my first upcycle: tank to toddler dress

when recently going through my clothes i came across a tank that i have had for a number of years.  probably more years than i would like to admit.  i threw it in the "to donate" pile but having just read numerous blogs about upcycling old clothing for toddler clothes i decided to throw it in the "maybe-someday-if-i-get-a-chance-to-upcycle" pile.  and as the weather turned warmer, i grabbed the tank to make into a dress for little miss.  after all, pink is her signature color.  

here i am back in 2005 sporting the tank... with the mister and mr big (back when he wasn't so big!)  i am disappointed in myself that i didn't take any action shots of the project, but i will try to give a little play-by-play of how the project played out.  please feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any questions!  


before......

step 1: i cut the top off the tank right below the yellow lace and cut off the straps


step 2: to resize the top, i put a shirt of little miss' over the recently cut yellow lace top and cut off the remaining fabric leaving just a little extra fabric for seam allowance


step 3: with right sides facing i sewed the sides of the top.  so now the top was finished and ready for the strap again.  


step 4:  i shortened the straps by holding them up to little miss and figuring out how long they needed to be cutting off the extra length.  then using the middle of the dress i measured out equal distance from the middle of the top and sewed on the straps.  i think it was roughly about 1.5" from the middle.  and once the straps were back on that completed the top....


step 5: using a basting stitch i stitched along the top of the body of the tank and ruffled the body of the tank so that it was the equal width of the newly resized top


step 6: with right sides together i lined up the seams on the top and bottom and pined all around the dress.


step 7: i sewed the top and the body of the dress together and voila!  an easy-peasy tank to toddler dress!   

.....after

try it tuesday: bonnet 2.0

well, i did it again.  here i am posting try it tuesday on wednesday.  guess that might happen more then i would like but i will just do what i can do when i can do it.  know what i mean?  

bonnet 2.0

i came across this bonnet tutorial from made by petchy (who also has a few other *awesome* tutorials that you will probably see me attempt!) and thought i would give it a try.  i liked the fact that it was sized bigger (2-4t) so both the girls could wear it.   and as i said, i will post my project whether it turned out or not and this one went fairly well.  i had to change it from the pattern just a wee bit, but i will get there.....

after printing out the pattern from made by petchy i had to resize it.... one would think that would be easy but it took me a while to get it right... so after a few tries and a few papers put in the recycler, i finally found the right size (which for me was at 150%). after i taped the pattern together, i got cutting. 

step two was pinning and sewing each side.  as i said, i am very new to sewing and it was a bit tricky to pin on a curve, but by the fourth seam i had it figured out.


once both the sides were sewn it was time to sew the two sides together.  so with right sides facing, i lined up the edges, pinned, and sewed.  i left a couple of inches at the bottom of the bonnet in order to turn right side out after sewing. 

 and this is where i had to veer off the pattern a bit.  not sure what i did when cutting (maybe it was because it was waaay past my bedtime or after a glass of wine) but my fabric got all wonky around the "brim" of the bonnet.  one side was a lot longer then the other.  you will notice on the bonnet that petchy made there is an adorable little brim.  yeah, mine doesn't have that.  instead i sewed across the brim to make a straight seam and then snipped off the extra fabric.

 before turning i used the pinking sheers around the edges.....







and then for some reason, well actually i do know the reason.... and then my beautiful 3-year-old daughter took my camera hostage so i don't have any photos of the rest of my project in action but it looks pretty identical to bonnet 1.0.   the only difference before sewing on the bias tape was that i top stitched around the bonnet to give it a finished look and to close off the opening ..... 

and i just might, just maybe, attempt bonnet 3.0 for next week's try it tuesday.  would that be crazy?  a bit boring with yet another bonnet?  but prudent baby posted a tutorial that looks awesome.   plus, i am a total sucker for ruffles.


until next time.....           

             

try it tuesday: bonnet 1.0

every tuesday i am going to try to post a tutorial... either one by me or one that has inspired me.... whether i am happy with the outcome or not.  and while i do realize that today is wednesday (although i have been known to lose track of the days), i had a bit too much on my plate to get a post done yesterday.

so without further ado, welcome to my first (of hopefully many) try it tuesday!

bonnet 1.0

while in a mommy&me class on monday i came across this picture which inspired me to make a bonnet. and with most things i find out in the world that inspire me, i grabbed my phone and snapped a photo.  i am a visual learner (and short term memory ... aka mom brain... doesn't help much these days), so i tend to rip, snap, keep, store, post pictures everywhere throughout my life.

that same day after we got home from our class i found an email from prudent baby with a hooded towel tutorial that included a hood template.  it was perfect... the shape of a bonnet.  it was like the world heard my wish to make a bonnet and provided a way (way to go world!)!  so, here is a little play by play of what i did*.....

1.  using the hood template from prudent baby, i cut 2 pieces of the main bonnet fabric and 2 pieces of the lining.  then using 45" wide fabric, i cut approx 2" off the end to use to make the bias tape.







2.  i then i got my bias tape all set and put that aside for later.  (you can also use ready made bias tape).  right sides together, i pinned the 2 pieces the the main fabric together and the 2 pieces of the lining together.  i then sewed both the inner and outer pieces.

3.  with the inner and outer sides of the bonnet sewn together, i ironed the seams open (my mom would be so proud!).   i then pinned the inner and outer pieces together -again, right sides together - taking my time to make sure the seams were lined up.

4.   i then sewed the BOTTOM of the bonnet.  after i did that, i flipped the pieces over so that wrong sides were together and the bottom of the bonnet had a nice finish.   i took my time to smooth the fabric out and make sure the seams were lined up.   i pressed with an iron.

5.   i grabbed my ready to go bias tape and folded it in half, strongly pressing on the fold marking the halfway point.  i used that mark to line up my tape at the top of the bonnet so that the tape would have equal length on both sides.  i then pinned the bias tap around the front of the bonnet.  once the bias tape was pinned in place, i did a finishing stitch around the bias tape being sure to fold in the ends of the tape for a clean, finished look.



and voila!  an easy-peasy bonnet.  from start to finish it would take about 30-40 minutes.... however, being that none of my kids napped yesterday it took me a wee bit longer.

next week for try it tuesday i am going to attempt bonnet 2.0.... while this one turned out great and does the job of a bonnet, i am going to try out another bonnet at a suggestion of a friend.  same idea, just different template.  should be super cute.  stay tuned.

until next time....

             

* a little disclaimer that i am *very* new to sewing.  sure, i made a killer pillow in home ec back in the junior high days, but let's just say it has been a few years since then.  i have been back sewing just for a few months and only in my spare time, which can be hard to come by.  i will always do my best to explain what i have done, but i may mix up technical words or not use the best, most up to date technique.  i am always open to helpful suggestions and other ideas.  there is a learning curve to everything and i am just starting down that curve.  thanks!