Little Lounger Dress-- Upcycle!

 I had this knit maxi skirt that I got way back when I was pregnant with Riley.  That was roughly five years ago.  It's been stuffed in my closet, storage bins, and a few other places for-- pretty much-- the past four years.  I ran across it the other day and slipped it on.  Sure, it was comfy, but I looked awful.  And a closer inspection revealed a few stains.
Clearly, it was a perfect volunteer for the upcycle chopping block!  I originally thought I wanted to make a maxi dress for Noelle, but then I thought about how she loves crawling on the floor like a dog.  So, instead, I went for semi-long and plenty roomy.  It's a great playdress for her. 

It needed a little oomph, so I appliqued a flower in hot pink and teal.  I used my Go! Fabric Cutter.  Holy cow, that thing makes my life easier!

I love a good upcycle!


P.S. If you read this far, I'll let you in on a little secret.  I have another giveaway coming up soon, and it's awesome!!  Keep your eyes peeled!

Fabric Paint Fun

When I made the kids' cow outfits, I used fabric paint to add the cow spots to Riley's (upcycled) outfit.  I gotta say, I was not a huge fan of how hard and kind of crunchy the stuff was once dried.  Even after a few washes (because Riley really likes dressing like a cow--  no joke), it still has a less-than-desirable feel.


So I thought I'd give fabric spray paint a try.

I was inspired by this pin.  Pretty cool, right?  I grabbed some purple and green paint and sprayed away.  I decided to just do the purple lace-y.  Then I made the green solid. 

I did the front, allowed it to dry, then flipped it over and did the back.

P.S. Noelle's hair is really fun to play with. :)

Eat Mor Chikin

Let's start with the shameless begging and pleading...  Will you vote for us?  I think my calves are pretty cute and would love a little more Chick-fil-A goodness in their lives. :)  Go HERE!

We love CFA in this house.  In fact, it was CFA that taught Noelle what a chicken says (Bok-bok).  How could we not be indebted to them? :)  But really, Chick-fil-A is amazing.  They're customer service is phenomenal, their food is delish, their morals impeccable.  I love a place where I will not only happily wolf down their food but also appreciate their integrity.  Oh, and they can grill their chicken strips, so even a gluten-free girl like me can enjoy!


Plus, they have things like Cow Appreciation Day!  If nothing I've said has won you over, that should.  Dress like a cow and get free food!  Of course, today, we were (and are) cows.  In fact, I made the girls their attire a few weeks back.  That's how excited I was. :)


First, my little bubble romper cow.  The tutorial for the bubble romper is here.  It's pretty darn easy and end up looking so freaking cute, cow or no. :) 

Noelle needed a little red, so I threw some rick rack on her straps. 

But wait!  She needs a cow face, too!

Whew.  Much better!  Oh, and she got some polka-dot "hooves," too. :)

Our littlest calf got some cow shorts (which his little tummy is hiding pretty well) and a cow vest.

He's a chatterbox cow (bull?), this one.  Here he is, talking away.  Love that face!

 And our oldest calf-- leader of the Moo Crew.  She got red accent arm warmers (thanks to Granddad's old pj's!).

And her top and pants were upcycled from old t-shirts that I decorated with fabric paint.

This picture makes me laugh so hard.  It sooooo captures the girls' personalities.

Here's the whole herd!

And the cutest calves in the world... all together!

Hip to Be Square Upcycle Top

I love using loved-on t-shirts to make new clothing for the girls.  I get overly sentimental about things, even worn-out shirts.  Plus, they're free.  And if that weren't enough, it's GREEN! 

So here's the Hip to Be Square Upcycle Top.  It takes about 5 minutes to make, so you can spend the rest of your time deciding how to spice it up.  Leave it with a boatneck...

Or give it an 80's-inspired asymmetrical neckline.

 Cinch the bottom...

Or leave it as is.

Even throw on an applique of some sort from the scraps.

I made both versions two-toned, from two different shirts, but you could do it all from the same shirt, too.

Let's get started:

Materials:
one or two loved t-shirts
elastic (if you want to cinch the bottom)
sewing gear

Instructions:

Cut your t-shirts into squares.  I did them as large as I could which ended up being 16.5".

