Recycled sheet Celestial Dress and the less than a dollar dress

Here is my less than a dollar to make dress. Well, technically the dress cost more than a dollar to make if you include the pattern purchase and all the sewing goodies. However, the fabric was less than a dollar. I found the 100% cotton plaid sheet at the local thrift store for a dollar and tax. I used about half of the sheet to make the dress so the fabric cost qualifies as less than a dollar. A little about the sewing pattern. It is the Celestial Dress from Pattern Fantastique. I made the size 8 and it fits perfect. The dress comes in different length options from top to maxi. I made the midi length and added a band. I am so happy with how it turned out and I matched the plaid so that is a bonus. I love the pattern. It is really comfy and also modern. The directions are great and the bag pocket detail is a clever and unique design addition. The whole pattern is actually very creative and well designed. I plan to make more in different lengths which will reduce my cost point even more. I can wait to make the sleeveless version in the maxi length.  So much fun for the summer and really cost effective. Who says sewing has to expensive. Happy stitching!

Dresses from recycled sheets

I decided to use a few sheets I have laying around the house to make dresses for both me and little sweets. I figure if they are comfortable for sleeping then they are going to be awesome for clothing. Also, they are free and what is better than free fabric. I did take a trip to the local thrift store and found a few more cotton sheets to add to my stash. They were $2 a piece so I can make a dress for about $1 if I stick to the sheet fabric only. If I add in a quilting cotton for contrast then it is still really inexpensive.

I used pattern from Tina Givens for my dresses including the Sugar Slip and the free Bloom Dress. I love her style. It is so romantic and really comfortable for summer. I did make a few adjustments to the patterns since everything is over sized to start. For the Sugar Slip the only thing I did differently was shorten the straps by a few inches and raised the back yoke. With the Bloom dress I wound up removing 2 inches from the the middle of the dress and then resizing the neckline. I also curved the sleeves a bit to make it easier to sew with the serger and bound the edges. I really like both dresses and I plan to use the use the patterns a lot this summer. For fun and also for practical reasons I made the free Pilka pants to go under the dresses. I did make adjustments to this pattern. I took off a 2 inches from the bottom and the top. I also made the back a little wider than the front. I added a frilly border and now I have some sweet bloomers peeking out from my dresses.

For sweets I made her a sheet dress using Fresh Stitch Patterns Playground Dress in size 2 and the remainder of the blue sheet from my dress. The bodice is from a button down shirt. The dress is a little big for her so the next version will be a size down. The second dress is made with Too Sweets Baja Dress. It is also a bit big for her so I will need to size it down a bit with the next version. The floral sheet is from the thrift store and great find. I really love the flowers and butterflies. She looks so cute in her comfy dresses. I have plenty of the floral fabric to make more. I will likely combine it with a cotton print in the next version. I also need to make her a few pairs of matching bloomers. Great start though for her summer wardrobe.

Start of Summer and Alice Dress

I am finally back to posting again about my sewing adventures. One more week left before summer vacation starts for the little guy so maybe this will be my one and only summer post. It has been a long time since my last post so probably best to not make any promises. I do have an excuse though. I have been sewing a lot for Jouby. Since I last posted I made over 150 pairs of baby shoes. Crazy I know. Well, it will come as no surprise that I have decided to stop making baby shoes. I am having a hard time motivating myself to sew another pair. I still have a few pairs to complete and It is taking a lot of will power to finish those so on to new projects. My son is also going to be on summer vacation soon. His little sister and I am really miss him a lot during the day and it will be nice to have him home for the summer. I am of course feeling pressure about keeping them both busy and having fun so we will see what great adventures come our way.

My focus this summer is sewing for the family. I am well on my way to making a new wardrobe for both me and the kids. I am a bit addicted to buying pdf patterns. They are so convenient and instant gratification. Before I buy a bunch more I really need to use the ones I have already purchased. I also need to post about patterns I used during my no post on the blog hiatus. First up is one of my favorites so far, the Alice Top and Dress from Tessuti Patterns. I have made several versions of this dress and I love it. The fit is loose and comfy but not too big. I wound up making the size XXS. This size fits really well in both the dress and top even though I am still nursing my daughter. So on to the pictures. We bought a fantastic new camera so my pictures will be a lot better or at least they will be once I figure out how to use the camera.

 


The first dress is made with a lightweight grey chambray from Fashion Fabric Club online. The second one is made with Bethany Reynolds Stack and Whack cotton print. The third version is a top and it is made from a recycled button down shirt and Cynthia Rowley Paintbox. The final version is made from a recycled cotton spandex maxi dress and Tina Givens Opal Owl Bark. Happy sewing!