T-Shirt Recycling: Tank tops and Headbands

Hello again!

I'm loving the Spring and the sunshine this year.  I know you are too!  If you're feeling inspired to get out and exercise, but are short on fun workout gear, check out these fun tutorials to get you ready to work up a sweat in the sunshine!

Spring cleaning means I ended up with a stack of t-shirts that were tired and in great need of a makeover.  Check out this great tutorial from ESPN (of all places) for turning t-shirts into workout tank tops:

DIY Workout T-Shirt by ESPN

I love this!! I had to try on each t-shirt after making the initial cuts to tweak the straps or neckline, but it's a great place to start. :-)  

Here are some different things to try to spice up your tanks:

I sewed a "tube" of knit fabric around the straps, with right sides together, then flipped it inside out, and - Tadaa!

If you have your tank tops, you need some fun new accessories to complete the look!  Use more t-shirts or any jersey knit fabric to make these!

Check out this tutorial for the wrap headband by CarolineDelaere:

Here is a tutorial for the woven headband by RabbitFoodForMyBunnyTeeth:

Now go clean out your closets and have fun!

Just for fun: DIY Infinity Scarf

Hello again!

So, this week I turned a year older. I'm stepping into my last twenty-something year, which seems simultaneously exciting and frightening; but what better way to celebrate your birthday than by making a little something special for yourself? :)

I've been wanting to use the leftover jersey knit from the DIY headband post, so this seemed like a great, quick project. All together, it took about 30 minutes.  

Yes, it's that easy. :)

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What you'll need: 

-Jersey knit (I love jersey for it's stretch, but if you want to use a non-stretch fabric, you can! Just check your length to be sure you can wrap it twice around your neck comfortably!)

-Sharp scissors

-Coordinating thread

-Sewing machine

-Iron (optional)

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Ok, let's get started!

1.) I used a favorite infinity scarf as a template to cut out my fabric.  You'll notice that this scarf is two-sided.  Both sides of the scarf will be visible when you wear it.  One side will be more prominent, but you want to make sure you're not just looking at the wrong side of a fabric.

You know me, I'd rather eyeball it and start cutting, rather than measuring it out.... 

But just for fun, the measurements for this scarf were roughly 60"x10."  (+ seam allowance) 

I didn't have enough of the printed jersey material for two layers.  So, I used some other leftover gray jersey knit fabric for the back.

From the printed jersey and the plain gray jersey, I cut out a strip of fabric measuring ~ 60"x10."

2.)  Once your pieces are cut, place right sides together and pin them in place.

3.) Sew along the edges of your long sides, leaving both of the short sides open. 

*Note: I used a short zigzag stitch; it seems to be a better stitch for my machine with stretchy material.

4.) Cut any excess fabric outside of your seam then turn the tube inside out.

5.)  I gave my scarf a quick ironing here to set the folds of the fabric where I wanted them.

6.) Now it's time to close the loop of your scarf and officially make it an infinity scarf! (There are several ways to do this, but I chose the quickest/easiest.) :)

Since this pattern has a stripe, I pinned them (right sides together), with the stripes lining up.  This way when you open it up, it will be more difficult to see where your seam is.

Sew raw ends together, again with a short zigzag stitch.

Well, the stripes mostly match up. ;)

7.)  Because this is jersey knit, you don't need to finish the raw edges; they won't unravel like other fabrics.  Again, trim the fabric closely to your seam.

Now turn it right-side-out, put it on, and walk out the door!  You're done!  

Easy, right?  This is a great Christmas gift idea for the scarf lovers in your life too!  It's also a great way to use up extra fabric... you could make a patchwork infinity scarf if you have several pieces of knit fabric/old t-shirts.  Have fun!

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely weekend!

Pinterest Challenge: Paper Bag Skirt

It's no surprise that I am a big Pinterest fan.  So many great ideas are resting a mere "click" away!

I don't know if you're like me, but every now and then I realize I've done a lot of "pinning" and not a lot of "doing."

Sometimes that has to do with a lack of time, but frequently for me, it has more to do with fear of failure.  Let's work on ditching that fear, ok? 

So, this week I'll show you a pin I decided to tackle, and maybe you'll want to do the same!

This is a great beginner sewing project, that can (honestly) be completed within a couple of hours.  

Be brave!  Let's make a skirt:

Materials you'll need:

-Fabric; I bought 1.5 yds of fabric, and had a good bit leftover (heavy or light fabric will work, but I was looking for a heavier fabric to have more structure)

-Measuring tape

-Fabric scissors

-1" elastic

-Large safety pin

-Sewing machine with coordinating thread

-Iron

Here is the link to the paper bag skirt tutorial I found on Pinterest, 

by Simple Simon and Company:

Simple Simon and Company Paper Bag Skirt Tutorial

Here is a direct link to watch the video:

PAPER BAG SKIRT TUTORIAL VIDEO

I love the simplicity of this skirt, and the fact that I don't have to use a pattern to make something fun to wear. ;)

Now, if you want to make the skirt just like the one in the tutorial, get your materials and just go for it!!

I loved this skirt, but I wanted it to be a little less full.  I found a really cute skirt idea in this book:

Skirt-A-Day Sewing, by Nicole Smith

I love this more fitted take on a paper bag skirt :)

This skirt construction is quite complicated for me; I want to avoid zippers and hook closures if at all possible. :)   

So, I decided to try to incorporate some the features/details of this "sack" skirt to the paper bag skirt in the tutorial.

Here are the changes I made from the tutorial:

1.) I changed the dimensions of the skirt.  I multiplied my waist size x 1.5 rather than 2 to determine the length of fabric I needed to cut. This made the skirt less full.  I also measured from my waist to a few inches above the knee, rather than to the knee, and added 2.5 inches for the hem, as per the video.

2.) I made a sash.  A thin, cute belt would have been perfect with this style of skirt, but since I didn't have one, I made a sash.

To make the sash:

Cut out two rectangles 3" wide by the desired length.  In the Skirt-A-Day Sewing instructions, the sash is 68" long, but I was limited by my leftover fabric.  My sash was ~45" long.

With the right sides together, stitch the two sashes together, leaving an opening for turning.  Turn the sash inside out, and press it, folding the open edge to the inside. Edgestitch around all the edges, closing the opening as you stitch.

Here is my finished product!

My next experiment is to add pockets to it, but I have to add a dose of bravery first.  We'll see!

Thanks for reading; go tackle one of your "pins"--- or just make a paper bag skirt!

Have a great weekend!!