a is for apple dress

This was my first attempt to make a dress that was fitted to my exact measurements and didn't rely on gathers to fit. It went pretty good all things considered. 

It started out as a shirt from Downeast Basics. I cut the bottom of the shirt off and used it to make ruffles along the neckline of the dress. Used some awesome elastic I found on Etsy- some sweet fabric from Joann's- and some buttons I found on clearance at Joann's as well.

It's kind of a combination of the Anthro Inspired Ruffle Shirt and the Polka Dot Dress, except I tried to mix things up by adding buttons to each side of the ruffle and made the skirt more fitted. 

I loved this apple fabric so much because of the feel of it- it's a knit, but its kinda nubby in texture and I thought it looked vintagey- like something my grandma would have used to sew with. 

But then I looked at the price tag and it was 12.99 per yard. Ouch! So I put it on my wish list and watched for it to go on sale for a few months. One day as I was browsing Joann's, I walked past this fabric and it was 60% off but there was barely any left of it. (Guess everyone loved it like I do too) So I snatched up the bolt and ran to the cutting counter to see if there was a full yard left. Luckily there was exactly a yard and so I took it!!!! Combined with my extra 20% coupon it cost roughly less than $4 per yard. Steal!

Linked here.

Anthropology Inspired Ruffle Shirt

I came across a tutorial on the Busily Spinning Momma blog and I had it on my Pintrest in about 2 seconds. I loved it and the tutorial is so easy to follow! 

This shirt started out as a long sleeved t-shirt. I found one on the Old Navy clearance for $3.49. With the buttons it cost about $5. Way better than the inspiration that costs $148, huh??

I have seen so many things while window shopping or surfing the web that I would have loved to be able to buy that I haven't due to lack of fundage, but after seeing this tutorial, I am gonna have to try making my own versions of things!!! Stay tuned! :)

Rolled Flower Shirt

I love those rolled flower necklaces that are popular right now and I wanted to make one for my little girl, but knowing her- she would take it off in about 2 seconds. So I came up with another idea that would give me the look but would't tempt her to take it off. 

I just hot glued the flowers to the shirt so it looks like a necklace- but it's not:)

I had been toying with this idea for a couple months now and I had actually made one for my little baby and it turned out cute, but the shirt that I had been planning on using for my 2 year old was a white Downeast shirt that was kind of a staple in her wardrobe. Last night she got into my permanent markers and colored on the top of the shirt... I tried my hardest to get the marker out, but it wasn't budging. So my decision was made easier. It was either throw the shirt away or cover up the marker somehow. 

It turned out great and you can't see any sign of marker. Perfect!

Plus- no outfit is complete without a matching hair bow, right??

And of course we had to make one for little Miss T to match- so here is her version.

I got this onsie at Children's place on the clearance rack for $2.99. It had a little pocket on it that I took off to fit the flowers.

It was cute before but I am liking the after a lot better:) Plus now I have a shirt to go with the Rick Rack Skirt!

I am linked up here.

Thrift Scarf Makeover

As I was perusing one of our many local thrift stores, I came upon this beauty... 

This silk scarf was only $1.98! I snatched her up as quick as you can say "BARGAIN" and came home and washed her and prepped her for crafting... And turned the her into a skirt.

I had seen this idea on the Made blog and I loved it and couldn't wait to try it out myself.

I think it turned out so cute! It's lightweight, cute, and was SUPER cheap- about $2.50 to make total. Can't beat that! 

I am linking up here

Polka Dot Dress Tutorial

Ok... I am being brave. I am going to attempt my first real tutorial...

Keep in mind that I am still very new to sewing (I just started sewing 2 months ago) so I am still working on sewing in a straight line and am working on getting my techniques down. :)

I have had a few people ask me how I made this dress- so here you go!

I originally got the idea for this dress on the Elle Apparel blog (so awesome- check her tutorials out). She has a tutorial to make a dress very similar to this one and I made it but ended up having to tweak it a little to get the fit right for me. So this is what I came up with.

Here is what you need:

T-shirt

1 yard of fabric

2 inch wide elastic

I started by trying on my t-shirt and figuring out where I wanted to cut it off to add the elastic and skirt. I wanted the waist band a little higher so I cut mine off high to make an empire waistline.

So lay your t-shirt out flat and use a straight edge to cut off at the desired length.

Next cut out your skirt. There really isn't a pattern for this part. It's totally up to how you want your dress to look. I will show some different variations of this at the end of the tutorial, but for now I will just show you what I did for this dress. 

So the t-shirt I was using was 15 1/2 inches wide when laid out flat. So I wanted my skirt to be that same width. So I cut the top of the skirt out at 16 1/2 inches wide (allowing for 1/2 inch seam allowance on each side)

Next- I wanted the skirt bigger at the bottom so I used a straight edge and tapered it out so that the bottom of my skirt was 10 inches wider than the top. Again- this can be whatever you want it to be- as full or not full as you want it.

Make sure you have 2 pieces for the bottom of the skirt that are the same exact size. 

