Summer Wardrobe!

It had been quite a while since I made a trip to the local thrift store...but a few weeks ago, I popped in just to see what was there...and I came home with a couple of sacks of "good" items for re-purposing. So I've been a little busy - and just a tad sidetracked - with figuring  out what I could create from these goodies!
Here's what I've done so far...

This ladies skirt in a stretch cotton fabric...

....became these little girls' shorts.

Sorry for the blurry image, but this ladies stretch seersucker blouse...

...became this little girls' stretch tunic...looks darling with lime green leggings!

This stretch cotton ladies skirt...

...became these adorable little girl capris!

This ladies cotton knit skirt...

and this striped knit ladies tee...

...became this Summer Picnic Dress (pattern from TheCottageMomma.com)

...and accent pocket tees for the brothers!

This beaded ladies knit tee...

...became a darling knit t-dress for a four-year-old!

I don't always re-purpose everything I purchase at the thrift store...I sometimes keep things as they are.  These three pieces were too cute to pass up for $1 each...and my niece is adorable in each of them.  Kids require lots of "play clothes"...and for that price, you cannot go wrong!

The Summer Picnic Dress pattern was so cute and EASY that I had to try it again.  I had a leftover piece of "Stacked Slices" by Spring Creative© fabric that I had used to make my cousin a dress last year.  There was just enough material for a picnic dress for my niece - AND for her "My Life" doll!  She is thrilled that the two will match...maybe they will pose for a picture soon!

 

A girl and her doll...so much cuteness!

The last time my nephew spent the night, he squeezed into a favorite pair of knit "Ninja Turtle" pajamas and declared, "They fit just fine!"  Well, they DIDN'T...and I decided he needed new summer pajamas.  I had a piece of train print left over from pajama pants I made several years ago for the little boys...and it worked great as pajama boxers/shorts for the boys.  I put pockets on tees to coordinate.  The third pair is for a friend, and I know that he will have lots of shirts that will work as a mate!

Two pajama sets for brothers...and some summer shorts for a friend!

Much better than too-small "Ninja Turtle" pjs!

Not exactly sure what is next!  There are still stacks of yardage and items to be repurposed...and I am never lacking ideas for them.  All I need is time to sew.  Wish me luck!

It's Batman, Y'all!

Our youngest great-nephew, Nathan (age 2½), is obsessed with Batman.  His mom mentioned to me one day, "If you could make him ANYTHING with Batman on it, he would go nuts."  I made Timothy a Batman cape and mask a few years ago, and Nathan wears it all the time now.

So I went online and found all kinds of Batman prints.  I settled on one that was black with the yellow oval "Bat signals" and ordered enough to make shorts for our two nephews, Timothy and Nathan...and a 5-year-old cousin, Owen.  Then I bought black T-shirts at WalMart and used knit scraps to applique the "Bat Signal" on them to match the shorts.  I used my pattern from the cape that I made a few years ago.  Let me tell you, I am not an expert at applique...and sewing black and yellow and making it look halfway smooth was definitely a challenge.  I think maybe I should have done the oval itself in yellow and stayed just inside the knit line.  NEXT TIME, I will know better!

 
I couldn't leave out Zola.  Girls like superheroes, too, y'all!  So I used a thrift-store knit t-shirt in yellow to make her a pillowcase dress, and I had just enough print scraps to make a tie.  I covered some flaws in the dress (aka HOLES and stains) with a big black bat...and I even added a small "Bat Signal" from the print fabric on the back to cover a hole.  It's not the best dress I ever made...and we'll have to put a black shirt and leggings or shorts underneath it...but Zola won't care!  She will have Batman like her brothers...and that's what really matters!

I didn't get a single picture of all three children in their matching Easter outfits.  I was going to do that at the egg hunt, and it rained and the children went in three different directions.  Oh, well...maybe we can do better with Batman!  Time will tell!  Stay tuned!

Everybody Needs a Minkie!

So I've been busy working on a few more things for our great-nieces from Tennessee, since we learned they will be visiting Arkansas next week for Thanksgiving.  Kelsey Lynn will celebrate her fifth birthday this weekend, so I thought she should have a "minkie" coat for the occasion!  I also made her a red and white chevron dress - and Zola got one, too!

