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.

Freezer paper stencils

I am playing catch up on blog posting. I have a few fun projects and never got around to posting. I have been busy with house stuff over the past six months. We painted and fixed just about everything in our little house to put it on the market. We decided it was time to get a bigger place. We want more storage and another bedroom. I would like more room for crafting of course. After we painted and fixed up the whole house, we packed up everything that wasn't essential and staged the house. It was really nice to live in a clutter free house for a while, but a big challenge to keep it that way with a two year old and three cats running around. We sold the house in about two months and are now living in a rental townhouse. We are still looking for a new house, but hope to find something in the next few months or so. Now that all the house stuff has settled a bit, I hope to do more crafting. First I need to catch up on posting.

I have wanted to try freezer paper stencils for a while. There are so many cute examples online from all the crafty folks. I bought a few packs of cotton t-shirts for Jonas and dyed a couple with aqua Procion dyes. I found free stencils online at www.spraypaintstencils.com. I used freezer paper and regular fabric paint to put a dolphin on a t-shirt. It turned out really cute and I have made a few more t-shirts since then that I will add as soon as I take photos. He calls it a narwhal which is really funny. He has the Eric Carle alphabet flash cards and has learned the names of all sorts of interesting animals. I like the way the dolphin looks like it has a eye. Not sure how that happened with the paint, but it is a fun addition.

New training pants pattern

I purchased the Baby Steps EC Pants pattern from Little Comet Tails and made a few pairs for the little guy to use as waterproof trainers. The trainer pattern fits really well and is very trim under the little guys clothing. I made the training pants in the picture out of the pul fabric available at JoAnn Fabrics. I got the fabric on sale which was really nice. The colors are vibrant and the fabric feels like a good weight. However, it has not held up so well to repeated washing and drying. In particular the lime green fabric is now starting to pucker and the lamination is coming off the fabric. The fabric still works well even with the separation, but aesthetically it is not so pleasing. I think I will stick with buying the pul online at diaper fabric shops. I lined the diaper with a polka dot flannel fabric. The liner is made with six layers of bamboo and hemp jersey that is topped with a layer of flannel.

T-shirt training pants

We have had a major break through with potty training over the past week. The little guy now tells me when he needs to go pee while he is wearing his training pants. Yay! He has been going to the potty really well when he runs around the house bare bottom but not so much when I put training pants on him. I decided to try the non-waterproof training pants exclusively for a few days and see how it goes. The first day the training pants were wet pretty much every time, but by the second day we had a few dry ones in between. Now his training pants are staying pretty dry. He is also telling me when we are out and he needs to go potty though I still have him in a diaper.

To celebrate how well he is doing, I am making more pull on training pants in a variety of fun colors. I make the trainers out of recycled t-shirts with a bit a lycra stretch. I line them with hemp and organic cotton fleece. The insert is sewn in and made of three or four layers of hemp fleece. The pattern I am using is sort of a cross between boxers and briefs. It is cut longer in the legs and has a snugger fit than some of the other patterns. I really like the fit since he can bend down and there are no gaps in in the legs. The pattern is the Alva Training pants from Fitzpatterns and it is only $2 for the pdf file so a great deal. I added the contour insert and liner to my pants to make them absorbent. I know I write this all the time, but I hope to post a tutorial on how I make the pants. They are really super cute and fun to sew.

Toddler jammies from t-shirts

I made a pair of pajamas for the little guy out of two turtleneck shirts I found at the thrift store. The fabric is cotton with a little lycra for stretch. I used the sleeves to make the pants and then cut out the shirt from the main body. I used extra large shirts, but found I couldn't quite get the entire long sleeve shirt and pants cut from one. I like the color contrast though and I have enough material left over to make more training pants. I actually made this set a few months ago and it is already getting small. I am glad I sew clothes for him since he grows out of everything so fast.

Free form flower hair clips

I decided to make something fun with all the circular scraps of fabric I have left over from making baby bibs. I have stacks of both cotton prints and dyed hemp/organic cotton fleece scraps from cutting out the inside portion of the bibs. The scrap shape is perfect for making free form flowers. I originally thought to make pins, but decided hair clips would be more fun. Here are pictures of all the fun flowers I made to sell at a recent holiday show. I sewed the flowers together using the free motion quilting attachment. I covered pin curl clips with grosgrain ribbon using glue gun and then attached the fabric flowers to the clips also using a glue gun. I plan to post a tutorial on how to make the hair clips soon. As you know I am not so good on posting on a regular basis, but I really would like to get back to posting actual tutorials. I love sharing fun projects.

