How to make a summer beach dress in 10 min

Have you been to the mall lately? Summer clothing is coming out and it seems dresses and skirts are big for women this year. The light dresses with fun colours that I have noticed.

Now, I have to start off with I am cheap when it comes to clothing... But I also don't want to work too hard to make clothing (sometimes). So here's my summer dress that cost me $2 and 10 min to make!

Let me show you how it's done.

First grab a top that fits snug/comfortable on you.

Then lay it on the fabric double sided with right sides together.

Cut along the top while gradually going outwards down to how ever long your toes goes until. You can draw lines too... if your too scared to cut. (I sure was)

Next sew the top of the shoulders together right sides together. (When sewing a stretchy fabric remember to slightly stretch the fabric so it doesn't wave. (I only took this photo after being finished the dress... So your looking at the centre seam is what connects the shoulder together)

Next sew along the edge of the dress. (I have a surger, but it would work just fine if you zigzaged the edge)

Finally double fold the arm holes and sew along the edge.

I like leaving the bottom unsewn as it won't fray and leaves a wispy feeling.

Sometimes I cut the bottom at an angle and sometimes I cut the front shorter then the back in a 'u-shape' Can you see the u-shape?

This was by far the most fun project I have made as it was incredibly fast, cheap and fixing a need that I had... the wanting of a light summer beach dress!

Happy sewing and thrifty living!

How to make Leggings

This is one of the simplest projects I have done yet :) Yet they look great! Thanx to the amazing selection of very affordable fabric at Fabricland!

Step 1: I wrapped the fabric around my leg deciding how high I wanted them to be with seam allowance on either side.

Step 2: Sew the long edges together. I recommend surging or zigzag stitch.

Step 3: Sew the top. Fold the top over an inch or an inch and a half depending on your preference. Sew.

Step 4: Sew the bottom. Fold the top over 1/2inch and sew.

Step 5: Hand sew buttons where you like them. I put the long seam to the back so its not noticeable, put it on my leg and decided where I wanted the buttons to go. I think the double buttons look a little better :)

Happy Sewing!

DIY Glass Cozy

We have a family of 3 and no dishwasher (well except me). Family that lives downstairs, and friends and family that come over at least 5 times a week.

When people come over the most common request is a drink. We have water at our house which looks the same in all of our same looking cups. I was washing cups every day like it was going out of style. So I came up with an idea to decrease cup use!

Everyday one person is allowed one glass. How do we keep them straight? Glass Cozies!

I picked out different fabric colours and styles that I had at home, first for my family then for friends. It is a loop of fabric with an elastic band sewn inside the fabric. I just measured the width around our glasses and added some extra fabric to give the scrunchy look.

This has solved all my dishwashing problems! I no longer have to wash 6 glasses when there were only 3 people home.

Happy homemade living!

Cloth Napkins vs Paper Towels

Cloth napkins vs paper towel... That is the real question.

Do you know how many paper towels are used in your house every month? Me neither... Until I counted... I buy my paper towel at Costco I think packages of 12. We used that package in 8 months... 

Whats all the hullaballoo?

Consider this, you'll probably use thousands and thousands of rolls, which is equivalent to an entire forest. Imagine a local forest that you've walked through being completely cut down just for paper towels! It isn't just trees that are being consumed, its the entire process of making them including chemicals that go into it. To increase absorbency, they've been subjected to dioxins and other ingredients (the process isn't disclosed on the roll of paper towels). They are also bleached to give them their white colour. The dangers of chlorine bleach have been well documented. Infants and toddlers are especially vulnerable to the effects of chlorine bleach. Finally, they can take up to a year to decompose but then again remember the chemicals that go into the process of making them? It is leaking into the water system and causing harmful effects.

For me and my family this was a no brainer and a simple fix! 

I went out and purchased some organic terry cloth and flannel for reusable cloth napkins. I purchased it with my Fabricland membership on the back isle that only cost $3 per meter and matching thread of course! 

I cut out 10" x 12" rectangles. I probably cut 30 of each. Then sewed right sides together close to the edges.

