Quick Change Trousers

I made these pants from Anna Maria Horner's "Handmade Beginnings" book one Saturday. Sebastian has this beautiful vest but had no pants that matched.  They are made from an old pair of his Daddy's pants and a too small dress shirt.  I love it when things are so thrifty they're free :)

I don't think he'll wear them this way but this is the lining.

Before and After

This was a fun project! The skirt and shirt are hand-me-downs from my niece. It's a cute outfit but by the time it would fit any of my girls I'm not sure they would wear it. I LOVED the fabrics in the outfit though.

So, I set out with my scissors and an old pattern to use for sizing and turned it into a cute little dress for Carolin.

I used the existing neckline, sleeves, buttons and buttonholes and the tiered skirt, though I had to shorten the middle tier.

I don't know about you, but I find re-purposing SO very rewarding.  Especially when it works.

(My niece liked what I did to her outfit.)

Skirt Surgery: Thrifty Threads #19

Before: Hand-me-down skirt with ugly bottom.



After: Cute, original-looking skirt. Melissa and I think so anyway.

Quick Change Trousers - Thrifty Threads #17

Last month I got the book Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner. So far I really like it! (BTW I didn't pay for this book. I bought it with my Swagbucks. So this really is a thrifty threads!)



To start I made the Quick Change Trousers. Very easy and came together perfectly. I opted to use a much less daring colour palette than is shown in the book.



I used an old skirt of mine for the denim and an old shirt of my husbands for the lining. I think it came out cute.



I had another pair all cut out from an old pair of pants and some flannel. As I started sewing I realized that I had cut 2 left legs! I'll try again soon.

Thrify Threads # 16 - Book Character Day

October was reading month for our school kids and at the end of the month they had Book Character Day.  Anneke wanted to be Laura Ingalls (along with at least 5 other girls at school) and Lukas chose Asterix :)

Excuse the bad indoor pictures but the weather was too cold for good clear ones outside.

For Anneke's costume I used fabric I got handed down to me for the bonnet and apron and the dress is made out of an old sheet.  The pattern is McCalls 9424 that my Oma once gave me when she was cleaning out her sewing room.  So this one cost me nothing but a few evenings of time!

For Lukas we found a pair of red pants and black t-shirt the thrift store for a couple dollars.  Then I made a belt from fabric I had.  The hat is made from an old sun hat with the brim cut off and then duck taped (gotta love that stuff).  The feathers are made from two layers of felt with wooden skewers in to hold them up.  The sword is cardboard, more duck tape, a paint stir stick and paint.

So a few dollars later and I had two very happy kids. Lots of fun!

Old to New

It started out as a vintage table cloth. I hoarded it in my stash for quite some time, just pondering the possibilities. I asked for ideas from family members and friends and the best suggestion was from Benjamin. "How about using it as a table cloth?" Um, yeah, but that's what it is. I want to make it into something different.

Using the Birdie Sling Pattern from Amy Butler, I turned that table cloth into a new diaper bag. The photo is not very good. It really is a great diaper bag. It's huge so it fits my cloth diapers, bottles and snacks plus my wallet. I only wish I had put a key fob in it.

For the handle I used the border of the table cloth.

Have you made something old into something new?

Old to New

Pillowcase to nightgown.



It took me 30 minutes and could have been faster with pre-made bias tape.



I didn't use a particular tutorial but there are many out there. Just google "Pillowcase Dress."



And doesn't she look adorable. Even though it's unseasonably cold right now she still wants to wear it. She says it's soooo comfortable.

Have a blessed Sunday. See you all Monday for Mending Week!

Thrifty Threads #14: Round Neck Top

I made this top for a little girl's birthday this past week. Deanna helped pick out the fabric from my stash and in an afternoon (with interuptions, of course) I had this cute little top sewn up. Fun!



I think I've made this top 5 times so far. I bought it from thatdarnkat's etsy shop. It has been worth every penny. I plan to use it again and lengthen it for a sundress for Deanna soon too.



The red polka dots have been in my stash for a very long time. The floral is a fabric I bought for $4/m (if that) a long time ago. I've used it in outfits for my girls, in a quilt and also for the backing of a table quilt. I have a wee bit left. And the buttons? They cost me a whole quarter at BFM Thrift Store.

Thrifty Threads #13 - Summer Outfit for Melissa

It started with a skirt from the thrift store. For 50 cents it was a steal. Perfect for school.



I had just received an order from Above All Fabric and there were some fabrics that matched really well with the skirt.



I used Simplicity 5118 for the top. I've made it numerous times over the past few years. My pattern only goes up to size 4. I'm not sure if it is also available in larger sizes, but I just drew the pattern up larger and made it in about a 6X. It's a tad on the small side for Melissa but that's okay because Deanna is just a smidgen smaller than her. It's handy having three girls in a row.



Cost of outfit - around $6-7. Not super thrifty, but compared with new, very good. And of course, much more fun!

So soft...

