Pink Floral Pleated Skirt

UPDATE: A new updated post with step-by-step directions is available HERE. 

One of my goals for this year was to sew more clothing. Not just refashioning, but sewing "from scratch" like from a pattern or from measurements. I love to refashion, but being able to say "I made this entire thing I'm wearing," is a really good feeling. :) Since this month is all about spring, florals, and warm weather, I decided to make a pretty pleated skirt. The great thing about pleated skirts is that you don't have to use a pattern to make one. An updated step-by-step tutorial is available here.

Refashioned Floral and Striped Dress

When I first got this dress, I really didn't like wearing dresses nor skirts. I was a 17 year old skinny jean lover haha. :) A few months after I got this dress I started to attend church, and this was literally the only dress I had, so I ended up wearing it a lot. The top part of this dress always sort of bothered me. I didn't like the v-neck and the sleeves were a weird length on me. Now, fast forward about 6 years later, and this little dress gets a makeover. Recently, I've really been loving floral prints and stripes together. Since I had some striped knit fabric in my stash, I decided to add a striped bodice to this dress.

STEPS:

First, I began to trace a tee shirt that already fit me.

1. I traced the bodice first.

2. Then, I traced the back bodice. Here is the front and back bodices laying side by side.

3. Afterwards, I made some sleeves. 

Two sleeves cut out. :)

4. I sewed the side seams first, right sides of the fabric touching.

5. Then, I finished off my neckline seam by using the Wrapped Binding method from  Colette.

6. After that, I closed off the shoulder seams and sewed on the sleeves.

7. Now that the new bodice was ready, it was time to chop off the old one.

8. I pinned the new bodice to the skirt, right sides of the fabrics touching.

9. The last thing to do was add elastic. I always make four markings: center front, center back, and the two sides. After I pin those places, then I stretch the elastic in between those spots and pin.

TA DA!

2017 Scrap Busting Craft Challenge April: Magazine Clippings Upcycled Journal + BONUS LIST: 27 Ideas to Fill Up a Notebook

It's Craft Challenge time again! I can't believe it's already April. This month, I decided to "refashion" a plain composition notebook. I've been attending a bible study class at church, and I decided that this month's Craft Challenge would be the perfect time to decorate my class notebook. I have TONS of magazines that I collected from my time at FIDM, so I put them to use this month. I've also included in this blog post a list of 27 ways to fill up a notebook, to get you started with your new one-of-a-kind upcycled notebook.

I started off with a plain composition notebook. I'm all about pink and girly things, so I needed to upcycle this little notebook. :)

I cut out pages and parts of pages that contained patterns and colors I wanted to use.

Now, for the fun part! Cut out any shapes that you'd like. You can use squares, triangles, diamonds, etc. The possibilities are endless! :D

After I was done cutting out my shapes and glueing them on the notebook, I placed long strips of packing tape on top so the magazine clippings would be secure. I also wrote "Take delight in the Lord" on the notebook binding, just to make it extra special.

P.S. See the white in between the magazine clippings? I covered the notebook with white paper, because the black and white pattern was showing under my magazine clippings.

TA DA! New, upcycled notebook!

Go check out what the other fellow crafters are creating this month:

A Pop of Red

Make Something Mondays

Eclectic Soapbox-COMING SOON

Shift Mama

The Art in Martha

Social Stampers

Thimble & Twig

Lumina Spirit

And now, for the bonus list: 

Here's 27 Ideas to Fill Up a Notebook

1. Bible Study Journal

This is what I'm using this notebook for. :)

2. Gratitude Journal

It's so easy to get caught up in life's daily turmoil and forget about what truly matters the most. This is a great way to remember that there is always something to be grateful for.

3. A Book of Lists

Bucket lists, wish lists, favorite books, check lists, current favorites, books or movies you want to watch, the possibilities are endless!

4. Sketch/Doodle Notebook

A great one for all the artists out there! Even if you're not a Picasso, random sketching and doodling is fun. Plus, practice makes perfect!

5. Fashion Sketchbook

Similar to the option above, this one is for the fashion designers out there. I had a sketchbook full of designs when I was 15. It was so much fun to compare what I had drawn when I was a teenager versus what I drew when I was at FIDM. :)

6. A Book of Inspiration and Ideas

A great place to write down any ideas that come to mind (business, new product ideas, etc), and a place to organize all the things that inspire you (mood boards, songs, quotes)

7. Goals Notebook

Having your goals clearly written out makes it easier to achieve them and makes it less intimidating to do so. Each page could be dedicated to a goal and steps to achieve each one.

8. Bullet Journal

The ever popular bullet journal! There are many pages you could add and many resources out there to help you get started. There are endless possibilities to what you can create!

9. Diary

A notebook is the perfect place to document your day. Did you keep a diary when you were younger? I only kept one for a few days at a time, mostly when I was on vacation.

10. Event/Party Planner

Plan your next birthday, baby shower, or wedding in a notebook. Write down your guest list, supplies needed, vendors, etc. You could even include some photos of the process and of the event and keep it as a scrapbook.

11. Scrapbook

Talking about scrapbooks...use your notebook as a scrapbook! You can make a themed scrapbook (summer vacation, camping trip, etc) or by year (example 2016, 2017).

12. Favorite Quotes/Bible Verses/Poems

Keep all your favorite quotes, verses, and poems all in one place. 

13. Hand Lettering Practice

Use a notebook with grid or blank paper to practice your creative lettering.