Make sure you leave a 2 inch opening to flip the fabric. 

 After flipping the fabric, tuck the opening in and iron flat.

Then top stitch along the edge. This makes a BIG difference! (I made 2 different colours so don't be confused...)

I wrapped them around a paper towel holder for the meantime but I think I would like to add snaps so they can be laid more evenly.

The man only started using them once I tucked the paper towel away. We have had them for 2 months now and we all love them! They feel so soft on our faces and are very durable. We use them for simple kitchen wipe ups and meal times. We have a whole other section of rags for cleaning the home instead of using paper towels. Our waste has gone down substantially just from not using paper towels and I must say I haven't noticed an increase in the laundry as they are quite thin.

Overall a great investment! Its Thrifty, natural, homemade, and a great present wrapped in a cloth bow!

Happy sewing and living a more environmentally conscious life!

Little Girls First Book Bag

Thats right, our 7 year old asked for a book bag! Not a backpack because aren't cool anymore?
Yikes.
So I asked what she was going to use her book bag for. She has a journal she writes in every day. She writes about her day, her favourite things that happened during the day, what she is thankful for from that day and what she wants to do for tomorrow.

Anyways... this bag needed to be cute, have pink (of course) and have a shoulder strap that can be adjustable.

My solution? My giant pyjama pants that were not being used! This is a great beginners project! Upycling AND FREE!

Whoops, took a picture after it was cut... I used the leg of the jammers with the hem being the top of the bag. I sewed the bottom of the bag together creating a rectangle with one open edge.

 I then matched up the seams on each bottom corner of the bag and sewed right across giving the bag a little more base.

 Finally I sewed 2 rings to either side of the bag and attached a strap like with an adjuster so she can either put it over one shoulder or over her head.

Her journal fits perfectly! She loves her new heart book bag :) I might make a bag for myself.

Happy sewing!

Girls leggings from moms stretchy pants

Another DIY thrifty project! Sewing and most importantly Upcycling! I just saved myself $20! Which is not much... but if you keep adding that $20 over and over again it adds up... right? My little cookie is not much of a jeans wearer... When she picks out her clothing the bottom part is always leggings! Did you know even at Walmart little girl leggings are $10! Common! Its the tiniest bit of fabric... how can it be that much? I can buy a meter of fabric for $2!... Wait, thats not a bad idea...

I went to the mall and they have adult leggings in every colour you could imagine on sale! Ahem, Urban Planet, Thank you! They were $2 each! So I purchased... a few...

Not for me of course... well except the black ones... and the brown ones... and the grey ones... but the other colours were for another project...

Project leggings for our little cookie!

She is a size 6-7ish depending on the store, but 7 years old.

I found the tutorial here.

I laid down her own leggings (that fit her) folded one leg into the other onto the newly purchased leggings and cut around them leaving 1/4 inch for sewing. I made 2 sets of little girl leggings from each pair of purchased pants! That means I spent $1 on her leggings. To top it off I unpicked the waistband from the purchased leggings and sewed them right into her new ones! I have also made her leggings out of stretchy pants that don't fit me anymore. Yes, that means FREE

Now when I ask her to get dressed in the morning, the first thing she pulls out is her NEW leggings! She now coordinates her shirts to match them too! Kids love handmade things from their parents! Try it out! You can't go wrong with this project!

Happy sewing and up cycling

How to cover up holes in leggings

Have a hole in an adorable piece of clothing? Patch it!

Children get holes in their pants. They play on the playground, kneel in dirt, drag their legs on the floor and soooo much more!

I have a very thrifty idea to cover up the holes in leggings that is such a cute idea, plus your little girl will love the new design!

She only had one hole in one of the legs, but it looked funny just adding a patch of fabric to one leg... Can you guess which one? Haha the knee of course!
I cut out her favourite shape (heart) out of plain fabric I had just lying around.  I pulled out the ol' hand needle and thread (doubled the thread to add thickness). I started from inside the pant leg and just went around the heart. Piece of cake? Piece of pie!

Yay for simple fixes and DIY for newbies!