(when I made my mellow yellow dress I cut the back side of the skirt in the middle of the fabric not really thinking it through and I ended up having to improvise on the front piece of the skirt to make it work)

Next turn the fabric for the skirt so that they right sides of the fabric are facing each other and pin the sides together so you can sew them.

Next it is time for the elastic. My favorite thing right now is to dye my own elastic to match my dress. (Most elastic comes in white of black so it is nice to have a color to match) I used the tutorial on the Made blog (one of my favorites- Dana is pretty much a genius in my eyes!) to dye mine. 

Here is my only tip- I have used both the Rit powder dye and the Rit liquid dye and I recommend using the liquid to get a more even dye. The first 3 times I tried the powder and I didn't get it all the way mixed up and ended up getting some dots of unmixed dye on my shirts (kinda looked like ink spots) so it was frustrating... Spend the extra dollar for the pre mixed one! I totally think it is worth it.

So with this project I used 2 scraps of leftover elastic from previous projects to make my waistband so I sewed them together on the sides- but usually I use a fresh piece of elastic so I just have one seam instead of 2.

Measure your waist and add once inch to it and cut the elastic to that measurement (this allows for 1/2 inch seam allowance on each end of the elastic. If you are using 2 pieces of elastic like I did, you will have to allow for seam allowances on each side so cut accordingly.

Next, turn your skirt and sewn elastic waistband right side out and and pin the elastic all the way around the skirt. Line up the seam or seams with seam on the side of the skirt.

After it is all pined, sew the elastic to the skirt. I think it is easiest to sew on when the "right" sides of the of the fabric are facing up (if that makes sense) So that you can eyeball the edge of the elastic as you go to make sure you are sewing in a straight line.

Next do the exact same thing with the t-shirt. Make sure it is facing right side out and pin the elastic onto the top of the shirt. Make sure that you line up any seams in your elastic with the seams in the side of the t-shirt- it looks better and it helps you to make sure you are sewing the skirt on evenly.

Next try on the dress to make sure it fits properly and then measure where you want the hem to be and hem up the skirt.

And you are done!!!

Now you have your own version of my Polka Dot Dress!

Here are some other variations I have done with this dress...

The Mellow Yellow Dress

With this dress I used seersucker fabric instead of a knit fabric like the Polka Dot Dress and I wanted the skirt to be fuller so the top of the skirt measured the same as the bottom. Then when I sewed the skirt to the elastic I had to stretch the elastic as I sewed to create the gathered skirt.

The Little Sailor Dress

This dress has a tiered skirt on it. I made this one by skipping the first step of cutting off the t-shirt... Just leave it long for now. 

To make the skirt- I started by sewing the bottom layer of the skirt with a basting stitch at the top of the skirt so that I could pull the threads and create the gather and then pinned it evenly around the shirt and sewed it to the t-shirt. Then I followed the regular steps for the top layer of the skirt and then sewed the elastic onto the shirt just above where the bottom layer of the skirt was sewn on. After both layers of the skirt are sewn to the t-shirt, then you can cut the access of the t-shirt off from underneath the skirts to reduce the bulk. I loved the way this one turned out! The fit was so cute and I loved how puffy the skirt was! 

The Thrift Shirt Transformation Dress

This dress was the same idea but I didn't use a t-shirt. It worked out because you can unbutton the buttons to put it on since it doesn't stretch like a t-shirt does. So keep that in mind when choosing a shirt to make this dress with!

There are so many variations that can be done to make this style of dress. That is what is so fun. There really aren't any rules- no pattern. Just go with the flow and see what you can come up with!

Linked up here.

Little Sailor Dress

Blue is one of my favorite colors! I love all different shades of blue and I always gravitate toward blue clothes, blue fabric, etc. I think it is so cute on little girls too. I just love the nautical look of blue and white stripes... Makes me wanna get on a sail boat and sail away... Maybe one day! :)

Last night I decided to make a dress for my oldest daughter to match the dress I made for my littlest gal to wear to church today. I love having them coordinate- but I like making their dresses just a little different from each other so they aren't exactly the same. I think it is so darling! 

So I made a mini version of the Polka Dot Dress but I added another layer to the skirt it so it was more of a tiered look. 

This dress is so easy to make. We all have old t-shirts that need a little revamp and who can beat $3 for a yard of fabric at Hobby Lobby? This dress cost less than $8 to make and the Thrift Store Shirt Dress cost less than $6 to make. That is why I love sewing. I feel like I can make a super cute dress or skirt or whatever- and if I am thrifty and use coupons when buying fabric or shop sales and clearance bins for fabric, the things I make really don't cost very much and I have so much fun in the process! ;)

Stay tuned for my tutorial coming soon so you can make your own Polka Dot Dress!

Linked up here

Thrift Store Shirt Transformation

When I was pregnant with my first little girl, I was in the D. I. (a thrift store in Utah) and I found this little shirt.

 I thought it was darling, plus it still had the original tags on from the baby gap so it had never been worn... Since it was only $3,  I decided that I needed to have it! ;) So I took it home, washed it, and hung it in the closet among all the other precious outfits I had collected over the past 9 months. Once my little gal was here I realized that this shirt was never going to work for her. It was super short and really wide. It was 3-6 months size, but with my tiny gal it just never fit right- even when she was older. By the time the width would have worked- it was a belly shirt and the sleeves were an awkward length. Bummer! 

