Buttons!

I went to my faaavorite antique store this weekend, Rough and Ready Antiques in Georgetown. I made a fabulous find! Buttons! All of them were priced under $2, which is a steal if you've tried to buy nice buttons lately. The lady at R&R said that some of the single ones I picked out "had some age to them". She said she knew for sure that the orange and yellow pear were from the 1930's. YAY! They had a whole bowl full so there will be some there for me the next time I stop in. Take a peek!

Tote Tutorial

I made up a tote bag this weekend and here's how I did it!


What you need:
thread, extra wide double fold bias tape and two yards of fabric (you use less, but that's what I had), Fusible Interfacing (IF).

Cut your fabric as follows:
Dark fabric

• 1 - 39" X 9" (bottom outer)
  
• 1 - 38 1/2" X 8 1/2" (bottom lining)
  
• 2 - 12 1/2" X 13 1/2" (side lining)
  

Light fabric

• 2 - 23" X 3 1/2" (straps)
• 2 - 13" X 14" (side outer)
• 1 or 2 - 6" X 14" (pocket)

Fusible Interfacing

• 1 - 38" X 9" (bottom outer)
• 2 - 22 1/2" X 3" (strap)
• 2 - 12 1/2" X 13 1/2"(outer sides)
• 1 - 2 - 5 1/2 (pocket)

There are a lot of pieces, I labeled them with masking tape. Iron fusible interface to outer pieces and straps.

Sew straps with sassy side in. Turn out & iron flat.

Fold your pockets, sassy side in. Sew all the way around leaving a small hole to turn inside out. Iron flat. Sew turn hole if needed otherwise sew pocket to sassy side of lining ensuring your turn hole gets closed.

Sew your liner sides to bottom with sassy side in. Do one side at a time and turn carefully at the corners. Set aside.

Sew outside sides to outside bottom with sassy side in. Do one side at a time and turn carefully at the corners. Turn so sassy side is out.

Tuck lining into outer bag and line up. Get out your extra wide double fold bias tape and pin it around the lining and outer bag. Make sure everything is tucked in so you don't have to go back and hand stitch. Sew bias tape around top of bag to bind the lining and outer bags together.

Turn over the edges of you straps and sew these to the inside of the bag. Voila! Tote Bag!

Recycle! Re-Purpose!

I found this great site www.savvy seams.com which is retired, but it still has it's free patter/sewing ideas up there.

I thought this would be a great project since I have a lot of old jeans/pants that I could change into a skirt!! Check it out: http://www.savvyseams.com/clothing/jeanskirt.php


Great way to recycle & re purpose items from your closet!

Muu

I made a Muu this weekend!! I used this tutorial http://stitchlounge.com/site/blog/168/refashioned-draped-neck-top from the stitch lounge. I love their site design!!

I used a navy blue knit fabric that I found at Hobby Lobby. I'm not sure if it's just me being a novice or what, but there were a few things that were kind of confusing about the directions. I just had to read a few sections over a few times to get it straight. As you can see, I figured it out. The hardest part was making your own double folded bias tape to bind the neck and arm holes. I also learned a little lesson, that I need to watch so everything gets sewed into the binding so I don't have to go back and hand stitch. I want to try one with a more slinky fabric..it will hang differently.

It turned out good great! Now I have a nice knit shirt that probably won't (cross fingers) fall apart after washing it twice like something you'd get from one of the major retailers out there pushing crap-ass made fashion from China. If I may rant, I'm very tired of buying stuff that craps out after you wash it a few times!

Try making a Muu!!

Pleated Purse

Well, I finally made a 1/2 way decent purse. YAY!!! I was going to use the fabric for a skirt, but I haven't been wearing many lately so I decided to make it into a purse so I could see it more often. It's lined red on the inside with two pockets made from the outer fabric and a key fob to snap your keys into place on the inside.

I learned a few things making this one, in fact, I taught myself how to make pleats and line a bag with binding using this tutorial http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=151

Yay Sewing!!

Super Easy Sun Dress

Thanks to the wonders of Wal-Mart I made this cute little sundress in about 30 minutes. They have "pre-smocked" material in a few different prints.

All you have to do is sew a seam up the back and add straps, I used ribbons but you could make some out of left over material. I also sewed on a little contrasting green bow for extra cuteness.