Ending Refashion Month with Tanks, a Tote, and a Wristlet

Today is the last day of July Refashion Month. I didn’t finish 31 refashions like I had intended (one of my 31 by 31 goals, but I still have 10 more months). I did manage to whip out a few more projects. Today I want to show you a couple refashions I finished, but haven’t posted yet.

First is two more muscle shirts for my boys.

These were made from two men’s 2XL t-shirts. I was able to cut two tanks from each shirt. I had completed the first two shirts in June, and mailed them off to Sewing to Rebuild. The other two sat on my sewing table cut out and ready to sew for way too long.

The next one was a super quick project.

The boys’ preppy shorts left me with two sleeve cuffs. (Which had adorable pearl snaps.) I kept looking at the cuffs, trying to decide what to make of them.

I stitched the cuffs together using a wide but short zigzag stitch. Then I covered up the stitching with ribbon. The ribbon also helped the project look a little less masculine (the ribbon has sparkles!). I cut a piece of ribbon for a strap. Then I folded the rectangle into a pouch, tucked in the ribbon, and topstitched along the original seam.

This last project is also one that has been sitting on my sewing table, cut out, for way too long!

I have made so many of these bags. They are made from bed sheets, and can be made in any size.

I use these as my reusable shopping totes, beach bag, overnight bag, and just about anything you can think of bag. These totes are my favorite for three reasons. 1. They hold so much stuff. 2. No need worrying about getting them dirty. Just toss in the washer. 3. They fold (or in my case roll) up super small.

*I know it is hard to tell, but the bag rolled up is smaller than a soup can.

Did you participate in Refashion Month? If so, share a link. I would love to see your creations.

Do you have projects that have been sitting in your to-do pile for a long time? Seriously the tote has been cut out and waiting to be sewn for a couple of years. I know the reason this project sat so long (my machine was acting up and I gave up and packed her away for a few months), but I have quite a few other projects that I do not have an excuse for.

Detroit Hat Update, and Weekly To-Dos

Happy Monday folks! We had such a wonderful weekend finishing little projects that have been patiently waiting on our to-do list.
I have two of the six crocheted Detroit Tiger hats finished. (Two more are just waiting to be appliqued.) I thought I’d share those today since 1. They are so stinking cute. and 2. I am so stinking proud of them.
 
I used the Newsboy hat beanie pattern (108) from Posh Patterns on Etsy. These two hats are worked up in Caron Simply Soft. The D is cut from felt, and hand stitched on. The flower is a basic crocheted five petal flower.
The pattern is very clear and easy to understand. The method used to stiffen the brim was new to me, yet still easy to understand (even for a left handed, backwards, non-gauge checking crocheter like myself). Overall, this pattern was worth the investment (and I usually cringe at buying patterns).
Here are a couple more shots:

(I think Zeke may be a bit annoyed that I put a girl hat on his brother.)
Okay, lets get to business, my to-dos for this week:

• Write up a menu for this week.
• Finish other 4 Detroit hats.
• Finish gift sets. (I cannot wait to share these!)
• Use/freeze zucchini.
• Trim bushes around house.
• Spread mulch.
• Tweak Etsy shop policies, and open shop. (figure I should follow my just sew mantra, and tweak things afterwards)

What are you working on this week? As always, I love reading your comments!

Sharing here:
Quartered Heart Crochet

Egg-Free Friday, Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I haven’t done an egg-free post in a while. I have been in a little bit of a cooking slump lately. Somehow my boys became finicky eaters, and frankly I am tired of throwing food away.

Desperate to get them to eat breakfast (and needing to use up some ripe bananas), I searched for a banana bread recipe. I found a winner!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread adapted from food.com

• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup flour *I used 3/4 whole wheat, and 3/4 all purpose
• 2 small handfuls of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a bread pan.

Combine bananas and butter. Mix in milk and vanilla.

Add in brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Add in flour, mix until just combined. *Don’t over mix, your bread will be rubbery!* Gently mix in chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared bread pan and bake for one hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool.

I am happy to say, the boys love this bread! I am planning on trying it with zucchini as soon as it is ready to pick.

How do you deal with finicky eaters? If you have any tips, please share! I am at wits end trying to get them to eat good food. They used to be such good eaters, so maybe (hopefully) this is just a stage two year olds go through….

My Take on the T-Shirt Dress, another refashion

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE summer dresses?

I love how a dress can instantly take you from sweaty and frumpy to polished and presentable.

The more a dress feels like a t-shirt, the more I like it (and the more I wear it). I have one such dress that gets worn at least once a week. The colors are fading, but it is comfy and mama appropriate. I didn’t want to mess with the faded dress though. I had a fear of messing it up, and not having my summer staple anymore.

But alas, I did the next best thing….I made a new t-shirt dress.

This was a simple refashion. The base was a men's 2XL yellow t-shirt. (No, I didn’t get this one from hubby. I had to buy this one at Goodwill for $0.49!) The contrasting band was made from the sleeves leftover from this project.

First I carefully unpicked the pocket. Then I cut off the sleeves. I drew a trapezoid from the bottom hem to just under the neckline. I sewed these two pieces together at the sides to form the skirt.

