Re-crafting a tee shirts

I love to sew cloths. I also love a good tutorial. Here is a great one, I just wish I still had some old maternity tees or plain men's tees to use.

Source: sugarbeecrafts.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Head Bather

Sewing tips

• Wind multiple bobbins to start a project. Or just use white or black bobbin thread.

• If you are designing something with small pieces (like quilts or fiber art) warm and natural batting tacked to your wall makes for a great design board. Cotton fabric just sticks to it.

• Thread snips are a great tool, even better if you can wear them around your neck to trim seam tails.

• Boxes of organized notions. I have one with zippers, another one with buttons and fasteners, and another with piping, elastic and seam binding tape. I have them on a shelf over my head when I am at my sewing machine.

Vintage sewing kit at MmeRubys on Etsy

• Boxes or shelves of fabric by kind. I have large opaque bins with labels on them like, Shirting, Quilting, Upholstery, Suiting, and Knits. Yes I have that much fabric.

• Patterns organized by top or bottom, dress, kids, mens or sportswear ensembles.

Things will get messy every now an then, that's when it's time to reset your room and see if some organizational tool isn't working for you (you find it difficult to accomplish, not just that you hate cleaning up, cause lets face it you have to clean up every now an again when you are creative). I thought having my bins on a book shelf next to my sewing machine would work but it didn't, I had to put up a wall shelf above my sewing table and now it's much more fluid and usable.

Enjoy,

Head Bather

The Neggroni

The shirt came out so well I can't wait to find more fabric that the man will wear. He's a bit particular, no short sleeves (hmgh), maybe plaid, and mostly black and gray. I have been avoiding most linen blends as yours truly is the one to do most of the ironing.
Thanks Colette Patterns!

Head Bather

House slippers

My home has lots of tile and stays fairly cool (though it's in the 80s in March that can change in a few days here) and my feet are always cold. It's almost a guarantee that I can get the mister to yell and shiver if I touch him with my feet under the covers. So I need slippers for around the house to warm my frigid toes. I have tried drafting my own pattern and with motherhood and a craft habit bordering on hoarding I decided not to reinvent the wheel. So I bought a pattern for fleece boots and house shoes (for warmer months that don't require calf warming) from SewingWithMe on Etsy.

I have come across the pattern many times and have cut it out but not assembled yet. I will get to it soon but have to first get some RitualBath products made.
Here are the cute house shoes that I will make in a few weeks, so cute too!

Happy Crafting,
Head Bather

What happens when an old tee shirt meets a crafty lady?

Lots of new cloths for a toddler that's what! I spent most of yesterday sewing away, trying to make my scrap stash dissipate. There were tee shirts the hubby had spilled too much on or jeans that I could no longer mend or tank tops that just didn't do it for me anymore.

I knew I wanted to make lounge/jammie pants out of most of the tees for the kiddo, but there was an old calico skirt and some tanks that were the real conundrum. What to do with a tank when the kiddo is almost in 5t, there wasn't much fabric. Ruffle cuffed bloomers to the rescue!

 The pants turned out great and the kiddo now has more play cloths to run around in. I made a car blanket out of the old jeans, it's not pretty so it will not be photographed but it's exactly what I needed.

Oh and I just had to share, ever since teaching the kiddo to dress herself she knows what the front or back of an article of clothing is by it's "bum tag" so she doesn't go walking around backwards looking. I sewed an inch of pink bias tape on the back of each pair just so she knows what's what.

Love y'all,
Head Bather

Recycle clothing, Do you?

My Mom is the queen of finding me cool little things and she recently sent me a care package from FL (yes I'm an adult with a family and my Mommy still sends me care packages and I love it). Inside there were some new sewing notions to try out so I am dedicating this post to her, thank you for supporting all my crafts, even if they aren't quilts! I love you Mom.

My toddler is now potty trained but not button/zipper trained therefor when she goes to the bathroom by herself she needed to be able to pull her shorts up and down on her own. It's tough because I know she needs to learn how to use buttons and zippers it is more important to me that she is able to use the restroom on her own. So I made her elastic waist shorts that are stylish and a re-purposing of an item of clothing I already had but didn't use.

She seemed to like them!
Step one gather all needed materials: men's polo shirt, tailors chalk or something to trace with, pair of knit shorts that fit the kiddo now, scissors, sewing machine and thread. Extra: contrast color for heart pocket.

Step two trace the current pair of shorts against the right side, side seams. Make sure to get enough extra for your seam allowance and elastic casing at the top. I used the original hem and side seams to save myself some work.

Step three: flip the shorts over and repeat on the other side or use your new cut out leg as your pattern and carefully cut against it's edge.

Step four: turn your new legs inside out so that you can first stitch the inseam, Then put one leg inside the other right sides of fabric together and stitch the crotch seam. Turn the pants inside out and stitch a casing that will fit whatever elastic you have available, this about recycling and re-purposing so get creative if you have to. I didn't have white elastic so I used 3/4 inch black knit elastic, and black thread, not because I didn't have white but because it was already on my machine. I know kind of lazy, but it work out for me because.

I then stitched a decorative edge around a purple heart pocket (so the kiddo would know what side was front and what side was back) and a black heart deco stitch on the hem.

I love it so much I made a matching tank top out of the old tank top that I cut up for the pocket. I'm still not sure how much I like the tank so it may become a tutorial or may not. I don't have a serger and my abilities with the kind of fine knit the tank top is made from is not up to par, so it's ok but not oh la la like the shorts.
Thanks for checking it out and I hope this project inspired you to make something fabulous with your stash!

Signing off,
Head Bather

Coleslaw anyone?

Featured Creations: May 17th - May 23rd

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A very cool creation from a member of BurdaStyle.