Yay or Nay - Gathered skirt with lining that shows?

I made this skirt out of a pillowcase. Initially, I made it to sell at a fair. However, because I was experimenting with different ways of installing the elastics, I think that the band is way too messed up. What was I doing? Well, I wanted the waistband to be flat in front and gathered at the back. It's not bad, but definitely imperfect.

No way I'd be selling this skirt. So, I guess I'll have to keep it for spring and wear it myself :). I don't care if it's not perfect. I still think it's beautiful.
My friend asked me why wouldn't I give it away. I had thought about this too, but no way! I guess, if I'm giving away something, it has to be good enough that I'd be able to sell it too.

Anyway, I had cut the pieces for this skirt about two weeks ago. The awesome Claudia, whom I met through wardrobe refashion was at my place for a sewing session at that time. She gave me the idea for having the lining show on the gathered skirt:



What do you think of the lining peeking through like that? Yay or nay?

Oh.... and are you like me? Things you make for others must be perfect, but you are able to live with less than perfect pieces for yourself, because you made it?

Men PJ Shorts and a Question.

About a couple of weeks ago, my husband asked me if I could repair one of the pockets on his favourite pants.

Him : It's been like that for months, and I think I keep losing change.
Me : No problem, it'll take me less than a minute. *muttering to self about lost coins*

A minute later, I returned his pants.
Him : That is so cool!!! Thanks!
Me : Uh.... Okayyyyy. You're welcome. You know that I sew, right? Like, clothes and all. It stands to reason that I can fix a hole or a button quite easily
Him : Yeah, but you don't sew for me. This is so cool!!!" He's still checking out his repaired pocket.
Me : Do you want me to sew for you?
Him : Well, only if you want to.
Me : You're right, clothing for men can be so boring.
Him : *grunt*
Me : *grunt*
(After over 10 years of marriage, grunting is a viable means of communication.)

A few days later, we agreed that I can make him flannel pj shorts, because he couldn't find any similar to the ones he already has.

You know, I only need one pattern piece for his shorts. I traced it off the existing pj shorts:
For any newbies out there, here's the cheat sheet I used long time ago when I started making shorts and pants for my kids. Works the same for men's shorts :)


Here are the shorts:

whoosh! Bright flash, I had to take the picture at night.

The question I have is, does anyone know what this is?
It says "Trimtex" on the top. I know that Trimtex makes buttons and well, trims. However, I'm clueless as to what these are used for. They came in this pile of buttons that I bought at a flea market on the weekend:
Thanks! Su

Bumpity Bump - Craft Fail?

Bumpity bump. Life's like that. If there are no potholes. ditches and trenches on the roads of our lives, we would not be able to appreciate it when the rides are smooth, would we?
So, this week, I've had a few little trips and slips, but luckily, it was nothing serious. I'll spare you the details, but it has to do with some sickness at home, little things going wrong and lots of craft fails :)

Hey, want to see one of my craft fails? It's pretty funny...

Umm..... it is supposed to be leggings for my daughter. That is if she has no butt!

The project started off as an lovely, but stained and ill-fitting cardigan.
I was going to put some buttons on the cardigan. That failed miserably.
Did you know that you need a stabilizer if you are going to sew buttonholes on stretch fabric (see this tutorial)? So, don't make the same mistake I did, otherwise you'll end up with overstretched floppy buttonholes.

When that project failed due to wonky buttonholes, I thought that I should make leggings for my daughter so that I don't waste the sweater. Hah....! You saw the result of that! :)
Now, what? Leg warmers???

So, what happens when things get too complicated? I usually get back to the basics. It's either that, or put aside my sewing, something I don't want to do. I belive that this doesn't just apply to sewing. I think this applies to most things in life. When things get too convoluted, it is time scale back and cut down.

Well, here's what I made to calm me down. Booboo bags. Little bags for the freezer, for when the little ones hurt themselves.



All the fabric used are recycled - the bags are for the green fair that I'm going to. I am going to make some boy Booboo bags next. Of course, I kept a few in my freezer for my own kids.
They were so much fun to make and I can't wait to make more.

Tutorial: Reversible Slouchy Beret

It is officially fall where I live. I have not always been a hat person, but it is kind of a necessity in the cold fall and winter days.

I had this idea brewing in my head now for several weeks for a slouchy beret. Something casual, something comfortable....
How to make, how to make it without it being too complicated?