Next I cut up the sleeves and sewed them into a tube. I did the same for the contrasting strip. Trim the excess from the tubes so they are even. Now, just sew the three tubes together, matching the side seams.

The straps aren’t my favorite. The only fabric left from the yellow tee was a long skinny strip. I cut a strip the same length from the grey shirt. Then I gave both strips a tug, to make them curl. Next I cut them in half.

I tried the dress on, and pinned the front of the straps over my bra. Then I sewed them down. Next twist the straps a few times, pin in the back, and sew.

Like I said, the straps aren’t my favorite. (Despite what it looks like in the picture, the straps are twisted evenly. I actually just went and rechecked.) I may change them down the road.

Now I have a second favorite summer dress.

Maybe I should do something to fix the faded one…..

What are your summer wardrobe staples? Like I said, nothing is more comfortable to me that a light dress in summer.

When Life Gets You Down, Just Sew

I have been in a bit of a creative funk lately. Actually I have been in a whole life slump. It has been hard to get my mind to focus on a task. In fact, the only focus I could muster is on my crochet projects.

Yet, I feel need to sew. I want to write. My home needs loving. My family needs to be fed (I have been feeding them, but it has been the 5 o’clock dinner scramble).

Desperate to pull myself out of this hole, I made myself sew.

I didn’t care what came out of it. My only goal was to ignite a fire.

The result… I finished a few projects from my UFO bin, snapped pictures of a couple refashions that have been finished for a bit now, caught up on laundry, vacuumed, and cleaned the kitchen sink (seriously, this has been on my to-do list for the last four days!) Oh yeah, I also made a loaf of banana bread.

Here is one more completed refashion:

Nothing spectacular, yet so dang comfy. This tank is from another of hubby’s discarded t-shirts (I know what you are thinking: How many t-shirts does this man own! It’s not that bad, I just snag them up as soon as he says, “I don’t want this anymore.”)

I used this pattern from So Zoe What Do You Know? This pattern/tutorial is well written and easy to follow. There are a lot of step-by-step pictures. She even includes instructions for FOE, and underwear elastic. This was my first experience with fold over elastic. (Just like most other sewing techniques I have avoided; so much easier than I had imagined.)

*Please follow instructions, and measure yourself. I skipped this step my first try at the pattern. Luckily I was using one of hubby’s old bowling shirts.

What methods do you use to climb your way out of a creative funk/life slump? As always, I love hearing your thoughts.

Guest Posting at House of Estrela

I am so excited! Today I am over at House of Estrela sharing a refashion for July Refashion Month. (My first guest post ever!) It is so awesome to be included with Magda’s wonderful list of contributors (we’re talking refashioning celebrities!).
Head on over and see what I did to this awkward dress. Make sure you check out all the other refashioners from this month, amazing.

If you are from House of Estrela, welcome! Thank you so much for visiting. If you are in the mood  for refashions, here are a few of my favorites:
Toddler Boy

• Birthday Refashion
• DIY Muscle Shirt
• Preppy Shorts Part 1, and Part 2
• Little Boy Button-up
• Long-Sleeved Tees

For Mama

• Boring Black Tank Redo
• Short Sundress Fix
• Blue Jean Buttercup
• Skirt to Dress
• Tank Dress

In Memory.

Last month while hanging out with a good friend, she asked me if I had seen the Detroit Tiger crochet hats floating around online. I made a mental note to look them up. By now you all know where my mental notes go…

Last week another friend asked me if I could make each of her kids “one of those Detroit Tigers hats she had seen online.” This time I asked for a picture (because we knew where that last mental note went…)

I found a pattern on etsy and got hooking. *This is the inspiration hat on etsy.

While crocheting these hats I kept thinking of my 94 year old Great Grandmother. She is a huge Tigers fan. We used to sit on her back porch in the green wicker rockers playing cards and listening to the Tigers game.

Shortly after finishing the first hat, I received a phone call. “Grandma is in the hospital. Doesn’t look good.”

The next day (Wednesday) my mom, brother, and I drove two hours to the hospital and sat next to her hospital bed.

She passed away yesterday.

She was my last living grandparent, and a very influential part of my life. This death is a hard one, not because she didn’t live a wonderfully long life (ninety-four!). Because I wasn’t deliberate about making time these past few years. I had so much I wanted to learn from her, questions I wanted to ask.

*Fun Fact: While at the hospital I asked my Great Aunt and Uncle why Grandma listened to the Tigers instead of watching them on the television. “As a girl she used to listen to them in the hammock with her father. She had tried to watch them on t.v. but she couldn’t stand seeing them spit and scratch themselves.” That’s my Grandma.

I go through periods of  vacancy and numbness for a bit, but I’m okay. I know I am lucky to have had a relationship with my Great Grandmother.

Thankfully I have four more Tiger hats to crochet. This means time to deliberately reflect on memories of Great Grandma.

Are you lucky to have had a relationship with your grandparents? If so, what is your favorite memory?

Earlier in the year I had started a little series Lessons from Great Grandma’s Kitchen. My goal is to pick up where I left off and document the lessons this wonderful woman taught me.