Polo Makeover and Little Fixes by Disney Powless

Recently I picked up a book by Disney Powless called Little Fixes and rocked one of my old polo shirts with one of the chapters!  A little fabric and a few simple stitches and you have something new to wear....I figured this one was headed to the thrift store so why not give it another life?  Little fixes is filled with super cute projects that will easily extend the life of your child's clothes.  Even if your sewing skills are limited, these projects are pretty easy to accomplish.

Have fun!  xoxo, Mark

Chubby cheeks strikes again!

See how to make this here!

STUFF YOU'LL NEED

Old Polo shirt

1 yard striped knit

Fabric pencil

Sewing machine

Matching thread

Scissors

Little Fixes by Disney Powless

 1. Cut the bands off of the sleeves of the polo.

2. Fold an 18" x 22" piece of fabric in half lengthwise.

3. Place the folded fabric under the polo sleeve so that the sleeve overlaps by 1".

4. Measure from your shoulder to your wrist.

5. Using that measurement, measure from the shoulder of the polo to the wrist 

(on the fabric) and mark.

6. Draw your sleeve extension pattern on the folded fabric adding 1/2" all the way
down for seam allowance.

7. Fold another piece of 18" x 22" fabric in half, place it under your drawn sleeve extension and then cut both at the same time.

8. Fold a 7" wide by (about 10" long) piece of fabric in half lengthwise and wrap it around your wrist.

9.  Add 1/2" and cut it out.  This will be your cuff. 

10.  Fold the 7" long ends together and stitch.

11.  Fold in half to create a tube and you have a cuff ready to be stitched on your sleeve.

*Stitch the other one

12.  Using 1/2" seam allowance, stitch along the length of your sleeve extension.

13.  Match the raw ends of the cuff to the wrist of the sleeve extension and stitch together.

14. Turn the polo inside out and stuff the sleeve extension inside the sleeve, 

matching right sides together.

15. Pin and stitch around the sleeve, stretching the fabric as you sew.

16.  Create your pocket pattern, add an extra 1" along the top and cut in fabric.

17. Fold and zigzag the 1" extension of the pocket.

18. Pin the pocket on the shirt and zigzag around the edges to create the pocket.

From Shirt to Dress DIY!

Danielle's boyfriend Scott got mustard on one of her favorite shirts so we decided to save it and turn it into a terrific summer dress.  Here's how we did it!

Happy Summer!  xoxo, Mark

 From stained shirt to simple summer dress!

Make the skirt as long as you want!

Snip off the buttons and add a separating zipper!

Watch the short video tutorial here!

YOU'LL NEED

Shirt

1 1/2 yards of fabric

Sewing machine

Matching thread

30" long separating zipper

Scissors

Cut across the shirt 1" below the waist

If your shirt has pleats or details, run a stitch along the cut

Attach two pieces of 30" long fabric together side by side

*Our fabric was 54" wide so we now have a piece that is 30" x 108"

Lengthen the stitch and loosen the tension on the machine

Run a stitch along the fabric about 1/2" from the edge

Pull the bobbin thread to gather the fabric 

Measure the circumference of the shirt

Gather the fabric to this length and add 2"

Stitch the gathered fabric and the shirt together (right sides together)

Fold the extra one inch over the end of the shirt and stitch

*This will give you a finished edge

Press and then pin the zipper to the front of the dress face down starting at the collar

Stitch on the zipper

*I purposely did not use a zipper foot because I wanted some of the zipper to show

Hand tack the end of the zipper down at the neck

Turn the fabric 1/4" twice and hem

Beautiful Butterfly Cape DIY

You should all know that my assistant Danielle is a cape-aholic..... She loves them!  I decided that it was time to make one for her using an upcoming fall trend.... Butterflies.  This cape is not only chic, it's one-pattern piece for both fabric and lining so it's super easy to cut and sew.  Oh, all of the appliqués are put on with E-6000 Stitchless and Fabri-Fuse.  If you're looking for a smashing piece for your fall wardrobe, look no more!

Danielle wearing her new cape

Watch the video tutorial here

YOU'LL NEED

Sewing machine

E-6000 Fabri-Fuse

E-6000 Stitchless

1 1/2 yards of 60" wide fabric

1 1/2 yards of 60" wide lining

1/2 yard of butterfly print fabric

Scissors

Sequins

Straight pins

Iron

Measuring tape

 Fold your fabric in half lengthwise

Fold down one end 13"

Measuring 4" from the corner, draw a 1/4 circle and cut it out

*This will be your neckline

Unfold the fabric and cut up the 9" fold

 Place the cut fabric on top of the lining and pin all the way around

Cut the lining so it matches the cut fabric

Stitch both pieces together using 1/2 seam allowance and leaving an 8" wide hole

*The hole is so that you can turn it right side out

Clip all of the corners and around the curve of the neckline

Turn right side out and press flat

Cut out several fabric butterflies

Figure out your placement on the cape

Coat the backs of the butterflies with E-6000 Stitchless and iron in place

Glue sequins on the butterflies with E-6000 Fabri-Fuse to give them more sparkle

Glue a 2" long piece of Velcro the to cape for a closure

Hand stitch the 8" long hole closed

Let everything dry overnight

Done!

T-shirt Tank Dress DIY-Chanel Inspired

Coco Chanel is one of my favorite designers, hands down. Sadly, she's gone now, but her label lives on and has continued to be one of the most sought after designer labels of our time.   If she were alive, I would stalk her.  Crazy, but true!  I love that she was the first to use knit fabrics in every day wear and that she weighted her suits with chain inside the hem so that they would always look perfect.  This week I've created a Chanel inspired tank dress with chains and pearls to honor Coco Chanel.  I'm also giving away a Singer ViVO sewing machine if you comment on my video!  Enjoy the project and make sure to leave a comment, OK.

The how-to video 

 Here's what you'll need

Sewing machine

2 tank tops

Scissors

Straight pins

4 pieces of 18" long 3/4" wide ribbon

Matching thread

Chains and pearl trim

Sewing needles

1.  Cut the tank top that you're using for the lower part of your dress in a straight line from underarm to underarm.

2.  Cut the hem off of the tank top that you're using for the upper part of the dress.

3.  Turn the lower half inside out, stuff the upper half inside and match the raw edges together.  Match the side seams if there are side seams.  Many tank tops do not have side seams.

4.  Pin all the way around.

5.  While you stretch the fabric, stitch the two tanks together using 1/2" seam allowance.  Stitch around twice! 

 See how stretchy it is now!? 

 6.  Cut your upper tank across the shoulder seam.

7.  Cut 3" off the front straps of the tank.

8.  Cut 1/2" off of the back straps of the tank.

9.  On the front of the tank, place the ribbon on the cut strap. 

10.  Fold the sides of the strap over the ribbon and pin in place.

11.  Repeat on all 4 straps.

12.  Stitch over the folded strap using 1/2" seam allowance.

13.  Pull the ribbon out of the strap to expose a finished seam. 

 

 Stop here if you want a simple dress with ribbon ties......OR.......

14.  Stitch several rows of chain and pearl trim right under the ribbon strap. 

You're done!

Sexy-Smart!  Great with a blazer, too.