Threading My Way

Saturday, 17 March 2012

Threading Your Way ~ Everything Baby ~ Link Party

Welcome to the twelfth edition of Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way. I've been thrilled with the success of our link parties and have received lots of very positive feedback, with the majority of comments referring to the fact that the parties are themed and ongoing.

Remember, these linkys are ongoing, so you can continue to add projects throughout the year. Add as many projects as you would like.

Our twelfth linky for 2012 is everything Baby made by YOU.

Baby Clothes and Accessories
Link up any family friendly posts that you have written on items for babies. Your posts might (but don't have to) include any of the following:

how you made it
tutorials
photos
pattern reviews
tips for making
what you learnt

As long as YOU have made it, link it up and show it off. If you have previously linked up a baby item in another category, feel free to link it up again here. Link up as many posts on Baby Clothes and Accessories, as you would like. Come back through the year and add more.

Guidelines for linking up:

Each post needs to be about an item for a baby that you have made.
Link to a specific post (not the home page of your blog).
No direct links to shops or giveaways.

The fine print:

By linking up, you are giving me permission to use one of your photos in a feature. I will, of course, link back to your post, giving you full credit.
By linking up, you are giving me permission to pin your post to Pinterest. I pin all features to Pinterest, unless you specifically request me not to.
By linking up, you are giving me permission to share your post on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Google+

If you'd like:

Subscribe to Threading My Way (GFC, RSS, Linky Followers, email), to keep up to date, to see if you've been featured and to know when the next themed party starts.
Grab a button to spread the word about Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way and put it somewhere on your blog.
Visit some of the other links. Everyone loves comments.

I usually post Features each Saturday on Threading My Way.

I look forward to seeing your baby clothes and accessories...

Master list of ongoing link parties at Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way

Master list of ongoing link parties at Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way

... Pam

Threading Your Way ~ Features

We didn't have a lot of posts linked to our Dolls' Clothes Link Party, but the ones that were linked up were amazing. Don't forget, this is an ONGOING linky which will remain open all year. If you make any dolls' clothes, add them at any time. We'd love to have a look.

And now, onto some features...

Reversible Dolls Dress Tutorial..	Socks to Barbie Clothes...
Upcycled Doll Dress...	Mix and Match Wardrobe...
Hair Flair...	Personalised Pocket Pillow...
Half Apron...	Little Round Pouch...

According to Mr Linky, the most viewed outfit for a doll was this comprehensive tutorial:

Reversible Dolls Dress Tutorial by Juliet, from Tartan Kiwi

Two fabulous upcycled dolls' outfits which also caught my eye:

Socks to Barbie Clothes by Michka, from Michka's Creative Solutions
Upcycled Doll Dress by Leigh Ann, from Sew Blessed

And this amazing mix and match outfit for a doll:

Mix and Match Wardrobe by Barbara, from A Mother and a Daughter

And some other projects from past parties which also caught my eye:
A cool set of hair accessories:

Hair Flair by Fifi, from About Blogging Time

A fun personalized pillow with its own pocket:

Personalized Pocket Pillow, by Jessie, from Saavy Savings

An ever so pretty apron and tutorial:

Half Apron by Jesika, from Craft Geek

And just look at this cute little coin pouch:

Little Round Pouch by Veronica, from SewVery

Head on over and visit these talented ladies.

Each week, I will place a blog button, belonging to the blog which was most viewed, in my sidebar. This week, the most viewed link was the Reversible Dolls Dress Tutorial. Juliet, look out for your blog button in my sidebar.

Feel free to grab a button if you've been featured...

You can find the Master list of ongoing link parties at Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way

Remember, all of our link parties are ongoing. You can add projects at any time.

A new party for Baby Clothes and Accessories begins tomorrow.

I look forward to seeing more of your creativity...

... Pam

Monday, 12 March 2012

Refashioning, Upcycling, Repurposing...

What's in a name... upcycling, recycling, reusing, repurposing, refashioning? Some of the terms may be relatively new, but the concept is not.

Back in the 60s, it was called being thrifty. I can remember going for my Thrift Badge at Girl Guides. It was no big deal, as you tended to do most of the things anyway.

Back in the 30s and 40s (I wasn't around then), I think it was called being frugal. My mother said they used to make clothes from what ever they had. Here's a photo of my Mum in a skirt she made from a tablecloth in about 1945. Oh, I wish the photos were in colour.

