Smile And Wave

Put A Pocket On It - DIY

This sweet little vintage dress was recently spotted at a thrift store for $2 but had a less than exciting little embroidery on it. I know these are common for little kids' vintage and I tend to steer clear of them (too much of a cutesy factor for me) but I knew this one would be easy to hide. All I needed was some coordinating fabric and a twenty minute window of sewing time.
1. I decided on this brown print (not sure if it's vintage or not) because it had some yellow, white, and green just like the dress print. 2. I used a large jar to trace a semi-circle, measured straight up from there about 2", and cut it out. 3. I found another piece of fabric, placed my first piece on top of it with right sides facing each other, and pinned them together.
4. Starting about 1" in from the right corner at the top, I stitched all the way around the brown fabric about 1/4" from the edge (seam allowance) until I got about 1" out from the left corner. I left an opening so I could turn it right side out. Then I trimmed my edges. 5. I turned it right side out and folded my opening shut. I ironed it flat. 6. I stitched across the top about 1/4" from the edge and again about 1/2" from the edge. This closes the opening and gives it a nice finish.
7. Next, I made two little pleats near the bottom curve making sure they were equally spaced. They were only folded in about 1/4". 8. I pinned those in place and ironed them flat. I made sure the curve of the bottom of the pocket was still an even curve.  9. I pinned it over my embroidery and stitched from the top right corner all the way around to the top left corner and back-stitched. The pleats add a little pucker to the pocket so that it doesn't lay flat against the dress. Perfect for rock-collecting.

Ruby loves her new rock pocket and I'm thankful that I turned a $2 thrift score into something a little more special. In fact, the bear that I covered up is now Ruby's secret. She likes to look inside and say hello to the bear. So long, Mr. Bear.

Whether you're wanting to cover a stain or a bear, adding pockets to a simple dress is an easy way to make it more exciting. You don't have to be a master seamstress for this kind of wardrobe fix. Enjoy!

EDITED: Some people have asked about Ruby's Minnetonka moccasins. They were picked up by my lovely friend, Katie, at Ozarkland in Camdenton, Missouri and brought to town on a recent visit. She's the best! You can find them on Zappos and a variety of other online retailers. This is the third pair we've owned and I'll keep buying them because they're not only adorable but super durable and easy to wear with most casual outfits. Love them!

xo,
Rachel

Vintage Curtains to Envelope Pillow Case - DIY

If you own a sewing machine and are ready for a simple project that'll make your home even cuter than it already is you'll want to bookmark this tutorial. An envelope pillow case is one that you can remove easily as the seasons change or whenever you need to stick it in the wash.

Vintage linens or not, changing out or covering your current pillows can make your space feel exciting and fresh again! This simple project should take about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Supplies: Pillow form, fabric, thread, straight pins, ruler, iron, sewing machine (duh!).

I used two small vintage curtains to make one pillow so that I could get the embroidered sections where I wanted them. Measure your pillow form and then follow the instructions below to figure out how much fabric you'll need.

Step One: Take the measurements of your pillow form and add 1" to the height and width. This will be the size of your top piece of fabric. An 18" x 18" pillow form means I need a cut of 19" x 19" fabric for the front piece.

Measure and cut two pieces of fabric for the back of your pillow that are the same height and 3/4 of the width of your front piece of fabric. Mine both measured 19" tall by about 14" wide.

Step Two: Place your two back pieces of fabric down with the wrong sides facing you. Fold the long side of your first piece in about 1/2" and iron flat. Fold that same side in again 1" and iron flat. This creates a hem on one side. Stitch down the long side to secure your hem and iron again.

Repeat with your other piece of fabric.

NOTE: If your fabric has an upright image, be sure to hem the left side of one piece and the right side of the other piece (doesn't matter which is which). That way when you place your hemmed sides in the center to overlap, you won't have one side upside down.

Step Three: Place your front piece down so that the right side is facing up. Lay one of your back panels down with the wrong side facing you and the hemmed edge in the center (as shown above) and pin those two pieces together.

