Project #27 The Pillowcase Dress/Pattern Drafting

Challenge: Design and make my own pattern
Project: Pillowcase Dress

Walking is so much fun.

I have wanted to make a pillowcase dress for a long time now. I even bought a pillow case at a resale shop in my area in hopes that I would get around to it someday. It did languish in my "someday" project basket for a while longer than I originally planned.

I looked around at a lot of tutorials for pillowcase dresses on line, and there are a TON of them out there. But I wasn't finding what I really wanted. I didn't want the gathered, drawstring look of most pillowcase dresses . . so I created my own design.

That is right, I designed and drafted my own pattern.

Yes mom, I know I should have ironed this before taking pictures.

I made my own bias tape with the left overs from a sheet I used in another project. I love being able to make my own bias tape, so many more options, so little cost.

Ironed, yup that would have made this look a heck of a lot better, I hear you loud and clear mom. 

I even added a little detail on the bottom with some left over bias tape laid flat.

(Yes, we have an avocado sage green piano.)
Crazy hair is the best hair.

Ta da!
Total cost for this experimental dress: $0.50
I want to experiment more with pattern design and pdf pattern making, you know, in all that spare time I have.

Week #25 The Super Fast Shorts!

Daddy helped me stand for this picture. I like standing. 

Last weeks project, the Mash-up Summer Cover-up, was a hit with Lily Bear and the peanut gallery (aka, her sisters) but they decided that it needed some bottoms to go with it. 

I had just gotten back from Santa Fe, 

Bandelier National Monument

my mother was visiting and I needed a quick, quick project. Shorts seemed like something I could get done in an hour or so. 

I was wrong. 

I got them done in 15 minutes. Score!

I used the left over fabric (up-cycled baby towels) from the cover-up and tada, matching shorts. 

Quick, easy, done. My kind of project. I need to do more projects like this.

Week #24 Summer Pattern Mash-up or How to Use your Old Baby Towels

Hot, it is hot out here in Colorado. It always is, every summer, but somehow it always takes me by surprise. We are one lucky family because we have a pool, that we belong to, less than one block away. We spend as much time there as we can and this summer is no exception. As a result, Lily Bear is now our Water Lily. 

However, no matter how hot it is here, when we get out it is shiver time. 

I wanted to make the Water Lily a cover up, but I didn't like any of the patterns I saw out there, so I decided to do a mash-up of two patterns. 

Challange: Pattern Mash-up

Project: Swim cover-up

I took the hood from LBB's Recycled T-shirt Hoodie

and the dress from one of my go to LBB patterns, The Sienna Dress

and I got Lily's new, keep me warm when I am out of the water, summer cover up!

The sun was directly in my eyes for these pictures, thanks mom.

To keep in theme with up-cycling, I used two of Lily Bear's baby bath towels. I love how soft they are and we only use baby towels for about the first six months, after that they are just too small for us. The fabric worked well with these patterns because it has stretch just like t-shirt material does. 

I even added some cut out appliques I took from the hood of one of the towels. Fancy!

My family thinks that the Water Lily looks an awful lot like a pink Jedi master. 

Use the force oh Pink one, use the force!

Week #21 The T-shirt Circle Skirt

For my final t-shirt project for the month of May, I wanted to make a clothing item for Elle Bean. She is a pretty hard to fit pre-teen. We struggle finding clothes that fit and flatter her ever changing frame. She loves that we have made clothes for Lily Bear and the Princess P from up-cycled T's and wanted me to try and do the same for her. We decided on a simple circle skirt. 


Challange: Make Something for the Hard to Fit Pre-Teen from T's
Project: The Circle (Twirl) Skirt


A circle skirt pattern is a very simple to figure out using geometry. I am no longer in high school and don't want to do geometry. As such, I was lazy and let someone else do the math for me. As Ashley at Lil Blue Boo is my go to for knit patterns, I let her do the calculations and bought her Twirl Skirt pattern. Thank you Ashley for saving me from myself.

I don't have any pictures of Elle Bean in her new skirt. She tried it on and loved it, but it has been raining and windy and a rather blustery week here in NoCo. She is visiting with her dad and won't be back in time for the post. I will try to add an addendum to this post with a picture of her in the skirt.

Wow, I really need some help in taking pictures. 

I used two women's T's for the skirt and a tank top for the waist band. I found them at our local thrift store. I have to stay away from the thrift stores because even at 1/2 off prices, I end up spending way too much money every time I am there. 

The waist band, where we usually have problems with Elle Bean, is so soft and comfy. It works great for her. She wants me to make another skirt and make it a little longer next time. I think I can manage that for my Elle Bean.

