Hump Day Humor!

Just a little midweek pick me up! Enjoy hon!

Love and shimmies,

Steph!!

Marvelous Monday - Review of DIY Skirt

Hello hon,

Today's MM is a review of the bed sheet full circle skirt by Nadira037 on her YouTube channel, she also has a blog site (check it out)!  Nadira's instructions on this dreamy skirt are easy to follow.  I made the first skirt with intensions of making it in a high low format.  Well, yeah, that didn't go so well and I had to cut the skirt to be a short circle skirt.  The skirt came out great but I was set on making the animal print one that Nadira made in her video.  Let me tell you I am soooo happy that I did.  It came out great and one of my favorite things about this tutorial is that she shows you how to make a wide band for the skirt and an elastic waistband if you prefer that instead.  With the wide waistband she shows you how to simply add a zipper.  I LOVE and made wide waistbands for both skirts.  I am so pleased with the outcome and intend to make several in different colors.  I also plan to use one for part of a belly dance costume in the future!! 

List of supplies I used for this video is a king size flat bed sheet (she got a microfiber set from Wal-Mart for $23.00.  The first skirt I made was short and that was a regular full size new sheet set I bought from a flea market.  The second skirt is the same set she used in the video [cheetah, oooohhhhhhh]), scissors, a 22 inch zipper (or whatever you have on hand, for the short one I only had one on hand and it was a different color and super long, lol), pellon (or stitchwitchery, that's what she had on hand at the time of the video), matching thread, pins, ruler, iron and board, pressing cloth, spray bottle with water.

Problems I had with the making this skirt: NONE!  It really was easy, I think a great beginner's project if you want to do a waistband other than elastic.  I love that I could make my band as large as a wanted to so I didn't get little (not-so) love handles (I'm working on 'em!) on the side from the elastic, lol.  Awesome sauce!!

Tutorial Review:

Pattern Description: Bed Sheet Full Circle Skirt from Nadira037 YouTube tutorial

Sheet Set Size: Full size flat sheet for the short one and King size flat sheet for the maxi one.  Like this one, there were cheetah and zebra print (I bought the zebra print after the cheetah print one came out so great) on the shelves of one of our local Wal-Marts, this is Main Stay (their brand I believe).

Did it look like the photo on the tutorial once you were done with it? Yes, perfect!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very clear and I was able to follow along with no problems.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved using the sheet set: 1) is was microfiber so very soft and flowy; 2) I got a lot more fabric than I ever could have if I had gone to the fabric store (I love you Jo-Anne's, really), especially for that cheetah print; 3) I now have the fitted sheet to  experiment on this design idea I have for a dress that is ruched on one side using the already gathered part of the fitted sheet; 4) I have a large pillow case which may be used later for a pencil skirt or clutch or tote bag; and finally, 5) a cute little carrying pouch to put other stuff in.  Score!!!!!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I did not change the pattern but I did do my zipper differently.  I did it as an invisible zipper, because, well, I kinda ripped it out of some store bought garment and had refashioned the rest of the garment.  Only when I did the short version as it was all I had on hand, never mind it was a completely different color, lol, hence doing the invisible zipper technique.  For the maxi length I did do as she did in the video.

Would you sew it again? Already have plans to and the sheet set to do so!  Woot-Woot!!

Would you recommend it to others? I most certainly have and will continue to do so!!

I had planned to give you step by step pictures of how I did it.  But since I did not change anything I thought why read me doing it when you can do as I did and watch her in the part 1 and part 2 videos on her YouTube Channel. 

I will leave you with some great pictures of my prep and how I rocked my skirt in OOTD photo's below (again I took step by step pictures but will only show you a few since I am not doing a written explanation of what I did.  But I wanted you to see just how easy it was for me a novice to do it with no problems.)

These are the supplies that I used!

This sheet was HUGE, I had to take it off my cutting table and bring it into the kitchen.  If I had put it on the floor my doggie would have thought I was make him a wonderful new bed.

These are my dimensions for the skirt.

Yes I can see it now, woo-hoo!!

I had to cut the waist in inches and hold it up to me because  I din't want to end up cutting it too big since I was not using the elastic waistband.  Bad experience with something else so I was very parinoid, lol.

Folding and ironing the hem.

Waistband, I love the flat waistband!!

Zipper foot

This is what you have to work around and over when you cute the zipper too short, ugh!

Finished zipper!

 

The shorter version using a full size flat sheet 

AND

 I MADE this white circle top (also super easy, I may post a video on that if requested): 

I created a matching pendant and earring set for the cheetah maxi version and a cameo pendant to match the short version.

Super easy, took like 5 minutes to put the pieces together!

 Let me leave you with my favorite picture.

 The wind just happened to pick up at that moment, as if the say, "I agree, this is beautiful, let me help lift it up for you for all to see.  Steph you Rock (thanks to Nadira037's great tut)!

