hemming jeans

 see the problem in the above photo ?  the pant legs on this pair of jeans are way too long...

 so I folded them up to where I wanted them to be...

 a lot needed to be taken up.  I came across this fabulous tutorial on how to hem jeans which keeps the preexisting hem intact. can you believe it's a blog post from 6 years ago !?!  in blog land that's ancient history, but don't worry, it's an oldie, but goodie :)

 so it said to measure how much length you'd like to have taken off & divide it by 2.  take that new measurement, pin around, & sew right next to the preexisting hem using a zipper foot (btw, right after I took the above photo the sewing needle broke ~ ugh!)

 good advice was given to only do one leg at a time, the first pant leg turned out perfect, so then I did the second one...

 next I added some peel n stick fabric fuse because I didn't want the excess fabric hanging out.

 I ironed it to adhere the excess material to the inside of the jeans.

 amazing results !  AND now I will never hesitate in the future to buy jeans that are too long.

Altered Couture magazine

I was delightfully surprised when I looked into my mailbox this afternoon (something arrived earlier than I had expected).

Many thanks to Altered Couture magazine for publishing the ruffled peasant dress that I sewed for my daughter, it's found on pages 80-81of the NOV/DEC/JAN 2012 issue. In my write-up I shared how I turned a men's dress shirt into a cute little dress embellished with ruffles, including all the tools & materials needed, step-by-step instructions, as well as some helpful tips. I'm thrilled to be included among many wonderful artists with fabulous projects !

Thanks so much for joining me this week @ nest full of eggs !

PS Altered Couture magazine is available for purchase at JoAnn, Michaels, Barnes & Nobles stores... it's also available through subscription.

flannel pajama pants

{kids clothes week}

:: flannel pajama pants, they will be very useful during the fall, winter, & spring

:: McCall's 3906, size Xsm

:: super easy to sew

:: next on the list for kids clothes week: school photo dress

:: happy sewing everyone !

wool felt & fleece flower headband

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{kids clothes week}

:: I had leftovers of mustard yellow wool felt & gray fleece from the Abby Jacket I sewed, so I decided to make a matching flower headband

:: I had this mustard yellow elastic (approximately 16 inches) I think it came from a box of chocolates ?  not sure... the gray button was from my stash

:: to make one...

:: cut out circles in various sizes, I used some circle paper punches for a few, none of the circles are perfect, I made 4 circles from the mustard yellow wool felt & 1 from the gray fleece

:: snip into each circle all around (something similar to a fringe) to add some texture, then stack up the circles & place a coordinating button on top

:: zig-zag the ends of the elastic together, twice

:: take some coordinating embroidery floss & sew the flower onto the elastic (if you want you can sew it over the spot where you zig-zag stitched the elastic together that way the zig-zag stitch won't show giving it a more polished look)

:: voila, you're done... you don't need to worry about fraying since wool felt & fleece don't fray :)

:: making a headband like this was so simple, I don't know why I hadn't made one before, but will keep this in mind when I have leftovers from future sewing projects

:: next on the list for kids clothes week ?  flannel pajama pants...

Abby Jacket

{kids clothes week}

:: Abby Jacket size 4T

:: I used gray fleece, mustard yellow wool felt, 4 modern gray buttons, 2 mustard yellow vintage buttons, & gray embroidery floss

:: my button hole maker attachment on my sewing machine wasn't working, so I made the button holes using this hand-worked button holes tutorial

:: cute jacket with style & detail, so soft with the fleece & I really like the high collar

art smock

{kids clothes week}

:: it feels good to be creating again, making things = happy me :)

:: art smock from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew: 20 Classic Accessories and Toys for Children by Liesl Gibson

:: hoping to reduce the stains on long sleeve shirts, this art smock is for school, I'd like to sew another one for home

:: fabrics look familiar ?  they are from the JoAnn DS quilt collection: Sugar Creek Whimsy Bouquet Meadow & Picnic Dots Red/Pink

:: this is the second item I've sewn from this book, the first was the tutu

:: I can't say enough about any pattern from Oliver + S, they are great !  really like the finishing touches on this art smock, lots of French seams so the inside looks polished

:: back to sewing I go ~ happy sewing everyone !