Retro Pin Party #3

Hi Everyone! Welcome to our fun Retro Re-pin Party!! Thanks for joining us! This wouldn't be a party without YOU and we appreciate everyone that pins and re-pins with us!

This party is all about bringing those older pins back into the lime light and making them new again! For this we need your help - remember to repin!

Meet your Retro Repin hostesses! With such awesome hostesses on 7 blogs, that's 7 times the exposure for your pin! WOOHOO!!

Please consider following your hostesses!

 

Kristina and Millie @ 2 Crochet Hooks: Blog/Pinterest

Dee @ Meatloaf and Melodrama: Blog/Pinterest

Stephanie @ Sustaining the Powers: Blog/Pinterest

Joy @ xoxo Grandma: Blog/Pinterest

Becka @ Probably Crafting: Blog/Pinterest

Felicia @ Nifty Thrifty Family: Blog/Pinterest

Leslie @ Crafty Side of Sarcasm: Blog/Pinterest

 

*~* Are you all ready to party?!? ~

This is a Retro Re-pin Party so works a bit different than the usual link party. Please do NOT link up your blog main page, a blog post or your pin boards - link up one of your Pinterest pins and PLEASE - Family Friendly posts only!! If the link is not to a previously pinned post, it may not be pinned.

Example: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/269864202646034141/

Very simple rules for this party:

1. Add up to 2 pin links to your pinned posts - the older the better!

2. Repin at least 2 other pins because that's why we are here!

3. Link back to us if you would, it's the nice thing to do!

4. Come back next week and repeat!

5. Spread the word, the more the merrier!

Note: By linking up to this party, you give the hostesses permission to share your posts via social media with links back to the original source. If you have entered an email address into the link up too, an email will be sent when the party goes live. Your email will not be used in any other way.

Take a button!

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An InLinkz Link-up



Gap Knock-off Tie Dress & Ruffle Bloomers - Free Pattern

Isn't this little girl precious? Whenever my daughters request I make something for their little girls, I can't say no. Could you say no to that cute face?

Well, as you know, I love to refashion and I'm so happy to share my pattern to make this Gap knock-off tie-tank and ruffled bloomers with you today! 

My daughters loved the Baby Gap outfit (pictured above) which retailed for around $42 for the two pieces. While I was visiting my youngest daughter and helping her with her newborn baby, she gave me this soft blue Chambray cotton button-up shirt to refashion.  Although the fabric wasn't the dark denim, I thought the style of this outfit would look great in this fabric.

After I came home from the visit, I used this old shirt to make her baby the outfit she requested.  I changed my creation just a bit because that's the fun of creating your own knock-off outfit.

The free pattern I created is sized for a one or two month old baby. FYI: my granddaughter (that little chunk of a baby above) was born at a whopping 9 pounds 4 oz., so this pattern could fit a baby up to three months old - that is, if the baby was born a bit smaller than my granddaughter.  HERE is the free link to that pattern. Feel free to download it and make your own outfit for a fraction of the cost.  If you have a long sleeve shirt like the one pictured, the only cost to make this outfit will be for the thread and elastic.  So, what are you waiting for?! Let's get started.

Supplies needed: thread, elastic, scissors, pins, a tape measure, and one women's button-up shirt.

From the bottom of the shirt's hem, measure 10 1/2" and cut. (This piece becomes the skirt of the dress.)  Apologies, this photo is a little out of focus - oops!

Next, using the pattern, cut out two each the bodice front and back from the upper part of the shirt or the sleeves - one of each will be used as the facing.  Cut out two rectangles, on the bias: 1 1/2" x 8" for the shoulder ties.  

For the diaper cover, I used this free pattern from MADE because it's simple and really a perfect pattern.  You'll just need to cut out a few ruffles.  For my top ruffle I unpicked the collar and sewed the lengths together.  Next, cut out two rectangles that were 2" x 14".  These rectangles were used for extra ruffles on the bum. Follow Made's instructions on making the diaper cover, but before you assemble the pieces, sew on the lower bum ruffles.  Attach the top ruffle right along the top of the diaper cover. The second ruffle needs to be ruffled and sewn at 2 3/8" below the top edge.  The third ruffle needs to be ruffled and then sewn at 4 1/8" below the top edge.  To see how this looks, see the last photo at THIS post.  

NOTE:  All seams are 1/4".

Sew the two bodice pieces together by sewing each of the shoulder seams & iron.  Lay the right sides of the bodice together, matching up the shoulder seams.  Now sew around the neck and the armholes.  Here's the tricky part - turn the sewn bodice inside out and iron. Add a gathering stitch to the skirt and pin onto the bodice only (do not pin to the lining).  The button part of the shirt will be the back of the dress.  Sew the bodice to the skirt & iron.  I like to hand sew the bodice lining to the seam, turning under 1/4" of the unfinished edge.  Top stitch according to the photo below.  

Ties:  Attach small safety pins (to make it easier to turn your fabric) to the top of the two tie fabric, sew together the length of the ties. Turn right side out & iron.  Now tack those ties in place, as shown in the photo below.

Buttonholes:  Because the second to the bottom buttonhole on the original shirt I used was sewn with bright pink thread, I ran with that idea and used a different color of thread for each of the bodice buttonholes.  I also had to add one more buttonhole at the bottom of the dress. Don't forget to recycle the buttons from the top of the original shirt and use these on the bodice.

Diaper cover:

Optional:  If you'd like, unpick the pocket from the original shirt and sew it onto the dress....not that this baby is going to stick her little hands into the pocket but it adds a nice detail.  What do you think? Turned out pretty cute, I'd say. - xoxo Grandma

Linked: Lou Lou Girls, Crafty Allie, Nap-time Creations, Threading My Way,  2 Crochet Hooks, The Dedicated House, Creating My Way to Success, Frances Suzanne Free Patterns

Snazzy Circles Tunic - A Refashion

Ever get sick of the clothes you own? Yeah, we all do. When I bought this cute skirt a while back for my daughter, we both were attracted to the fun black and blue dots on the two fabrics.  Well, she gave it back to me recently... to refashion. I told you before but I love a cute tunic, so of course I turned this snazzy skirt into a snazzy tunic. 

I started with a boring black knit shirt.  After cutting off five inches from the bottom, I proceeded to add the skirt to it to turn it into a tunic.

To determine the width of the skirt, I measured the width of the shirt and added 10 inches to the width.  Using this measurement, I cut that amount from the dotted fabric. Next, I sewed the side seams together so my dotted fabric formed a circle.  I added a gathering stitch to the top of the fabric and gently gathered the fabric to the knit shirt.  After pinning the fabric, I sewed the skirt to the shirt using a stretchy stitch.

If there is enough dot fabric, my daughter has a shirt she's hoping I'll make for her out of the leftover skirt fabric.  So check back next month while she's visiting me with my cute grandchildren to see how I used the rest of this fabric. - xoxo Grandma

Shared:  Threading my Way, Lou Lou Girls, Crafty Allie, Nap-time Creations, The Dedicated House

Make a Baseball Cap - a Refashion & Free Pattern

It's refashion month over at House of Estrella and today I'm joining in the fun by showing you how to make a baseball cap from a onesie or a tee shirt. Speaking of refashioning, the white sundress you see here on my granddaughter has also been refashioned.  For more details on the sundress go HERE.

To make your own baseball cap, grab a onesie or tee shirt that your child has out grown. Next, download the free pattern HERE - this cap pattern was sized to fit a 2-4 year old. Follow along as I show you how to sew your own toddler size baseball cap. 

Supplies needed:

Heavy weight interfacing, thread, scissors, seam ripper

1.  Trace the downloaded pattern onto your onesie using a washable fabric marker.  Now cut out all pieces. Unpick the ribbing because this will become the trim for the cap's brim and the back opening on the cap.

2.  Sew using 1/4" seams all the panels together.  Sew the short seam of the back panels together. 

3.  Top stitch 1/4" from the seams.  This keeps the seams down inside the cap.

4.  This is a close-up of top stitching the seams.

5.  Sew the ribbing (which you unpicked from the onesie) onto the back "U" shaped opening.

6.  Sandwich the interfacing between the top of the brim and the back of the brim.  I found that the brim looks great if you want to use a different fabric for the back brim.

7.  Sew on ribbing to the outside of the brim.

8.  Top stitch along the ribbing's edge - as close as possible to the edge of the ribbing.

9.  Pin the brim to the center of the hat's outside edge.  Sew all layers together.

10.  There are two ways to finish the back of the cap.  Take 1 1/2" x 5" of leftover fabric and fold in half lengthwise.  Stitch to form a casing.  Turn right side out.  Thread 2-3" of 1/2" elastic through.

12.  Sew close to the edge, extra wide seam tape to finish off the edge of the cap.  Sew a casing by stitching near the top of the seam tape.

13.  Insert about 2-3" of 1/2" wide elastic into both sides of the casing.

14.  Stitch the ends of the elastic.

15.  Cover a button with a contrasting fabric.

16.  Sew the button to the center of the cap.

Have fun refashioning!  xoxo Grandma

Shared: Threading My Way, Creating My Way to Success, Frances Suzanne - Free Patterns

"Skirting the Issue" Sewing Night!

Last Thursday night, I went to the "Skirting the Issue" event sponsored by Simple Simon/Project Run and Play. During this event, the blogosphere-sewing world was invited to participate by making skirts which would be donated to girls in local foster care programs so they'll have a new skirt to where when they go back to school in the fall.  By the time I left this activity, I had five skirts completed to donate to this cause.  On Saturday, I finished three more skirts.  The grey skirt pictured above was one of those skirts.  It was made from a hoodie and white knit fabric recycled from a camisole.  It is one of my favorite skirts out of the ten I created for this cause.  It's casual, could be worn with any shirt and it was easy to sew together with items donated to me by a friend - thanks Lindy!  Monday night I finished the skirt pictured below which was refashioned from a men's shirt and a little leftover grey knit binding.

This black skirt  with white ruffles was finished on Tuesday night. It is sized for a 4 - 6 year old and was refashioned from a women's tee and accented with ruffles cut from a camisole.  I added white side pockets to - I just love pockets in my skirts!  HERE is a tutorial on how to make this super easy skirt.

 A big thank you to these two women, Liz and Elizabeth (the wonder women from Simple Simon and Company/Project Run and Play and Project Sewn ) for putting together such a great service project and allowing all of us to join in the fun. You can read more about this cause HERE.  Please join us, you'll be glad you did!

As far as I know, this 11 year old was the only male who attended this activity (except a photographer whose three photos I borrowed for part of this post).  In the photo above, I am helping Gaven use a serger.  He sewed really fast and when I tried to explain that he needed to slow down, well, he likened the serger to a race car and said it was so much more fun to go fast! Dang, he was a cute kid!  I'm so impressed with his mother for teaching him that service can be fun and allowing him to participate.

Here are the first five skirts I made:

One of the piles of skirts completed toward the end of the activity:

Skirts for teenagers:

Take it from me, serving is fun (and skirt making is too)!  xoxo Grandma

Linked to: Skirt Fixation, Projects Sewn, Nap Time Creations

Other skirting the issue posts:

A Flock of Birds Skirt

Layers of Ruffles Blessing Dress - Pillowcase Refashioned

When my newest granddaughter was born a few months ago her mother requested I make a white blessing dress for her special day at church.  Below is a photo she e-mailed me of the "look" she wanted - layers and layers of ruffles:

With that photo as inspiration, I searched my stash for the perfect white fabric. I found two soft, white pillowcases in my linen closet that I no longer used.  So, I cut one of the pillowcases down to 20 inches. This is how I cut the skirt for this dress below:

I didn't have any eyelet in my stash, so I had to purchase four yards of  3 3 /4" wide white eyelet. From the second pillowcase, I cut out eight, 4" stripes.  With those stripes, I sewed two together to make 4 - 4" wide circles.  

Then I finished the hem of those stripes, ruffled them and added seam tape to finish off the seams as shown below.

For the bodice, I used this 1979 christening dress pattern although any baby bodice pattern would work for this project:

I cut the bodice out of the fabric cut from the top of the pillowcase to form the skirt.  From the remaining eyelet, I formed cap sleeves, because this little baby lives where it is hot and humid and I wanted to keep the dress cooler for her.

Doesn't she looked like an angel in her layers of white ruffles? One of the most angelic things about her is that she actually sleeps like a newborn should... all the time! I'm so grateful this blessing dress fit her so well, and so grateful my husband and I could join her on her special blessing day!  - xoxo Grandma

Linked:  The Dedicated House, Nap Time Creations, Skirt Fixation

Featured on: All Free Sewing

Baby Girl Gingham Smocked Dress

Last week, I spent the weekend with my siblings at a family reunion on the Oregon Coast. It was so much fun!  I also got to spend a day with this beauty: my 7 month old granddaughter who is one of the happiest babies I know!

For this dress, I started with more of that yellow & white gingham fabric which I inherited from my mother. It just never seems to run out.  I smocked this dress using white embroidery floss and accenting with purple floss that I stitched into flowers with soft green floss for leaves.  Smocking is tough!  Anyone have any smocking advice?  I've read that if you smock using gingham, it's easier.  My older sister suggested making the dress first and then smocking it afterward.  Here's my thoughts on the matter- maybe it's easier for some people but for me, NO, it was not.  So, this is it, I'm not smocking another thing ever or at least not again until I loose my memory and forget that I made this vow. Despite my smocking woes, this dress still turned out pretty cute... especially on this sweet little girl! 

In one week's time this little trooper flew internationally, crossed the country, made several 3 1/2 hour drives and through it all, she kept smiling.  By this time, I'm guessing this cutie was thinking "Yea, they let me out of my car seat!"

Yes, that's me getting a little loving before this granddaughter had to get back into her car seat and drive over three hours again back to her home. So grateful for family! - xoxo Grandma

Pattern: Simplicity #7239 - cira 1975

Fabric:   yellow & white cotton gingham, white cotton for the collar and the interfacing.

Linked:  The Dedicated House, Nap Time Creations