Place marks 3.5 inches from the center of the top, so you'll have a 7-inch neckhole.

Mark 5 inches down on each side for the arm hole.

Just sew up the shoulders (from one mark to the edge) and the sides.  And then, for real, you're done!

If you want to cinch the bottom, cut a 1/4-inch strip of elastic, about 6 inches shorter than your square (though this doesn't have to be exact).  No pics, but mark the center of the elastic.  Start sewing it at one side seam with a straight stitch.  Stretch the elastic, holding in front and behind, lining the mark you made up with the other side seam.  Then keep stretching the elastic till it comes full circle.

Or if you want to make a funky neckline, do that.  Full disclosure-- I tried this out because there was a little left of this tee's graphic showing. :)

Or use your scraps to add an applique!

Whatever you do, it's sure to be cute! :)

Creating Interest, Ruffle-Free

Ready to see what I've had in the works for this week's color challenge at Project Run & Play?  I'm liking this look for the simple reason that it makes me giggle.


I mean, seriously, Riley could light up the night sky in her new neon yellow outfit.  Ha!


Neon (and the '80s with it) is back, and I've been wanting to work it in to clothes for the girls.  I'm not nearly cool enough to pull it off, but cute toddlers?  They look good in paper bags.  And for the color challenge, I wanted to push myself, since there's so much room for creativity.


Goal 1: Be BOLD with neon!  What other yellow goes with neon yellow?  MORE neon yellow!  That's right... the whole freaking thing is neon yellow, with the exception of some white stitching.

 

Goal 2: Make a dress with ONE fabric.  Figure out ways to make it exciting without throwing in coordinating colors.

Goal 3: Accomplish goal 2 WITHOUT ruffles.  I mean, I lurve me some ruffles, but you just gotta switch it up every now and then.

So here it is-- a jazzed up neon look: Always Buzzin' (John Mayer, anyone?).

How to "work it" without ruffles:
1. Fun sleeves (though I guess this isn't technically a sleeve)...

 2. Piecing.  Oh, piecing is so fun!  Yes, it takes a while, but it's totally worth it... though I am making this comment in hindsight.  After cutting and sewing about a bazillion (or maybe just 24) triangles, I began rethinking my decision, but I muscled through!

3. Flip-flopping the fabric.   I used a solid knit for this dress, so the difference isn't incredibly noticeable (especially on camera... it's the top panel of the bodice), but there's a slight textural change from the right to the wrong side of the fabric.  I think I'm going to try it with a printed cotton, though.  It'll be a little crazy and hopefully cool?!

4. Pockets!  Who doesn't love pockets?  And you can make them in any shape you want.  Just cut out two pieces, sew them right sides together, flip, press and stitch onto the outfit!  Or put them in the side seams (like in the Polky-Nots dress) if you want them but don't want them visible.

5. Applique.  Super easy.  Super versatile.

 

Look at that!  Five different spices, one outfit!

And now, if you want to find us, just look for a neon flash of yellow. :)

Hubba-Wha?? A Late Entry?

Well, who woulda thunk.  I finished enough pieces NOT to feel just silly submitting an entry for the Project Run&Play Sew-Along.  It's my All-American Girls Upcycle! :)

 

It all started with the French braid.  I just started French braiding Noelle's hair, having never done it (ever!) before.  I quickly got very enamored with braids.  There's inspiration 1.

Then I found some old t-shirts that just happened to be red, white and blue.   Inspiration 2.

And I remembered what Noelle looked like after the Independence Day parade, last year.  Inspiration 3.

Ha!  The girl clearly needs attire that is rough-and-tumble.  But I'd also prefer it to be cute.  So I made her a firework flair dress, using all three shirts.  It's a one-shoulder number (ow!ow!) with a braided strap and a cute flower embellisment.  I did a lettuce edge on the blue and red tiers, too.  A white ruffle extends above the other tiers.

 Riley's sporting reversible attire!  She has on the reversible braided piggies tank (tutorial here!) and the reversible fly-away vest, which I made from the same white shirt and a gray shirt, so it's a little more versatile (neutral).

I like how the braid peeks through the separating portion of the vest.

But mostly I just love these two little girls! :)