Love and Shimmies, 

P.S.  I also went over my seam allowance area with my serger because the fabric did like to fray way too much for my comfort, lol.  (next time I will do that before I sew the pieces together!!)

Make-It Monday: Woo-Hoo

It seems like I have been away forever.  I am sooooo happy to have my baby (laptop) powered up again.

I had intended to do this little tutorial before Easter week, but life happens.

Today I am going to share a very easy simple little project that can bring so much joy to both you as you make it and the receiver of this darlin' little hand made gift (or for your own decorations).  I learned to do this little craft several years ago at Stake Relief Society "Super Saturday" event.  I thought it was the cutest little thing.  Well, after cleaning out some boxes in my sewing room I ran across it and thought this would be a cute little gift/craft for Easter, so here you go hon!  I created the best kind of little bunny couple, the kind that I don't have to worry about more popping up, LOL!

Dish Towel Bunny

Materials Needed:

1 dish towel
2 washcloths
Ribbon






Are you ready?  Okay, let's do this!







Directions:

• Lay you dishtowel on the table with the wrong side up (tag).  

           

• Fold your towel lengthwise in thirds.    

(this picture looks like it may be crosswise but it's not, I turned the camera and should have rotated the picture, my bad!)

• You may now place this folded towel off to the side, we'll get back to it momentarily.

• Grab one of your washcloths and start at one corner, then roll that corner to the middle of the washcloth.

• Then take the opposite corner and begin to roll it up to the middle of the towel (you make have to play with this a couple of times until you get used to making it and figure out what size fold you like the best!)   

This will be your ears for your cute little bunny!

• Next, fold the top part of the dishtowel down to about 1/3 of the way.  (This is per the original directions I was given.  But for the life of me I could not get it to look like that was a sensible thing to do.  So what I did was for my boy bunny I made them even and for my girl bunny I made about a 1.5 to 2 inch difference in the length of the body.  You'll see it clearer in the pictures at the end.)

•  Take your washcloth "ears" that you made earlier and lay them inside that fold.  

• Grab the ears by the points and pull up tightly. 

 

 Now, take a piece of ribbon, whatever color you like and tie it around the dishtowel as close as you can get under the bunny ears.  Tie a knot in the ribbon and tie a bow.  (I cut my boy at 12 inches for a small bow, but you can make it as large or as small as you like.)

  

(I decide to do a girl because boy was not meant to be alone!)

• Then tie another bow under the bulge that you made with the ears.

This makes your bunny's head!  Aw, it's coming together now!!

• Take your second washcloth and begin at the edge and roll it up, this will be you little bunny arms.

• Now, slide the "arms" in between the back and front of the dishtowel up the the "neck".  Tie a bow under the arms.  This makes the bunny's waist.  (I would also add to make sure that the back side of the washcloth "arms" is touching the inside of the back piece of the dishtowel and facing in downward position, if not it will bug you in the reversed order, trust me on this one!)

• Now the directions said to bring the "hands" to the front and tie at the "wrists" with another bow.  Yet the first time, and this time, I did not do that.  I can only assume, in my own defense, that I simply did not like that.  Therefore, I must have subconsciously blocked out that part of the directions, both times.  Sooo, you are left to try that one for yourself!  If you are going to attach something like a wooden spoon or jar of something to your bunny then of course, it would be a great idea to tie his/her wrists together so they can hold the item(s).  I wanted my couple to hold each other, of course I suppose I could tie their "arms" around each other, but not right not.  I like their 'arms" free for now!  If you like it by all means shoot me a picture and let me see, I am 'stephsgotit' on Instagram!

Notes:   As I said earlier I wanted a clear distinction between my boy and my girl.  So for my boy bunny, once I folded the dishtowel in thirds lenghtwise, I folded that in half on each end to make him, I don't know, manlier, lol, yeah, whatever.

 

For my girl bunny I made sure her dress tail was wider, so after I folded in thirds lengthwise I did nothing else to hers.  However, I did make the top layer 1.5 to 2 inches shorter.  I was able to adjust the lengths by pulling on tail ends after I tied the "ears" off.  

So if you put the two together you can clearly see a boy and a girl, Yeah!!  I also tried to make their body shapes slightly different.  You can play around with all kids of shapes and sizes.  Have fun with it!!

I shall name them the Mr. and Mrs. Nostrum!  Meet Peter and Mary Nostrum.

Now if you want to get really creative I'm sure you can added lace to her dress tail and little eyes to their faces.  Sew on whiskers and such and just really go all out.  The possibilities are endless.  Again, if you do I would love to see them please post a picture here, on instagram at http://instagram.com/stephsgotit or on my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stephsgotit.

Well shug, it's been a long day and I think I am going to turn in.  I have a million assignments due this week so onward and upward hon!!

Love and Shimmies,