Barbie Pop Princess Costume

This year my niece wanted to be Barbie pop princess and I of course had no clue who that was but apparently it is the doll above. My sister asked for a purple dress but I thought we could do better than that. Below is the dress I created for her to wear trick or treating.

In order to make the dress practical for trick or treating I added a snap for convenience.

Covering Stools

My neighbor gave me some stools she couldn't use any more. I've always wanted to reupholster so I figured this was my chance!

Step one: unscrew the seat from the stool (screws are on the bottom). 

Step two: put the seat on top of desired fabric and do a large outline. Give yourself about 3-4 extra inches to work with. Cut on the outline. 

Step three: staple gun. Put the seat face down on the wrong side of the fabric. Now start on one side and staple the fabric to the seat. Go to the opposite side, pull tight and staple. Than the next side and so on. 

Step four: put the seat back on the stool and screw it back in. 

Furniture - The beginning

Growing up with a dad that was a carpenter I always dreamed of making my own furniture. Since I live in an apartment that just wasn't practical and this phase of life. So my dad encourage me to get into rehabbing. 

Project one: wicker chair. 

It was chippy and white. After a trip to Home Depot for couple cans of spray paint, plastic tarps and painters tape I was ready to go. I turned my apartment patio into a giant dome covering the sliding door, floor and banister. 

Next I sprayed in even swipes and let coats dry for about 20 minutes in between.

My grandma sent me a cushion for the chair that just wasn't my style. I measured the length of the cushion added 5 inches for shrinking and seams and ran to the fabric store. Next I folded the fabric in half and laid my cushion on top with the outside facing edge on the fold. I outlined the cushion into the fabric. 

Next I added 5/8 of an inch to my outline and cut. Once I had my pattern I put the right sides together and sewed 5/8 from the edge leaving a wide enough gap to stuff the pillow inside. Make sure the gap is along the back edge that will face the wicker. In order to sew it up I pushed the  pillow away from the opening and pinned the seam together as if it was sewed. Than I used my machine to sew it closed. Sew close to the edge so it's a small seam sticking out. 

Brides and their Love of Flannel

A My roommate in college did my hair for years and in exchange I always promised that I'd help with her wedding dress. She bought a gorgeous dress but it was strapless. Our mission, to add sleeves and a higher neckline. 

Here's the neckline she picked...

And this sleeves:

We started with a mock up for fitting out of muslin. Muslin is cheap fabric that allows you to play with the fitting and style without wasting money on the expensive final fabric.

Luckily she got her Dress at David's Bridal and they sell her same fabric by the yard. Once we had the fit right I cut out the actual fabric, yikes right?!

We tried it with a cap sleeve and the frilly sleeve to see which she liked best. 

While, I think we nailed the look, the bride decided it wasn't for her. Oh well, at least it was a fun adventure right? After reassurance from her mom I cut the top off and finished off the zipper top to make it a skirt.

She paired with a cute lacey top:

Photo courtesy of: http://www.diybride.com/blog/2013/12/21/haley-daryns-diy-first-lookbridal-session/

 And with her signature flannel:

Photo courtesy of: http://www.diybride.com/blog/2013/12/21/haley-daryns-diy-first-lookbridal-session/

Since the bride didn't end up using the alterations I decided to use it as a wedding gift. Her wedding colors were forest green and dark red. This way she had a piece of her wedding dress, we'll the fabric at least to wear again and remember her special day. 

Baby Blessing

After two adorable boys my sister was excited to welcome her first baby girl! Luckily her parents thought to save her baby blessing dress. The only tricky part was that the dress was crocheted so she needed something to go underneath it.

Below is what I came up with. I wanted something simple but cute enough that she could pass it on to her daughter to wear one day. I also thought the ruffled skirt would add shape/volume to the crocheted dress.

I wanted her to have the look of buttons with the ease and convenience of snaps. 

Sewing my Way Through College

Heading off to college I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. Everyone in my family was in the medical field so I figured nursing sounded ok. Well let me tell you, after switching in and out of nursing 3 times I finally faced the music that it was not for me! My sister encouraged me to try out the Home and Family Living major since I'd always been pretty crafty. I showed up to beginning sewing and sewed through my finger on the first day, lets just say I wasn't sure I was off to the right start here either. But a few short weeks latter, I felt more at home than I ever had before. This was when I realized you can't force something to work for you. Life's too short to spend it being miserable. I ended up graduating with an emphasis in Clothing Construction and a minor in Business Management with hopes of becoming a buyer one day.

Take a look at some of the fun projects that helped cultivate my love of sewing.

Hoodies

 

 A custom full zip hoodie, designed by a friend but still missing the bottom band in this picture.

Dresses

 

Blazer

 Leggings

 Bike Tank