14. Sisterhood of the Traveling Journal

This is a fun one. Basically, a journal gets passed along a group of friends and each one writes what they want every time it's their turn. I did this in 8th grade with my friends for a while, and it was fun. 

15. Blog Planner

Calling all bloggers! I have a binder in which I keep all my blog stuff, but I also have a notebook. Keep track of stats, plan giveaways, plan new blog posts, etc.  Here is a great list of things you can jot down in your notebook, if you're a blogger.

16. Prayer Journal

Use your notebook to write to God, and pour your heart out to Him.

17. Health/Wellness Journal

Keep track of meals, exercise, water consumption, etc.

18. Meal Planner

Writing out your meals for the week/month/etc makes it less overwhelming and saves you time while grocery shopping. How many times have we gone to the store, only to go back because we forgot something? I write down what I want to eat, and then I plan out my grocery list according to the meals I want to make.

19. Recipe Book

Speaking of recipes, a notebook is a perfect place to write down your favorite recipes. You could have a notebook for baking, one for breakfasts, etc. 

20. Financial Planner/Expenses

Keep track of your expenses, jot down a plan to save 1K by the end of the year, or keep track of your bills to pay. I like to keep a journal to keep track of my monthly bills. It's easier for me to remember when I see it all written out.

21. Travel Journal

Going on a trip? A notebook is a fun place to document your trip. Write down how you felt, glue in photographs, and include brochures or tickets from your trip.

22. "Destress" Journal

Ever have a restless night because you have way too much going on in your head? Grab a journal and jot down everything (I mean EVERYTHING) that is running through your head. Everything from thoughts to ideas to distractions should be written down. Things to include can be: I need to finish that sales report, I should change my blog header, I need to call the landlord, I forgot to do the laundry today, etc.

23. Fabric/Trims Swatch Book

If you're like me and you love fabrics, a notebook is a great way to keep all your favorites in one place. Use double sided tape to put your swatch in and include fabric name, fabric content, washing instructions, etc. It's also a good way to grow your knowledge about fabric.

24. Journal Prompts/Free Writing/Short Stories

Back in elementary school, I used to have about 10 minutes of free writing during class. It was one of my favorite parts of the day. You can use your journal to free write for a certain amount of time, write some short stories, or use journal prompts.

25. 1 Sentence Journal

From the moment I read about this idea, I loved it. Basically, you write down one sentence (something good that happened, something you were grateful for, or anything else), every day, for five years. At the end, you can look back and see how much has happened or how much has changed. It really doesn't take a lot of time nor effort and can easily be started.

26. Login Information

Keep all your usernames and passwords neatly organized in one place. No more having to click on "forgot your password?" links anymore!

27. Language Journal

Learning a new language is not only fun, but knowing more than one language is a great asset. Not only does it look good on your resume, but when you speak another language it opens up new doors to communicate with other people. Jot down new words that you've learned, phrases, and practice writing out sentences and paragraphs.

I know there are many other ideas to fill up your notebooks, if you have any more, please leave them in the comments. I would love to know! With a blank notebook, the possibilities really are endless!

Dress to Skirt Refashion (With Invisible Zipper and Lining)

Today's refashion is a dress to skirt, with a zipper and lining. I got this dress way back in 2013 at a consignment shop during their $1 sidewalk sale. (Okay, so four years doesn't seem like a ridiculously long time, but the amount of things that happen and change during such a short timeframe, is insane).  Anyways, this dress was always a bit big on me, but I never really fixed it. Instead, I added in some bust darts and called it a day. Since my sewing skills were lacking back then, I bought this yellow cardigan to cover up my beginner bust darts haha. :) Fast forward four years later, I decided to make this dress into a skirt. This would seem like it would be a simple refashion, because really it's just converting a dress to a skirt. But, it took a little longer because I put in a zipper and the dress was lined.

So, here is what I did:

STEPS:

1. I found a skirt that fit me well to use as my template.

2. I cut out the side zipper to use in my new skirt.

3. I chopped off the bodice of the dress.

It was starting to look like a skirt already!

4. I didn't want the zipper to be on the side of the skirt, so I opened the skirt as shown and...

I unpicked part of the back seam, just enough to fit my zipper in.

5. Next, I sewed my zipper in, as shown.

Here's how I pinned it.

Basically, I sandwiched the zipper in between the right sides of the fabrics. 

(The lining and the main fabric)

Here is how it looked after I had sewn in one side of the zipper.

6. Now, I had to take care of the lining. Since the lining was attached to the hem of the skirt, as shown, I had to cut alongside the seam to separate the lining from the main fabric.

After I was done cutting, it looked like this:

7. The next step was to hem the lining.

Lining was hemmed!

8. After, I sewed the lining together at the side seam. (Right sides of the fabric touching, wrong sides out)

9. Also, I sewed the main fabric together at the side seam. (Once again, right sides in, wrong sides out.)

10. I turned both pieces inside out, and this is what it looked like:

11. Finally, it was time to sew on a new waistband. 

12. After I cut it out, I put in some interfacing to make my waistband stabler.

13. I pinned the waistband to the skirt as shown. 

(The right side of the waistband touching the inside of the skirt)

To leave a clean edge, I folded in the edge of the waistband in.

After I sewed it, I folded the waistband up...

...and then folded the edge down...

...and finally folded it down again, and topstitched.

TA DA!