Category: Recycle it

Side Panel Shirt Revamp

From Crafterhoursblog: This one’s an oldie but a goodie.  Refashion a knit shirt by inserting panels of fabric on the sides.  The practical reasons behind doing this refashion could be:
 

1. make a small shirt bigger

2. make a big shirt smaller
3. get rid of unsightly evidence of perspiration
4. use tapered fabric inserts to make the bottom part of the shirt bigger to compensate for baby bump (either before or after baby)
 
but the number one reason in my book:
1.  it’s way cute.
 
Complete instructions HERE!

Seashell Collecting Bag

From Come Together Kids : My kids love collecting seashells, but I never liked how gross their shells got by the end of the vacation. Take some wet, sandy shells, leave them in plastic buckets in the hot summer sun for a few days and you’ll end up with a stinky mess that you don’t want to transport home.   I decided I’d try my hand at making my own mesh seashell bags.  I was really pleased with the way they turned out and they worked just as I’d hoped ~ the perfect bag for collecting and no stinky, sandy buckets of wet shells to lug back home.

SUPPLIES:

  • mesh fabric ( I found a utility mesh at JoAnn’s that worked perfectly)
  • cotton fabric (1/2 yard is plenty)
  • sew on velcro
  • about 20″ of 1/4″ ribbon

Click HERE for complete sewing instructions

10 Minute Cardigan From Sweater

This tutorial on Pinterest inspired me and I promise you that soon I will have more cardigans than is healthy for a girl.

Here’s what you need to transform your tired sweater into a fresh new cardigan:

  • sweater
  • tailor’s chalk or other fabric marking tool
  • Heat’N Bond ultrahold iron-on adhesive (5/8″)
  • iron
  • standard sewing supplies (thread, scissors, machine, etc.)

1. Fold your sweater in half through the center front, making sure the collar, sleeves, and hem are all lined up and straight. Lay a rotary ruler on top of the sweater and run the tailor’s chalk along the fold to mark the center. Open it up and make sure it looks centered.

2. Cut all the way up through the front of the sweater only.

3. Open up the sweater and smooth out the cut edges – they will curl a bit.

4. Following the HeatnBond instructions, press the iron-on tape right up next to the cut edge on the wrong side of the sweater. Do on both left and right front pieces of the now cardigan.

5. Peel the paper backing off, turn the edge back on itself so it’s wrong sides together with the adhesive in between and press to create the finished center edge.

6. Sewing with the unfinished edge on top, stitch the two layers together. (I used the 5/8″ line on my sewing machine.) DON’T STITCH up through the collar part with your machine, tack it down by hand or there will be a very visible and ugly line there.

see the rest at vanillajoy.com