka Dot Power

I got some very good bargains on some T knit recently so I went to town and made my niece a few outfits.

I had done some decorative stitching at the bottom of these orange leggings but didn't like how it looked.  So, I cut them off and added some stretchy elastic instead.

It's all pretty mix and match but I did tell her NOT to wear the polka dot tunic with the polka dot leggings.

So, of course, that's exactly what she did....and she added the polka dot scarf too!

LOL, she makes me laugh~

I used this pattern for the tunic and the leggings:

and this one for the sleeveless top:

Normally I pull my patterns from the bargain bin at the second hand shop but these are brand new and in the Simplicity catalogue right now if you want to make your own.  I LOVE the leggings pattern.  It's a miniature version of the one I told you about here.

Variations on a Box

A couple of weeks ago I showed you how to make a super duper easy boxy top and this week I'm going to show you how, with just a few variations, you can get a whole new top out of the same pattern!

Here's what you need to make your own:

-Free Boxy Top pattern
-Fabric, 1X length of top for wide fabric, 2X length of top for narrow fabric
-Standard sewing kit (Scissors, pins, thread, ruler, marker pen or chalk)
-1.4m (56") ribbon and safety pin

Steps:
1) Cut out your fabric using your pattern.  You will need to make a couple of minor alterations, which you can do right on the fabric using your chalk or marking pen.

Just extend the shoulder out about 1.5" and then connect the corner to the bottom of the armhole (see original pattern making post for all measurements).  Also, extend the bottom hem to square it off.

2) With right sides together sew your side seams with a 5/8 seam allowance, stopping at the bottom of the armhole.

3) Finish your seam edges and press back.  Using your seam as a guide, press back the armhole edges 5/8" as well and sew down.

4) Now you can stitch your shoulder seams closed.  Once again, with right sides together stitch a 5/8" seam. Do not trim off any seam allowance but you can finish the edges and press back.

Now stitch down each of the seams along the edges.  You will create two casings, one on each side of the seamline.

5) Cut your ribbon into 4 lengths of approximately 35cm (14").

6) Using a safety pin, guide your ribbon through each of your casings, leaving a long tail hanging out the armhole side and only a teeny tiny bit out of the neckline side.

7) Stitch down the ends only on the neckline end.  Once you're all done you'll be able to ruche up your shoulder seams like this:

8) Now just finish your edges on the neckline and the hem.  On the neckline, just turn it under 5/8", press, and stitch down.

For the bottom hem, cut a piece of narrow elastic to fit comfortable around your lower waist.  Turn up your hem approximately 3/4" more than the width of your elastic.  Make a casing and guide the elastic through with the safety pin and then close the casing.

And that...is that!  You're done!

This time my fabric has some stretch to it so the neckline turned out quite a bit wider than the original top.  I'll have to remember that for the next variation!

I have loads of ideas for this simple box, including a fun maxi dress idea!  I'm going sketch them all out and let you guys vote on which one you want to see next.

Which do you like better?  Home made patterns from scratch or store bought?  (I won't be offended if you say store bought, I probably own enough to wallpaper my entire house...inside and out!).  Leave a comment below~

Here's a reminder of the first top made with this pattern:

Have a crafty week everyone!

Portable Tic Tac Toe

I wanted to make something for my nephew for part of his Easter gift but I know he doesn't get too thrilled over yet another pair of cargo pants or shorts so I turned to Pinterest for some ideas.

It's just a little sack with a Tic Tac Toe board sewn on top and some glass marbles decorated with Mod Podge and scrapbooking paper.

He's going on a vacation next week with his family and has to travel by plane.  I thought this would be something he could throw in his carry on and pass the time with.

I have to admit my first instinct was to use pretty flowery paper and Sparkle Mod Podge, but I held back and I think I came up with a very boyish version of what I wanted.

Check out the original post idea here from CreativeFamilyFun.

                                          Source: creativefamilyfun.net via Etcetorize on Pinterest

This project was featured here:

Thank you Cards

Last week started out with a not so great Monday morning.  My car door locked itself, while it was running, with my purse inside, which also had my house keys, phone, and anything else I would've found useful inside.

I'm usually very careful about this stupid feature on my vehicle but I just wasn't living in the moment that particular Monday morning.

So, at 7:45 a.m. I had to go knock on my neighbour's door to borrow their phone so that I could call someone who had an extra house key so I could get inside my house to get my extra car key (not the best set up I know, I'm in the processing of finding a better place to keep extra keys.)

Even though everyone was beyond gracious and helpful, I felt horrible about having to bother so many people at such an early time.  So, I made cookies and cards!

 I'm not very good baking but I have to say, my Haystacks are pretty exceptional (also called Unbaked Cookies).  They key is to put in way too much cocoa so that they're super duper chocolatey!

If you have any crafty ways of hiding your keys outside let me know.  I need some ideas.  The only thing to keep in mind is that I still have 4 feet of snow surrounding my house and the ground is frozen....so no digging allowed.  Leave a comment with your crafty ideas~

Here's the inspiration for the card from CreativeItch  :

                                                           Source: thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.ca via Etcetorize on Pinterest

Cute Crayons

I was going to take a little break from blogging today, but as most of  you know, blogland doesn't sleep (or take holidays) so I figured I'd share this fun little Mod Podge craft I made up for part of my niece's Easter gift.

Here's what you need to make your own:

Materials:
-crayons
-pretty paper
-Mod Podge (optional: Sparkle Mod Podge)
-cutting mat, ruler, sponge brush, craft knife

Steps:
1) Measure the paper on the crayons to figure out how big to cut out your own papers.

Mine measured 17mm X 32mm

2) Cut out some pretty papers to match your crayons.

3) Use your sponge brush to paint Mod Podge onto the back of your paper.

4) Wrap the paper around your crayon.

Leave the original paper on
to help with adhesion.

 You can call it a day right there if you want, but you know how much I love my SPARKLE Mod Podge

If you want to add some sparkle too, just use your brush to gently paint on the Sparkle Mod Podge to the outside of your paper.  Be careful not to get it onto your crayons.

Now again, you can be done right there.  But if you want to make these crayons extra, extra special, take apart the box they came in, trace the shape onto some pretty paper, and cut it out.

Glue the paper onto the outside of the box and put it back together again.

My niece loves to colour anyway, but I hope she'll really love it with her very own personalized crayon pack.

I'll have loads more Easter gifts to share with you next week~

Have a great loooooooooooooooong weekend everyone!

This project was featured here:
 

PJ Pants Refashion

Don't you love it when you find the perfect pj's????

Don't you hate it when you wreck them????

I had these great pj pants:

There were pretty, they were soft, they were comfy, they were warm.  They were everything you could ever want in a pj pant.

And then I spilled something on them :(   and they were relegated to the back of my closet never to be worn again.  Boo hoo.

I took a good look at them the other day though and realized that they only had an inside leg seam.  You know what that means....fabric!!!

I cut them up the inner seam and layed them out flat.

And then I cut them into the shape of a tank top and sewed them back together...

All it needed next was some lace collar pieces and some pretty lingerie elastic for the straps, and voila!

Back

I haven't decided yet if this will just be a pj top now or if it's something I can actually wear in public.  It does look kind of cute with a warm little cardi over top.

The moral of the story, always look at everything as a big piece of fabric before you let it go.  You never know, it may get a second chance at life!

Are you a nightie or a pj pant gal?  I want to know!  Leave a comment below~

 

This project was featured here: