A Sweater to a Mock Neck Vest Refashion

I have wanted to find a mock neck vest with a bit of personality for a while. Whenever I went out, I kept my eyes peeled, but no luck. One day, I came across this sweater at TJMaxx. The sweater itself is not my style, but I saw potential. I will share what I did to refashion this sweater to a mock neck vest.

1. Cut off the bottom. I didn't need the black + white border and I had enough length, so I cut it off.

2. Cut off the sleeves. Before I decided to buy the sweater, I made sure that the seam of the sleeve and shoulder were where I wanted, which is a couple inches past the shoulder.

3. Cut open the sides. I wanted to wear the vest with my oversize shirts and dresses, so I decided to cut the sides open and stitch up a little bit later. I also cut the front a little shorter. This step is a personal preference in what kind of design you want or how you want it to look when you are wearing it.

4. I used a plate to draw curved lines on the front and back corners to have a nice curved finish instead of straight corners.

5.Serge the edges. If you don't have a serger, you could use zigzag or other stitch setting on your sewing machine to prevent fraying.

6.To make nice and smooth curved corners, stitch the bottom corners with big stitches. Trace the dinner plate onto thick paper (I used a cereal box) to make a template. Place the template 1/2" to 3/4" away from the edge of the bottom corners and pull the threads to gather fabric. press with iron.

7. Sew all around the edge. I hand sewed with slip stitches, because I didn't want the stitch line to show on the front, but I could have sewn with a machine too. Then I sewed the sides. As I mentioned in the beginning of the tutorial, I decided to only stitch a few inches on both sides. This way, the armholes would be opened big, and the bottom opening is more flexible to accommodate oversized clothing when I want to coordinate with such. Make sure to try it on before you determine where to sew on the sides to figure out the best area. My recommendation is around your natural waistline area.

Time to enjoy!

This is pretty much exactly what I envisioned and I love it! I’ve worn it several times already, so has my daughter! I guess it is a definite win when your adult daughter asks to borrow it.

Hexi Log Cabin Denim Purse

　
My family and I had some old jeans that I almost took to a thrift store to donate. Then the wheels in my head started spinning and I came up with this Hexi Log Cabin Denim Purse.

I had a couple denim tutorials in the past, such as the Denim corsage and Denim Necklace. This purse was a little more labor intensive, but the result is very rewarding to me. I just cut out a bunch of strips and some small hexagons. Then, made a Hexi log cabin with them and turned it into a purse.

I made a ribbon to accessorized the purse using Anna Maria Horner's Lou Lou Thi Clippings Passion I already had. I love how it turned out!

If you have some jeans you are thinking about tossing, this project might be a fun one to try. :)

Re-purpose Tutorial~ Mexican Dress to Tote Bag

Several months ago, I found this beautiful Mexican dress at a thrift store (It was one of the items I was looking out for). I was so excited and started to examine it, then I found some ripped seams and stains that may not come off. Here was the moment of truth... Should I buy it or not... the embroidery was too beautiful to pass up, so I decided to get it. The wheels in my head were already turning and last week I finally made it happen.

I cut the dress in half... There was no turning back at this point! Because of how your dress might be a different size than mine and also Mexican dresses are not made too precisely (the seams are raw and often times uneven in many areas), I am not going to give you exact measurements in this tutorial. I will give some numbers for you to have an idea and you can use that to apply to your re-purpose project.

Ok, let me go over the list of things you will need for this project.

{You will need}

Mexican dress
Lining fabric
Fusible interfacing (medium to thick, according to your preference)
Matching thread
Magnetic closure
Paper

{How to}

1. Just as we started before the material list, cut the dress in half(set the bottom half aside) and unpick the sleeves. Decide on where to cut the dress in half; this depends on how deep/shallow you want to make the bag and the embroidery design.

2. Cut the shoulders and trim the sides. The goal for these steps are to make the front/back and left/right unevenness as even as possible.

3. Lay the dress piece on the large piece of paper and trace to create a pattern for the lining. If you want to trace it directly onto the lining fabric, that is fine too.

4. Fuse the lining piece onto the fusible interfacing according to the manufacturer's instruction. To add magnet closure, fold the lined fabric in half vertically to find the center. Then measure 1 1/4" from the top seam. Mark with pencil or erasable marker. Follow the instruction of the package to add the magnet.

5. Put together the main fabrics right sides together. Measure 3 1/2" from what used to be the shoulder line and mark with pencil on both sides; That is the starting/stopping point when you are sewing to make the bag. This way your bag will have bigger opening and it will be easier to find things. Sew. Also, sew the bottom corners to create the boxed bottom. You can find how to make the boxed bottom on the post I did in the past.

6. Sew the lining piece same as in step 5.

7. Make handles. Cut 2 - 4" x 15" strips off the bottom half of the dress. Also cut 2 - 1/2"x 15" of fusible interfacing. Fold the fabric strips in half right sides together and fuse the interfacing as pictured. Sew on the side, turn the tube inside out and press with an iron. Sew Both sides with 1/8" seam and two more lines in between.

8.Put together the outer bag and lining right sides together, then place the handles in the middle of those two layers and pin. Leaving 4" of opening, sew all around it. Turn the bag inside out and press the opening with the iron and pin. Top stitch to finish it off.

Now, it is ready to enjoy!

Oh! You might be wondering what happen to the rest of the dress... I made that into a pillow with some pom-poms. It is sitting pretty in my house. :)

Privacy Screen to Headboard DIY ~ Anthro Inspired

Mr.TRH and I have been married for quite a bit, but we never owned a headboard. Why?

Reason 1. When we were newly married there were so many other things we needed to spend money on and it was never a priority.

Reason 2. I dreamed of having a four post bed for a while, but while we were staying with my in-laws, Mr.TRH would always hang things around our bed like it was our open closet, so that idea went out the window.

Reason 3. I have NEVER found a bed I liked in my price range. EVER.

Then, one day I found my dream bed... Meet Lombok Bed.

I just LOVE this bed. Talk about character... then I saw the price tag of over $3000(after tax), yikes!

So I was ok with not having a headboard or bed until I could find something I love, but the Lombok bed always stayed in my mind.
I was out shopping a few weeks ago, when I walked in to a local Tuesday Morning, the sight of a pretty privacy screen caught my eye.

I told Mr.TRH what I had in mind with it, he got his tools out and start working on it for me! We had to take all the hinges and screws out, because each panel is put together so that they will fold accordion style. With the hinges, the screen won't be perfectly flat like a headboard would be. He screwed in some supporting wood on the back...

and screwed the panel into the wall. Viola! I have an Anthro inspired headboard in my bedroom.

I kept the same lamp but changed the shades and added a couple new décor for the night stand to freshen up the room.

A couple posts ago, I shared a tutorial for Euro pillow case from a twin size quilt. Look how they are sitting pretty on my bed.

It is not exactly like the Anthro bed, but I got the feel of it for $160 dollars instead of $3000 and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Next time when you are out shopping, you might find a pretty privacy screen. One of the secrets for success for this project is to have the measurement of the bed you want the headboard for. Also carry a small measuring tape with you, so when you see the privacy screen, you can measure it across and see if it is the right size for your bed.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a happy summer everyone!