So, I'm going to share with you how to make a reversible slouchy beret. I think the hat looks nicer on a head than posed on the chair like that.... I have some pictures at the end of the post.

I hope you like this tutorial!


1) Measure the circumference of your head:

2) Cut out your pieces:

edit: The fabric used in this example is knit. The black knit is cut off a t-shirt. You can use fleece or velour for this beret as well.

edit2: Oops, that is not A x 4". It is just A

A = circumference of your head + 1"
C = [(circumference of your head)/6.283] - 1/2"
B = C + 3"

hehe... my geek shows. 2π=6.283

3)Use the circular pieces to create the top part of the beret. Do this for the other beret too. In my example, I pinned and sewed both the black and the pink top portion of the beret:

4)Now, take care of the bands:


5)Check to make sure that you have the following pieces:
6)Sew the band onto the beret top, and do the same for the other (pink, in my case) beret:

7) What you should have now:

8) Join both berets at the band, but be sure to leave enough room for you to turn the hat:
9)Flip the hat, it's magic:

For more information on how to sew a hidden stitch, see this tutorial

The slouchy beret on my head:

Sorry for such over-exposed photos, that's what
happens when you try to take pictures of yourself.

Please feel free to email me or leave a comment if you need me to clarify anything.
Thanks for stopping by!

...click here to read more

Highly Recommended Beginner's Knit Top Pattern

Simplicity 4076

I had been neglecting my winter wardrobe. I figured that I'd be covered under my huge winter jacket anyway, so why bother? This year, I decided that some less ratty long sleeved tops would not hurt.

I've already done a review for Simplicity 4076, but it was for the faux-wrap top. I have since made all different versions of this top, but I thought I will show you one I made last week. It is the blue version in the photo above, but with 3/4 lengths sleeves.

I love all the tops I've made with this pattern, but I think this one is the best yet.
It is also the simplest. If you are looking for a beginner's pattern for a knit top pattern, this version is the one to make.
There are many helpful reviews (over 150 reviews!) of this pattern on patternreview.com. If you are planning to make this top, I recommend reading through some of these reviews.

Some suggestions:

• gather the top front piece, and place it on the pattern to make sure you have gathered enough, and then sew it onto the band. Much less complicated than the given instructions.
• top-stitching on the neck band is a little unnecessary, unless the neckline really flops over.
  
• almost the whole top can be made using a serger (oh, this makes it a great serger practice top too!)
  
• lazy like me? Roll the hems (even the sleeves) on a serger! Zip... you're done!

edit: one more thing! The tops run a little short, even on me, so you may want to consider lengthening it a little.

On a personal note, I hope everyone had a good weekend!
It was a great fall weekend, and we went apple picking as we do every year.

The requisite haystack ride

Anyone know what I can do with 30lbs of apples? Lol :) The girls are a lot bigger, and can pick a lot more apples now. I did not have the heart to stop them from picking as many as they wish, hence the 30lbs!

Pattern Review: McCall's 5697 Girl's Jacket

The pattern is for a loose fitting, unlined jacket has self-lined yoke, collar and front buttonhole.
I made jacket D, it has long sleeves with buttoned tab. It comes in sizes 3 to 6 and 7 to 14.
For my daughters, I cut size 3 and 4.



The instructions in this pattern were pretty straightforward and I did not encounter any problems with them.


I like the styles of jackets that this pattern had to offer. It is the main reason that I bought this pattern. I actually prefer the 3/4 lengths sleeves, but I'm glad I went with the full length sleeves in the end.
I like how the yoke is self line, but I wish the seams around the arm holes are not as exposed, but it's still a really cute jacket.
As you can tell, I used corduroy to make these jackets. Corduroy was a very easy fabric to work with.

Really, I did not make any major alterations, but I eliminated the button holes on the sleeves. It seemed useless.


I may sew this pattern again with different fabric and with the 3/4 length sleeves for spring.
This jackets came together relatively quickly. It is my first time making jackets and I'm quite thrilled with how they came out. Thrilled!!


The 'Wheeee! I'm So happy with my jacket' photo:
The 'Yes! It is finally cold enough to wear this to school' photo:

Another Polka Dot Skirt - Grown Up Version

Hi! Happy hump day, everyone. Only 2 more days til the weekend! :)

I liked my daughter's polka dot skirt that I decided to make one for myself too:

It's supposed to be a gathered skirt. However, I made a mistake when cutting, and did not like to see fabric go to waste, so an almost pencil skirt it is.