I don't know that any of my clothes were made from pre loved items, (Tell me if they were, Mum) but they were home made. As you've read in a previous post, all I wanted was store bought clothes.

During the 19th Century, being frugal was a way of life. You were either frugal or wasteful.

More money during the 60s and 70s led to the availability of more commodities and no need for a simple, thrifty or frugal lifestyle. That trend has increased to this day. We truly are a throw away society.

Even though recycling began to take place in the 70s and 80s, it didn't, in the main, involve clothes. It is only in fairly recent years that reusing clothes has become trendy. Refashioning, repurposing, upcycling, transforming, what ever you care to call it, using pre-loved clothes has become fashionable.

Last year was the first time in my life that I had ever sewed an article using a pre-loved piece of clothing. My daughter asked if I would turn a favourite baby doll t-shirt dress into a bag. My daughter didn't get quite the reaction she had hoped for. I think I was rather negative. But if I make a mistake, there's no going back. I don't have a pattern. And my non-sewing (at that time) daughter, You can do it, Mum. If you can make.... this will be easy. You just have to... And so my first upcycled project was a bag.

You might ask why I was negative about upcycling the dress into a bag. I was taught to sew with rules. There was only ever one way to sew something: the right way. The rules of sewing were ingrained. Refashioning meant breaking some of those rules and making something in an unorthodox way I was certainly not used to. However, I was chuffed at how the bag had turned out.

My next venture into upcycling, again came at my daughter's request; turning one of her an old aerobics costumes, into some swimming costumes for Barbie and Ken. Again, I don't think I was overly positive when I was asked. After trying to adhere to the old rules, I ended up just hacking into the costume, pulling pieces around the dolls and hand sewing. Here are the results and again I was pleased with how they turned out. The owners of the dolls' clothes haven't complained about how they are sewn.

My daughter was on a roll and asked me to transform her wedding dress into a smart day dress for her to wear to the wedding of good friends. Eeekkk...that meant cutting into her wedding dress. Again, I was not overly positive to begin with, but we were both thrilled with the result. Head on over to Tash's blog, Little Ladybird, to hear her thoughts on our wedding dress transformation.

Funnily enough, I didn't find any of these projects stressful. I may have been negative and argued that it couldn't be done, but once I made the first cut in the fabric, I found that I quite enjoyed the process. My daughter was teaching me to think outside the square, to be more adventurous and that it's OK to bend the rules.

I'm now finding that I'm loving refashioning clothes!!! Thanks to my daughter's encouragement, I now feel quite confident about taking pre-loved garments and turning them into something different. When I begin a refashion now, I don't always know what the end result will be and I'm now OK with that. With each refashion, I am finding it easier to think of new ideas. The more refashioning I do, the more ideas I have for the next refashion. You can see more of my refashioning projects here. Here's a couple of recent ones.

I'm having so much fun refashioning, I might never sew from new fabrics again. Hmmmm... I take that back. I have a HUGE stash of new fabric. Besides, I've just won a $30 voucher to Whimsy Couture, a site with lots of PDF sewing patterns. I'm going to have fun spending my voucher. Thanks Whimsy Couture and thanks Jill, from Creating My Way to Success for hosting the giveaway.

Jill has a fabulous ongoing themed link party just for Clothes Upcycling Projects. If you refashion clothes, link them up. I get a steady flow of traffic from Jill's Upcycling Link Party. As of today, there are 259 projects linked up. It's well worth a look!!!

Another good upcycling site, is the Refashion Co-op. You can become a contributor to this blog just by signing up and agreeing to post at least once a month. After posting to the Refashion Co-op, I get a lot of traffic to my blog.

Do you know of any refashioning sites? I'd love to hear...

... Pam

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Turn an Old Favourite T-shirt into a Cushion...

Turn a favourite t-shirt into a decorative cushion. Tutorial by Threading My Way

What do you do with your children’s clothes when they outgrow them? Most are given away to someone else who can use them. But what about the clothes that you just can’t bear to part with; a favourite piece of clothing, a special gift, or an article of clothing that evokes fond memories. Usually, they are carefully wrapped and packed away in a cupboard, where no one sees them. Here’s how to turn a special t-shirt into a decorative cushion, which can be put on show for all to see. Please note that this is decorative cushion, not a pillow.

