Vest from Flannel Shirt

It's a rainy, quiet night here in Texas... we might even get a freeze this week! I swear winter is refusing to come this year... boo. I love the cold! Probably because we don't see much of it! It snowed a little last year (and by a little, I mean an teeny-tiny, itty-bitty amount that, if you live somewhere where it actually snows, you'd laugh at how excited I was!) which means this year we probably won't even see much sleet. Oh well... at least that means my birthday trip with my best friend won't be interrupted.

Anyway, it's a perfect night to finish my latest little project!

I found this flannel shirt at a thrift shop for a few bucks the other day. It was a bit too big in the body, but the sleeves were too short. So I decided I'd give it a second life.

First, I removed the pockets, which were way too high up, & cut off the sleeves. They didn't go to waste... Lolah is enjoying them. =)


I then measured from the inside seam to where I wanted my new seam, & pinned all the way down, making sure to line up the shoulder seam & bottom hem.

I played connect the dots & chalked a line connecting all of my pins.

Then I sewed my new hem. I don't have a double needle, so I sewed my desired seam first, then a reinforcement seam 1/4" outside of that seam (this becomes the innermost seam, when the shirt is turned right-side-out.) Better safe than sorry... I'd hate to bust a side seam & not have back-up! I suppose I could have used a zig-zag, but that was an afterthought.

I trimmed off the excess (the old seam allowance) 1/2" from my new seams.

Right side out, I now have a nice new seam =)

I did this for both seams.

I pinned the pockets where I wanted them, & sewed them on.

And now I have a much-better-fitting plaid vest with lower pockets. Just in time for the usual lunch with the in-laws tomorrow!

P.S.- It looks much better on than it does on the hanger, but I was not in much of a modeling mood at 12:30 in the morning =)

And please excuse the ugly curtain on my door! It was there when we moved in, & I haven't gotten around to replacing it... maybe that will be my next project!!

An Itch to Stitch

My sewing machine is calling. "Use me!!", it says. I have been wanting to finish a flannel shirt re-style I've been working on (which I forgot to take 'before' photos of, so unfortunately, I will only be able to show off the finished product... but Lolah is enjoying her part of it! =)


But instead, I am at my brother-in-law's house (which is hardly a mile away from my house!), watching the boys play video games, breaking up squeaky-toy fights between our dogs, and anticipating dinner - my hubby makes the most amazing burgers!

So, while I will be having fun tonight with friends & family, my fingers & brain are itching to do some stitching!!

Until I can get back to my machine (which, I decided, needs a name!) I am simply showing off two of my favorite new creations.

We had two perfectly nice pillows on the couch, but over the course of a few months (many days of the hubby lounging around on them) they became lumpy & a little dingy. They didn't have removable covers, so I made a few envelope-backed covers for them.

Four fat quarters & 30 minutes later, I had two pretty little pillows, and a nicer-looking couch. Not too shabby for $4.00 =)

Dog Sweater Sewing Experiment

My little Lolah's doggy t-shirt was old, stretched out, and pretty much pathetic. So I decided I would experiment & try to make her a new one =)

I made this from two long shirt sleeves (cut from a shirt I am making for myself). I tried to use a pattern I found online, but that was a mess! Either the pattern was way off, or I added wrong (wouldn't surprise me - I am horrible at math).

So, I made my own version, did a little tweaking, and... tah-dah! A little flannel shirt to keep my booger-bear warm!


Please excuse the teary-eyed-poodle-ish-nastiness... she had just finished drinking water, and she never seems to be able to do that without bathing herself in the process...



Now maybe she'll stop shivering! You'd think that with all that hair, she'd be warm!

Some Thrifty Finds...

I love thrift shops! I went to a few the other day on a mission... & it was a success! =)


I sat digging in a bin for a while, and found about 20 pretty cloth napkins, for 25 cents each!

They are destined to become zipper pouches or pillows...

I also found, hidden in the bottom of a bin marked "Misc. Crafts", when they should have been in the "Sewing" or "Notions" bin, I might add... all of these cool zips for $2.00!!! The three on the left are from the 50's... how awesome is that? And who kept those for that long?

This one is my favorite =)

I can't wait to see what I turn all of these into!

Getting 'Sew' Creative

My hubby bought me a new sewing machine for Christmas! I haven't touched a sewing machine since high school, but sewing was something I wanted to get back into doing. I have been interested in photography for the past few years, but I felt I needed a new outlet for my creativity, something I could do with my hands & be proud of. So far, so good!


I want to use this blog as a way to share my sewing experiences with others, & to learn new things from everyone. I am a beginner, but I am loving it already! This blog is a way to document my accomplishments, my mistakes, and my progress in the world of sewing & crafting. (There may be a bit of photography thrown in here, too!)

So here's to a new year, new beginnings, & a new perspective! =)