How to make a maxi skirt in 2 hours

Lately I have been going through this sewing frenzy... I want to sew everything, until I remember I am a beginner and should take things slowly... Slowly Jessica, Common!

I saw soo many women in these maxi skirts that I think look good on some people and not so good on others. I thought I would be in the 'other' group. So I never even tried one on at the stores as they were much to long and I did not own a sewing machine and didn't want to take it to get hemmed. Sooo that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Anyways, I decided to make one using this and this tutorial.

(In the corner is my little pups ears.)

I found a pretty stretchy fabric at Fabricland for a whopping $2 for 2 meters! that I was a little worried about but couldn't help but buy it as it was sooo soft and silky! It isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be working with such a stretchy fabric. If I don't have to worry neither do you! This is a perfect beginners project!

I loved it so much and the little cookie loved it so much I decided to make 2! One for her one for me :) I bought too much fabric (you only need 1 meter if your about a size 5 women's) She is 7 and I still had sooooo much left over fabric! I wonder what else I can use this silky soft fabric for? Any ideas?

You can see I used the yoga band style for my little cookies dress and the 3 inch elastic waistband for me. For my future maxi skirts I will be making the yoga band waistband its sooooo comfy!!!

Happy sewing friends!

Beautifying little girls clothing

I hate it when tops get too short! I am sooo happy that long tops are the cool thing right now because I do not like belly tops. Not at all! Not for older people, not for children and ESPECIALLY not for men... (not that this is a problem...)

Recently I have noticed some of my little cookies tops have been getting a little on the short side and instead of getting rid of them (they fit everywhere else on her) I decided to do a little makeover! Her tops are so cute and almost new so why not add some length? This is a double bonus in my opinion as she prefers long tops and tights. She is definitely NOT a jeans girl! 

I didn't follow any of the measurements that were suggested, just measured the shirt and her to see how far I wanted the ruffles to go.

I got the tutorial from here. 

We have a HUGE stash of tights that I have made for her (for another post) and these long tops will be perfect to mix with!

She is one happy little girl in her brand new shirt!

A Little Skirt for a Little Girl

I LOVE sewing! I feel like I can finally create something that is actually useful. This project is perfect for beginners! I brought my little cookie to the fabric store and showed her the giant wall of on sale fabrics. I told her she could pick any 2 fabrics on this giant wall at Fabricland. She thought this was the coolest thing. Her little eyes spotted a great deal!

She chose these 2 fabrics

We purchased 1 yard of each fabric to make a total cost of $3.45 (this is WAY MORE fabric then what you need). I also needed some elastic for the waist which cost $3.00 and was WAY more then what I needed so I am estimating a cost of $.25. I used less then 1/4 of both fabrics so how much would that be? Math isn't my strongest... so $1.00 for this skirt? Is that right?

I wanted to make something pretty easy for my first clothing project so I chose a rectangle ruffled skirt. with a separate gather on the bottom. I found the pattern from here. I didn't add the extra layer on the bottom though.

Here is my interpretation. Next time I will add a little more fabric around her waist to gather :)
She is now one very happy little girl!

Have you made a skirt for any age? Send me your pictures or comment on how it went!


Happy Sewing

Want to make a dress for $1.15? I do!

Now that I have re-learned a couple things about sewing I am back into the groove... Hopefully...
What did I make and succeed at? A tank dress! Yes indeedy!

Its kinda like the T-shirt Dress but with a ribbed tank top. Anyways, this is a PERFECT project for new beginners and summer/spring wear. It is INCREDIBLY comfortable and just sooo cute! Dress it up with a cute necklace or belt!

I have a bunch of tank tops that are too short... I am not sure if they were short when I bought them or if that shrinking machine I have that cleans my clothing made them just that much shorter. One thing I will never know I guess...

Anyways back to my little project. I have 4 of these ribbed tanks that I do not wear anymore but didn't have the heart to throw out or donate so I kept them. They count as free! Next is the fabric. I spent a whopping $2.30 on the fabric. I only used half the fabric! So really this dress cost me $1.15 to make!