Materials:

Sewing machine

Scissors

Tape Measure

Needle

Favourite t-shirt

Double sided fusible webbing

5 x buttons

Embroidery floss

Polyester thread for attaching buttons

Cotton or polyester thread for the sewing machine

1 yard of fabric (for fabric with a width less than 50 inches)

¾ yard of fabric (for fabric with a width of 50 inches or greater)

14 inch x 14 inch cushion insert

Note:

Your t-shirt will have been washed many times, so will not shrink any further. Wash the fabric to be used for the cushion, to prevent shrinkage at a later date. Pre-washing will also prevent dyes from running. Ironing both the t-shirt and cushion fabric will make both cutting and sewing more accurate.

Directions:

Step 1:

Cut the fabric

Two pieces - 15 inches x 15 inches

One piece - 15 inches x 8 inches

One piece – 15 inches x 13 inches

Roughly cut the t-shirt piece to appliqué. Cut a little larger than actually needed.

Cut the fusible webbing slightly smaller than the t-shirt piece, but larger than the finished appliqué.

Step 2: Prepare your appliqué

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the rough side of the webbing to the wrong side of the t-shirt piece. Basically, you are fusing the webbing to the fabric, by ironing. Set the iron to the correct setting for the fabric you are using, don’t use steam and press, rather than slide. Use an old cloth both under and on top to prevent glue from getting on the iron or ironing board.

You will now have your t-shirt on one side and paper on the other side. Trace the appliqué shape onto the paper, when it is cool, cut out the appliqué. Peel off the paper, leaving a thin film of glue on the wrong side of the fabric. Again, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the appliqué to the front of the cushion. Use an old cloth.

Step 3:

You can hand or machine sew the appliqué to the cushion front. This will prevent it from fraying. I use an appliqué foot on my sewing machine, because it makes it easier to see the stitching, but it is not necessary. Set your machine to a zig zag stitch and experiment with the width and length of the stitch. I used a width of 4 and a length of .8. Because the t-shirt is stretch fabric, I used a longer length than for non-stretch fabric.

If your machine has a knot stitch, begin with that. Otherwise do a couple of straight stitches and backstitch before you zig zag. If you need to adjust the material as you sew the rounded corners, stop the machine, with the needle in the fabric, on the outside of the zig zag. End the zig zag with a knot stitch on the machine or do a couple of straight stitches and backstitch. Take the cotton through to the wrong side and knot securely. Thread the ends through the zig zag stitch on the wrong side of the fabric.

Step 4: Decorative stitching

Using 3 strands of embroidery floss, sew a running stitch around the appliqué, about an 1/8 inch away. Choose a decorative stitch on your machine and sew another line of stitching, about ½ inch outside the first. Using 3 strands of embroidery floss, sew a running stitch 1 inch from the edge, on all four sides of the cushion.

Step 5:

Securely sew 5 buttons in a row across the cushion, 1½ inches below the machine embroidery.

Step 6:

Place the second piece of 15 x 15 fabric onto the 15 x 15 piece with stitching, wrong sides together. This will make the inside of the cushion cover neater. Baste around the edges to hold together.

Step 7:

Using the 15 x 8 inch fabric, turn under ¼ inch on one long side, press, turn under ½ inch and sew. Using the 15 x 13 inch fabric, turn under ¼ inch on one long side, press, turn under ½ inch and sew.

Add caption

Step 8:

Place the cushion front with the outside of the fabric facing up. Place the two back pieces, onto the outside of the cushion. The two back pieces will overlap and form an envelope. Stitch all the way around the 4 sides. Clip the corners, being careful not to cut the stitching. Finish the edges with a serger or zig zag. Turn the cushion right side out and you are finished.

I was really pleased with how my cushion turned out. It's still one of my favourites projects and was so easy to make. This tutorial was originally published by CRAFT last December.

... Pam

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Saturday, 10 March 2012

Threading Your Way ~ Skirts for Women ~ Link Party

Welcome to the eleventh edition of Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way. I've been thrilled with the success of our link parties and have received lots of very positive feedback, with the majority of comments referring to the fact that the parties are themed and ongoing.

Remember, these linkys are ongoing, so you can continue to add projects throughout the year. Add as many projects as you would like.

