Review of the Refashion Handbook

This is currently my favorite book on Refashioning clothing. I've been following Beth's blog for years now. Her ideas are unique, practical and things I would actually wear! Each project turns out looking professionally done. I don't know how she does it, but she never seems to run out of ideas. She must come up with them in her sleep. She basically shows her readers how to take what is already in their closet and no longer working for them and revamp it. There are 19 stylish projects. She shows step-by-step how to transform easy-to-find secondhand items into one-of-a-kind fashion statements. I strongly encourage you to check it out. I can promise you that you will not be disappointed. As a matter of fact, I know that You Will Love This Book as well as her blog, The Renegade Seamstress!

Refashioned Top With a Touch of Lace

My 14 year old daughter Fashionista Emily has done a cute t-shirt refashion with lace! You can check out her project on her blog. I know she would love to hear from you. You can also follow her on Bloglovin and Google followers, all on her sidebar.

Meet My New Friend Bernina

I would like to introduce you to my new-to-me Bernina Record 930. It was such an amazing deal that is was hard to pass up. My sweet hubby agreed that this could be my Christmas and early 50th birthday gift! I am so excited! This is my first high-end machine. I have been sewing on a Kenmore, which I love overall; although it is a bit slow, which can be very frustrating when trying to get through a project. But this one has many more features, faster speed and can sew easily on heavier fabrics. I am already becoming spoiled just from the presser foot lever alone! It is so nice to keep both hands on my work at all times. I think we will become very good friends. 

The original owner, Vicki, according to the paperwork, purchased her in 1985. It came with everything. The case, presser foot lever and sewing table, which you see attached to the free arm, which can be removed. It also came with the accessories kit  and 9 sewing feet that was with the machine when Vicki acquired it along with an additional 11 feet that she purchased separately.

Not only did it come with the sewing guide shown above but also a big supplement which is in a 2-inch, 3-ring binder.

She was so organized. She added articles and sewing tips and her notes to this binder as well as several sample pages that she made where she noted stitch width and length, and where applicable, which foot she used. She also included several sample pages with fabric swatches with several different types of fabric and which stitches, foot and needle she used. Here are just a few of her samples. This is going to be such a nice reference and save me so much time, work and guesswork. Thank you, Vicki!

Below is the accessories box. Look at all those feet!!! There is also a walking foot which is not pictured.

Below are three things which I do not know what they are and what they are used for. If you know please enlighten me.

I whipped up a little skirt for my 3 year old Samantha just to have something with which to do a test drive. Five minutes tops. It's just a basic knit skirt. It's actually a simple refashion because I made them out of a pair of pants that were too short for her but still fit in the waist. I cut out the inseam. Turned it so the seams would be on the sides, sewed up the sides, trimmed the seam down and did a little hem. I really didn't need to do a hem as the material doesn't fray. I just wanted a bit of a neater look.

And there you have it! 

Next Monday I'll share a cool little something, sewing related, I picked up in an antique shop.

Have a good week and happy sewing!

Reverse Dyed Jeans, a New Blog Feature: Emily's Corner and Video of Baby Samantha

Hello all! First off, thank you so much for all of your kind comments on my last post. They were so uplifting and encouraging. I am so excited to actually be sharing something creative. And now for the long awaited new feature I promised you in my last post, drum roll please: I bring you Emily Callan, my 11 year old daughter and future fashion designer as well as my new blog partner. As many of you will remember, she had her own blog for a couple of years, Super Stitches; but it was closed down due to her age. She will most likely start up her own blog again when she is 13. But in the meantime, she will post her projects here. We will call this new feature Emily's Corner. I hope you enjoy this new addition. 

We enjoy sewing and refashioning clothing together. She had the idea to take a pair of ankle-length black jeans that were too short and still fit in the waist and remove color by flicking and painting bleach onto them (outside of course), basically reverse dying. She also cut them shorter in an interesting design and left them unhemmed. I asked her how she would describe the hem for me. She said she just cut violently. Great way to release pent up tension and frustration I suppose. She is very pleased with the results and wears them often. In the first picture she is shown with her four year old brother.

She has sewn some things recently as well and will be posting them soon.

At the end of this post, I have included a photo and video of our sweet baby Samantha.

PARTING SHOT:

Our beautiful baby Samantha, now 10 months old. To learn more about Samantha, click on "Samantha" underneath "Topics" in the sidebar. (This photograph was shot by me with my point-and-shoot. The photos of Emily were shot by my husband, Marty Callan.) 

And below is a video I took of our sweet girl. She was so funny and cute, talking up a storm, her personality really shining through. Enjoy!

Recycled Sweater Head Wrap and Cowl Scarf

I made Emily a couple of headwraps from some old sweaters and matching cowl scarves. I also made a headwrap for her cousin's 12th birthday. Don't they look so cute together? The headwrap can be worn plain or embellished. They are so quick and easy to sew. You basically cut out long rectangles, apply fabric glue to the long sides and sew the short ends together and you're done. I got the idea from Disney of Ruffles and Stuff. She's made some great tutorials, click here for the headwrap tutorial  and here for the cowl scarf. Thanks so much, Disney, Emily loves hers. They keep her warm and stylish.

They were made from these two sweaters.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Off Kilter Yet Chic Design

Need a little spice, feeling a little daring? Tired of plain and boring pieces in your wardrobe? Jazz it up or change it with a quick little adjustment. This asymmetrical design turns an ordinary t-shirt into a fun and interesting piece to wear, from plain to chic, and is the perfect project for the fashion-conscious girl. The idea and execution is from my fashion-forward, style-conscious 11 year old, aspiring fashion designer daughter, Emily. This is a very quick refashion project, five minutes, literally. Below is a self-explanatory and very easy to follow pictorial tutorial.

photos by me

Linking With Sew Country Chick

The Long and Short of It.

I took this skirt I paid 50 cents for at a thrift store and chopped off the bottom tier and transformed it from frumpy to cute and sassy. I like it so much better. I left it unhemmed so that it can fray naturally. I put in a line of stitching 5/8ths of an inch in so it doesn't fray too far. With the material I cut off, I made a skirt for Emily, Age 11. Basically gathered and attached it to elastic and used the existing hem. Then made a couple more to sell at the Christmas market we have at church every year. This was a quick and easy self-gratification project; but it just felt so good to sit in front of that machine again after having the baby and just sew something, anything, and I really needed a new skirt anyway because I'm still not back in my regular clothes. I'm already dreaming of what I can make next. I would like to get back into the habit of doing a little something most every day so I can have regular creativity going on in my life. In time, in time.

Skirt before: (The following three photos were taken by Martin, Age 8)

And after:

(Closeup of hem taken by Emily, Age 11)

Whoa! Look at all of this fabric from the bottom tier! It would be a shame to throw it away. (Photo taken by Martin.)

Three skirts I was able to make from this fabric, one for Emily and two to sell, and a skirt for Emily's sock doll that she has started. (Photos taken by me.)

And now, for the grand finale, the sweet and adorable Emily Callan, modeling her new little skirt. (Photos taken by the one and only Marty Callan, my husband.)

   

Parting Shots:

Recent photos of our youngest children taken on and around Thanksgiving by my husband, Marty.