Darn you, Zippers.

I have all kinds of sewing projects that I'd like to do...clothes and dresses, purses and curtains...but I'm never gutsy enough to just dive in. It's in my nature to think carefully and methodically about things until I grow impatient and just decide to take a nap. I used to think that living a life with no regrets was freeing, but not if you take so long to think so carefully about something that you forget to move forward. I've become scared that I'll make a mistake about something that I knew I had to do something...anything, to break that stupid cycle. I bought a dress for $3.50 at Goodwill, hacked away, and didn't stop until I was satisfied. This unfortunately culminated in my spending an hour and a half hand sewing a dumb zipper back on because I couldn't get the dress over my head, but NOW I KNOW. Instead of being scared of zippers, I now have a strong contempt for them. I love how the dress turned out and it felt good to not let myself be daunted by a simple challenge. Yay me.

Before: a baggy peasant dress...not what I was looking for. 

After: Much better for summer. :)

It's actually black and white stripes but looks gray in the photo. 

Skirt to Apron!

I have a skirt that I bought a few years ago, but it never fit quite right. I loved the bright fabric though, so I've been hanging onto it hoping that I could make something of it...someday. Well, that day finally came! I was making muffins yesterday and noticing the flour all over my shirt, I realized that I finally needed to have an apron...so I made one! It was pretty simple, not too much cutting or sewing to be done.

This is the skirt I started with.

It had an underside, that I cut off to use for the bib of the apron.

Like so! I folded it until it made the right size for the bib. 

I cut the skirt exactly in half, stopping at the elastic waistband.

I cut the other half of the skirt off right under the waistband and then cut the waist band in half.

I then held the bib section up and measured from the top of my tank top to just where the apron waistline reached (higher than a normal skirt). 

Then I pinned it in place and sewed it straight across. 

I used the drawstring from the skirt to make the halter, which turned into regular straps because the bib stuck out too much and didn't actually cover my shirt. :P

I also put a button on one end of the cut waistband and a loop on the other. 

Then I made a little flower and sewed it to the top. :)

I think it turned out pretty cute. :)

-Rachel 

T-shirt Revamp

I have this T shirt that I got because I liked the design on the front, but the super awkward gray color left a lot to be desired. I wasn't a fan of the washed out, pinkish gray so I decided to do something about it! I never wear the shirt any more so I figured it wouldn't be a loss if it didn't turn out. I just soaked it in some bleach for a while and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to! 

It's still slightly pink, but whatevs!

Rachel