Easy Summer Skirts

I saw this online awhile ago, and it is just BRILLIANT.  Luckily I already had some elastic thread in my sewing stash, so I quickly set out to make one of these. 

It turns out, they are so easy and fun that I've made 3 so far and have material and supplies to make even more!  I bought some men's 2XL shirts on a super-cheap clearance rack and made a couple following the directions (although, I found out I had to take in the sides of the top of the skirt about 4 inches BEFORE shirring). 

I also had some cute fabric that I wasn't sure quite what to do with, so I whipped up another skirt using plain old fabric.  I took a skirt I already had to use as a pattern, cut 2 pieces of fabric the width of the bottom of my pattern skirt, and cut a slight A-line to the top (but made the top much wider because the shirring takes in several inches).  Then I sewed the sides together and hemmed the bottom, and did a very simple hem on the top before shirring.  At first it was a little loose around the waist, but I was thankful later because washing and drying the skirt shrunk it to a perfect fit.  It took less than an hour, and the ones I made using t-shirts took even less--about 20-30 minutes!  So fun!

Excuse the bad picture--It's a self-timed shot!

Tutorial: Embellished T-Shirt

 

















Yay, my first tutorial!  I've been seeing a lot of embellished t-shirts in stores lately, and am aghast at how much they sometimes cost, since they can be made so easily!  So, I decided to make one to show you how easy they are.  The one I made doesn't require much sewing skill at all, in fact, you could totally make one without even owning a sewing machine.  It really is that simple. 

I was inspired by the nautical theme that seems to be the trend this spring, plus these embellished shirts from Anthropologie:

($48?? Really?)

And from Target ($15, but still...):

Anyway, here's how I made mine for under 5 bucks.   I found this shirt at Wal-Mart for $4 (regular price)!  They had lots and lots of colors, and I plan on going back soon to get a couple more.

I'm a sucker for seersucker (ha!).  It's just so summery and versatile and preppy.  I got a couple yards a few weeks ago for around $5 on sale.  I plan on using the rest to make a skirt for myself, or an outfit for Liam (or both!).  

(I didn't bother ironing the fabric--the end result is supposed to be a little 'raw' and messy.  As you can tell, I usually don't iron my tablecloths either.)  Next, I cut 4 long strips of the fabric, about 1 1/2 inches wide and running the width of the fabric (44 inches).

There are lots of ways you can make fabric flowers, but for mine I used a similar method to making a flower out of frosting...start in the middle and coil around, twisting the fabric as you go.  I made a couple stitches every 1/4 way around or so.

It doesn't have to be perfect--the goal is 'shabby chic.'  I tucked the end of the strip behind the flower and stitched it into place.  I ended up making 7 flowers, making some much smaller (by coiling around less).

I also cut some leaves (4 fabric thickness) and pinned everything the way I wanted it to look.

Then stitched it all into place! For added texture, I stitched 'veins' on the leaves.  Note: you totally don't have to do this on a sewing machine...it just takes longer by hand. 

All done!

I really like how it turned out!  (Not the greatest picture, it's hard to take a picture while wearing the shirt.)  And for just over $4 and about an hour and a half of my time, not too bad of a deal!

Homemade Easter Treats

It's been a few days since my last post, but oh my, it's amazing how busy the past week has been!  The week before Easter is always a busy time for us, but it's also always very special and meaningful...lots of wonderful church services and family time. 

It was so fun to put together Liam's first Easter basket.  I found many reasons not to do it this year (he won't know if I don't, he doesn't really need anything, I shouldn't spend any money, blah blah blah) but I couldn't resist.  It really was fun, and I was able to do it very inexpensively.  I found a couple of great online tutorials, which I used to make a couple cute little toys which cost (together) less than $5 to make.  Then Rob picked out Liam's first Hot Wheels car (a Dolorean, of course!), I added a cute pair of baby sunglasses, a sippy cup to try out in a couple months, an illustrated Bible, and a little duckie to a basket I got half-price at JoAnn Fabrics.  Here's the links to the homemade toys:
Crinkle-bots

Amish Puzzle Ball

And of course, here's our handsome man with his basket and goodies, and also with mommy and daddy:

Hope you all had a blessed Easter!