Upcycle Project: Men's Shirt to Baby Pants and Onesie

I really began to sew when my first child was due. I was pretty much self taught at that time. I sewed out of neccesity, as funds were tight (aren't they always?) and because it helped me feed that "nesting feeling". I loved sewing for all my babies but sadly my babies are big now. Well, yesterday a friend of mine found out that her soon to be 6th child (I have six too) is going to be a boy. Wow! I'm sew excited for her. They only have one boy now and a whole lot of girls, just like me.

I went to my local thrift store and got some great deals. Lots of baby boy clothes and it was one of those fill a bag for $5.  She likes to shop at thrift stores too, so I knew she'd appreciate my bounty. I brought them home and washed them and delivered them to her but I kept a few because I plan on adding to them and making them even better. One of them is a little white newborn onesie. I also got a supply of men's shirts from a friend so I used the sleeves of one of the shirts to make newborn pants and to embellish the onesie with a 'tie' applique.

Here's a little tutorial of how I did it.

First of all, you need a simple pants pattern. I got this newborn pattern from the Made By Rae blog. You can find it here. Check out her blog, it's great. Her pattern is not for lined pants but it is easy to line them. The shirt fabric I used was very thin and my friends baby is due in October so I thought I should line them. I had some medium blue flannel in my stash so it worked out great. I basically made the outfit for free.

First I cut the sleeves off of the shirt. This was an extra large men's shirt and it was the perfect size for newborn pants.



As you can see the sleeve is the perfect size for baby pants.

  Cut out 2 pattern pieces in your outer fabric and in your lining fabric, in my case, the flannel.



Two pieces cut from each fabric



Pin the outer fabric to the lining with right sides together and stich along the bottom of the legs with a 1/2" seam allowance.





 Press the seam, then flip over where wrong sides are facing each other and press again. Then top stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance.
I also used a basting stitch along the top to help keep the lining and outer fabric together.

Now that the outer fabric and lining is joined, treat each leg as one piece.


Pin the two legs together and stitch the two pieces together from the top of the pants to the crotch but be sure not to stitch the legs. Use a 1/2" seam allowance and finish and reinforce the seam in whatever manner you like. I used my serger.

Now match up the two pieces and stitch from the bottom of the leg, up the crotch and back down the other leg.

Now follow your pattern directions for adding elastic. My pattern called for a 13" waist. If you use the Made By Rae pattern, she has complete directions with her pattern.

I like the look of the cuff turned up so you can see the lining.


Now on to the onesie. I drew a little tie and ironed some fusible interfacing to the back of the fabric then used spray adhesive and pins and attached it to the onesie. I used a small zig zag stitch along the edges of the tie. Be sure and use some stabilizer inside the shirt for best results. This onesie was so small that it was a little difficult to do the stitching, but was able to do it.

Isn't it cute?

Isn't this a cute little outfit? And I only had to use the sleeves of the shirt which leaves the rest of the shirt for something else.

This was great sewing therapy and my friend has a nice new baby outfit.

Happy Sewing,

Susan

 

Friday Night Sew In Results

Have you every tried sewing with a child? Well, I have taught sewing for years and have enjoyed sewing with all my kids but it does slow you down. First, she couldn't decide what she wanted to sew, then she decided and changed her mind. Then, she decided to make a dress for a stuffed dog out of very slinky fabric. Well, that was a fail. So, I decided to direct her in making a pillow case dress for her doll. Not only did she do all the sewing on her own, but she put princess seams in the dress. I was so proud of her.

In between helping her I was trying to make a camera strap cover. I did make it and it looked good until I accidentally cut the strap after I finished the cover. 

 I was able to finish one pillow case but nothing like the 35 we made last year. I made it in a bright flannel so it will be suitable for a boy or a girl. I will try to make another one before I put this one in the mail on Monday. So, my FNSI had some successes and some failures. However, the smile on my little girl's face after she finished her dress was priceless.

I hope you had a good Friday night.

Happy Sewing,
Susan

Friday Night Sew In

I've decided at the last minute to participate in tonight's Friday Night Sew In. This month is a special one because bloggers from all over are going to make Pillow Cases for Conkerr Cancer. I've got to hurry up and find fabric in my stash for pillow cases. My family and I made 35 of them last year, but I'm sure I have more fabric to use for the cause.

