Sewing for Less - Repurposing #2

In my previous "Sewing For Less - Repurposing" post I showed you how I turned a $0.29 men's dress shirt into a toddler dress. This time, I'm starting with a $1.00 curtain panel I purchased at a yard sale last week.


Curtains can be a fantastic source of yardage at a great price. Especially for embroidered eyelets, or other bordered fabrics. Some pre-made curtains are very poor quality, however, so it's helpful if you can develop a "feel" for good fabric. It just takes a bit of practice.


This fabric is a polyester/cotton blend, not fantastic quality, but it was the embroidered eyelet border that really caught my eye. I knew I could do something with that. It was a small valance panel, approximately 16 1/2" long. Eyelet fabric by-the-yard usually retails around $5.99/yard and can go up over $12/yard, depending on the detail and weight of the embroidery. This particular piece was heavily embroidered, and I only found one place where the stitching had come loose. The plain part of the fabric was slightly discolored, but for $1.00, I was willing to give my trusty Biz a chance. I'm making bloomers, so most of it will be hidden under a skirt, anyway.


The first step (after laundering) was to remove the rod pocket stitching from the top of the valance. I needed to do this to gain enough length to accommodate my pattern pieces. The stitches were rather large, so this only took a few minutes.


I used as my pattern. I cut a size 4, a bit bigger than my daughter is now, so her wearing time would be extended. Using the eyelet border means I don't have to hem the bloomers when I'm done...the finished edge of the eyelet will be the hem. Accordingly, I had to subtract the hem length from the pattern piece. Here is a pattern pinned on and ready to be cut. This is a multi-sized pattern, so you can see some of it is hanging over the edge of the fabric.


Here are the fabric pieces cut and ready to assemble.


I don't usually pin...(especially when serging)...but I wanted to match the eyelet at the bottom at the seam line, so pin, I did.


My serger made quick work of assembling these bloomers. Sewing, trimming, and finishing the edges in one step!


After serging the leg and crotch seams, the only remaining step was to turn the top down and apply some soft lingerie elastic to the waist. I prefer this method to making a casing and inserting the elastic; it's faster, and it is softer against the skin.


First, I measured the elastic by stretching it around my daughter's waist until comfortable. I stitched the ends together, then divided my elastic loop into fourths. I marked each fourth with a pin, then matched up the pins to the front, back, and side seams on the pants. Stretching the elastic to fit, I zig-zagged the elastic to the underside of the waist. It gathered the top as I applied it. I could have made the elastic loop a bit smaller...lingerie elastic is very soft, and did loose a bit of stretch after application. Mental note for next time.


And, Voila! One pair of lacy and feminine bloomers...for $1.00 plus thread and elastic from my "stash." Your cost may be slightly higher depending on your resources, but, still a very economical project. (Don't you just love those curled-up toes?)

By the way...does anyone know if you can even BUY bloomers anywhere? I'd be interested to know the cost.

REMEMBER: The key to successful repurposing is training your eye to look past what the item is...to what it could be.

Sewing for Less - Repurposing

Sewing for your family can be expensive. Purchasing fabric, patterns, notions, and thread at full price can easily cost you more than buying ready-made clothing on sale, and much more than gently used yard sale clothing.

But, it doesn't have to be. There are a lot of strategies I use to sew things for less. One way I save money on supplies is to look for materials to repurpose. Adult-sized clothing (especially women's skirts and dresses) usually contains enough material to create a child-sized garment. I can always find high-quality clothing at our local Goodwill store for pocket change. The key is training your eye to see past what the garment is...to what it could be.


One of the internet fads right now is repurposing men's shirts into little girls' dresses. I found this shirt at our local Goodwill store for...$0.29. It is a high-quality, 100% cotton shirt. I chose it because this color is flattering to my daughter, the material was sturdy and stain-free, and, of course, it was cheap.


I decided to use New Look 6844 as my pattern. The first thing I did was position the pattern pieces to take advantage of the existing buttons and buttonholes, eliminating the need for a back zipper. I also had to re-draw the collar front to allow for the width of the shirt's front band. I see now that I could've extended it a bit so that the collar fronts would almost touch, but it's cute the way it is. I added some decorative stitching down the front, but I don't think it adds much.


This adorable eyelet trim I picked up at another local thrift store...a friend of mine tipped me off to a huge load of sewing supplies they received, and I came home with hundreds of yards of lace and eyelet trim for $17. Some was discolored from storage, but hot water and Biz brightened it up nicely. The collar, back tie, and sleeve band I made from a tone-on-tone cotton fabric in my stash, so it was essentially free. I removed the breast pocket, carefully, added a strip of eyelet, and repositioned it on the skirt.


The sleeves turned out Snow-White-ish, but Girlie loves the dress so I'd call the whole project a success.

So, here's the breakdown:
Men's shirt used for fabric...$0.29
Eyelet trim for pocket and sleeves...$0.10 (it's probably less)
Collar, belt, sleeve band fabric...FREE from my stash
Pattern...$3.50...but I will use it several times...maybe 4...$0.63
Thread...$0.50
And, Voila!...a toddler's dress for about $1.50!*

*Note: One thing I never do is factor in my time as a cost liability. Opinions vary on this aspect of frugality. Some people believe that large amounts of time should only be spent on the activities that are going to provide the greatest cost savings...things like home repairs, oil changes, haircuts, etc. The truth is that I can purchase toddler dresses at yard sales or thrift stores for a few dollars. So, why spend a few hours to create something that is only "saving" a dollar or two?

