Kira's Sewing Projects

My Current Projects

2010-09-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween season & everyone knows that I'm the biggest little monster you've ever seen! Check out my Gaga dresses at www.facebook.com/kirapeasleydesigns!!

From Regular Shirt to Ruffled Shirt

2010-05-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

I made a shirt using a tutorial from Tea Rose:
http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/2010/05/tutorial-ruffle-shirt-2.html

She has a really easy tutorial. You just need two t-shirts that are the same color. I got these eggplant colored shirts from Walmart- they're made from organic cotton & they were just $4 each- so the finished shirt cost $8. Here are the before & after pictures! Check out her tutorial if you would like to make one. I bought the shirt in Medium & the shirt used for the ruffles in a larger size because it has more fabric. Then to finish it off, I used a skinny belt that came with the shorts pictured. Perfect! It took about 1 hour.

Yoga Pants From Old T-Shirts Tutorial

2010-05-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Have a bunch of old t-shirts lying around? Here's a tutorial on how to make some comfy yoga pants from a couple of old t-shirts.

Materials You Will Need

Two T-shirts (one for the pants, one to make the waistband-- the t-shirt for the waistband can be used to make several waistbands)

Sewing Machine or Needle and Thread

Pins (optional)

Scissors

Measuring Tape

Instructions

1. Measure around the biggest part of your thigh. Mine is about 20 inches. No need to be terribly precise, as the t-shirt material is stretchy.

2. Lay out your old tshirt pattern-side up. The pattern will show up on the left side of your pants when they are finished. Smooth out the shirt. Measure across the shirt from side to side under the armpits. You want this to be the same as the measurement from #1, or larger. The tshirt I am using is 22 inches. I want it to be 20 inches. So I will cut 1 inch off each side. Trim up the sides of the shirt to make it the size you need. Then cut off the sleeves.

Then, cut off the top

3. Get an old pair of pants, or the ones you are wearing, or simply measure on your body. Measure from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband in front so that you know how tall to make the pants (do you want them to hug your hips, or go up to your belly button?). Mine are pretty low-riding, and are 10 inches tall.

I am going to make my pants (from the green shirt) 7 inches tall from crotch-to-top of pants. Then I will add a 3 inch waist band from my white shirt. You can make the pants as tall or short as you want. Just remember waistband + pants = measurement from #3.

So measure your shirt from the armpit to the top, and cut it to the length you desire. I will cut mine to 7 inches.

4. Take the printed side of the shirt and fold it in half right sides together. Fold the other side of the shirt right sides together also.

Now sew a seam from the bottom to the arm pit on each piece. These are the legs.

5. Turn the leg with the printed part right-side-out. Put the printed leg INSIDE the other leg which is wrong-side-out.

So basically, the legs are right-sides-together.

Sew the crotch seam (the u-shape)

6. Turn the pants right-side-out and try them on! The legs should fit just right.
Take them off and make any adjustments you need to. Now we will make the waistband.
For my pants, I want the waist band to be 3 inches in the front. Cut the white shirt (waistband shirt) into a 7 inch strip (3 inches x2 + 1 inch = 7 inches). If you are making a 5 inch waist band, you would cut (5 inches x2 + 1 inch = 11 inches) 11 inches, etc. So I will cut a 7 inch strip.

Once you cut it, you will have one big 7 inch tall circle. Lay it flat because we're going to cut it into two rectangles.

Next, you want to measure around your butt where the top of your waistband will hit. Mine measures 35 inches. Divide that number by in half, and subtract 2 inches (35/2 = 17.5 - 2 = 15.5 inches). So I will cut my 7 inch tall strip 15.5 inches wide, which will create two separate rectangles.

Now you have two rectanges 7" x 15.5" (or whatever your measurements were). You want the back of your pants to be taller than the front, so cut 2 inches off of one of the rectangles to make it 5" by 15.5". The taller rectangle is for the back. The shorter rectangle is for the front.

7. Sew the waistband. Sew the two rectangles together on the side seams.
After you do that, fold the waistband in half with the wrong sides together, pinning the edges together, trimming the corners to make even.

