another anthro-mutation pillow and yes, I have a thing for birds and leaves

Angela Adams dishtowel pillow. With an older placemat pillow behind it.

I know winter has just begun (we've been locked inside for three days after a rare Georgia ice storm), but right after Christmas I always feel the pull toward citrus colors. I need cheerful things around me to make up for the weak sunlight.

When my BFF and I hit the Anthro in New Orleans a while back I got this great Angela Adams dishtowel. I can't imagine using dishtowels I buy there for drying dishes or mopping up milk. That just seems insane, so it was bought with future pillows in mind.


I cut the dishtowel in half and used one half of it to make the front of the pillow. It needed some applique leaves on a stem for a punch of color. Then it needed some embroidery on the bird to balance some of the new color. I was just going to back it with some contrasting fabric and stuff it, but then I realized:

1. I was not in the mood to stuff anything. I really don't enjoy it.
   
2. I had a pile of perfectly good square pillows just sitting there

So I added a strip of shot cotton and some trim to each end to square it up.


Then I backed it with denim that was overlapped in the middle just like I did to the napkin pillow here, so it is a removable cover. I stuffed in the square pillow, tacked it shut and added a button for looks.


Now I need to do something with the other half of the dish towel and cute leftover ball trim. I keep everything. You should see my ridiculous pile of scraps. It is really hard for me to throw away fabric. I did an epic cleanout of my craft loft yesterday and I made myself donate a bunch of thrifted fabric and clothing that has been sitting up here for ages. My husband saw the large pile I was carrying out and murmured "Thank you, Lord, for answered prayers" and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. My craft loft is also his office.

trouser jeans to shorts

These are some former trouser jeans of mine that had turned into high waters. Over time, so many of my jeans have gotten too short in the wash. I've since learned (thanks, Paula!) how to avoid this, mostly: Don't ever dry jeans in the machine, only hang them to dry (yes, very obvious but wait for it:) then AFTER they are dry, put them in the dryer to become wrinkle free and soft.

So, as I was saying, since these were unwearable anyhow, I cut them off into long shorts using the original hem to make them look more finished. This worked fine because the hem at the bottom was as wide or wider than the leg at the knee. If your hem is not flared, you may not have enough original hem to attach to the leg. Be sure to check this first before you do anything crazy.


First step is to try them on. Mark the length you want them to be when finished. Take them off, lay them flat, and subtract the width of the original hem at the bottom of the leg. Then add .25 inch. Make a mark at this new measurement on both legs and cut those babies off.

Also cut off both hems from the bottom of the legs. Make sure you leave some extra fabric above the hem.

Good idea to use a heavy needle in your machine and also jean thread, which is slightly thicker and stronger than regular thread.

Turn your hem pieces inside out and trim them down so there is about .25 inches of fabric above the hem.

Pin them on right sides facing and with raw edges even. If the hem is too wide for the leg, snip it open at the inside seam and overlap it.

Sew right next to the hem all the way around the leg and finish the raw edges by overlocking or zig zagging them.


This is what it looks like after sewing and overlocking, but before pressing. You'll definitely want to press it well with a hot iron so the new seam lays nice and flat. You could also topstitch around it about 1/8" above the hem, catching the seam allowance underneath to add a finishing touch (I was too lazy).

shopping in my closet, part 1 (in which I convert an old pair of bootcut jeans into a new pair of skinny jeans)

I've been admiring so many in the blogosphere that are taking old/unwearable clothes and remaking them into new, beautiful things. I'd really like to try a pretty ruffle shirt like the one my BFF made from her husband's old dress shirt. But first things first, as I have a growing mountain of clothing in my craft room that needs fixing or updating.

My most urgent need is jeans to wear tucked inside my newish lovely boots. I didn't own a pair of skinny jeans until a couple of weeks ago. After I bought one pair I got the idea to convert my old bootcut jeans (which are too short now anyway) into skinny jeans from some similar transformations I've seen on several great YouTube videos.

People, this is the easiest wardrobe revamp you could hope for. Really. It takes like twenty minutes and can save you some serious jean money.

This is the process in a nutshell:

1) Turn your old pair of bootcut jeans inside out and lay them down flat. Lay your favorite pair of skinny jeans on top.


2) Find out which seam on your old jeans has the pretty topstitching. Align the edges of the skinny legs along the bootcut seam that is topstitched (this could be the outside seam or the inside seam). You don't want to take in the seam that is topstitched. It will look funny since you can't replicate the topstitching. You want to take in the side that has a regular seam so your new one will blend in. As it happens, the pair I was working with didn't have topstitching on either side.

3) Once it is all aligned carefully and you have the seams nice and flat, trace along the edge of the skinny leg to mark your new seam line on the bootcut leg. Pin in place, taking care to match up the hem of your old jeans nicely.


4) Using a heavy duty needle on your machine (really. don't skip this step), sew your new seams on each leg. Now before you trim and finish the new seams, try the jeans on to be sure they fit the way you like. You may need to make minor adjustments before you finish and press your seams.

Erm. The girls make up their own beds. Good for them.
Bad for photo styling.

Voila. You really can't tell where my new seam starts and the old one ends. Just saved myself some money. Oh, yeah.