Step Four: Place the other back panel down so that the hemmed edge is also in the center. It should slightly overlap the other back panel (mine weren't equal sizes because of the material I had available but ideally, yours will be). Pin it down to the front piece so that all sides are secure.

Step Five: Stitch all the way around your edges leaving 1/2" seam allowance (stitch 1/2" away from the edge). Trim the excess.

Step Six: Remove your pins and turn right side out. Insert your pillow form to make sure it fits. If it's too loose, turn it inside out again and stitch evenly on the wide sides to take it in a bit. If it's too snug, I suggest you yell into your pillow and not at your dog or a friend.

If it fits and you want a crisp look, take the case off and iron the sides flat before you replace it. Your mother will be proud.

Suggestions On Choosing Fabric

1) Choose a print to match the scale of your pillow form. If you're going to make 18" pillows, don't use a tiny floral print because it'll feel underwhelming. YES, UNDERWHELMING. It's okay to use a larger print on a smaller pillow but the reverse is going to leave it feeling kind of unfinished.

2) Your pillows don't have to match. You can make two of the same for your couch or bed but it's perfectly fine to mix things up and coordinate instead. See next suggestion.

3) I dare you to use more than one print. If you're going to be mixing prints a good rule of thumb is to use fabrics with at least one similar color. Say you're making three pillows...try to use patterns that repeat at least one color.

Maybe one of your pillows has a cream background with yellow and orange florals. Try out another that has a cream background with a geometric pattern (think chevron or stripes). Then add a third that is smaller and that repeats a yellow or orange floral or has a coordinating color such as aqua or olive in it. Color repition does a lot for making your accessories work in a shared space.

Our living room was designed with our old neutral couch in mind so the curtains and old pillows both had a strong print. With our new couch having a strong print I decided to tone down the pillows just a bit. I'd love to throw another layer of floral on there but even I have my limits.

The yellow and cream colors in the pillow mimic the cream background and yellow birds in the curtains behind the couch. The cream woven fabric also helps break up the space so even though there is color and pattern on the pillow, it works.

I didn't have enough curtain yardage to make two matching pillows for our couch and since they usually end up on the floor despite my best efforts, we may just stick with this one for awhile. I'll keep you posted.

I'd love to see any pillow case makeovers you impart on your space in the following weeks. The change of season always gives me a strong urge to change something in my house to mark the occasion. I have a feeling I'm not alone in this!

xo,

Rachel

 

Vintage Sheet to Pretty Skirt

This weekend was FUN! It was three days and nights of girl time, vintage, photo shoots, good food, and crafts. I'm pretty sure we're all going to be blogging about it for a week.

In honor of such a fun weekend I wanted something new to wear but hadn't found anything in awhile. I decided last minute to make a skirt out of a huge vintage sheet in this fantastic print. The colors are lovely and I still have enough left to use as a quilt backing someday.

I used a dress with a similar silhouette as a template and cut out two sides in the fabric shown and two sides in another solid sheet for lining. I stitched the sides of the outer fabric together and repeated with the lining. Then I stitched the outer and lining together at the top with right sides facing together.

Then I folded it right side out and ironed at the top. I stitched along the whole top of the skirt about 1/4" from the top (or where the outer and lining are joined). I added elastic (that I'd already measured and stitched together) and pushed it up as tightly as I could near the top seam in between the outer and inner layer. Then I pinned the elastic down on two opposite sides to keep it sort of in place. Next, I stitched all the way around the skirt underneath the elastic (pulling taut as I went). After I adjusted the waistline I ironed things down.

After I got the waistline taken care of I tried it on and decided on my hemline. I trimmed my excess fabric off. Then I folded the outer fabric in 1/4" and 1" again and ironed flat before stitching it down. Then I folded the lining in 1/2" and again 1", ironed flat, and stitched it down. I wanted to make sure it wasn't peeking out!