8. Attach waistband to pants by pinning the waistband onto the pants and sewing. Match the seams on waistband with the sides of pants. When you are done sewing, just flip the waistband up & you are done!

If you do not like the loose waistband as described above, you could add elastic instead.

All done!

Custom-Fit Owl Phone Cover Tutorial

2010-04-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

I saw a really cute owl iPhone cover at the store and had to make my own version! It only cost me $1.74 in new supplies-- much better than the $20 price tag at the store!

Here are the instructions on how to make your own! The instructions will work on any size phone! :)

Materials you will need:

9"x12" Felt in the following colors
-Neon green
-Kelly green
-Cocoa brown
-White
-Gold
-Orange
Note: The felt sheets I got from JoAnn's Fabric were made from post-consumer plastic bottles! They were just 29 cents each.

1 old button (any color)

Sharpie or Pen

Ruler

Pins (optional)

Scissors

Pinking Shears (optional- makes a cute edge on the handle & makes the hem look prettier)

Sewing machine (you could sew it by hand, but just know that it will take a long time)

Thread (I used green thread and yellow thread)

Phone

1 piece of paper (used paper or junk mail is fine!)

Time: about 1 hour

Instructions:

1. Make your custom-sized pattern:
Lay the paper down on a flat surface. Lay phone on top of paper, wrapping the left edge of the paper over the side of the phone as shown. Pick up the paper & phone and draw a line as shown. Next, make a line below the bottom of the phone.
Next, get your ruler and make a line 1/2 inch from the lines you just made. These new lines are shown in orange. Cut out on the orange line. This is your custom-sized pattern!
Note: My iPhone cover was 4"x5 1/2"

2. Cut out cocoa-brown pieces (front and back panels):
Fold the cocoa-brown piece in half like a tall book. Place pattern as shown in the lower right hand corner. Cut out.

Open the scrap fabric up. As shown in the photo below. Then cut out TWO strips, each 1"x12"3. Cut orange fabric:
Set aside all brown pieces except one of the pattern pieces, which you will use as the front.
Use your own judgment on how much orange to use by looking at the finished picture. My orange section was 2"x4"
Also (not shown), cut ONE piece of orange 1"x12"

4. Cut owl ears (kelly green):
Arrange green fabric under the brown and orange fabric so that it extends above the orange by about 1/4" then draw the ears (they don't have to be perfect!).
Your fabric should be layered green on bottom, then brown, then orange.

5. Cut a small arrow out of the kelly green fabric for the nose:
Note: mine was about 1 1/2" long. The stem of the arrow was about 1/4" wide
Note: Sizes may vary depending on the size of your phone case! Use judgment by looking at the finished picture.
6. Cut eyes:
Cut two circles out of kelly green about 3/8" around
Cut two circles out of white about 3/4" around
Cut two circles out of gold about 1 1/2" around
Note: Sizes may vary depending on the size of your phone case! Use judgment by looking at the finished picture.
7. Cut wings from neon green and arrange:
Cut TWO half-circles/ovals from the neon green
Note: mine were about 3 1/4" tall and 1 3/4" wide
Arrange pieces and pin in place however you like them.
8. Sewing with green thread:
Sew 3/8" seam around sides and bottom edge, leaving top edge open.
Sew around neon green wings close to edge
Sew top and bottom edges of orange piece
Sew a straight seam down the center of the nose
Sew on the green eyes (sewing a straight line through the center of the circle works best)

9. Sewing with yellow thread:
Sew around white and gold circles, close to edge

10. Sew button hole on other brown pattern piece and stitch top edge.

11. Make handle
Sandwich 1"x12" pieces: brown-orange-brown

Sew 1/4" from edges, sewing around all four sides
Cut with pinking shears close to seam on all four sides

12. Sew on button and finish handle:
Sew button onto one end of the 1"x12" strip

Put short edges together and sew together
13. Sew case together:
Put right sides together and sew around sides and bottom with 1/4" seam, leaving top open.

After sewing, cut with pinking shears close to seam. Be sure not to cut the ears!
14.Turn right-side-out.
Attach handle with button if desired! All done!!
Front and Back:

Check back soon for more projects! :)