Upcycled Tee Shirt to Toddler Dress Tutorial

I love finding cute knit tee shirts in thrift stores and 

turning them into darling little pieces for kids.

This short-and-wide tee was 

less than a dollar. I liked the fabric, 

it is a knit with little holes in it, almost like

mesh but real small holes, and its so soft.

It now is a sweet little breezy summer dress.

Nearly free, and some sewing therapy for me! 

Got an old Tee in your closet?

Here is how I did it...

Use a dress that you like the fit of and 

has similar elasticity to the tee shirt.

Fold both in half with the fronts inside.

Tuck the sleeves of the pattern dress inside out,

trace, and then cut out the body.

You should be left with this when you open it:

Now, using the sleeves on both garments, 

follow the same steps again;

 ignoring the body of the dress this time.

You should end up with this:

(I unfolded one so you get a better idea)

Place the pieces all facing down with the neck making a circle

and the sleeves next to the neck on either side.

Pin the sleeves on, being sure to slightly overlap the neck pieces.  

Sew using a zig-zag stitch or serge along the pins. 

Now fold the dress in half at the shoulders 

with right sides facing together and

 pin down the sides and the bottom of the sleeves

and sew along the pins. 

You're almost done!! 

Now for the bottom, I used the bottom slice of the tee 

that was leftover. Just leave it in its "circle" shape, 

trim it into a straight strip (about 3" tall) and 

gather all around the raw edge. 

Pin to the dress facing upward around it- 

with right sides together, and sew all the way around.

Press your seams and you're finished!

Here is another one I created 

the same way, from an old garment.

Enjoy!

-Sylv

Farfalle With Six Cheese Meat Sauce

A miracle occurred here in our home. 

Every kid ate every bit of their dinner!!

Its too good to be true, really!

So I thought I'd better share the recipe with ya'll

in case you were a hopin' to have your little ones do the same...

 We had pasta,

 with six cheese hamburger sauce,

topped with lots of cheese.

Whats not to love?!

Ok enough talking, here is how to make it...

Ingredients:

1 box Farfalle pasta

1 lb ground beef

1 jar Six Cheese Ragu tomato sauce

4 oz. (1/2 pkg) cream cheese

1/2 c. heavy cream

2 c shredded mozzarella

1/4 c. shredded parmesan reggiano

minced onion to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  Preheat oven 350 degrees.

  In a large skillet, crumble and cook the ground beef with the onion and salt and pepper over medium heat. Drain off excess fat. Reduce heat to low. Add jar of sauce to the beef and simmer.  

   Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Place pasta into a 9x13 casserole dish. Add cream cheese in small clumps. Add heavy cream. Stir to coat the pasta.

  Pour meat sauce over the pasta. 

  Top with the shredded cheeses.

  Bake 15-20 min or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!

-Sylv

A Road Trip and a 4-H Project

Dad and I went on a little road trip together though the countryside. 

We enjoyed the sunshine and the new buds everywhere.

We drove until we came to a little farm where this little guy was waiting for us.

He is a playful little Jersey calf only a couple weeks old.

The lady asked me if he was a 4H project for me.

 I tried to hide my smile as I told her no, he will be added to my Dad's herd.

I quietly said I have enough little ones at home. 

I don't think she heard me. Its probably better.

His little "moo" is still more like a sheep's "baa."
 He is a sweet little addition to Mom and Dad's farm.

The ducks think so too.

Cowl Neck Scarf From Straight Scarf Tutorial

                         Problem: Scarf tails falling over shoulder   Solution: Turn it into a cowl so it 

                             while cajoling the little ones around.                will stay in place! 

All you need is your scarf, sewing machine, and coordinating thread.

Set your machine to zigzag stitch, and the longest stitch setting.

Line up the ends of the scarf, making sure that there are no twists in the circle.

Run it through your machine so that the needle picks up both pieces as it stitches.

Don't forget to start with a back stitch! 

If you get close to the end and it isn't lining up, just pull the shorter end to 

the right length and continue to sew til the end. Back stitch. 

Trim your threads and you are done! 

Here is what i should look like when you lay it flat.

Enjoy your much simpler no- hassle scarf!

Birds of a Feather: Bird Silhouette Wall Art Tutorial

My grandma gave me this gorgeous vintage doily tablecloth.

These cute little birds "help" me to display it proudly on my wall. 

While I cannot give you grandma's beautiful doily, I can share 

with you how to make the bird silhouettes.

You will need cotton scraps, fabric scissors, an iron, and Stiffen Quik spray.

If you are a perfectionist like me, you might want to start by cutting your desired bird shape

from a piece of scrap paper. I just googled  flying bird images, and used them as a guide

for my bird shapes. 

Next, spray the fabric thoroughly with the stiffener per the instructions on the bottle.

Once the fabric has completely dried and is stiff, use the paper cutout as a guide

 to cut your bird from the fabric. 

You are almost finished! 

Now, using a hot iron with NO STEAM on the cotton setting, simply iron the bird right to the wall. 

Just press the hot iron over top of the fabric for about 6 seconds. 

Really. That's it! 

This will not harm your paint at all, and they will peel right off 

no problem when you are done or want to move them.

Now cut out a whole flock and set them free across your wall! 

Don't forget to use your leftover scraps for fun little surprises in any room!

P.S. Here is a little trick I used... 

If you want a bird in a place where your cord doesn't let you reach,

 just warm the iron and then unplug it and quickly iron that bird up. 

No need to dig out the extension cord! 

 Enjoy! 

Sylvie

Keeping The Little Ones Busy

Welcome over,

to our little house,

the fire is on,

the floors are clean,

make yourself at home.

in fact we will even let you arrange the furniture,

however you like.

Thanks for stopping by!!

(inspiration for this project from madebyjoel)

Welcome: A Welcome Tutorial For a First Post

Welcome to my little corner of the internet! What better a first post in the name of welcome, than a fun little tutorial on how to add a little welcome detail to your home!? Lets get started...

Inspiration image from Lou Mora and Sarah Yates' Sneak Peak on design sponge.


Here are the materials you will need...

Pencil, Xacto knife, Eraser, Paint, Sponge Brush, Ruler, Card Stock. Also used (but not pictured), was masking tape, a small paint brush, and a little paint in the wall color.

First, sketch up what you want it to look like on the card stock.

Next, cut the sketch out with your Xacto knife. 

In order to make the "leaves" part symmetrical, fold the page while cutting that part.

Then, open it up to cut out the letters.

Once your page is cut, tape it to the wall...

And sponge on paint, being careful to dab a small amount at a time, 

straight towards the page and back out.

Here is mine at this stage.

Now be patient and allow to dry thoroughly before peeling the paper back.

Here is mine at this stage. 

Kind of wobbly, right? No prob!

Simply go back with your wall color and touch up the edges and voila!

There you have it, your free wall art! Whats not to love about that!?

What do you think? Let me know if you try it!