Training pants from a recycled diaper cover

I have a diaper cover that is falling apart a bit and probably not worth salvaging. I replaced the hook and loop once already, but the lining is pulling away from the outer fabric. The pul fabric is still nice in the main area so I hated to toss it. I went through my patterns until I found one that would fit in nicely in main area of the cover. I wound up using the Tinkle Time Trainers pattern to make the little guy a pair of semi waterproof trainers. I am sure you will recognize the pul fabric. I thought it was too cute to waste. I made a snap in liner out of four layers of hemp and organic cotton fleece. I used recycled cotton lycra t-shirt fabric for the sides, waistband and leg bands. The little guy calls them the "ribbit" trainers.

More recycled black training pants

I made another pair of black recycled velour training pants for the little guy. This time I used the waterproof training pants pattern from Do-it-yourself EC. I really love this pattern. It is free and comes in a variety of sizes. I made the large size and it fits with plenty of room to grow, but is also very secure around the legs. My version is not waterproof, but I can use any of the regular covers over it when we are out and about. I sewed the training pants together a bit different than shown on the blog. The outside fabric is recycled black velour from a pair of pants from a thrift store. The inside layer is recycled power stretch fleece on the bottom and hemp/organic cotton fleece on the top. I put in a front pocket for the insert which is made from four layers of hemp/organic cotton fleece. I also additional rows of snaps on the back so it will fit for a while. I really like the bikini style training pants and find I can add plenty of absorbency even with the trim fit.

Recycled black velour training pants

Just in time for Halloween I made the little guy black training pants. I like the style quite a bit and it is easy for him to pull on and off. The trainer is made from a pair of recycled black cotton velour pants I found a thrift store. I used black velour for the outside and lined the trainer with recycled power stretch fleece. I used scraps of green knit fabric for the waist band. I made a scoop pocket in the front and used fold over elastic to bind the edge. The insert is made with four layers of hemp fleece. I have enough fabric to make a few more trainers and try out a few more patterns.

Tangerine hemp fleece diaper

I dyed a few yards of the hemp fleece in a beautiful tangerine orange. I used the fabric to make a side snapping pocket diaper. I used the free Tighty Whitey Hipster pattern from Little Comet Tails. It is a really nice pattern and comes in a variety of sizes. I find it fits my little guy really well around the legs and it is easy to put on since it is side snapping. I extended the leg elastic a few inches to make a more secure fit. I also added a pocket to the front for adding the insert. I used hemp fleece on the outside and power stretch micro fleece on the inside of the diaper. I changed the size of the insert a bit and made it hour glass shape. It is made from four layers of hemp fleece. It works great and dries pretty quickly.

T-shirt diaper or training pant

The little guy is doing well with potty training. When we are home he usually runs around the house with no diaper and does very well with making it to the potty. I put him in a regular diaper when we are out and about and he is starting to go to the bathroom more often. I find the training pants style diapers work great when we are out and are pretty easy to put on him when he is standing as compared to his regular diapers so definitely a bonus. He very rarely lays down these days for a change so having diapers that I can pull on and off easily is very nice. I used recycled t-shirts and hemp fleece to make the diaper. I lined the lower half of the diaper with recycled power stretch microfleece and left the upper portion in hemp fleece. I added a pocket to the diaper so I can customize the absorbency. I made an insert out of four layers of hemp fleece. It snaps on the side and can also be pulled up and down.

Swim diaper

Yes, summer is pretty much over and I made the swim diapers for the little guy many months ago, but I thought it would be fun to post about them anyway. He is actually taking swim lessons through the city and the spray grounds are still open here so he is still putting them to good use. I decided to make new swim diapers for him because I was using the pocket diapers with no liner and they are just too big. I wanted to make something for him that was closer fitting and wasn't too bulky under his swim trunks. I might have made them a bit too small since it is unlikely he will be able to use them next year, but since he is growing so fast it was probably unlikely anyway. I made the swim diaper using the free cover pattern from Chloe Toes. I used a size small since the pattern runs a bit large. I used aqua pul for the outside and recycled microfleece for the inside. I used fold over elastic for the edges and plastic snaps for the closure.