It was a quick project and a nice change from dresses only. If you've been wanting to make your own skirts (and other accessories) Elsie and Mallory have a user-friendly E-Course called DIY Dress Up that teaches you sewing skills through pretty projects. It's a good one!

I'm Wearing: Shirt, thrifted. Necklace, two vintage necklaces turned into one. Skirt, duh. Wedges, Target. I wear them a lot these days.

Here's to a lovely week full of sunshine!

xo,

Rachel

photo credit: Elsie Larson

DIY - Vintage House Dress to Summer Smock

Rubyellen of Cakies sent me this adorable vintage house dress last year. I loved the color, print and the piping detail but it just wasn't very flattering, loose or belted. I wasn't in the mood to wear a dress last week but was running low on tops so I pulled this out to see what I could do with it.

Fastest restyle ever. Here's how you can make your own.

Laying the dress flat on the floor I made a mark about 1.5" below the bottom of the pocket and stuck a straight pin in. Then I measured from the pin to the bottom of the dress. I used that measurement to make two more marks on the front of the dress so that when I placed a ruler across all three, I had a straight-ish line. I chalked that line and then cut across and through both layers of the dress.

Then I folded up my raw hem about 1/4" and pressed flat. I folded it again about 1" and pressed flat again. Then I stitch my hem and ironed the whole top again. Voila!

Some days I just want to feel a little more comfortable and this was an easy way to repurpose something I already had into an easy top that can be paired with shorts or capris.

Have you ever tried a simple DIY on vintage clothing? I've seen some great refashions in the Project ReStyle flickr group! I dare you to try it.

xoxo,
Rachel

 

 

 

Project ReStyle Guest Post on A Beautiful Mess

I found two old children's cots awhile back at a local thrift store. This is what happened next. For the full story head over to Elsie's blog for my Project ReStyle Guest Post and favorite ReStyles from our Flickr group.

xoxo,
Rachel

> Project ReStyle: Modern Mobile

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I can't get enough of triangles. There were a few wire hangers taking up space in our closet from the dry cleaners so I decided to put them to good use. I used wire cutters and plyers to form similarly sized triangles, then wrapped them in 1/2" x 18" strips of fabric in aqua, yellow, and gray.

Then I arranged them on the floor and attached them all to the vintage wooden hanger. It took awhile to wrap the hangers but it was an easy project and could be altered to make a variety of shapes.

Here are a few of my favorite ReStyles from our Flickr feed this week!

Headboard by Kiki Creates.


Restyled Toms by Heidi-and-Seek.


Shelf makeover by Morganours.

We'd love to see yours in our Flickr Feed next week!

xoxo,
Rachel

> Project ReStyle: Shirt to Skirt

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Look what Mandi from Here's Lookin' At Me Kid made with an old western shirt! This week's Project ReStyle is something you can do if you've got some basic sewing skills and a thrift store nearby. This skirt would be perfect for spring with some vintage woven oxfords or a fun wedge sandal!

Here are a few of my favorites from the Project ReStyle Flickr pool.

From Brown Bobbin

And the Before from 003k


Before here from Tura Lura Laral

Head over to Elsie's to see some of her favorite Project ReStyle's this week.

xoxo,
Rachel

> Curtains on the Cheap

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I've made a master list of all of the projects I can currently think of that I'd like to finish to make our home feel mostly set up. A few of them are a little more fun than others (make a handmade cover for the teepee in the kids' room) and are expendable if I run out of time (I will) but mainly it's things like hanging art on walls, finding a kitchen table for our little kitchen space, and organizing fabric in my studio so I can have more floor space.

One thing I've already been able to check off the list is curtains for the kids' room. They share a room and it's pretty important to me that most of the spaces in our home reflect who we are as a family while maintaining a certain aesthetic. Being a vintage lover (hoarder) lends itself well to putting together a space we all love while being thrifty most of the time and definitely in this case.

