New Boutique Pattern now Listed in my Etsy store!!

YAY!! I finally finished my halter dress tutorial and I have it listed in my Etsy shop!!

Check out the new listing here. . .
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43896119

New Tutorial to be added to my Etsy shop soon!

I will be adding my tutorial for this halter dress to my Etsy shop soon! I have been working on getting it complete and hope to have it done in the next week! I will let you know when I have it listed.

Cast cover for my little girl!

One of my little girls broke her leg a little over a week ago. She has been in a splint since then and is to get a cast this Friday. She has learned to scoot across the floor on her bottom and has been getting around this way pretty good the last few days! However, her splint has gotten really dingy and dirty. I decided I had to do something about that. . . can't stand looking at a dirty splint all the time.

I used some cotton knit fabric that I had on hand and made a cover for her splint. Ahh. . . much better! I need to make another one now so we can change them out as needed. Maybe we can keep the cast clean this way too!

Here are some pictures of her with my sister. . .

Tutorial: Lengthen your clothing with this Quilted Look!

I had this idea come into my head as a great way to lengthen jeans that are now too short. Or, do you have a skirt that you would rather have a little longer? This would be a cute way to add length to any piece of clothing and add style as well. I had a pair of 18 month size jeans that were still the right size in the waist but were now too short so I decided to try out my idea on them.


First, I cut off 2 inches from the bottom of the jeans. . .


The jeans pants leg opening where I cut was 12 inches so I decided to make 8 blocks that are 1.5 inches wide for each pants leg. I added 1/2 inch to the width of each block for seam allowances (1/4 inch seam allowance on each side). This made the width of the blocks two inches high. I needed to lengthen the pants by 1.5 inches so I made the blocks 2 inches high to allow for 1/4 inch seam allowance on the top and bottom of the strip of blocks. So I cut 2 inch x 2 inch squares for my project.

Now cut a piece of interfacing to the length of your blocks all lined up. I cut my interfacing 16 inches long by 2 inches high. (This makes sewing your blocks together easy and adds a little stiffness to match the weight of the jean fabric.)


Lay out your block on the strip of interfacing. . .


Iron the blocks down to the interfacing. . .


Fold at each place where the blocks meet and sew 1/4 inch away from the fold.


Now iron all the seams on the block strips to one side. . .


Sew the ends of the block strips together to form a circle.


Pin with right sides together to your jeans. . .


Sew 1/4 away from the edge. Then you need to finish the raw edges by zigzagging or serging.


Pin the section that you cut off of the jeans to the block section with right sides of the fabrics together.


Sew 1/4 inch away from the edge and then finish the edge by zigzagging or serging. (I also topstitched on either side of the block strips)


Here is a picture of the inside of the jeans. . .


And. . . here is the finished product!

Tutorial: Take in Waistbands with Elastic. . . Fast and Easy!

I wanted to share with you a fast and easy way to take in the waistband in a pair of jeans or any other piece of clothing. When I buy clothes for my children, the waist always seems to be too large. I usually try to buy clothes with the adjustable waist in them but I find great deals at times that are to hard to pass up. :) So here is my solution to the too-loose waist. . .


This is a skirt that I bought for 2.99 from The Children's Place. The front waistband has two straight sections on either side of the button. These sections are where I am going to add elastic. The back of the skirt already has elastic and it is still too big.



After cutting the slits in the fabric use a safety pin attached to one end of your elastic and push it through the opening at one end.






Then use Fray Check on the raw fabric edges to prevent raveling.


Now pull up the elastic at the other end of the opening enough to make the clothes fit your child. Pin in place and sew the elastic down near the opening.


Tuck the end of the elastic into the opening sew in place and fray check the raw edges of the fabric.


I repeated these steps for the other side of the waistband of this skirt. This is a very simple and fast fix to the problem of too-loose waists.

Here is a pair of pants that I fixed in this manner also. On these I could use the back inside waistband of the pants to tighten them.


I cut two slits with my seam ripper on each side of the back waistband.


Insert the elastic and pin in place at one end.


Now sew the elastic down by sewing close to the opening.

Then tuck the end of the elastic into the opening. Sew in place and use fray check on the raw edges.


Now pull up the elastic at the other end to get the waist as needed. Pin in place.


Now sew near the opening. . .


Tuck in the end of the elastic, sew in place, and the fray check the raw edges and here is the inside back waistband now. . .


And from the outside. . .


I hope this helps someone else too! :)

Mikarose - Modest Clothing

There is a giveaway going on here at the Dress Up Drawer Blogspot for a gift certificate to the Mikarose clothing website. As a winner you would be able to busy any dress in their store!

Here is a picture of one of the dresses from their store. . .


You can go over to the Dress Up Drawer blog to enter to win this giveaway!

Completed Projects!

Here are couple of boutique items I recently completed for some customers. . .

This is a mermaid set that I have made before. I made it again for a new customer and changed the hair color to match her daughter's hair color.



This is a shirt I appliqued for a little girl's second birthday. Her birthday theme is going to be The Little Mermaid.

Reviving a Shower Curtain

Just thought I would show you something that I worked last week. Mom just sent me pictures of her revived shower curtain that she has hanging in her bathroom again. She really liked the shower curtain but after washing it most of the floral design washed away too! So I attempted to paint the design back onto it. And it turned out great! In most parts some of the design remained so I just had to go over it all again. I used regular craft paint that you find at Walmart. I wondered about whether it would hold or not. After a couple of days I tried to scrape off the paint with my fingernails and it would not budge! So the paint is stuck and mom has her shower curtain back! :)






Think of the possibilities . . . Paint your own design on your shower curtain to match the decor in your bathroom.

SO Many Projects that I would love to attempt!!!

I love reading everyone's blogs! I find so many things that I would love to attempt myself. There are so many people with wonderful, unique ideas!!

Here is one that I would love to try for my bedroom windows.
The Easy Pelmet Boxes

Here you can find out how to create custom valances with foam board! This opens up a whole new world of valance possibilities for those who don't know how to use a saw. Foam board is easily cut into any shape that you desire for your custom look!

Here is another project that I mean to work on soon. . .
Boxwood Topiary

Here is another version of the boxwood topiary. . .

I love them both!

Oh, and I LOVE all the furniture plans at the Knock Off Wood blog!!
She has so much talent!! I have got to try one of those plans soon! :)
Some of my favorites. . .




Well, I better get off the computer and get busy so I can eventually start and complete some of these projects! :)