Tutorial ~ Skirt Refashion and Headband

There are several reasons why I like to do refashioning and re-purposing; here are some of them:

* It is fun to see the transformation of plain or not so attractive things
* In many cases it is more economical than buying something new
* I get to be creative
* I love the feeling of giving new life to otherwise unwanted items
* I can create one of a kind items

One of my favorite refashionings is to use grown up (or teen) skirt to make a skirt for Rachel. I am not a big fan of spending a lot for kids; clothing especially since they grow out of them so quickly. Some of the skirts Rachel likes online are around $50 to $60!

I was at a thrift store one day and found a short skirt for a grown up. I immediately liked the lacy fabric with smoky blue color, it had nice lining and a price tag of $4... I was sold! It will cost way more than that to make a skirt like this from scratch.

I will share a quick tutorial of what I did. :)

{You will need}

Skirt
1" elastic for the waist
Matching thread

{How to}

1. Cut off the original waist band.

2. I measured from Rachel's waist line to slightly above the knee, and decided to cut off a couple inches from the top edge to make the skirt shorter. When you do this you will want to make sure that the top fabric and lining are aligned well (lining should be slightly shorter when you are done cutting), also consider the width of the elastic you are going to put on because that will add to the length of the finished skirt.

3. Pin the top edge of the skirt and lining. This will keep them together better when you are sewing them to the elastic. Measure your child's waist and add 1" to that measurement and cut a 1" wide strip of elastic. Overlap both ends and sew to make a loop.

4. Sew the skirt to the elastic using a zigzag stitch. Stretch the elastic as you sew. That's it! Depending on what is worn on top of the skirt; this can be easily be dressed up. I had left over elastic, so I made a matching headband as well.

Rachel is the type of a girl who doesn't like to fuss over her hair too much. She likes to wear headbands because they are quick and keep her hair in place. I love watching her try on something I made for her especially when she actually loves it. Each time when that happens, I give myself a high five. :)

I hope you will remember this little tutorial next time you see a unique and pretty skirt at a thrift store (or you might find something in your own closet!). It will be a chance to make a one of a kind skirt for one of your loved ones for cheap!

Modes4U Christmas Fabric Giveaway!

Hello everyone! Do you remember the reversible cross body/tote bag tutorial I shared a while ago using fabric by Modes4U?

Guess what?? They are offering a Christmas fabric bundle giveaway to Tea Rose Home readers!

Mmm... my favorite is the fabric in the bottom left corner with the deer head. That is so pretty! Do you see something you like? What would you make with them? This giveaway is world wide, so go ahead and enter it doesn't matter where you live! I will run the giveaway until October 1st.

Modes4U Christmas Fabric Giveaway


I will announce the winner the morning of October 2nd. Good luck everyone!

Putting Together a Sewing Room!

I have been collecting miniature furniture and things for a doll house for several years. One day I was re-organizing my sewing room and realized that I have everything I need to do this project.

You read the title and probably thought I am organizing my sewing room, didn't you?... Gotcha! Actually, I am creating a much more smaller version of a sewing room. I don't think I can even call it "a doll house", since I am using a small wooden suitcase as a room. I am going to write several separate posts about the progress for the project, because it would be fun to talk about decorations and details as I put it together. Today, I am going to talk about the base: The room.

I guess you can use many different things as a "room" when you are creating a doll house or display. Remember the Tiny Tin Bedroom I did a while ago? I used a candy tin can as a room.

For this project, I have furniture pieces that I wanted to incorporate. I needed a much bigger base than a small can. I found a wooden suitcase at Hobby Lobby, after 40% off it was about $5.

I covered hardware with washi-tape and spray painted the suitcase first...

At the same time I spray painted the furniture and some decorations as well.

Before...

and after... Mmm, much better.

While I was having a blast, my kids came and told me their opinions (wait, did I ask their opinion? No, but they told me anyways).

Michael said, "Mom, why is everything is so white? You can't see anything."

Rachel came in and in a nasally voice, said, "Mooom, this is going to be too white. You need more color." Then she cut herself off, "Oh, oh!", she exclaimed. "They are SO tiny and cuuute!" she said excitedly in a high pitch voice while fawning over the furniture and decorations. Can I have it when you are done??

My response to both was, "I painted them white because I LOVE white! I am going to add colors as I go, now leave me alone, this is my project."

They both laughed. Naughty kids, they love to tease their momma. It is no secret that I love white. When you come to my house you will see lots of white. My friends tease me, but hey, everybody has their preferences right? I love the clean, calm and peaceful feeling I get when I am surrounded by whites. I add colors with decorations, just like painting a white canvas with different colors of paint. I wonder when my kids grow up and they have their own place, will every single room will be painted... hahaha. :)

Going back to the doll house... after the paint was completely dried, I moved on to putting up "wallpaper". I just used a single sheet of scrapbook paper that is white...wait, wait, in my own defense. it has embossing texture. I still wanted a white wall but with texture. In the doll house room, the scale of the floral design is very large. That's exactly how I wanted it. I think it gives a subtle, yet dramatic effect to the room.

What do you think?

I then moved on to do the floor. I wanted the look of hardwood floors, but when I was looking at the "wood floor" at Hobby Lobby in their doll house section, it costs way more than I was willing to spend. Again, I turned to scrapbook paper and I like how it turned out! The width of the planks on the paper was way too wide, so I just drew some lines to make the plank narrower. Simple easy solution, huh?

Now the stage is set I can start decorating the mini sewing room! I will let you know the progress in my next post. :)