I'm hoping to do a recycle/reuse/refashion table with a friend (I met online!) at the a fair aimed at promoting these sort of green actions. It will be in November. I'm part excited, part scared out of my mind, but really glad to have someone like-minded to share the adventure with. An idea I have is to make gathered skirts out of vintage pillowcases. I like making skirts a lot, and I'm hoping to make some adult and kids skirts. Other than that, I'm not sure yet. I have to find some simple to make, yet popular items to sell. *So nervous* *So excited*

Have a great day, everyone!

Sewing Construction Tip: Do it Flat!

Not too long ago, I was having an exceptionally geeky sewing discussion with a friend. She was complaining about how her old sewing machine does not have a free arm that allows her to easily sew armholes..
When I told her to sew flat instead of round, she just gave me a very blank look. I explained that instead of sewing the front and back seams together, and then set in the sleeves, it is much easier to sew the side seams at the end.

Huh???

1)Attach the front bodice to front skirt.
2)Attach the back bodice to back skirt.
3)Sew shoulder seams.
4)Attach the sleeves to the shoulder without finishing the sleeves first
5)Then sew flat: from the sleeve hem, all the way down the body's seam all the way to the bottom of the skirt.

I told you it was a little geek-like.

Sewing ruffled or tiered skirts the flat way is even easier to do:

Let's say you want to make a simple ruffle or two-tiered skirt:
You would prepare the skirt by gathering the longer pieces to line up with the shorter ones:

Usually, you would sew the seams of the top pieces together and seams of the bottom pieces together.
Instead, sew the front bottom piece to front top piece, and the back bottom piece to the back top piece:
Finally, with the right sides together, sew the side seams! Simple flat sewing without a lot of fiddling:
View from the front after sewing:


You've made yourself most of the skirt without too much hassle. Now finish off the hem at the bottom, add an elastic to the waist at the top, and you are done!

My Kitchen Cabinet's Grand Reveal

OK, ok, so maybe you don't really care all that much what I do to my kitchen cabinets. However, I'm really thrilled that I painted it. I mean, just absolutely Over the Moon, baby.
Yes, what does that say about me, the fact that I'm excited over paint?
Some time ago, I painted my bathroom cabinets, and decided that it brightens up things so much that I would tackle the kitchen as well. It was quite a bit of work, but it was so worth it!

Here's the before shot:
That, my friends, is my funnyman husband's reaction when I told him what I was going to paint. Yeah, he thinks he's funny :)

And after (hehe, ignore the messy fridge, although I do like it messy like that):


Now, I get such a big jolt walking into the kitchen. After walking into a darkish kitchen for most of the past 9 years, it will take me a while to get used to walking into the clean, bright room.

In between the painting and taking advantage of our extended summer (or overdue summer), I fed my sewing addiction by making a skirt for my daughter. I love making skirts because it's quick and satisfying. That was the only time I touched the sewing machine this whole weekend.

Here, my Little Girl is modeling the skirt for me. It's a little big for her, because it's meant for her big sister. I have fabric cut out to make a skirt for her too, and that one will fit her a lot better!

It is time to stop Whining, Su

Two days ago, I was crashed out on my couch, feeling the worst effects of a horrible fever. The Little Girl was on the floor in front of me, contently playing with her Lego. I was feeling way too sorry for myself. *This is so unfair! It's beautiful out.... I don't wanna be sick!* And I would have been stomping my feet on the ground, if this did not jostle the rocks that seemed to be grinding in my head.
So, there I was, lying pathetically on the couch, when my husband and Big Girl came home.
"Mum, mum!! There's a parcel for you!"
You see, parcels are a rarity. We hardly ever get parcels, unless it is a birthday or Christmas.
Foggy brained, I could not figure out who the parcel was from.
"It's from Australia", my man was trying not to be too curious, you see. He probably had ten questions that were being reigned in.

Australia? Who......?
Oh! Then it clued in. It was from Cassie of Cassie's Cuddles! You see, I took part in My Mama Made It's Gift Exchange, and Cassie had emailed me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that she sent her package.

OK, let me show you what she sent. You will be amazed!!

I can't even begin to list all the things she backed into that cute little suitcase.

She even sent a handmade pin cushion! It was as though she read my mind and knew that I would need one to replace the ratty one that I had.

And did you notice all the fabric she included? Oh man.... I just love them!


You must have noticed the chocolates and vegemite as well.