A baby quilt for friends! It's all flannel and it'll just get softer with time :)

I really love how it turned out and hope the new baby loves it too!  It was a pleasure to make!

These fabrics came from the same shopping trip as my bright quilt fabrics and were two sets of sample fabrics.  I'd call this a thrifty thread because on top of using all stash fabrics I even pieced together the batting! I also did just a single fold binding mostly because that's all the fabric I had left but I found because it is flannel it worked really nicely. I've once bound with flannel before and it ends up being pretty thick.

Thrifty Threads #12

Making his sleeper last just a little bit longer


He was going through the toes. But his mom didn't want him to be finished with this sleeper yet. She's going through denial, you know.

So she extended the life of the sleeper and all is well for now.

Thrifty Threads #11 - Skirt Refashion

Like my new skirt?


It used to look like this.


I like it much better now.

What can you find in your closet to refashion?

Thrifty Threads #10 - PJ Pants

Yesterday I was in Superstore browsing at their clothes. They have such nice pj bottoms right now. Only $12. I really needed new ones. But self-control prevailed (this time). I have so much fabric in my stash including some soft cotton knits so I cut apart my old bottoms, used them for a pattern (but I made them smaller - yeah!) and put these together in about 90 minutes. That includes taking care of children in between. And they are so comfortable. I'm wearing them right now. My husband likes them. He called me clever. Clever. I'll take it as a compliment.



The cost for these was about $5 for the fabric. I ordered it online awhile back and it came out to about $3.50/yd including shipping.

To me the real savings is the $12 I could have spent. Yes, I did buy the fabric for them in the past but it could have just stayed in my stash too. That's how I explain it to my husband anyway :-)

Thrifty Threads # 9

I got it in my head the other day to make Sophie an outfit. I took one of my husband's pairs of pants that he never wears because they're too short and used this pretty remnant I got the other day for the shirt and cuffs. So...a new outfit for about $1!  Very satisfying!  The shirt is made using the Sweet Little Dress pattern (once again) - I just shortened it.  The pants I just traced from another pair she had but made them a bit longer.  I had wanted to make long sleeves but didn't have enough fabric so for now she'll be wearing a shirt under :)

You can see on this picture how I did the waist. I had leftover non-rolling elastic and stretch fabric from when I'd altered clothes for maternity wear, so I used that to make a nice comfy waistband. The only thing is the rise is a little long so it fits better when I fold it over like in the pic.

Thrifty Threads # 8

So...I wanted a one piece suit for Sophie for going in the van but didn't want to spend lots. I also didn't see anything above 12 months that wasn't snowsuit material. So I dug out this fleece and flannel that I've had for 5 years or so and made her one. I started out with a sleeper pattern, added the hat and mitts, lined it, and lengthened it. I've never really adjusted a pattern so much so it was a bit challenging. It turned out pretty good but it just barely fits her. :( Seeing as it's cold here until April it may not last the season!
The nice pink snaps were put on by a friend with a nice snap press - it really finished it off nicely.

She's standing by herself here and looking so proud of herself!

Thrifty Threads #7

Fake silver plates from the thrift store painted antique white. Cheap, easy and nice to look at. Stuck to the wall with double-sided tape.

I know it's not about threads but it's still thrifty, right?

Thrifty Threads #6

Fall Outfit from Ladies Sweater and Skirt



I wanted another outfit for Melissa for church. She has a jumper, but it is getting too short, and, if possible, I like to have two outfits to switch things up a bit. I wanted to make a dress, but there wasn't too much money left in our clothing budget this month. So I had to rely on my inner thrift and make more with less.



I took a trip to the local Bibles for Mission thrift store where I scored a ladies skirt and top for $3. (I also scored a perfect pair of jeans for myself!)

I used a shirt pattern to kind of remake the top. I was able to use the sleeve as is except for making it shorter and also bottom band of the shirt, so no hemming was needed. It was very quick and easy. I think I will do it again. The skirt was pretty much totally remade, except for the bottom hem. I used the hem of the original skirt.



Flower Brooch to match. It's removeable so I don't have to wash it. I found the tutorial at Sew Blessed.

Thrifty Threads: 20 Minute Baby Toy

I saw this idea first on Dollar Store Crafts. What a totally easy and fun thing to make. The fact that Zachary is at the perfect age for this toy is icing on the cake.

So you start with some fabric and a baby wipes package (just the package, not the wipes.) The package has just the right amount of crinkliness. A great reuse.



I cut 2 6-inch squares of flannel and 2 6-inch squares of batting. I sewed little tabs of ribbon, rick rack and other trim around the edges.



I sewed it all up with a little opening for turning.



Trim your corners, flip it around, stuff your baby wipes package inside, pin your open edge closed and sew around the whole thing about 1/8 inch from the edge. Done. Easy peasy!

Here's the little man enjoying his new toy.



I'm sure if you took a little more time it could be even cuter. And maybe your photos wouldn't be blurry either.