t-shirt refashions...

After being pregnant for what seems like the past  four years straight, my closet was a disaster. I've been pregnant, than post-pregnant, almost my regular size, then pregnant again...and so on. You get the picture. So my closet was in dire need of a good cleaning-out.

During this process I found a few items stained, with holes, stretched out, or just not fitting right that all had one thing in common: plenty of detail. I am a big advocate of donating to thrift stores, but I knew I wanted a few of these pieces to refashion into items for my girls.

 So combine detailed garments with simple sewing & this is what you get:

FROM THIS stained & stretched out JCrew shirt:

TO THIS simple ruffled onesie for my sweet baby:

FROM THIS interesting sequined sweater from Forever21 (what was I thinking? this is not my style! luckily I remember I paid less than $6 for it):

 TO THIS ruffled onesie again for Gwen:

 FROM THIS Foever21 top that I never wore b/c I could never find the right tank for underneath:

PLUS THIS cropped top from Anthropologie (someone else's hand-me-down, given to me):

 it had great embroidery on the front:

 TO THIS little tank dress for my 3 year old:

Now you go! Find something in your closet that you're not wearing, and re-purpose it!

Super simple & easy! (and not to mention practically free!)



a trio of dresses...

These three outfits were a custom order from a mama who wanted coordinating looks for her three girls for Easter this year. We used fabrics specially selected by her, & wanted to create 3 different dresses that coordinated, but not matching exactly. They turned out bright, springy, and with plenty of ruffles to go around...and around...and around.

For this dress, we used an existing purple dress from Target for the top part & added a few rows of wide, gathered ruffles to add fullness & color. Using a simple dress or top that you already have can be an easy way to create a look without having to create a dress from scratch.

With this look, we decided to create the skirt from scratch, but chose a simple t-shirt & embellished it to match the skirt. I added some gathered lace to the already gathered ruffles to create lots of fullness & texture.

And lastly, we used this cute little sundress & just added a plethora of embellishments to it to coordinate with the other girls' dresses. It has plenty of ruffles just like the other dresses, but with a bit of "bling" here & there to add some sparkle.

those were the [pioneer] days...

Just when you thought this blog couldn't get any more random...

The Pioneer Ensemble

I wanted to share a little project I completed a few weeks or so ago for a little girl from my church. She is in the third grade and they were having a pioneer day, thus the need for this costume.

This was a really fun & kind-of tricky project to work on. Lots and Lots of detailing went into it...ruffles, zippers, pleats & hems, which takes time and thought :) I forced myself to use a pattern (for the bonnet & dress at least, I just winged the apron) and it turned out great. I chose "pioneer-ish fabrics like 100% cotton & unbleached muslin to help it look more authentic.

All-in-all, it made me want to curl up on my couch and re-read the entire Little House On The Prairie series like I had when I was a little girl.