Reversible Athletic Shorts

As soon as Michael gets home from work, he puts on athletic shorts. The boys want to be like daddy and love wearing them too. The first pair of reversible athletic shorts I made came from a reversible XL shirt I got at a garage sale. I forgot to get a before picture, but you can see how I cut them out. I used the neckline as the waistband.

I found this pair of shorts in a bag of hand-me-downs given to Tate. 

Unfortunately, the elastic was shot. Since clothing makers insist on securing the elastic like Fort Leavenworth, it is a major pain to replace it.This fact is lucky for Mayer- I can cut them down to fit him.

First, I cut off the crunchy elastic waistband. Then I used a pair of shirts that fit as my pattern to cut the shorts down to Mayer's size. I left the bottom hem intact and sewed the shorts like 2 separate pairs. I found using the vinyl presser foot kept the fabric from slipping.

 

I folded one side over 2" elastic and used a knit/ stretch stitch versus a zig-zag. 

 

I folded the white side under and sewed it on the elastic, next to the black. I decided it looked better to also sew the bottom of the elastic.

Sweater Refashion #4

A few weeks ago, I made a sweater skirt. It was a sweater I have had for several years. It was too big, so I made it into a yoga skirt... and of course, so new leg warmers/ boot socks.

As I mentioned in Sweater Refashion #3, I am addicted to cashmere. I have been wanting a pair of red pants for awhile, but I haven't been able to find anything at either of my favorite shops (Goodwill and Brick House Boutique). Instead, I found a red cashmere sweater at Goodwill and decided I would settle for a skirt, for now. It only took me less than 30 minutes to make.

 

I started with an  XL sweater.

 I cut off the sleeves and then cut it off at the bottom of the arm holes. It makes the skirt short, but I will always wear it with leggings.

When I made the green skirt, I used the yoga waistband formula (waist size minus 3 inches) and it almost fell off. It is  made of cotton and is really stretchy. I ended up taking off 2 more inches and it is still fairly loose. Cashmere is also stretchy, so I anticipated the same problem and made the waistband 5 inches smaller than my waist.

Mayer came in for a kiss.

It is a little wrinkled and has some static because I didn't pre-wash it. It is more loose fitting than the green skirt.

I added some lace to my boot socks; unfortunately, it made them look very Christmas-y!

Sweater Refashion #3

Confession: I am addicted to cashmere! It's lovely. I have gotten four sweaters at Goodwill this winter, two for refashioning and two to wear as actual sweaters.
I was initially going to use this one to make Tate a pair of wool shorties to wear at night. I even felted it (technically, Michael did), but Tate said it was still "too itchy." Crazy kid! Since Mayer doesn't need anything for nighttime, it became free reign for me to refashion how I wanted.

I didn't get a before picture, but First, I cut the sleeves off and gave them to my mom to wear as leg warmers or boot socks. (As a peace offering since I kept the sleeves from the cashmere sweater set she gave me birthday present.)
Next, I decided I wanted a hat. I cut off the collar to use as a band around the bottom.

 I have used this tutorial to make all of my beanie hats.

 I haven't decided if I am going to embellish it or just leave it plain.

I cut about 6" off the bottom of the sweater to make a short scarf. I could have left, but I felt like it would have been too tight for my liking.

  I cut it open along this line. It made the scarf 29" long. If I fastened it the way I was planning, it would still be too tight around my neck. I had another scrap about 9.5", which made it a little longer. 

Then I sewed a straight stitch around the outside edge. This line would serve 2 purposes. #1- to keep the wool it from unraveling and #2 it would also serve the straight* line when I embroidered the edge. (* I use the term "straight" loosely because I can't sew or cut a perfectly straight line to save my life!)

I embroidered the edge with a blanket stitch. I am just a beginner, so if you look too closely, it looks a little like I had my 4 year old sew it!

 I fastened it with a brooch, so it wouldn't be too tight around my neck. I embroidered it with a rainbow of colors because couldn't decide on just one color.

Using Fabric Scraps

Confession: I am a fabric scrap hoarder. If there are several inches left after I cut out what I need for a project, I will save it. I have accumulated a lot of scraps that needed dealing with, so I came up with a few projects. I bet you can't tell what color I have the most scraps of...

Bean/ rice bags, scarves (I have made 5 so far), 2 pairs of nighttime boxers (I enlarged & slightly modified this pattern) and 2 pair of cloth trainers (a pattern I drafted)

 

I was really excited by the Grover trainer, but Michael said it looked like a blue Gumby. (Actually, he said a claymation character and I figured out whom he was talking about.) My sister and my mom said it might be able to pass for Cookie Monster, but not Grover. By the way, the lighting isn't very good, but his nose is pink. Even though Mayer's favorite color is blue, he wants me to make an Elmo one too. Thankfully, I think I have enough red and orange scraps in my stash! I might take pictures of the process and share. The pattern still needs a little tweaking too.
A few pictures of with my models:

  

Backpack

This year, I have decided to make most of the boys' and other family members' Christmas presents. The boys don't really need anything. The first project I finished was a birthday/ Christmas combination (Mayer is getting one for his birthday, but Tate has to wait until Christmas).

I made them out of jeans and fabric scraps.

To get see the mini tutorial and the pattern, please visit my guest post on Happily Domestic!

Superhero (Villain) Halloween: Catwoman

Based on the pictures I have seen of Catwoman circa 1960's television, I modified the pattern slightly for her mask.
Inspiration:

My results:

How I did it:

It isn't exactly what I wanted, but it was the best I could get freehand. I used some more scrap material from the maternity camisole I used for Robin's mask and another Catwoman project. I cut out two pieces (they are the same size, just a poor angle).

