DIY 20 min skirt made from a T-Shirt 1 seam and no heming! A must see!

So Miss Berry has decided to be Fiona (from Adventure Time) for Halloween. Enter the need for a cute simple blue knit skirt. Now, I have a confession...I hate to hem. I do it because I have to but if I can avoid it I will. Its no bueno to me. So what has a built in hem?? A T-Shirt. This baby only took me about 20 minutes and the request is already in for a maxi skirt next. It would be adorable in Christmas colors or a stripe!! Right??

Here is what I did and used...

1 boys T-shirt Med 8-10 (I just looked for a Tee that was going to be the right length under the armpit)

1.5 inch elastic 
(I just wrapped it around her waist and then took about an inch off for the length of elastic needed)

matching thread

I cut the shirt right under the arm pits

Like so...

Then turn the "skirt" inside out and measure for your casing and turn down the fabric accordingly.

Then I pinned. I like to double pin on both sides of the opening needed for threading the elastic through but this isn't necessary if you watch to avoid sewing the casing shut.

Sew around the casing being sure to leave an opening for the elastic to be pulled through.

 Attach a safety pin to the elastic to lead the elastic. I also will use an second safety pin to pin the end of the elastic to the skirt to ensure that I don't pull the elastic all the way through.  Once the elastic make it completely through and the ends have met; sew them together and then sew the opening shut. 

Tada!!

Maxi skirts here we come! 

cloth napkin tutorial round up

We use a lot of napkins and paper towels around our house. They are convenient and easy to use and killing our planet..... dun dun dun! But seriously they are bad for the environment. I feel guilty every time I throw one away. So I have been gathering cloth napkins that I find for a good price to replace our paper napkins. We have also started trying to get into the habit of using plain white tea towels instead of paper towels. I have been buying them like a sucker! Why not make a bunch? I have a ton of scrap fabric that I need to bust through. So this weekend I want to sew a bunch up. Using one of these tutorials. To be totally honest I will probably try one of each and whichever one is that absolute easiest that is the one I will use. Keep in mind that these are just a drop in the bucket of the amount of tutorials that there are for cloth napkins on the webs.

This is a great tutorial from Gingercake. 

I love the simple explanation of making mitered corners in this tutorial by Nicole's Classes. It made it click all of the sudden for me!

This one from A Beautiful Mess isn't totally a tutorial but there is a quick explanation of how to make them. I love the mismatched napkins and the cute basket to hold them!

And if you don't feel like making any:

I had to add skull ones because I love them!!

These unbleached cotton ones are beautiful. 

Last but not least simple white ones!

Would you or do you use cloth napkins? Have you made them or bought them? I am so excited to make some and start using them. Now how to store them is my next quest.

Swimsuit Cover Up-Victoria's shhhh....A knock off tutorial

We do a lot a swimming in the summer.  Enough to necessitate a cover up for sure.  Did you know that Vicky's secret charges 50 bucks for one like this??  It cost me less than $10 and I didn't even need a sewing machine?! 

Here's the easy tutorial:

You will need:

enough knit fabric to go around your body 1.5 times

a needle and thread to match your fabric

scissors

something to make the round of the arm pits 

(I used a dessert plate)

elastic 

(we used hair elastics) 

What to do:

open the fabric and then fold it into quarters

Cut 3 strips off the end that will be braided together for the straps.

 Using the elastics to secure the strips of fabric braid the piece into a nice long braid.

 See,,,just like this...

 Fold the fabric in half (pin together if you need to) and then cut both thicknesses to provide an  armpit hole for each side (the top corners)

Open up a hole in your braid and pull a little bit of the corner of your knit piece into the braid. 

Fold the little pulled through corner over the strands of the braid and stitch down with your needle and matching tread. Cut off excess after it is stitched down securely.

 Measure the length of the braid over the shoulder for size, cut and secure with a knot or the elastic so the braid doesn't come undone and then sew and repeat the steps above on the back side as well. Now repeat for the other side. 

To wear, wrap around the back and slide the "arm holes" across to opposite shoulders. 

PS... Thanks Gabs for "showing me love"!! You are a doll and a half! I love your happy happy face!! and your sweet willingness to help!

PSS... We cut about 4 inches off the bottom of the cover up after the pictures were taken. 

My water proof picnic blanket -A tutorial (sorta)

I am sure you remember our post on Free Movies in the park but if you don't you can check it out here... Well, we have been attending, and have been enjoying the fun, but have run into two little problems. 1) the blankets are getting a little moist as we sit on them in the grass and 2) we are having a hard time getting them to stay put. (read between wiggly kids and people walking through our party the blankets were a bunched up mess) SO....they say necessity is a mother and it must be true because I came up with a solution to both little troubles; my version of a water proof picnic blanket. How you ask?? I sewed a cheap blanket to a tarp.  HAHA!! 

Pretty simple but very effective and I'll show you how. 

 What you'll need:

a tarp (we used a heavy duty 8x10 tarp)

a blanket (we used a cheap $5 twin size blanket from Wallys)

thread

the usual sewing notions

tent stakes

OPTIONAL: a tent stake mallet

First we laid out the tarp and 

then centered the blanket on top of it. 

Next we pinned and pinned and pinned. 

(you will want a lot of pins) :)

Then once it was pinned we simply sewed around it to 

attach the blanket to the tarp.

 NOTE: it is big and kinda heavy...you may want assistance just holding the bulk of the materials and to help maneuver it while you sew.

Now we can use the grommets in the tarp to stake down our blanket and never worry about whatever is on the grass seeping up to get us.  YAY!! AND it will stay right where we put it. HOORAY!!

Gabby is so helpful staking down the blanket and all....

Don't they look so happy to be nice and dry?! 

I plan on storing the mallet, stakes, and blanket in a cute reusable shopping bag and keeping it in our van for ready to go capabilities.