When I had my next little gal I thought maybe it might work for her, but since she is even tinier than my first- it definitely didn't work. 

One of my favorite ways to sew a dress is just to use an already existing shirt and just add a skirt to it to make a dress like I did with my polka dot dress and my mellow yellow dress . So I used the same idea to turn this into a dress too.... I cut the sleeves off and added elastic to make little puff sleeves. Some elastic around the waist to bring in the width a little, and added a fun bouncy skirt... I liked the look of the frayed finished edge of the skirt so I didn't hem it- I just left it unfinished. 

So now at 11 months- this little shirt finally works for my daughter. I am so excited to have her wear it to church this sunday!

Now I just need to make some matching bloomers to go underneath!

Linked up here

Mellow Yellow Dress

This dress happened totally by accident. Or by me making a mistake I should say. I had envisioned making a version of the dress I made last week but with light and breezy seer sucker fabric that would be nice and summery. So I got all my stuff to make it... $9 shirt from target, $3 yard of fabric (after the 50% off coupon) from Joann's, leftover dyed yellow elastic from last weeks dress and set out to make a pattern to cut out the skirt.

 It was late when I started this project, (10:30pm- which is usually when I start crafting each night)  so I was a little tired. I figured out that I wanted the skirt to be a little fuller than my last dress... So I decided that I would make it 20 inches at the top and 25 inches at the bottom. A slight flair to begin with and then after sewing it to the elastic to make it gather it would be a nice and bouncy skirt I figured. So I folded my fabric in half and proceeded to cut my pattern (or a lack thereof... just a measurement and a straightedge to cut against) on the fold and opened it up to realized that I only had the back of my skirt cut out and in doing so I had cut right in the middle of the fabric and there wasn't going to be anyway that I could fit and cut the front of the skirt on the fabric in one piece. So I had a dilemma on my hands! So I got looking and I realized that my fabric had this fabulous yellow finished edge on it  and if I used the scraps from cutting the back I could maneuver them to make a front somehow and have a cute decorative finished edge that looked cool and was super easy since it was already finished for me. So I lined up the leftovers and sewed them to the back side of the skirt but I was still short about 3 inches of fabric in the very middle of my skirt in the front. That is kinda an important part! ha ha So I only had about 5 inches of the entire width of the very bottom of the fabric left but the stripes were going in the opposite direction of the rest of my skirt. Another Dilemma! So I decided that I would just make it work and have the stripes go the opposite direction as the rest of the skirt...

So the front of the skirt ended up having a little more of a design than I had planned- but overall it turned out really cute! :) It was a mistake turned out for the better.... So all in all this dress cost less than 15 dollars to make... I got the necklace on clearance at Old Navy for less than $4 and the cute little sweater at Target to finish off my look for $17 (more than my whole dress cost, but I totally justified it since I know I can work it into lots of other outfits too) So there you have it... A dress of my own design. I think I will call it my Mellow Yellow Dress! 

Polka Dots

I decided to make myself a dress.... I had to teach a lesson in relief society today (first time ever teaching in RS- a little nerve-racking) and I wanted something new to wear. I figured I would attempt to make my own!

I was looking at the Elle Apparel blog and found a tutorial that I thought looked fun and made it... it didn't turn out quite like I hoped (the fit wasn't right) so I had to improvise a little and added some elastic and this is how it turned out....

To make the dress it is just a t shirt cut off with a little elastic and some fabric for the skirt. It was fairly simple and now that I know how to make this dress it just might be my go to dress... You can make it your own with different t-shirts (patterned or plain) and then fabric. I think if your shirt is patterned then the skirt looks better plain and visa versa... But it could turn out really cool to have both patterned fabrics if you had the right combination... The sky is the limit... The tutorial is here. 

Once I was done with my dress I didn't want to waste the bottom of a perfectly good t-shirt so I turned the leftovers into a skirt for my daughter. So we were twiners today at church:)

My newest form of crafting...

I have always thought sewing was just one of those things that I would NEVER do. It seemed so tricky and way out of my league! And a lot of it stills seems that way, but slowly, little by little I am learning to make things and I am having fun while I am at it. I have to undo just about as many lines as I actually sew, but so far I haven't given up yet. 

I honestly started thinking about learning to sew when I stumbled upon a sweet sewing blog. It's called Made. It is seriously so awesome! I love it! The girl who makes all the stuff had tutorials that teach you step by step what to do and I have used two of her tutorials to make things for my girls. 

The Shirt Dress

And the SIMPLE SKIRT

If you want to learn to sew or you know how to sew already and you want to try something new check out her blog. I highly recommend it!

The thing that I like the most about learning to sew the way she does is that she makes her own patterns- something that is becoming more and more popular to do. There are so many great blogs out there with free tutorials that teach you how to make such cute stuff. I might just be becoming a little bit addicted to looking at them all! 

If you know of any good sewing blogs- let me know! :) Never can have too many blogs to stalk! (At least that's what I always say!)

Happy Sewing!