wine rack

So, I got a wine rack a long time ago because I think they are pretty and I found a really cheap one at Ross. Since I have had it on our side table Todd and I have had a silent debate about its purpose. I had the belief that it was simply decorative and not useful, but I would constantly find that he had stuck the latest Ensign, etc. in it after he was done reading it. (I have a magazine basket on the shelf of this very side table that is easily accessed!!!) It drove me crazy. He kept rolling them up and leaving them and I kept trying to unbend them and then put them away. I have finally submitted and now I decided that if I had seen the idea on someone else's craft blog I would've thought it was cute and genius. Well, you decide.

Mo' Bo'

The Most Pleasant Peasant Dress

This dress is a pleasure to sew because:

#1 You don't need a pattern
#2 It is only 4 pieces
#3 If you use knit fabric you don't have to hem it or finish the edges
#4 It is SUPER fast to make

The dress in the tutorial is about a girls size 10. My 2 year old is modeling her matching dress in the first photo.

A good circumference (width times 2) for this dress is between 1 1/2 and 2 times the waist of the person you are making it for. For the sleeve length measure from 1" or 2" inside the top of the shoulder down to where you want the sleeve to end on the arm. Add an allowance for hems at the neckline and sleeve end if you are going to finish the edges or if you are not using a knit fabric. (A cap sleeve for toddler size 2 would be about 4".) Sometimes I grab one of my daughters shirts as a reference for sleeve size or a dress for the length.

Cut 2 rectangles exactly the same size, the length being the length of the dress plus the length of the sleeve and the width being 1 1/2 to 2 times the waist of whoever you are making it for (the circumference of the dress) .

Place the rectangles together lining up all the edges.


Then fold down the length of the sleeve. There should be 4 layers of fabric, 2 for the sleeves and 2 for the body of the dress. It is hard to see that the sleeve length is folded down but it is.

Cut, on one side of the 4 layers, a curve like this (this will be the armhole) leaving a couple of inches below the curve for the bottom of the sleeve.


Fold the width, to line up the newly cut side with the uncut edges on the other side and cut along the curve to create the same cut on both sides, now 8 layers. Then cut the folded fabric at the top of the sleeve to separate the sleeves and the body pieces.

Now you should have two smaller folded sleeve pieces and two larger folded body pieces.

Separate the pieces. This is one of the sleeve pieces opened up. Along the wide bottom end, sew 2 rows of elastic thread. The first row about 3/8" from the edge and the next row about 3/8" away from the first row (this is shirring as explained in the previous post). Do this to both sleeves. If you are not using a knit fabric or want a finished edge, it is easiest to hem the sleeve edge before shirring. I usually do a small rolled hem.



Now, on one of the body pieces, mark two rows beginning about 1" below the armhole curve, straight across to the opposite side, again about 1" below the armhole curve. (I just eyeball it, but I have had a lot of practice at doing this and I have gotten pretty good at straight lines.) Then do your shirring along the marked lines.



This is what your body pieces should look like now. Make sure to leave tails of elastic to tie off later.



Next, lining up the curves with right sides together, place one sleeves on top of one of the body pieces. I suggest pinning them so they stayed lined up while you stitch them together, but I don't like to pin unless I have to. Make sure to change your bobbin thread, taking out the elastic thread, and adjust your stitch length to 2 1/2.

Sew your first armhole seam along the curve.

Using the same sleeve piece and the 2nd body piece line up the curves again with right sides together and sew your 2nd armhole seam.

You should now have the front and back body pieces hooked together by a sleeve piece like this.

Line up the sides of the front and back body pieces, from the bottom of the sleeve all the way to the bottom of the dress. Pin (or don't pin) and seam.

It should now look like this when laid flat, with the armhole now formed and in the middle. Using the 2nd sleeve piece, go through the same steps to attach it to the body pieces and seam up the other side.

Tie off the elastic thread ends.

I guess I didn't get a picture, but it should look like a dress at this point, but with a huge neck hole. Change back to the elastic bobbin thread and 3 1/2 stitch length.