You can find a great tutorial here. The only recommendation I would make is to not double the fabric and just hem the seam. I found it was too bulky when I doubled it.

And here is my final product :) It looks good without the bow belt but I put a thick brown belt around it too which looked a little better.

 Happy Sewing Friends!

First Sewing Project

This one beautiful morning I woke up and decided I wanted a sewing machine. So what did I do? Researched like I have never researched before! I compared prices to what I thought I could/would use my sewing machine for and hoped I made the right decision. I walked into Walmart where they had an incredible deal on Singer Fashion Mate sewing machine and starter kit. (I need thread, pins, measuring tape and seam ripper after all don't I?)

I walked out of the store pondering all the amazing items I would create thanks to online tutorials, Pinterest and a little girl that needs some hemming done.

I got home so excited to create my first project... Until I realized I didn't buy any fabric... So off to the fabric store I went. Do you people know how giant Fabricland is??? It looks tiny from the outside!!! There are giant piles and sections of fabric that have signs sticking out of them with words like Polyester, Nylon, Silk and Acrylic. I started turning around in circles... What the heck do these mean? What is the difference in the fabrics? What kind do I need to make a bag that holds fabric? Hmmm... It was completly overwhelming until.... I asked someone.

First step in buying fabric? ASK SOMEONE, apparently they know all!
Did you know that there is a little section at the back of most fabric stores that have hundreds of colors and types of fabrics that are on a HUGE SALE?!

I bought 4 different types of fabric. One was 2 meters, the other 3 were a meter each. I paid a whopping  $14 for all the fabric! What a steal!

 So home again I went. I felt unstoppable! Until I started sewing my first project....

It was a bag. I wanted a really big beach bag to hold all my fabric! I sewed it inside out, made the bag outrageously GIANT and the handles much too long. This was the BEST mistake I could have made! What? Best mistake? Ruining a bag? I remembered techniques back from high school. So here are some tips for beginners without a pattern and a great idea in your head.

1. Right sides together
2. Fold the outside seam under twice before sewing or else the fabric might fray
3. Measure both sides if your folding so the bag isn't lopsided... ex. if your measuring a square the fabric might not have been cut exactly straight...
4. Hold the bag up to you to imagine where the handles go. I put mine on sideways...

 Want to see my first Project? I ended up ripping out many seams and re sewing the handles on.

Happy Sewing Friends!

First Post: All about this blog

As some know I have been unemployed for 3 whole months. 2 of those 3 months were by choice (best summer ever). In my 3 months of cleaning, cooking, camping, beach time, and acting like a tourist on Vancouver Island I have also been busy learning how to be more healthy.

We are slowly changing our grocery stores from Save-on-foods, Superstore and Thriftys to Island Naturals and Old City Organics or visiting the farmers markets on Fridays. These stores have locally grown or organic foods.

The next thing we have completely changed is that both man and I are running every second day. Before summer we were running 10km... now... not so much... its 5km every second day which isn't so bad but I am ready to start training for a half marathon soon.

The third thing that we have changed is getting rid of many harsh chemicals that is living in products in our home. You know, that blue or purple spray that has a giant ingredient list that cannot be pronounced. Or the carpet cleaner that costs an arm and a leg just because my house is full of carpets and we have a pup. The worst chemicals that I really cannot wrap my head around some of the ingredients and I dread putting on my body every day but NEED desperately is soaps, lotions, face wash, makeup. I now know there are options out there and will be sharing them as I learn some techniques.

The final thing I have been learning and have now fallen in love with is sewing. I used to sew in middle and high school and loved every moment of it. I  made quilts, pants, shirts, jackets, and bags. I cannot remember why I ever stopped sewing but I did and now I have started up again and am so incredibly happy for it. I LOVE sewing clothing for myself my little cookie and my man. We have already made so many outfits that I will share with you and links that gives great tutorials to.

I am so excited to share what I have learned this summer and my continued journey to becoming a healthier friend, sister, daughter fiancé and mother.

I must note I have now found a job for 1 day a week with a very kind dentist that is within walking distance from my home as well as have a working interview right after Thanksgiving weekend.