Week #20 the T-shirt Hat

Challenge: Make Something for Everyone with a T-shirt
Project: The T-shirt Hat

This is definitely going to need to be a tutorial soon. I was hoping to have one done by the time I posted, but it is not to be. I will try to get it out in the first week or so of June. Promise. Pinkie swear.


I wanted to make something this week that everyone could wear.  I thought, "hey, we we all have heads", and so the T-shirt hat was born.

It was super easy and I can make two hats from one large or xl T-shirt. The only other supply needed for the project (aside from thread, of course) is some super heavy weight interfacing for the brim. 

I love the raw edges and how flexible the hat is.

The hat is so soft and it stays put with out becoming a vise on your head. I did make one for myself, but I have not yet mastered taking a picture when I am the subject of the photograph. 
I had Princess P and Elle Bean model their hats for me. 

Such good and patient children I have. 

Week #19 Converting the Stained T with Tutorial

So I cheated a little bit. I did make a dress for Lily Bear, but it was not the same kind of T-shirt dress that I have been making. That counts right?

Challenge: Using the Stained T
Project: T-shirt Dress with Cotton Skirt


We have an 11year span between Lily Bear and Elle Bean (our second youngest) and as such, we had next to no baby gear when we found out we were expecting Lily. 

Elle Bean is a big sister!

We must have timed it just right because we had baby items thrust upon us from every direction from friends who declared definitively that they were, capital D O N E, done having kids. I think the only thing we bought was the changing table (okay my dad actually got that one for us, thanks dad). 
Along with the equipment came the piles of baby clothes. Wow, all I can say is wow. I probably really won't have to buy anything for Lily Bear for years to come (not that that will stop me from sewing some things here and there). 
As happens with baby clothes, some of them came to us with little stains. Some  items were so cute, it hurt to not figure out something to do with them. 


Case in point:

This shirt came to us from our friends Karl and Natalie and their daughter Clara (they had twin boys born two weeks before Lily Bear was born, so we got all their girlie stuff). It was so cute, but had a stain just above the belly button.
The sheet I found at a garage sale. 
Let's put them together and see what we get. 


First I cut the shirt above the stain.

I measured the width (a) of the new bottom of the shirt and multiplied (a) x 2 for the width of the skirt then multiplied  x 1.5 to add fullness to the skirt.   (I AM GOING TO CHANGE THIS TO x2 NEXT TIME, I WANT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE FULL) So the width of the skirt = a x 2 x 1.5


I then  took one of Lily Bears dresses that I liked the length (b) of and used the skirt measurement. I took (b) + 1.5 inches for hem and seam allowance. So the length of the skirt = b + 1.5 inches

After cutting the skirt, I hemmed the bottom and sewed up the side seams.
Next I sewed a long stitch (4 on my machine) around the top of the skirt; a gathering stitch. Pulling the bobbin thread, I gathered the skirt to be the same width as the shirt.
I then pinned the skirt and the shirt right sides together and sewed them together. 

Turn the dress right side out and: ta da, the stained shirt is now a cute dress for Lily Bear.
I made a little head band from some of the left over T-shirt and the fitted part of the sheet.

Lily Bear was much more interested in the flowers than a photo shoot.

"Purple round puffy thing. . .  my favorite."

"I am sure I can reach it if I really stretch, and give mom a heart attack in the process"

"Now I have two pretty round puffy purple things. Yea!"

Week #18 T-Shirt Tunic

Challenge: Make Something for the Teen with T's
Project: The Pieced Tunic

I don't know about you, but my teen (The Princess P) has way too many t-shirts. I really lucked out because her favorite place to shop is the resale store in town and compared to some of my friends' teens, I spend next to nothing on clothes. However, her pile of clothes (usually on the floor) is massive. She sorts occasionally, but she has a hard time giving up her favorite t's even when they don't really fit anymore. 


Solution: The Pieced Tunic


I bought the pattern from Ashley at Lil Blue Boo. 

Ashley is the reason that I started this obsession with up-cycling t's in the first place. My inability to get rid of any old knit clothes is all your fault Ashley!


Princess P and I picked out four shirts and we went to town.

The pattern is really easy and it has sizes XS to XL. P wants me to try and extend it to make a dress next. She loved the way it turned out (she was a lot happier than the sitting down picture shows, I swear) and wore it to school the next day. Apparently I got a lot of compliments on it (from actual teenagers!)

Lily Bear wanted to get in on this photo shoot too!


We already have several more tunics in the works. What a great way to use what we already have to make something new.