Clothing Modifications $0

I am officially over my nervousness to cut up my existing clothes in an effort for them to be more tailored or more to my liking. I've had this checkered shirt that I never wear because the sleeves are too floofy. So I used my new gathering foot (SHAZAM! *sound of my old world shattering*) to cinch up the sleeves.

I also made a little exposed seam coming down from the shoulder to the edge of the sleeve. Now I'm prarie chic. It works for me.

I've also had these gray capris for years and they bore me despite their usefulness and durability. I was making muffins when the foil muffin liners inspired me to make a "cupcake cuff." I unpicked and unrolled the cuff that had been sewn in place and then sewed six pintucks instead. I like the oddity of them and Lucy is clearly enthralled with the makeover.

So easy. These clothes were old, so if I had messed up terribly I wouldn't have cared. It's easy to sew when there's no pressure to succeed or fear of failure. Just do it! Mess with something!

Cloth Napkin Bunting $6

I received these napkins as a wedding gift. I seldom use them. (Fire engine red is a little too saturated for my home's liking.)

So I chopped them up and made patriotic buntings to hang at our cabin every July 4th.

I made a triangle template from a piece of cardstock and traced it on my napkins and other fabric. (I bought navy, cream and red fat quarters for $1 at Walmart.)

I sewed two triangles right-sides-together, turned them inside-out and ironed them to get crisp edges. Then I sewed 1/4" from the edges to reinforce the shape. I inserted the finished triangles into the folds of navy extra wide double fold bias tape. I made 8 flags per bunting and spaced them 4.5" apart. (I would have preferred to make 9 flags since these things always look better with an odd number of shapes, but hey, sometimes life only gives you enough fabric to make 8.)

The bias tape came in 3 yard lengths, which was perfect. Each pack of bias tape was under $2. Bias tape is manufactured in several colors. Sew the bias tape's non-folded end shut with the triangles inserted inside. Last step: make a loop with the end of the bias tape and zigzag it in place for hanging.

I was able to make two 9-foot buntings with the fat quarters and napkins.

Buntings are awesome. As awesome as cake bites. I'm sure they are both fads that will pass but for now I am loving them both.

Footie Pajama Mooshy Bunnies $0

RE's old footie pajamas. They used to have feet, but RE is growing like a weed these days and I had to whack the feet off and give her elastic cuffs so that she could continue wearing them all winter.

Created by Holly Keller of Beeper Bébé. Pattern for her bunnies found here.

Materials needed:

Fabric for the bunny (old clothes/real purchased fabric)

Polyester stuffing

Embroidery floss and needle (for the face)

Pom-pom tail

I obviously altered the pattern a bit. I did not use old striped tees (though so cute). I opted to use the stuff I had, which was dessert-motif fleece. I was able to make seven bunnies with RE's pajamas.

I didn't stuff them as much as the tutorial shows. I wanted them more like those Minky squares that have animal heads attached. I also didn't choke my bunnies. I liked their necks loose.

I made RE's Mooshy Bunny the day she had the 24-hour flu bug. She was so happy to get a prize on a sick day. RE is also a very tidy girl and can't handle stuffed animals on her bed, so she likes this bunny because he tucks in the pocket of her backrest pillow. He's very small. Just the right size for a tweeny 11-year-old that is stuck between wanting to be a teenager and a little girl.

RE's Easter Dress $7

 

 

Materials:

Old shirts from SIL "Leesh" (they were all stained and therefore could not be donated to Goodwill)

One of Greg's old white Sunday shirts for the bottom "stripe"

Lace for the hemmed edge ($7)

I had to add a button to the bodice for RE's little body. I also had to add five darts to make it fit her. Lucky day: the sleeves were fine "as is." I hate messing with sleeves.

I used the smocking from this gauzy cotton shirt for the waist.

I made a strip with pintucks for a little textural detail.

ReDEUX projects really aren't about the money for me. Making something out of nothing just gives me satisfaction, especially with things that are termed "unusable." I know I am not the greatest seamstress yet, but I love hearing my daughter say I'm awesome and seeing her twirl in it. I also love that RE outgrew a shirt with neat embellishments on it this week and saved it under her bed for a ReDEUX she has in mind. Teach 'em while they're young!

Garnet Hill Knock-off Dress $0

This dress only happened because:

1) the stars were aligned the week I was in Colorado

2) Mother Bear and SIL Steph are patient people who sat and watched me work at a snail's pace

3) Mother Bear had navy cones for her serger (mine only has white, which would have looked awful)

4) SIL Steph is a whiz at gathering AND determining the perfect hem length

5) Mother Bear and SIL Steph are both very good at teaching how to edge a neck opening

Boy was I glad I saved this ugly knit dress for over a decade! I originally bought it at J.Jill and thought I was Miss Thang in it. Now that I see the hood, the pockets, the awful sleeves, and the hood again (!) I think I was really Miss Thang Posing As a Polygamist's Wife. Eww. Why didn't anyone stop me?

You can imagine how excited I was when I saw a dress in the Garnet Hill catalog that looked like a ReDEUX possibility. 

SIL Steph taught me to first cut the whole dress up into parts. I had the bodice and the two skirt pieces. We made the waistband with some of the skirt excess. See those poor GIANT pockets off to the side? I felt bad tossing them. I probably could have made my dog an outfit with them.

After a waistband was made we gathered the top of the bodice to it. Hey, it's looking less homely already. I know, you really just want to see the hood get whacked. Soon, my pets. See the printout from Garnet Hill's website of the dress I was trying to copy?

No hood! Shorter sleeves! What happened between the beginning bodice and the end result was me hunching over Mother Bear's fab sewing station for two late nights while I listened to her Rod Stewart CD. I actually played his rendition of "Beyond the Sea" on repeat for the entire second night. Good times. I told my dad about the CD and he was amazed that ol' Rod is singing love songs and not rocking out like he used to. I digress. Mother Bear and SIL Steph taught me how to edge the neck. This was the hardest part. I had to do it three times to get it uniform. This is when I felt bad that they were growing old staring at me sew.

This is the finished product. I'm super happy with it. My one husband is also happy with it. (Get it, one husband?) It's comfy, loungey, machine-washable and dryer safe, and feels really good with leggings under it because then I can sit criss-cross-applesauce safely.