Sweater Upcycle

I keep coming across the neatest blog posts about upcyling or reinventing things from other items.  I've done a few things in the past, but wanted to do something a bit more dramatic!  So, into my closet I went.  I found the softest sweater that just never fit right.  I thought this could be turned into a cute sweater for Coraline. 

(Super soft adult sweater)

I cut the sleeves and the sweater part below the bodice off.  I used the wrist part of the long sleeve and made it a short sleeve.  I put a box pleat in the back to make it fit a 5 month old.  I also finished the sweater with a ribbon on the hem and a button to close the sweater.  It turned out quite cute.  I get lots of compliments on it when Miss C wears it.

(the front)

(the back with the box pleat)

(the model)

I'm linking it up to Tea Rose Home- go and check it out!

A Sneak Peek

When I was growing up we always had to make our own Halloween costumes.  It was fun trying to be creative and finding things around the house to use.  I think I"m going to try to keep that tradition with Coraline.  So, in that spirit, here is a sneak peek at Coraline's costume.  So far the total cost has been $3.00 (for the tulle) and about 45 minutes worth of time. 

 (Can you guess what that is)

 (I've always wanted to make a tulle skirt)

(Just a few parts of the costume)

Our Afternoon Walks

I absolutely love walking around this lake.  Every part of the trail has a beautiful view.  Coraline loves it too.  She is always wide-eyed and observant as we walk.  We are taking advantage of the nice weather here and visiting it as often as we can.  We even had a family picnic last week. 

(Pretty view)

(She's closing her eyes, because the sun was in them)

(Family picnic time)

They have discovered each other

And it is quite cute.

T-Shirt into Dance Pants

I think this project is soooo cool.  I mean really, who thinks of these things?  I got this tutorial idea from my friend, Jan, who has the YouTube link on her blog post.  You've got to check out the YouTube tutorial to see how easy this really is.

    
I've done two pants.  For both, I've used an XL t-shirt.  It's a little big, but you can always tailor it to fit your body (large t-shirts are too small for me). 

Here are some of the things I discovered along the way:

* This is my great discovery- use a long sleeve t-shirt instead of a short sleeve t-shirt.  You can use the sleeve as your waistband instead of cutting up another t-shirt (like the tutorial suggests).  Fold the sleeve in half lengthwise and cut (the sleeve provides a natural tapering, just like the tutorial suggests).  You will have two pieces now.  Sew them together to create your waistband (sew it in a way that the two pieces create a tube, so you can pass your drawstring through).

(long sleeve folded in half- see the natural tapering of material)

(now cut the sleeve in half- you will have two pieces)

* I created a much smaller tube for my drawstring by sewing a 1/2 inch down the waistband.  This helped the drawstring stay in place and not bunch up so much.

(I put the pen at the place where I sewed)

* If you have a serger, serge your pants.  This will help keep the fray down. However, they are dance pants so if you don't have a serger you will be just fine.

Old T-Shirt

New Dance Pants

Awesome!

I'm posting this link to the Tea Rose Home Link Party, because although this is not my idea, I think it is too cool not too share!

Look at me!

I'm cute as can be!

So, here is a picture of some of the things I've been creating lately-- a denim skirt and birdie onesie.

I used a great tutorial by Homemade by Jill for her denim skirt.  Super easy to make.  I plan on making black and gray corduroy skirts for her to wear this winter.  Because she wears cloth diapers it is hard for her to wear pants that fit correctly.  But a skirt paired with some tights will work great and are pretty cute.

I was all set to do the much blogged about freezer paper stencil for her onesie- except halfway through I found out that wax paper is not the same as freezer paper (has to do with the wax being on one side with freezer paper)!  So, instead, I went old school and traced a stencil onto the onesie and then painted it free hand with fabric paint.  I think it turned out pretty cute, but it would have been sharper with the freezer paper.  Have no fear, I bought freezer paper on my next store outing and have enough to stencil my family's entire wardrobe.  If you want to try this project just type in "freezer paper stencil" and you'll get a million tutorials.

These are incredibly easy projects and can usually be accomplished during her nap time.

Oh, and her hair is growing so fast.  I can actually put a little bow in it now!  Despite the tights, dresses and pink people still ask if she's a boy or girl- the bow should help out with that, right?