Upcycle – Sew Becky Jo

August 17, 2017August 18, 2017

A Refashion and A Scrap Bust

Two nightgowns based on the Seamwork Savannah pattern, more or less. I’ve been tinkering with the arm/bust area and have narrowed it by about an inch at the top on both sides to prevent the gaping I was getting. I also paid more attention at keeping the bias tape facing taut as I sewed. I added 4 inches to length with some leftover Britex linen I experimented with over-dying.

I also have been getting more comfortable with the knew-to-me rolled hem foot.

I don’t quite have it perfected. This time I hemmed before I put in the French seams – the foot does not like to have bulk of any kind roll through it. It worked a bit better, but I’m not quite there. I’ve got a few warbly spots, and a couple spots where it has rolled back on itself, and at the side seams it’s not quite right. For my 2nd time, I’m pretty happy with it, but will need to practice much more.

Linen & wrinkles. Like peanut butter and chocolate. Not my best dye job either… I over-dyed the Burnside Bibs too after this, learning from this blotchy mess, and they came out almost perfect. I used Rit black, a cup of salt, hot water, and was much more patient with the bibs.

The second is a refashion. My mom loved this nightgown for over 10 years and asked if I could salvage some of it. It really is a very soft cotton. I’m not sure how long it’s going to live after the refashion, but some is better than none.

I started with my Savannah-turned-nightgown pattern. Since it was originally a very full henley nightgown I didn’t think to take in much ease, but that proved to be a mistake. There was a huge gap at the back, even with crisscrossing the straps.

I had already put on the binding. Whoops. In hindsight, I should have made a figure 8 with the binding and straps…Live and learn. HOWEVER. I have an excellent jumping off point to re-draft this as an original design from scratch.

Crappy iPhone photos showing gap-mishap. It was was WAY worse on. Dress form linen is a bit sticky, not slinky, and grip the fabric.

I went with the crisscross straps, then I took my rotary cutter and cut an 8 inch wedge down to zero at the hem, and ran it through the serger.

It’s a little slap-dash, but I feel it has a lot of potential. I really like the back. I’m going to start from scratch next time, but I think I’ve got something here. You can probably visualize better here the figure 8 that the binding and straps should be making, and they’d just cover the back and front binding ends so neatly.

I left the original hem on the knit gown.

I had to cut the binding from the sleeves, so technically the stretch is in the wrong direction, but it turned out great. Really flat and solid.

Overall, I’m happy with my double wearable muslins.

April 13, 2013April 13, 2013

Easy Upcycle T-Shirt

I had gotten some hand-me-down jeans for Hazel that I had just finished hemming with that fancy variegated cotton thread….

when I realized the $2.50 Joann’s Fabric sale t-shirt could use some bedazzling. These shirts regularly go on sale, and like I’ve said before, if you’ve got kids, there’s no better deal.

Hazel is like my own little Punky Brewster in that the more it clashes, the better. With that in mind, you can see why she would not let me toss this ~~horrible~~ bedazzling knit dress. We picked up the dress during the Christmas season at Walmart in a panic for clothes to wear to the Nutcracker.

So, it’s time for a mish-mash up cycle! That, and much like Hazel, I’m easily distracted from what I should be working on.

The dress fabric caused a huge mess, but I did manage to remove the bottom ruffle and enough two inch strips to make new binding for the t-shirt.

More distractions…

Now, to LA-style this shirt….cut off the sleeves in a sort of cap-sleeve angle…and cut out the neck line…

Pin classy ruffle to the bottom of the shirt and run it through the serger or zig-zag/overcast stitch.

Laugh at how it looks like a big, pink mouth.

Fold 2 inch strips in half, pin to sleeves on right side…both of these you want to pin to the right side, because that’s how you then flip the seam under and top-stitch it down.

Do not let serger feed dogs eat your pins. That is bad. Also, try to ignore how much lint cheap fabric is causing.

Ok, once they’re all attached…see how poofy the seams are? You’re going to want to top stitch those down.

Like so:

Now, take a photo of your proud daughter making a goofy face.

Then get distracted again by other cuteness…

and more…

February 21, 2013February 21, 2013

Upcycled Wool Owl Pin Cushion

My mom hands me this owl pin cushion and says, “Here, this is for you.”

Of course, I think it’s darling and say, “Wow! Thank you!! He’s so cute!”

THEN my mom nonchalantly adds, “Oh, do you like it? I made it.”

My mother, master quilter extraordinaire, carpenter, gardener…ok, she does it all and with perfection but not that fussy kind of perfection, she does it with that comfortable, amiable perfection…sigh, I love my mom. Anyway, mom once described her wardrobe as Goodwill Chic because she is so adept at finding wool, silk, antiques, and more at thrift stores.

One day she just whipped up a couple pin cushions out of some thrifted wool and gave one to me.

He’s adorable.

He has cute little wings.

Cute owl ears…

A little upcycled wool bottom to protect my fine, fine furniture.

And a darling ribbon…

I will have to get come cute straight pins to do him justice!

Yeah, my mom is pretty amazing.

January 28, 2013January 28, 2013

DIY Cheap Baby Clothes Series – A Little Upcycle

People who sew are packrats. We save old clothes and you can’t throw those shredded jeans out and I can use that nasty old single sock for something and…ok, maybe not that last one in my house but I’ve seen it happen.

In this lovely pile are a few things that are 4 years old or more. In it is also a decent quality kids’ pattern knit remnant I picked up at Joann’s. I always scan the remnant bins at Joann’s for fusibles, muslins, knits, ridiculously impractical flowy things for dress up bins and to practice on…because each remnant is 50% off current price. I say decent quality because it has a pretty good thickness/sturdiness to it.

I don’t recall exactly how much I got it for, but it was only a 3/4 yard, and the fabric is called Fruits N Flowers still at Joann’s…so the MAX I could have paid was $4.86 ((3/4 of 12.99) / 50%).

I sliced up an old nightgown of Hazel’s from a few years ago for the 2″ binding that I would need. The nightgown was from Old Navy and held up pretty well but more importantly it’s really cute cut at an angle and serged with a cream thread.

So, there you go, I “upcycled” an old cheap nightgown! Haha. See, there’s a good reason we’re packrats….eventually.

Finally, I used all the same patterns and steps from the last DIY baby clothes post and voila! Cuteness!

Here is the outfit in action at Hopworks Urban Brewery for a lunch date with other ladies and their babies.

Then after lunch, drinking a bottle before nap-time, doing her best Kanye impression…

Now, here’s a little secret. I actually made this one first….it’s true. It was my test run. On the previous post with the next sets…I adjusted the neckline a bit to tighten it up and lengthened to cover the tummy area for these times when the Kanye urge strikes. All the rest will be in order.

Ok, money. I forgot in my last post about elastic for waistbands. I buy my elastic in bulk from Dove. I use about 20″ at a time for the baby and about 24″ at a time for the bigger kids…so 12 yards = 432 inches. I don’t recall, but even if it was $20 total with shipping, $20/432< $0.05 per inch. I’d say it averages out to about an extra $1 per pants/skirt. Obviously does not apply to shirts.

This was 2 garments at $4.86+$1=$2.93 each.

Next up….that leftover fabric from first post made into binding…and some fabric that reminds me of Sparkle Motion….