 I knew I was going to need some extra stability, beyond just fusible interfacing, if I was going to get the cat eyes to stay up like the inspiration mask. I had some leftover felt from Robin/ Mayer's boot covers, so I cut two pieces and used the interfacing to hold them in place.

With right sides together, I sewed around the outside of the mask. Then I peeled the backing off the fusible interfacing and turned the mask right-side out.

 Since the fabric is so stretchy (nylon/ spandex), it took some work to get the seams lined up. I pressed it with the iron to make sure it stayed in place. Then I sewed around the eye holes.

I also stitched part of the elastic camisole strap to each side. Rather than have the mask strap go all the way around my head, it is attached to Catwoman's ears/ headband.
For Catwoman's ears, I used this pattern. I had searched several different times and couldn't find a pattern. Just when I had given up and was going to use triangles, the post appeared in my blogroll... perfect!

 The pattern says cut 4 large pieces and 2 small. I was cutting the small pieces out of felt to give the nylon/ spandex fabric some more stability. I ended up cutting 4 small pieces.

First I sewed around two of the outside edges. I used craft glue to attach the felt pieces. I wanted to ears to curve in a little on the edges, so I came up with a plan using some cord I bought for another project and never ended up using. I used fabric glue to keep it in place.

 I ended up opting to cover my headband with fabric. I used the hem from the bottom of the camisole. It was extra wide, but it made it easier to attach the mask and ears.

 When the fabric glue dried, I turned the ears right-side out. I sewed right next to the cord and in the middle of the ear to help it curve.

Also to help the ears stand up better, I had to put toothpicks on either side of the center seam I made in the ears. They still weren't stable enough to stand up without the toothpicks.

 Since I had decided to cover the headband, I had an ingenious idea to get the measurements symmetrical. I slid the fabric cover off and laid it on my ruler. I measured everything out from the center, pinned it in place and hand stitched them in place. I slid the cover back on the headband and stitched the bottom shut to keep it from sliding.
Voila... a Catwoman mask!

 My smile doesn't look sinister enough to pull off the evil temptress. I will have to work on that! I also need to add some gold glitter to the mask. My hair is really fine, so it is hard to get my hair to poof up like that in the front. I am going to have to do a lot of back-combing and use a lot of hairspray for the Trail and Treat 5k* or if it is windy on Halloween!

 For those of you keeping track, the materials didn't cost me anything to make this mask. That means the total cost of Batman, Robin and Catwoman's costumes is still $1.46, to date!

 * I don't usually dress up in costume on Halloween, but this year we are participating in a local 5k, as a family. Part of the fun is that there is also a costume contest. Since Tate and Mayer are going as Batman and Robin, I thought it would be fun to go as Catwoman. Michael won't dress up, so we are going to tie him up and he is going as Catwoman's victim. The boys are going to ride in the Batmobile/ bike trailer, which doubles as a stroller.

My brother and sister-in-law are also going to run/ walk with us. Michael had some green Under Armor. My brother is going to borrow it and dress as Riddler. My sister-in-law is going as the sound effects. If you have ever seen the 1960's Batman TV show, then you know exactly what I am talking about. If not, you are missing out! They are classics. During the fight scenes, when someone gets hit, things like "POW!", "BIFF!", and "ZAP!" pop up on the screen. I'm super excited and will be sure to post pictures!

Another Recycled T-shirt Post

A few months ago I found an extra large men's Superman t-shirt at Goodwill. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I snatched it up because Tate has been on a superhero kick lately. I really wanted to make a homemade gift for him for his birthday. I began to wonder if I could make an adult t-shirt into a child's size. The best information I could find was on this blog post. She has a before, during and after picture, but I like more step-by-step visuals. I also wasn't sure how to adjust the collar.

 Michael always manages to get holes in the armpits of his t-shirts. He continues to wear them until I steal them for repurposing. I'm a scavenger (or thief, if you ask certain family members) and since I have figured out how to alter them to a child's size, his holey t-shirt collection is now in serious danger!

 Tate wears a 5T or youth extra small t-shirt. I decided to go a little larger (youth small), so he could wear them longer. The first step is to line the t-shirts up, small on top and large on bottom. If you want precision, you could certainly pin them together before you start cutting.

 I cut the bottom off first.

 If you cut the bottom of your large t-shirt just below the outer-most stitch, you will have a pre-made bias tape for the bottom of your shirt! A nifty trick I learned here.

 Using your small shirt as a pattern, cut around the outside edge, leaving a seam allowance. I forgot to take a picture when doing the sleeves. I started to worry it wasn't going to work was really anxious to start sewing, so I finished one shirt and then forgot to photograph a step when I started back up with the second shirt. I think you can see what I did in the next picture.

 I followed the seam on the body of the t-shirt, including notching out for the sleeves. I matched the seamed edges of the two t-shirts together and cut the sleeve to the size I needed. I should have cut the collar here, but I was too nervous. I couldn't find any tutorials on how to make a neckline smaller and I really didn't want to chance messing it up.

 Now, it's time to start sewing! Sew up the sides of the t-shirt and the bottom of the sleeves, where the white lines indicate.

 Then sew the pre-made binding/ bias tape along the bottom to finish the edge. I used a zig-zag stitch, mainly for decorative purposes.

The sleeves can be a little tricky. This is the only part of the project I pinned before sewing. The right sides need to go together. I line up the seams that I made on the side of the shirt and the bottom of the sleeve, sewed them on.

Viola... two recycled adult t-shirts into birthday presents! He loved that one came from Daddy's closet and of course, Superman! (Superman trivia: he was raised in Kansas. I know this fact, but I've never seen his movies or read his comics.)

 As you can see, the necklines are pretty big.

I guess I'm going to have to practice using those t-shirts from Michael's drawers!