Skirt Extender DIY

I love skirts. But as I get older it seems that skirts are getting shorter or I am getting taller.  I have a general rule that my skirts go to the knee.  Skirts that length that are modest can be hard to find. So when I saw a modest slip extender at a local boutique I just had to have one.  But at $30 a piece I decide I would have to wait.  So I went to my local Joanns.  They had a great selection of Lycra stretch fabric in lots of colors.  Here is what I bought:

Little Bo Peep Costume Inspiration

Since I found out I was having a little girl.  I wanted to make her a Little Bo Peep Costume. She is finally the ripe old age of 4 so I thought I had better get the costume done before she starts wanting to think of her own costumes. I found this beautiful Little Bo Peep Costume on Etsy one day (Pinned it) and decided it was what my Little Miss was going to be for Halloween.

                                     

(Photo from Etsy store Mom2rtk)

She makes lots of beautiful costumes year round in her shop.

Isn't is beautiful??  I just loved the colors and the style.  Perfect for my Little Miss. She has these beautiful natural blond curls and a sweet little smile, to go with the outfit. The price was a little out of my budget.  So off I went to make my own with a little twist.

I found a lamb at the end of the Easter season for $3. I made a bonnet instead of a fabric cap out of Tim Tex, fabric and ribbon. And I used an old outdoor candy cane from Christmas as her crook wrapped in ribbon and fabric flowers. It was the perfect size for her.  I used my own peasant styled shirt pattern and made a basic skirt and bloomer pattern.  For the vest I used a simple tutorial from Make it - Love it and added the hip plumes myself. Here is how it turned out.

My Little Bo Peep.

4th of July Threads +Quilted Fish Giveaway

Its that time of year for a new outfit for the holiday.  This year is an Uncle Sam theme.  (I am using it for my Mantel too.

Wrist corsage in just the right colors.

A skirt {of course} Broad Stripes  & Bright Stars

Tuxedo styled shirt

And a Top Hat just like Uncle Sam.

I love how her outfit turned out.  And she loves it too.  Now she is ready to sport her new threads at any holiday party! 

Do you like her hat??? Want to make one of your own???

 I contacted Amanda at  The Quilted Fish. She is the designer of  "We're all Mad Here"  the pattern I used to make this hat. She designs beautiful fabric for Riley Blake and Patterns.   I found the pattern and had to have it.  It is so versatile and could be used for a bunch of holidays.  It;s going to be adorable on my mantel too.  How are you dressing your kiddos for the holidays?

Birthday Girl

I have 1 Little Miss.

 I don't know what I would do without her.  She truly is an inspiration and a little ray of sunshine. 

I love my boys. They keep me busy and I love it. 

I was raised in a boy world. 

Growing up I had 4 younger brothers, 7 Uncles, 1 Aunt and 

 8 boy cousins.  I get boys.
 I had to be rough and tumble to survive.

I was the only girl on both sides of my family. Until I was an adult.

So having a girl of my own was kind of a Pipe Dream.

I went into every pregnancy expecting a boys.
I even told my self I could have a dozen boys if I only had 1 girl.
Crazy right???

But one day the Stars, Moon and Planets were aligned and I got my girl.

They had to break the mold with this one.

Blond,Curly Hair, Blue eyes, Skin like Porcelain, and a whole lot of {Sassy}

But having one little girl to dress up, shop with, and learn from is a very special thing.

 I love to sew for her. And she loves to have a new little something, anytime.

For her birthday pictures I made her this.

Peasant Top and Ruffled Pants.

I used my Simply Jane Pattern I wrote and sell on Etsy.

With the Pattern you can make a peasant dress or a top.

For the pants I used a pajama bottoms pattern.

(Just a random pattern I had in her size)

Her sash is made of yellow fabric and twisted fabric flowers.

Her head band is twisted fabric flowers and ric rac for the leaves

See is quite the character.

I had to throw this one in. she just looked so cute. 

{Those curls are all her.  I am not quite sure what to do.}

 This little girl is my inspiration and the reason I craft and sew like I do. 

Pin It

Here is my shop.

 Named just for the one that inspires me.

Cosette's Closet

I am entering this project in Sew-vivor

Wish me Luck

Home Made for the Holidays for the Girl

Home Made for the girl... I saw a dress liked this on pinterest and just couldn't pay the price. So with my mad sewing skills I came up with this. 

Supplies:

Fabric 2 different prints

1 inch elastic for waist band

matching thread

ribbon about 3 yards

embellishements

about  1/2 yard scrap fabric or just white fabric

I made my skirt to be a size 4-5

You will need to cut 3 pieces.

Waistband (24x45)

Skirt body (15x45)

Skirt top (12x45)

I decided I wish I would have made the top 15x45 as well to get more gather when finished.

Take your waist band and sew the short ends together.  Making a a band.

Make a 1 1/4 inch hem. Leave a 1 inch opening for threading elastic through later.

Take the skirt body and sew the short ends. To make a a tube. Hem the bottom with a 1/4 inch rolled hem. Set your skirt body and waist band.

Cut 2 inch strips.  For a 15 length skirt I cut 5.

  I ran the raw edges through my serger just to clean the edges.

Hem 1 short edge. This will lay with the hemmed edge of the top skirt.

Take the top skirt and hem the bottom edge.Your fabric should be one length.

Measure the fabric into sections For 45 inches I measured mine 8 1/2 inches. Lay one of your strips down and pin.

Stitch down each edge of the strips. Then down the center. Dividing the strips into 2 sections.

Fold fabric with right sides together.

Stitch down along the edge. Leaving about 3/4 inches from edge to seam.

Press open seam. Stitch down, Making a pocket wide enough for your ribbon.