I'm keeping the chocolate safe until I'm over this cold. That way, I can enjoy the yummy goodness of that treat. However, I did try a vegemite sandwich. Hehe... got that song playing in your head yet? You know, I come from the land down under..... oh, stop rolling your eyes at me ;)
I can't tell if I like it or not. I think this cold has dulled my sense of taste. I tasted saltiness and bitterness.

Needless to say, Cassie's surprise shook me right out of my sorry state. In fact, I even had a wonderful time teaching my yoga class yesterday. I sounded like the sexiest Asian Marlene Dietrich evah! Um.... if you can imagine how that sounds like.

So, thank you, Cassie, for your generous gift.

Are you tired of Flowers, yet?

If you've been browsing the crafty and sewing websites, you would have noticed a flower making trend. Flowers on clutches, skirts, blouses. Well, I'm in Flower Bliss!
It is not for everyone, but this trend feeds my obsession with all things feminine.

So, this post is actually about opportunistic refashion. It is about how I sometimes do a refashion without a set plan. It is about how the need for a garment to fit dictates how it is going to be altered.

This is the original top:

OK, yes, I made this top from a tried and true pattern. However, I did choose to ignore the stretch recommendation of the pattern. This made for a top with a very wide neckline. In other words, very ill-fitting.

In order to get this top to fit, I gathered the front and sewed on a flower made from the same fabric. See? It is not as though I planned to install a flower on my chest. The opportunity just presented itself.
(Beware of 3 year olds' curiosity. Mine went, "Flower!", and proceeded to yank the flower from my chest to her nose. If there was someone else around, I would have flashed them.)

I was really sick when I took this photo, but I managed to crack a smile! Then I proceeded to crash on the sofa for the next hour. I can attest to the fact that this top is really soft and comfortable :)

Refashion Jeans to Skirt

In North America, we had a long weekend. If you are lucky enough to have an extended weekend, I hope you had a great time. Unfortunately, my family and I spent the entire weekend recuperating indoors, trying very hard to recover from a terrible cold. We did crawl out of the house yesterday to support the Melon Fest organized by a local farm. It was nice to be out in the warm sun, enjoy some apple cider and eat fresh cinnamon-sugar sprinkled donuts.

See this pair of jeans here?
Well, someone gave it to my husband. It was his size, but when he put it on, it was way too snug. I was thinking of giving it away, but when I tried it on, the jeans actually fit me well around the waist. It was very baggy everywhere else, so I definitely had to refashion it if I wanted to keep it. I decided to try a project that had been floating about in my head for a while now.

Before I did anything, I ran the jeans through the washer, with about 1/2 - 1 cup of epsom salt to soften it. It was still not as soft as I would like, but I decided not to distress the jeans any further.

First, I used a seam ripper to remove the waist band. I did not like the look of the band, and how high the pants sat on my waist with the band on.
Next, I remove the back pockets.
Finally, I was able to do some cuts, as shown in the photo below:



The strips are from the legs of the jeans. Can you see where I was going with this?

Here's the final result:

Background by bittbox

It looks like a regular jeans skirt from afar, but very interesting close up. I debated sewing the back pockets on again, but it would have sat a little too high up. The next time I do this (and there will be a next time) I will adjust the back a little so that the bottom hem doesn't stick out quite as much.

You Big Ugly Pile of Frozen Bananas, You

Do you like my pile of frozen bananas?
I have another 10 in the freezer. You see, I usually bake banana muffins with my over-ripe bananas. However, over the summer, I try to avoid using the oven. Thus, no banana muffins. Which is fine.

Whenever a banana threatens me with it's over-ripeness (yes, I just made up that word), I just toss it into the freezer. They keep well frozen, yummy in smoothies, great for baking. They don't look too good on the outside, but the inside is A-OK, I promise you. Just run the frozen skin under some warm water, and the skin peels right off.

Now that it is starting to get a little cooler, I can actually thinking of baking. So, that's why you get to see my ugly, frozen bananas. Lucky you!

OK, frozen bananas aside, I got interviewed by Wardrobe Refashion for it's Featured Refashionista section.

"Oooooh", my husband teased me when I told him about it.
*Snicker* "Yeah, do you think they ran out of people to interview?", I asked myself.
I talk to myself frequently, since I'm used to it. What with having 2 kids that ignore me and a husband with selective hearing (Hah! Got you back for the teasing me, husband of mine)

Seriously though, I was really flattered when Jessica of Wardrobe Refashion approached me for an interview. How cool is that?
You can read the interview Here.