Blue Jean Shorts to Skirt Part - 2

I finally found the time to finish the makeover of the girl’s blue jean shorts into a skirt. This project did not take a lot of time with the exception of the gathering of the two layers of ruffles to fit the new style of the old shorts. Once I had the ruffles ready the rest went very quickly and the skirt was done in no time.  Included in today’s post are the before and after shots and a photo shoot I did with my cute little model, my granddaughter.

Before:

After:

The transformation of the shorts to skirt was much easier then with the pants, just simple cuts up the inner thigh on each leg; carefully cutting through the seam in the center, with old blue jeans the fabric is very thick, a sharp pair of scissors works best.  Next I flattened out the fabric as best I could then cut off the legs to just a little below the zipper leaving enough room to attach the ruffles I made earlier. I was careful to make sure the inside pockets did not get caught up in the seams by pinning them out of the way while sewing on the ruffle. I added some top stitching to the skirt and ruffles to keep them from irritating my granddaughter when she moves around.  I stitched up a narrow fabric belt and tacked it to the back of the skirt at the waistline so the new belt would not become lost in the wash.  I added a few pretty blue buttons to the front of the zipper placket to keep it fun and I was done.  I purchased a new blue shirt to go with the skirt and hand stitched a rick rack bow with a button in the center to tie it into the skirt; the outfit was complete and ready to wear.

Both skirts were upcycled from pants and shorts into bright darling garments ready for their second life in a new form, recycling at its best.

My very happy granddaughter modeling her new outfits, what a cutie!

Thanks for letting me share my upcycling skirt projects with you; I had a great time making them, wait until you see what I can do with a pair of men’s designer jeans, that’s for a later date.  I still have a few easy DIY projects to share with you next so keep watching for those.  I know, I know…, I was supposed to show those today but I was just too excited about finishing the skirts, I had to share those first, thanks for understanding, you will see those next, unless I find a better project to share. (Giggles!!)

See you soon.

Laurette

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Pretty In Pink

I just had to share these sweet little bubblegum pink newborn kimono jackets and matching burp cloths.  They came out so cute they make me think of pretty baby girls all soft and sweet smelling after a bath, brings back lots of memories.

This is the only time you will see me making any pink baby clothing or accessories, we found out the new baby due in October is a BABY BOY! We are over the moon and so excited to be having our first grandson; he is going to be so spoiled.  All of my baby projects will now be the usual blues and greens with some yellows and oranges thrown into the mix.  I guess the little pink jackets and burp cloths will have to go into a box until the next baby girl comes along. After sewing nothing but little girl things for the last six years it will be really fun to work with other colors for little boy projects while still sewing pretty things for the girls.

Today while picking up the toy room I realized it is decorated predominately in oranges, greens and pinks (perfect for little divas).  I think I will need to do a bit of a re-vamp to make it much more gender neutral; oranges and turquoise blues added into the color scheme should do the trick.  More fun projects for me to work on during the fall and winter months, at least I have time before the baby will be old enough to play in there, but it is something fun for my creative mind to play around with until I have time to work in there.  I think it might be time for me to pull out my sketch books and blank mood boards so I can jot down any ideas that come along in the next couple of months.

For those of you who read this blog on a regular basis, you may have a noticed a lag in between my posts.  I wanted to let you know I am working on several projects at once which is keeping me away from my writing; I am also swamped with taking care of a very sick outdoor studio kitty and several family events all happening this weekend. So far I am keeping my head above water but who knows how things will go, fingers crossed. 

For those of you who follow the antics of my furry studio helpers please keep good thoughts for my kitty, Toby, he is very ill and in the cat hospital in pretty bad shape, I will keep you posted.  

As for the rest, everything else should work out just fine, I have my granddaughters pre-school graduation, my son’s 30^Th Birthday party and a Father’s Day barbecue, all three days in a row with two of the events in my home and stay over company for five days as well.  Once all this is over I will be back early next week writing again about some great new projects I did this week.  Keep checking in between now and then in case I get some time to sneak up to my computer and share all the festivities with you as well as a progress report on Toby.

Thanks for letting me share my bubblegum pink kimonos with you, be on the lookout for several fun makeover projects, I can’t wait to show them to you.

See you soon.

Laurette

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