Our eleventh linky for 2012 is everything Women's Skirts made by YOU.

Women's Skirts
Link up any family friendly posts that you have written on skirts for women. Your posts might (but don't have to) include any of the following:

how you made it
tutorials
photos
pattern reviews
tips for making
what you learnt

As long as YOU have made it, link it up and show it off. Link up as many posts on Women's Skirts, as you would like. Come back through the year and add more.

Guidelines for linking up:

Each post needs to be about a woman's skirt that you have made.
Link to a specific post (not the home page of your blog).
No direct links to shops or giveaways.

The fine print:

By linking up, you are giving me permission to use one of your photos in a feature. I will, of course, link back to your post, giving you full credit.
By linking up, you are giving me permission to pin your post to Pinterest. I pin all features to Pinterest, unless you specifically request me not to.
By linking up, you are giving me permission to share your post on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Google+

If you'd like:

Subscribe to Threading My Way (GFC, RSS, Linky Followers, email), to keep up to date, to see if you've been featured and to know when the next themed party starts.
Grab a button to spread the word about Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way and put it somewhere on your blog.
Visit some of the other links. Everyone loves comments.

I usually post Features each Saturday on Threading My Way.

I look forward to seeing your skirts for women...

Master list of ongoing link parties at Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way

Master list of ongoing link parties at Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way

... Pam

Threading Your Way ~ Features

So many gorgeous clutches, purses and zippered pouches were linked up to our Purses, Clutches and Pouches link party. I don't think you can ever have too many zippered pouches. Don't forget, this is an ONGOING linky which will remain open all year. If you make any purses, clutches or pouches, add them at any time. We'd love to have a look.

And now, onto some features...

Retro Pocket Clutch..	Zippered Pouch...
Toiletry Bag...	Dandelion Daydream Apron...
Owl Party Dress...	Shirt to Dress...
Paper Bag Skirt Tutorial...	One Skirt Three Ways Tutorial...

According to Mr Linky, the most viewed purses, clutches or pouches were:

Retro Pocket Clutch by Tanya, from Craft Couture by T. C.
Zippered Pouch by Suzee, from Applehead Threads
Toiletry Bag by Fiona, from Handmade be Fiona

And some other projects from past parties which also caught my eye:
A really cool apron with pintucks on diagonal stripes:

Dandelion Daydream Apron by Britt, from Third Time's A Charm

An absolutely gorgeous owl appliquéd dress:

Owl Party Dress, by Barbara, from A Mother and a Daughter

A very clever refashion; making a girl's dress from an adult's shirt:

Shirt to Dress, by Adele, from Mammy Made

And two comprehensive girls' skirt tutorials:

Paper Bag Skirt Tutorial by Christy, from Sew Love It
One Skirt Three Ways Tutorial by Jamie, from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mum

Head on over and visit these talented ladies.

Each week, I will place a blog button, belonging to the blog which was most viewed, in my sidebar. This week, the most viewed link was the Retro Pocket Clutch. Tanya, look out for your blog button in my sidebar.

Feel free to grab a button if you've been featured...

You can find the Master list of ongoing link parties at Threading YOUR Way with Threading My Way

Remember, all of our link parties are ongoing. You can add projects at any time.

A new party for Women's Skirts begins tomorrow.

I look forward to seeing more of your creativity...

... Pam

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Rose t-shirt...

Yay!!! I've made something for me!!! It's the first item of clothing I have made for myself in many, many years.

I've been lucky enough to test the Rose T-shirt pattern for Melissa from Melly Sews. I believe the pattern will be ready for sale on Melissa's site and in her Etsy shop, later this month. The t-shirt can be made with short sleeves, 3/4 sleeves or without sleeves. You can see all three versions here.

I wanted to work with fabric I already had, mainly because it has been a LONG time since I've sewn with stretch fabric and because I would be using my normal sewing machine instead of an overlocker (serger). Out came an XL men's t-shirt from my now ever growing clothing to be refashioned stash.

I just had enough fabric!!! The back neck facing has a tiny bit of the asics lettering, but you can't see it, because I've turned the facing so the wrong side of the fabric is showing. Let's face it, the facing doesn't show, so no one (other than you and me), will know how I've done it. That same facing also has a seam which isn't in Melissa's pattern. That's because the only fabric left, already had a seam in it.