Here are the 35 pillow cases we made last year. I will probably only make one pillow case tonight. My youngest daughter is going to sew with me tonight. I'm not sure what she is going to make yet, but I hope to make a camera strap cover, since my strap was mysterioulsy cut last week (no one knows how it happened). I hope you all are having a great night. Happy Sewing, Susan

My New Favorite Sewing Tool

This week I've been busy hemming jeans for a friend. I'll share a secret with you. I hate to hem jeans. Actually, I hate doing alterations all together. I'd much rather make something from scratch than to alter it. When people hear that you sew they assume you can do all forms of sewing but not all sewing is the same. However, I agreed to hem these jeans. In the process, I broke the screw that holds my presser foot off in the machine, I broke 4 needles and jammed my machine up pretty good. I was fortunate to find a local sewing machine repair man and he got me back in business really quick. His name is George and I will share his information at the end of this post, in case you are in the Jacksonville, Florida area. I did a little research on the computer as to how to make this jean hemming process easier. I found several videos on Youtube and several of them shared a hint that I wish I had know years ago. And it is to use your hammer on the flat felled seams. It's so simple. You just pin the hem the way you want it and take the jeans outside to a concrete area and whack the seams a few times. It's amazing! It flattens the seams without causing damage to the denim. You want to use caution and not whack too hard and you can use a cloth underneath the jeans for extra protection, however, I didn't find it neccesary. I was so excited about this new trick that I showed my daugthers and told them this was a life lesson they needed to know. If you have jeans to hem or thick seams to deal with you should give it a try. You many have heard this tip before but if you haven't I hope you find it helpful. Happy Sewing, Susan Sewing Machine Repair George's Mobile Sewing Machine Repair George Hamric 904-571-4493

NoBunny loves you Like Jesus/ Goodies

I came across a really cute idea when I found the blog Detail Oriented Diva. She had some really cute goodie bags with 2 Bunny Peeps in them with a tag that said "For my Peeps". It is adorable. You should check out her blog, she has some really cute things.

I loved the idea but I changed it up a little. I found some small clear zip lock bags in the craft department at Walmart. I got 100 of them for about $2. I bought some blue and pink Bunny Peeps. I only wanted one bunny in my bag and it fit perfectly. I wanted the label to staple to the top of the bag instead of tying it on. After I decided how I wanted it and what I wanted it to say, I handed it over to my tech support (aka my teenage daughter) and she designed it on the computer. I wish I could do that stuff but I'm just not there yet.

Next, I decided the bunny needed a little grass in his baggie, so I used some green food coloring to color some sweetened coconut. I just put the coconut in a ziplock bag and added about 2 drops of food coloring. Then I used it to play catch with my youngest daughter, but you can just shake it up if you prefer. I put one teaspoon of grass in the bag, added a peep. The labels have a greeting on the back. I cut up the printed labels and folded them in half so you could read the message and the front and the back. I stapled each side near the edge. I am so happy with how these turned out. I am making about a hundred of these to give to people at my church on Easter.

I was hoping to make pdf file to share with you but my 'tech support' had a date and didn't have time to do it for me. But please feel free to use the idea and make some for yourself. I can't wait to give these out on Sunday.

Welll, my peeps, I've gotta go get dinner on the table. I wish you all a Wonderful Easter.

Happy Everything,
Susan

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Daisy Kingdom Easter....Apron??

Being the mom of five daughters, I have bought my share of Daisy Kingdom fabric and Daisy Kingdom patterns. You know...the nice frilly dresses with puffy sleeves and big twirly skirts. Yes, I bought them, stored them and sadly did not make them in time. My youngest daughter is 10 and my oldest just turned 18 and I am going through some strange emotions. My son is 22 and out of the house, my 18 year old could be soon and I am feeling time fly way too soon. So, I'm trying to hold on to those precious moments with my younger girls.

I was determined to make a nice Easter dress for my youngest daughter so I went digging in my stash and I found my Daisy Kingdom Easter fabric. I found it in blue and pink and I called her in the studio to choose her favorite. That's when she informed me that she had already chosen an Easter dress from some hand me down dresses given to her by some friends. And that's when it hit me. You missed the frilly dress stage with all of them. Wow! Time flies way too fast.

I decided to make lemonade from lemons, so to speak. I was determined to make something for Easter with my Daisy Kingdom fabric that I have held on to for so long. I made myself a really cute apron. I took the design from the bottom of the panel and added to the top part of the apron and added a cute little yo yo. I think it's cute and hey....someday one of my girls may want it. One can hope. I also decided to make a Easter basket/tote bag for my daughter. It is almost finished, I just have to add handles. I will try to post a photo tomorrow.

If you are reading this and you are a mom, just a word of advice. Don't worry so much about whether the house is totally clean. Instead, play with the kids when they ask you, go for that nature walk and by all means, make those frilly dresses while they are young enough to enjoy them.

Happy Sewing and enjoy being a mom,
Susan