Starting about 3/8" from the edge of the neckline and then again 3/8" in from that, mark your lines for shirring and then sew with the elastic. Make sure to have your right side facing up so the elastic will be on the inside of the dress. Again, if you are going to hem the neckline it is easiest to do it before shirring.



I think I am going to add a ruffle to the bottom edge, but it looks cute just the way it is. If you are not using a knit fabric then you would need hem the bottom.

So simple and fun to do with different fabrics or more rows of shirring or even doing a shorter length and making it a peasant shirt instead of a dress. I have also tried making a casing and running elastic through instead of doing the shirring. It turns out great too.

Shirring

Start with elastic thread.

Hand wind, barely stretching, the elastic thread on to a bobbin.



Mark your lines where you want to add the rows of elastic. Sew either a straight stitch or a zigzag stitch (both work fine), along your marked (or in most cases for me eyeballed) rows. I like to use a 3 1/2 stitch length. Make sure you have the right side of the fabric facing up so that the elastic thread will be on the inside of what ever you are making or the on backside of the fabric.

The Back

The Front

The more rows you sew the more gathered your fabric will be. Leave tails of the elastic thread on the ends of your rows to tie off so it doesn't come undone.

It is so much fun to experiment and play with shirring!

Father's Day

This was too cute. I added a twist, as most of my children are too young to read questions... Instead I added a favorite game with M&M's.... On the backside of "Don't Eat Dad" are 9 different pics of their dad. Still need to complete before Sunday. I just hope dad wears the tie to church... here is the link where I got the idea my minds eye

Also I have been etching glass pans...

refashion

This was a shirt of Todd's that he was getting rid of... Here is a blog with instructions and a lot of cute variations.

This used to be a skirt for me... now a dress for Lill Was velvet dress for Lilli and a scary sparkly shirt that my mom was getting rid of... Now a skirt for Lilli.

Was a skirt I got an clearance for about $3, but a size XXXX-something. Now a dress for Lilli and the old zipper became little rosettes. I also made matching hair flowers out of extra fabric.

Car Seats and Diaper Bags

4 years ago, when I found out I was having a 2nd daughter (after 3 boys a girl and 3 more boys) I could not hold back the girliness. I recovered our blue and red port-a-crib with pink, made new sheet and a comforter for it and I knew I had to recover our very worn out boyish navy blue car seat cover. I needed something that celebrated my baby girl. I took apart the old cover and used it as a pattern. It was a very simple look, but unique and my own thing. This was before the car seat makers even offered any thing other than the gender generic prints. I couldn't find a picture of that one but here are a few of the others I have made for family members. Some of the shots aren't great and some were not taken of the car seats themselves so you get baby pics too.

I wish I had a better photo of this one, because it had pink pom pom trim. It was so much fun with the green and pink flower print.

This one was more shabby chic. The canopy had a coordinating lining of pink and off white stripes and a green polka dot ribbon trim and bow on top. I also made a matching diaper bag with the same green ribbon trim.

Again not a great shot of the car seat but this was one had a darling retro feel to it, but still very girly. The top of the canopy matched the head rest fabric.

This is the first one I made for a boy. He was almost a 4th of July baby so his mom thought it would be fun to have a patriotic car seat for him. It turned out great and full of spirit.

I made another cute boy one but I don't have any pictures of it (Dandi if you have any feel free to post it for me).


This one was to celebrate a first girl so it had to be super frilly. I added a flower, ruffle and tulle to the canopy to really make it fun. Then I made this quilted diaper bag out of two place mats and some coordinating fabric. I love the size too. I am not a giant bag girl. I like it big enough to get the job done.



When I was asked to make this one it came with the request that it have blue in it but still be really girly. After MUCH thought and TONS of trips to LOTS of fabric stores I came up with this. Totally girly and a matching bag, again out of quilted place mats and coordinating fabrics.


I am giving thought to make them for hire. I have not settled on a price yet, but let me know if you or any one you know are interested. I just need the old cover and canopy to make an exact fit for your seat.