Doodle Pants - A Way to Rescue Fabric

I bought some grey brushed twill a while back and when I washed and dried it in preparation for use, the color got all funny.  The fabric looked blotchy and I thought it was going to be a total waste.  I had planned solid grey pants for the girls and the fabric now looked like someone had spilled juice on it.  The fabric sat in my stash for a couple of months until yesterday when an idea popped into my head.  Since the fabric looked stained, why not make it look like it was stained on purpose?  I thought some careful bleach drops might do the trick.  As I thought it over some more I suddenly got an image of acid washed jeans with splatter paint and grafitti all over them (I might have had a pair like that when I was a kid around 1986 or something. . . maybe. . . . ).


I got out a spray bottle and started bleaching. I let the bleach set for a few minutes to fully do its work.  Then I washed and dried the fabric. 

Next I dug out my fabric markers.  I wanted to cover them with grafitti-like designs but when I went to start I realized I have no skills in that area.  I used to be able to draw a mean set of bubble letters but even that escapes me now.  So,  I asked Maya what designs she wanted and she requested stars, hearts, swirls, and rainbows. 

I heat set the markers in the dryer.  Last night I cut out some pants and today I sewed them up.  This is Maya's pair.

I think these are my favorite homemade pants yet.  I mey even go back and add some more doodles.  All I have to do is pop them in the dryer again to heat set anything added.

I love some of the prints in the "A Walk In the Woods" fabric collection.  I finally bought some from this etsy store.  I made both girls simple peasant dresses with a band of ruffle down the front.  If I make this again I will make the ruffle a little wider.  Hannah was the only one who kinda sorta posed this time.  Maya slept late and I didn't have a chance to grab a picture of her.  When it comes out of the wash and gets its second wear I will get her.

How to make a totally original skirt

First, get about a half yard of broadcloth.  Lay it out on a table with some kind of backing to protect the table.  I used wax paper.  Tape down the cloth on top of the backing.


Second, find a preschooler.  You see a preschooler isn't influenced by what is trendy so she won't opt to try to paint the latest craze on the fabric like owls or argyle patterns (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE owls, but we are going for totally original here).  Set out the fabric paint on a paper plate and give your preschooler a paint brush.  Let her go to town. 

We had some paint splatter when I quirted out the blue so Maya got put in the shower to rinse off and we opted for a bathing suit to wear for the rest of the project

I ended up joining in and upcycled some of my son's too small undershirts into nightshirts for the girls.

Let the paint dry for 72 hour minimum.  Wash and dry the fabric.  Turn it into a cute skirt!  Bribe your preschooler to pose for a picture by giving her a cookie.

The "Elastic On The Outside" Skirt (tutorial)

As of now I don't have a brilliant name for this skirt so I am calling it what it is.  I had skirts on the brain because of Skirt Week on Crafterhours.  I had actually made myself stop making the girls skirts for now because, well, they have too many.  But Skirt Week posts inspired me to try to think of something new.  I have done the elastic waist, the tiered, the circle, and even some Oliver and S skirts.  My mind kept drifting to skirts while I was at work yesterday and suddenly I had an idea. 

I have this 2 inch wide hot pink elastic that I have been saving for a while.  I bought a bunch of elastic on Etsy a while ago (which I might never do again due to the shipping cost but the elastic is NICE).   I wanted to make something where the elastic would show. 

This skirt is for my 4 year old who still wears a lot of 3T clothes.  I would call it a 3T/4T.

I started with some plain pink broadcloth (just under 1/2 yard).  Cut the fabric to the length you want plus about 4 inches.  Then cut the width of the fabric to double the waist measurement of your child.  The reason for this is that you are going to stretch the elastic as you sew and if you have too much fabric and a small waisted child, you won't make it around. 

Sew the sides together so you fabric is like a tube. 

Then fold and press the top edge over 1/4 inch to the wrong side. 

Then fold and press about 1 1/2 inches. It doesn't have to be exact because you are going to sew the elastic over the top of this seam.  Pin and sew all the way around. 

Then sew another line of stitches about 1/8 of an inch from the top.  That step is optional but I like the way it looks.

Cut your elastic to the size of you child's waist plus 1 inch.  Sew sides together (wrong side out).  Then sew down the raw edges so they sit flat(you could serge then if you have a serger but I don't have one.  I haven't had much trouble with elastic fraying).

Take the seam of the elastic and match it up with the seam of the skirt.  Pin it ON THE OUTSIDE about 1 1/4 inches down from the top (again, the exact distance doesn't matter too much, you are just going for the paper bag look here).  Pin the elastic in at least four evenly spaced spots.  The fabric is going to look bunched up but you will stretch the elastic as you go. 