Looking something like this when you are finished.

Turn  skirt body right side out.

 Now is when you thread your ribbon into the pockets you just made.

Stitch around the top to secure the ribbons in place. 

Pin both fabrics together.  Using a basting stitch around the the top of the skirt. About 1 inch from the top. Pull the top thread and gather the skirt until the skirt fits the waistband.

Once the skirt is gathered and fits the waist band. Pin the two together.

Sew the waistband to the skirt.

Thread the elastic into the waistband. Stitch the elastic together and close the waistband.

All finished.  Just pull your ribbons and gather the top skirt.

Perfect for  little girls who love to jump and twirl.

Thanks for joining me for Home Made Holidays.  Don't forget to come back tomorrow for a fun Kid craft. 

DIY Baby Leg Warmers

We we live in good old Idaho.  We have maybe 3 months of summer and 9 long months of winter.  But even in the summer the mornings are cool and the afternoons hot.  It's hard dressing baby for the weather.  Some mornings this big guy needs a little extra.  I love baby legs but they are not always easy to find.  I have looked and can't find a store.  So here is a little DIY for those on a budget, can't find what you want or just plain old cheap.  I fall in to the all three category.

Start off with a pair of ladies knee socks. I got mine at Target for $2 each. Fall is the best time to find these. they may call them boot socks or knee socks. 

Next cut off your tags and unfold. You will next cut the socks just above the heel. Before the curve.

Then take the foot of the sock. cut the center section out. (The straight part of the foot.) Cutting off the toe and the heel.

When done you should have 4 pieces. You can now throw away the heel and toe. 

Next Take the short piece of the sock. (The part you cut form the foot) and fold in half. Take the folded piece and put it around the long piece with raw edges together. 

Stitch with a long stitch around the raw edges.  Stitching all three layers together.  I like to stretch mine as I sew.  It gives them a little more stretch for Chubby legs. 

All finished.  Quick and easy.  My little guy has been sporting these this summer.  With crawling in the works I have one more reason to make a few more. 

Thanks for visiting!  Let me know what you think.

I love to read your comments.



Linking up too:
I heart naptime

Nursing Tank Tops

So the other day a Gal pal of mine called and said Down East was haveing a closetout sale on there clothing.  Nothing over $10.  So I stopped. They had cami's 2 for $5.  So I picked up a few.  This is what I did with them.

I have a new little guy here at home. As a nursing mom, it is hard to stay modest and still nurse at home or in public.  Nursing shirts though convient, are just not my thing.  I purchased a few of these nursing tanks from a website a few months ago in preparation for our new littl guy.  I LOVE them.  I wear them everyday. They keep me modest while still being able to nurse with ease. I wanted more but the price was a little over my budget.  Then I decided I could make my own. Only 15 minutes!!

Here is what you need:

1 Tank Top

1 set of swim suit/bra hooks

  Unpick the back straps and cut the front leaving about 11/2 inches of strap.

Next thread your bra hooks through the straps.  Make sure the hook faces inside.

Next fold the strap to the wrong side of the tank and stitch strap.



Your done. Now use the bra hook to slide it into the nursing cup.  This will be just below the clasp you unhook to nurse.

Princess Aprons

So I saw these little cuties on a website the other day.  I thought they were totally cute and I am a sucker for princess stuff. I only have One little girl. I kind of give into anything girly.  Until I saw the price tag.  $25. Way to much for this mama to pay.  So I made my own. It only cost me about $8 and about an hour to make 2 of them.  So today you get Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty!

What you need for one:

1/2 - 3/4 yard fabric (color depends on the princess)

1/4-1/2 yard fabric for extras

Thread

 

 I cut my main fabric into sections. 13 inches for skirt, 5 inches for sash.  If I made this again I would buy and extra 5 inches to make my sash longer.

Next cut your extras. in this case the hip puffies ( not quite sure what to call them)

1.I started with cutting 4 rectangles 9 1/2 wide x 6 1/2 long.

Then I rounded 2 bottom edges.

Stitch around 3 sides. Clip rounded edges before turning.

Turn, Press and topstitch.

3. Gather the top.  I gathered mine to be 6 inches wide finished.

Next I folded my sash to have a finished edge.

1. Fold top left corner to right side lining up edges.

2. Fold top right corner to left edge. (You should have a triangle on the end of your sash)

3 Press.

4. Fold in half and press.

At this point I folded the straight edges of my sash  a 1/2 inch on both sides and pressed them to prepare for stitching everything together.

Okay so here I missed taking a picture.  But Its really simple.  I gave my skirt a little hem around 3 sides.  1 long (45 inches) and both short (13). About a 1/2 in.  I turned 1/2 inch and pressed then another 1/2 inch and pressed.

Across the non hemmed edge I did a basting stitch as large as I could to do my gathering. Leave you threads a little long for this.  Pull one thread and begin to gather you fabric.  When you have it the length you want tie the threads in a knot to hold it till you can stitch it. My skirts finished length after gathering was about 18 in.

I then added my puffies. Placing them each on center. Pin them into place.

Take your sash find your center and match it up with the skirt. Pin the wrong side of the skirt
to the right side of the sash.
Sew the sash puffies and skirt together.
Once done fold the sash over onto the skirt. Start at the end of the sash and stich to the other end.  As you stitch you will be finishing the sash and top stitching the sash to the skirt and puffies.

When your finished it will look like this! I added a fabric twisted rose to the center to give it a little more glam.  My little miss loves it!

I was thinking these would make a great birthday gift or party favor for a Princess and her guests!

 I think next time I may make a Belle, Tinker Bell or Alice in Wonderland apron.