Thursday, April 30, 2009

for Ava

A new sweet baby girl needs a new bib and a cute headband to match!



Sunday, April 26, 2009

jeans to skirt












I remember seeing these jean skirts back in my college days and thinking how clever they were. I've been saving old jeans and hoping to make a few skirts for years now and just recently took the time to tackle this project.  It was surprisingly EASY and FAST.  That's what I'm all about so that's why I'm sharing with you!  I didn't take before shots, but it's easy to explain.  Lay the old pair of jeans on the table in front of you.  Start cutting along the inside seam from the bottom hem of one leg up to the crotch, through the crotch, and down the other leg.  Repeat on the other side of the seam.  You don't need to seem rip the whole thing.  That's not necessary.  Just cut it out!  It might be easier to cut the seam out by turning the jeans inside out.   If you want to make a short skirt (most of the ones I've done are because the jeans have holes in the knees) then you should cut across the middle of the jeans at the length you'd like your skirt.  It doesn't need to be very exact.  Don't be afraid- just chop off the legs.  The 2 leg pieces that you have will become the triangle section in the front and back of the skirt.  Piece one of the leg pieces in the front and one in the back.  Pin them in place and trim the excess fabric.  sew right on top of the pants  in the outline of that triangle.  You'll have to do a little bit of work at the crotch to fold it over (see pics) and make it lay nicely.  I had to cut a little more out of the back than than the front.  The denim will fray nicely when it's washed and dried.  I do two rows of stitching to enforce the seam and then 2 rows of stitching around the hemline to prevent too much fray.  That's really not necessary though.  I completely forgot to hem a skirt I made for myself and it's perfect!  This is seriously fast and simple.  If you can get past the intimidation of chopping up some old pants then you're almost as good as done with this sewing project.  Let me know if you've done this before or if you try it.  I'd love your to hear your comments!  

Oh, if you want a long skirt ( I love how LONG these are- touching the ground!) you'll need a second pair of pants to cut apart for the long triangle section in the front and back.  You can always use another fabric for the pieced sections though.