Printing on fabric

We love the Tractor Mac series books. We received signed copies of the books from his great Aunt and Uncle in NY city. My aunt works for American Airlines and she knows the pilot Billy Steers who writes the book so very cool. I found a great image of Tractor Mac on the book website and decided to applique it on a t-shirt for my little guy. I used print on fabric sheets from Dharma Trading Company. I printed the design on the fabric sheet and then used heat and bond to iron it on the t-shirt. I top stitched around the design and all done. It was a very quick and easy project. My little guy is very happy with his Tractor Mac t-shirt.


I used the print on fabric sheets a few years ago to make a special quilt for my sweet little Violet. I wanted something special in the house that would remind me of her. The quilt is hanging up in our bedroom and I love that he looks at the quilt now and says her name. He loves all the colors and I love that her playful spirit lives on in our house.

Teeny shirts and shorts

I am working on summer clothes. We had a few hot days a while ago and I realized I don't have any comfortable shorts or t-shirts that still fit him. I received two large bags of t-shirts from friends and started to put them to good use. I dyed a few of the t-shirts using jade green fiber reactive dye. They turned out a beautiful light shade of aqua. I made a few lap shoulder t-shirts using a pattern I came up with from another t-shirt. I also made a pair of Teeny shorts using the same pattern except I omitted the cuffs and made the pants shorter. I am really happy with the result and plan to make a few more pairs of shorts for him for the summer.

Sweatshirt teeny pants

I made him another pair of Teeny pants. This time I used an extra large sweatshirt I found at the thrift store. The fabric is a combination of cotton and polyester fleece and is really soft. I incorporated the bottom cuff of the sweatshirt into the cuff of the pants. Pretty cute overall and he has some great gym pants.

Recycled long sleeve toddler tee and jeans

I finally purchased an issue of Ottobre Design. I bought the Winter 2009 issue and I love the patterns. They are fun, cute and have a good selection for boys. I actually grew up with Burda patterns, so I am familiar with tracing patterns from a magazine. I haven't done it in a while so it is fun to start again and in particular to make clothes for my little guy. I rarely have a lack of inspiration from all the ideas online. In particular, I love all the applique and stenciled t-shirts I have seen lately. How fun to take a basic t-shirt and put something really quirky on the front. All you have to do is add a pair of jeans or even better some funky knit pants and your little guy is all set. Overall I have to say that making clothes for him has been really fun. My only constraint has been having time to make everything.

So what I have I made lately? I made the long sleeve t-shirt from the Ottobre magazine. I used a pieces from two recycled t-shirts from the thrift store. I made a few bloopers, but it still turned out pretty good. I forgot to add seam allowance to the cuffs so they are a bit shorter than in the magazine pictures. I also decided to add buttons on the top instead of snaps. I completely botched the buttonholes on the first try. I haven't made buttonholes with my machine in a long time and they turned out really horrible. I wound up putting a patch of fabric over the top and reversing the placket. I then tried the buttonholes again and they turned fine. The shirt actually came together really quickly with the exception of the buttonholes. I also tried out the Teeny Pants pattern with woven fabric. I found a pair of dark jeans at the thrift store and used those to make the pants. The only differences I made in the pattern is that I added a half an inch seam allowance to allow more movement and I didn't cut separate cuffs. I wasn't sure if the gusset would work since it is sized larger to accommodate the diapers. However since the fabric is cut on the bias it gives a little bit of stretch and the gusset fit fine. So it good to know that I can use either stretch or woven fabric for making pants for the business. The outfit turned out pretty cute overall.

Teeny pants - more recycled t-shirt pants

I have gone through a few iterations of the "Teeny pants". That is my new name for the recycled t-shirt pants. I am sure it is not extremely original, but it is cute and fits the pants. So I have made the Teeny pants with both an upward and a downward curving gusset or a smiley and frowny face. Sorry, more cute terms. I have also worked on giving room in the seat portion for movement and diapers. I originally tried making the waistband curved to allow more room, but found it difficult to sew in the the elastic casing with a curved seam. I switched to allowing more curve in the gusset and it works great. The only difficulty is I am not sure if the pattern will work for non-stretch fabric since the gusset portion is a little larger than the bottom back. Well, only one way to find out, so that might be my next project. I also worked on the cuffs and they fold great in the final pattern. I like having cuffs of course since he is growing out of his pants so fast in length it is amazing. So here is my latest and I think final version of the Teeny pants. I have also included pictures of the other pattern styles I have tried during the process.