As you can see, I've also used another pre-loved t-shirt for the black on the bodice. I added the black, because I didn't have enough of the blue t-shirt and didn't realise until it was all cut out. I'm rather glad it worked out this way, because I really like the black contrast between the two blues.

The patterned blue fabric is woven, unlike the rest of the t-shirt which is stretch fabric. This gives you a chance to really make your t-shirt distinctive and one of a kind. That appeals to me!

The Rose T-shirt was very quick to make up. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, with lots of photos included. The front facing is sewn into the sleeve seam, which is a great way to make it lay flat and to help keep the facing in place.

I've deviated from the pattern, by topstitching the edges of the woven fabric. I didn't secure the front facing by stitching in the ditch, as I didn't like the chances of my stitching not being seen. Perhaps with practice, I will perfect stitching in the ditch. Instead, I hand stitched the facing to the seam allowance, as it was really only a cosmetic thing, as the topstitching and sleeve seams secured it. I also topstitched the back facing to the seam allowance.

As I was using a pre-loved t-shirt, I decided to use the original hems for the bottom of my t-shirt and the sleeves. This is definitely NOT what the pattern says or how to correctly make a t-shirt. The hems really should be done last. However, I was thrilled that I managed to line the hems up perfectly, but, of course, if you look closely, you can see the seams.

I will most definitely be using this pattern again! It's so quick and easy to sew, even on a regular sewing machine. Another benefit is that there is no ribbing required, therefore making it inexpensive to make, even if you are buying the stretch fabric. There's bound to be co-ordinating woven fabric already in your stash.

Melissa gives comprehensive instructions re printing, even going so far as to give specific instructions for different printers and computers. As with all PDFs, the pattern is printed on multiple pages and requires cutting and taping the pieces together. All pieces are labelled clearly!!! Taping this pattern together is a breeze!

You'll definitely see more Rose t-shirts from me. Maybe next time I'll even take a photo of me in the t-shirt...

... Pam

Edited to add: You can now purchase the Rose t-shirt pattern over at Melly Sews.

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Fabric Flower Hair Tie...

Yesterday, I showed you my latest refashion: turning a woman's dress into a little girl's dress, drawstring bag and hair tie. Today, I'll show you how I made the fabric flower hair tie.

After making the girl's dress, I had a strip of fabric left over from the bottom of the dress. For the fabric flower, I used the strip from the front of the dress. The strip from the back was used for the drawstring bag.

Once again, I've used this fabulous tutorial for a flower headband, written by Cass, over at Cass Can Sew. Head on over to see how Cass makes the fabric flower. Here's how I added an elastic hair tie to the back, instead of adding it to a headband.

You may remember from the dress refashion, that I used a woman's shirt as the lining for the drawstring bag. For the hair tie, I cut off a piece of fabric, from the shirt, that included a buttonhole.

Neaten the ends of the strip.
Place the fabric, with the buttonhole, behind the fabric flower.
Sew in place.

Next step is to attach the elastic hair tie with a piece of ribbon.

Thread the ribbon twice through the button hole, encasing the hair tie.

Secure the ribbon and hair tie, so it can't be pulled through to the front.

The ribbon at the front...

Fold the ribbon to the desired shape and secure with a few threads. Next time, I'll secure more towards the centre of the bow and less towards the ends, so the bow stands up a little more. Securely sew on your button and you're done.

I've made this fabric flower much larger than the two previous ones found here and here. I just used the strip of fabric from the dress, without really thinking about the size of the finished fabric flower. I was lucky! It worked well.

Thanks, Cass, for sharing your tutorial...

... Pam

Have you seen our ongoing Hair Accessories Link Party?

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Tutorials ~ Children

*Doll stroller liner*	T-shirt Dress	Alice Apron
Pintucked Skirt	Lengthen Jeans	Fabric Letters...
Hair Ties	Shirred Sundress	Rainbow Dress
Gathered Skirt	Measurement Chart	Baby Wash Cloths
Men's Shirt Skirt	Hair Tie	Gathered Skirt
Baby Wash Cloths	Lace Skirt	Denim Band

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Saturday, 17 March 2012

Monday, 12 March 2012

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Saturday, 10 March 2012

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Tuesday, 6 March 2012