Kelsey and Ellie Grace will both get red velour leggings/pants...and a set of red striped pants/leggings, just in time for Christmas!

 Meanwhile, I had purchased a red/white striped knit shirt off the Clearance rack at Wal-Mart ($2), and it was perfect for creating leggings for Zola to go with her red and white chevron dress.

A while back, I picked up this piece of black and white fabric at a yard sale our friends were having.  It had actually been used as a table topper for a wedding reception, so this piece of fabric was neatly hemmed (with fusible webbing) and measured just big enough for a dress for Zola.  There was not enough for the length I wanted, so I added the ruffle of red and black dot...and then it begged for an accent near the neckline; hence the rosette!

I really had fun creating all of these things for three sweet little girls...and they will be adorable in every single garment.  I still have a few decent-sized scraps that may have to be turned into headbands and bow-ties for Olivia and the boys...we shall see!  For now, it's time to think about Thanksgiving dinner and decorating for Christmas!

Repurposing Fun...and What Do You Do With All of Those Scraps?

I've had the old sewing machine whirring lately.  It started with a tunic blouse that I no longer wanted to wear that was too nice to give away.  It had beautiful pintucks, intricate lace at the sleeves and hem...and I could just "see" the possibilities.  So I turned it into a girl's dress...and the sleeves became what else - TODDLER PANTS!

I sent pictures to our nephew's wife, Leslie, in Tennessee...would she like to have these items for her girls - Kelsey and Ellie Grace - or should I list them for sale on Etsy?  She responded right away that she wanted them.  A few days later, a big box of gently-worn clothing arrived from her to share with our niece Zola.  I'm talking a BIG box of wonderful things that came on the heels of another box that had been shared a few weeks earlier.  

Around the same time, Leslie "liked" a Halloween outfit on Facebook that was being given away by a children's clothing company.  I looked at the outfit and thought, "I could make that!"  The next time I shopped at Wal-Mart, there was a table of fabric on clearance, including a bright orange print and a multi-colored stripe that I thought would coordinate.  The applique patterns were downloaded online, and an outfit was in the making.  Kelsey, almost five, will get long flounced pants and a top with witch's shoes appliqued on it...Ellie Grace, who is four months, will get coordinating pants with a cut little hat appliqued on the bum!  And I still have more fabric...and more little ones to dress!

 

I had this piece of yellow fabric that I had ordered last summer, and it seemed to say, "Make pants for Kelsey!"  So I did...along with a little coordinating pair for her little sister. 

I cannot begin to describe how many scraps I have.  Some are large...some, pretty tiny...but I hate to throw any of them away.  You never know when you might need a tiny snippet of pink fabric to become the ear of an elephant applique!  So I went through my scrap baskets the other day and cut coordinating pieces into long strips, which I then sewed together.  I serged the edges, then ruffled one edge to create a super-long strip of ruffled fabric. Then I took an old t-shirt and made a little knit skirt for Kelsey.  I made lines 2" apart and stitched the ruffling to these lines, creating layers of ruffles.  Then I added a little waistband out of more of the knit t-shirt...and voila!  I think this is a darling skirt that will go with all kinds of tops...don't you?!  Kelsey was just too tired to model this one! ;-)

Leslie is definitely a Tennessee fan all the way...with a slight tinge of Vanderbilt loyalty.  But John, our nephew, is a full-tilt Razorback fan.  So I had a little piece of Razorback print, and I couldn't resist making a new dress for Kelsey - and some pants for Ellie Grace.

I didn't forget about Zola!  I dashed into the local thrift shop on Friday, and there was a darling printed long-sleeved tee that just begged to become leggings and a matching top. I noticed after I got the pants finished that there was a tiny hole in the backside, so I just used a bright flower from the scraps to make an applique patch!  Even cuter than it would have been without, if I do say so myself!   I even had enough scraps to make a little cap, also!  Zola was thrilled.  I'm hoping for a picture of her in the new outfit soon!