Start at the back where you first pinned the elastic to the fabric.  I prefer to start along the bottom of the elastic but it would probably work the other way around too.  Stitch along the edgeof the elastic (backstitch at the beginning and end).  Grip the fabric and the elastic both in front of the presser foot and behind it.  I gripped at the pins.  Stretch out the elastic and feed the fabric through as you stitch the elastic to the fabric.  Repeat along the top of the elastic. 

Finally, hem your skirt.  I folded up 1/4 inch to the wrong side and then abotu 1 1/4 inches again.  I did two lines of stitches again because I like the look.  DONE!

And on the girl. . .

Variations?  Make a ribbon bound hem or add some pockets.  I didn't on this one because I wanted to highlight the "elastic on the outside" feature.  But next time I might add some more details.

If you want to make something like this and you can't find colored elastic, check out this tutorial on coloring it yourself.

Simple Summer Sundress tutorial (sort of)

This is a "sort of" tutorial because I didn't photograph all the way through so much of it is explanation rather than demonstration.  Plus my camera stinks so the photo quality is terrible!  This is an easy summer dress that uses basic techniques but I added a couple of extra details that make it look a little fancier than a pillowcase dress or a straight A-line tunic. 

This is what I did/used for Maya's dress.  She is 4 but she is a small 4.

I used quilting cotton.  This dress needs two rectangles for the main part.  The width of each rectangle should be about 20 inches and the length should be the length you want the dress to be plus 5 inches (measure from about the armpit to where you want the dress to end and then add five inches) I also cut two pieces about 4x 14 for straps.  You could also use ribbon if you prefer.  You will need some elastic for the top.  I used 3/4 inch and it worked well.

Sew the two rectangles together along both sides (right sides together).  Press and then zig-zag, pink, or serge your edges.  I don't own a serger yet so I pink or zig zag.  In all honesty, I don't always press my seams either.  In an ideal situation I would have the ironing board out right next to my sewing machine but I am usually grabbing a few minutes to sew here and there - mostly after the kids go to sleep and before I pass out.  I often finger press.  I also sew at the toddler table in the family room.  It is not a great set up but it is the only downstairs spot where I can have a flat surface and an electrical outlet.

With the dress inside out, fold and press the top of the dress body down about 1/2 and inch.  Then fold it over about 2 inches.  You are going to make a casing with a ruffle or paper bag style top.  Pin your fabric and sew one line all the way around about 1 inch from the top of the dress.  You can sew all the way around without stopping because you are not going to thread the elastic through this seam.  Then sew around again at the edge of your folded fabric.  This time you need to leave an  opening to feed the elastic through.  I backstich at least 3 stitches at the start and end of a line of stitches.  Then measure you child's chest in order to determine how long your elastic should be.  Instead of using a tape measure I would just take the elastic and wrap it around to see what length makes a snug fit. Be sure to add a little extra length to make up for the parts you will sew together.  If you are making more than one dress just measure the elastic after you have cut it and jot it down the length so you know for future reference.  Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic to feed it through your casing.  Zig zag stitch the two ends of your elastic together back and forth a few times and then go back and finish  sewing up the casing. 

Take the two strap pieces and fold them in half lengthwise.  Sew down the long side.  Fold back out to the right side and press.  On the short ends, fold the fabric under about 1/4 inch and topstich around the entire strap for a nice finished look. Pin the straps to the dress and sew along the TOP line of you casing to attach the strap.  HINT:  Sew with the dress right side out so you can more easily blend your strap stitches in with your casing stitch line.

Fold and press the bottom of the dress to the wrong side about 1/2 inch.  Then fold and press another 2 inches.  Stich the hem along the top and the bottom of the folded fabric. 

Done!

New Summer Jammies

Maya has some new summer jammies thanks to the Sewing Dork.  We won the blog givaway she ran a couple of weeks ago.  Maya is thrilled!

Make the Presents, Make the Presents!

The title of this post is from a Friends episode.  CHandler and Monica agreed to make their anniversary gifts but Monica forgot.  When reminded she yells out (something to the effect of), "Make the presents, Make the presents!"

As I have grown more confident with my sewing machine I have started to make more of the gifts I give. 

Above are some gifts I made for my sister who just had her second baby.  The jacket has flannel oe the inside, quilting cotton on the outside, and it has bias trim.  the booties are knit with Lion Cotton Ease yarn using the pattern in Knitting for Baby (a great book).  The washcloths are cotton chenille backed with quilting cotton.  It was a lot of fun to put all these things together for her.

Here is a circle skirt I made for Maya's friend's birthday.  The tutorial is here.  I also made this peasant dress with simple pockets for the same girl.  This pattern is my own. ( I think everyone who sews has to make some peasant dresses, right?)  I have made some like this for Maya too and she loves them.

I find it much more rewarding to make the presents when possible.