Mainly...enjoyment. I enjoy the creative process and bringing an idea to life.

Modesty is also an issue..I like my daughter in LONG dresses...they're hard to find!

I think it sets a good example for our children, to look for creative solutions instead of running out to buy what we want or need.

And, I also believe creativity is a gift from God, and that He is pleased when we use our gifts to serve and bless others.

I hope to explore some other areas of frugal sewing. I have several projects in the works and I'll try to post them as I get them finished. Please stop back!

The June Couple

This is a bridal shower gift I recently finished. In my post here I mentioned looking for a poem for a young friend of mine who will be getting married on my anniversary in June. While looking through an old copy of the works of Edgar Guest, I came upon the poem, "The June Couple." Thankfully, the poem was fitting for the young couple, and conveyed the proper sentiments, so I set out to find a way to present it to the bride as a gift.

I was able to find this lovely frame at a thrift shop...it had a Nolan Miller dress design print in the center which I discarded. The frame was originally a tacky, silvery/goldish color, so I used one of my favorite trash-to-treasure tricks and painted it with black acrylic paint, making sure to get it into all the crevices, then wiped some off with a cloth, just leaving highlights of the original color showing through. It set off the intricacy of the frame's carved design, and toned down the harsh metallic finish. Black paint is a bargain-hunter's best friend!

Next, I formatted the poem on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cream paper, which I trimmed down slightly. This was mounted onto a sheet of pumpkin-colored mulberry paper which was then trimmed to fit and glued into the inner frame. I added a strip of taupe velvet ribbon and a paper flower I purchased from Michael's scrapbooking section.

I washed the glass and reassembled the elements and used a reproduction victorian floral wrapping paper (a previous find from the thrift store) for the backing.

This was one of those projects that I didn't feel particularly inspired about, but I am pleased with the finished product. I hope the bride and groom display it in their new home and that the message of the poem will speak to and encourage them often.

(You can click on the photo to enlarge it and read the poem.)

Handcrafted Beauty

Here's a sachet I made for my Mom's birthday last month. I hand-embroidered the initial in the center, added a floral fabric border, and attached ribbon embellishments with small pink pearly buttons at the middle of each side. The inside sachet consists of an organza bag filled with rice that I scented with vanilla fragrance oil. The monogram is from a book of iron-on embroidery transfers that I have used for many of these sachets. Each design can be used many times.

Hand embroidery is something that I've started doing just in the past few years. By learning only a few basic stitches, it is possible to create lovely and unique gifts for very little money. This project probably cost me less than $5. Had I used fabric from my stash, my cost would've been almost nothing. Just the time involved.

Frugal CAN be beautiful!

Handcrafted Beauty

When I was young, my mother made a cloth doll for me with yarn hair and an embroidered face. It had a wardrobe of dresses, pajamas, and even blankets to keep it warm. I had a little crib in my bedroom where she lived. I still have the doll and all her accessories, but her yarn hair is well frazzled and her clothes washed and faded.

I have to admit that I never really played with dolls. So, when we discovered our 4th child was going to be our first girl, I wondered...would she? I found myself hoping that she would. I found myself with uncontrollable urgings to make her things. Dolls, booties, fancy dresses. Things that would set her apart from her rough-and-tumble brothers. I wondered...would she embrace her God-given role as nurturer? Or would she, like me, prefer books to Barbies? How long would we have to wait for these traits to emerge?

To my delight, I have not been disappointed. She is ALL GIRL, and there is no question...she WILL play with dolls. She loves dolls, and, thanks to Christmas, her collection is growing.

But she needed a SPECIAL doll. A cloth doll with yarn hair and an embroidered face like my mother had made for me. So-o-o-o...

Here's the doll I made for my daughter for Christmas '08. I used Butterick pattern #6993 (it's an older pattern - may be out of print?) I hand-embroidered the facial features using DMC perle cotton. The pattern called for the embroidery to be done after the head was stuffed, but I preferred to do the work on the flat piece in a hoop. (You can click on any of the photos for an enlarged view.)

Another view of the face. I love the eyes. The shading is very realistic. I tried to match the doll's colors to my daughter's features. I used Homespun yarn for the hair...almost a whole skein...it ended up being a lot of hair, but I wanted good coverage over the entire head. You can see a little bit of the dainty cotton lace trim I used on the collar...also on the sleeves and hem.

View of the entire doll. The dress is made of white cotton tone-on-tone print I had in my stash, and the pinafore is a medium-blue fine-wale corduroy with tiny fuschia flowers from Jo-Ann Fabrics. I made my daughter a matching jumper. The pocket is from a pink wool sweater that I felted. I found a tiny bunny at a large chain store that fit perfectly in the pocket. The cream sweater was an infant-sized sweater I found at Goodwill. I crocheted the fuschia blanket using Carefree Cotton yarn that I found on clearance at Wal-Mart. The blanket pattern was originally for a dishcloth, I made it 1 1/2 times the size, and because I used a heavier yarn, the finished piece is quite a bit larger. It is very soft and just perfect to keep dolly's lap warm on these cold winter days.

To complete her outfit, I will be making her some slippers from the pink felted sweater. I purposely made her dress plain, so that we could change her look with just a new pinafore. And I'm sure we'll make more matching outfits in the years to come.

I have a new appreciation for playing with dolls, and my favorite is a newly-turned 2-year-old real-life "dolly" with her daddy's blue eyes and dimpled chin. She's the most precious doll of all!