I found this vintage flat sheet (full size) in the back of a flea market near Joplin, MO and paid about $1.00 for it. It's free of holes and stains, has vibrant colors, and was the perfect neutral color for a boy-girl shared room. The only thing was it was ONE sheet for TWO windows.

I decided to bend the rules and cheat a bit as far as curtain measurements go and cut that sheet up into four even panels, lined them with another thrifted white muslin sheet, and hung them high. Had this been fabric yardage, and if the space under both windows were free of things pushed up against them, I would've doubled the width of each panel (at least) and had them hang to the ground to make the ceiling look taller. I did the best with what I had and I am really pleased with the end result. Also, this is counting as my Project ReStyle #2!

Apparently, Ruby is growing a chocolate moustache. This is a picture of her telling me I did a great job and that she loves how much cozier the curtains made their room feel. The horses concur.

Also, this is the new time out spot. You decide not to finish your oatmeal and you get three minutes on the wardrobe. No tolerance of bad behavior around here.

(No vintage globes or children were harmed in the taking of these pictures.)

I'm currently sitting in my cozy studio watching the snow fall outside and avoiding the aforementioned boxes of fabric that need stacking on the shelf. I hope you have a lovely, lovely weekend. The Modern Patchwork giveaway is open until Tuesday if you haven't entered yet!

Stay warm,
Rachel

p.s. We don't really put him up there when he gets in trouble. They were just having some fun. Brett is good at diffusing things when it's headed that way with S. Just in case some of you thought we left him up there by himself or something. ;)

> Project ReStyle: Week Five

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Check out Elsie's fun ReStyle this week! She remade a tacky 80's mannequin into something altogether different. See how she did it here and then check out some of my favorite home-themed restyles from our Flickr pool. They keep getting better and better!

Cookie Louise Pleaze


Miriam.Madmim


Skunkboy Creatures

I have a feeling I'll have quite a few ReStyles to post this month as we get closer to feeling settled in our new place and this group is keeping me motivated! Thanks for all of your fabulous submissions to the Flickr pool each week. Elsie and I love looking through them! If you didn't see last week's ReStyle it was brought to you by the fabulous Keiko Lynn.

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. Modern Patchwork giveaway below!

> Project ReStyle: Week Four With Keiko Lynn

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This week's Project ReStyle is brought to us by the fabulous miss Keiko Lynn. I love how she completely restyled this matronly lace dress. I can imagine it was a mother-of-the-bride dress from 1985! It looks stunning now and makes me want to go out and find one of my own!

Before: Long 80s dress with a lot of rust stains near the top, big shoulder pads and long sleeves

After: Trapeze mini dress with 3/4 sleeves and scoop neck

Here's what I did: I started by removing the sleeves and discarding the shoulder pads and rose that was sewn at the hip. I knew I wanted it to have sleeves, so I shortened them (at the top, to avoid extra hemming) to my liking. I had to get rid of the top of the dress, because there were several rust stains. I cut off the damaged area and worked from there. cutting new arm holes and a scoop neck. After putting the newly shortened sleeves back on, I hemmed the neckline - and it was finished!

Originally, I was going to make an elastic casing for the waistline but decided against it, in favor of the trapeze cut. This way, I can wear it loose for a 60s mod feel or belt it for more definition. From start to finish, this project took me about 30 minutes - including threading the serger and sewing machine and winding a new bobbin. Plus, I was able to save a little old dress from its deathbed.

Great job, Keiko Lynn!

Here are a few of my favorites from this week's Flickr group.

Doily lamp makeover by Margot.


Chair makeover by Miriam.Madmim


The after and the before by Sara Schmidle.

These projects are great and there are so many more to fantastic ones in the Flickr group. I LOVE the way everyone is rethinking their stuff and making things new again. What have you been working on this lately? I've got about three more projects to tackle next week that I'm hoping to add to the Project ReStyle group myself. I love a good challenge and making things work in a new space is making me think hard!

xoxo,
Rachel