Eco DIY: Organic Cotton "Alf" Dress

Yeah, ya read it right... ALF! ha ha ha.
This sewing project is more of a minor upcycle deal, see ya' don't need "Alf" to make this dress...(even though you might think you do!) All you need is an old t-shirt that is nasty, doesn't fit, etc from your closet, grandmaws closet or the thrift store... a t-shirt with a whimsical logo that can be cut out and re-sewn onto a new outfit. I put mine on an organic cotton dress I made from some locally woven fabric. But you could do this with a hoody and put the old logo/character on the back.

THE BEGINNING:::

I pinned down my dress pattern on the fabric, which was the pattern I traced from another dress I already had.

And then chop chop! Cut out the fabric, leaving enough room for the side seams.

I had folded the fabric over, so that the front and back would be cut at the same time. I like efficiency... :)))

I left the pattern pinned on while I sewed in the seams along the edge... then unpinned the pattern.

I love making things adjustable! So I made the top of the 'sleeves' or straps the kind you can tie to any size....

Once the organic dress was sewn together, it was time for ALF!!!

CAREFULLY pin your logo on, you want it really flat and even so that it doesn't wrinkle or bunch up the front of the shirt or dress or hoody or whatevs you may be sewing it on...

Then SEW! I used the basic straight stitch and slowly went around the circle of Alfness...

ALF HYSTERIA:::::

hysterical? lovable? weird? so was Alf.

You can wear it with or without a shirt underneath... summer time, or fall time...

party time?!? WWAD ? ;)

XOXOXOxox

Eco DIY: Fabulous Scrap Fabric Purse

Craft bonanza! After making my patchwork blankie out of scrap fabric I sat down with a notebook & pen and started dreaming up other simple DIY projects. This handbag is not hard to make and looks very eco chic (superior handmade style!)
It's also made entirely out of fabric, so all you need are basic sewing skills to put it together.
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STEP 1 :
Choose two contrasting fabrics, and pin them together in a rectangle shape to cut out.
I chose some velvety animal print, and a kimono type fabric for their flamboyant contrast.

STEP 2 :

Fold over the top edges of the purse, and sew a strong seam at the very bottom. This is to create a drawstring style hole for the purse straps to pull through.

Both sides should then have the drawstring hole, which are sewn into the inner side of the purse. (see pic below)

STEP 3 :

Fold the purse over, with the drawstring holes lining up evenly. Sew a seam along both sides (left and right) but NOT over the drawstring holes.

The purse should then look like this pic below... my animal print is the inner part, and the kimono fabric is the outside of the purse.

STEP 4 :

THE STRAPS ::::

Cut six strips of scrap fabric (or tie pieces together), make two groups of 3 strips, tie a knot at the top of each one, then BRAID! yay! I love braiding. :)

Use a big safety pin to pull your braided strap through the drawstring holes on both sides...

...tighten the straps, then tie them together at the top.

ALL DONE!

HANDBAG HEAVEN :::::

How easy and cute is that?! Plus functional! You could use this as a purse, but also as a knitting/crochet bag! Or maybe carry your small pets around the house in it. ;)

I like this eco crafting project alot... now back to my notebook to think up more things I can do with this fabric.

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Here is a quick lil' tutorial vid for this DIY Purse project -(if you learn better with music and short commands...) ;)



Xoxoxo

DIY: Sew An Organic Sweater (with hoody!)

Armed with some sustainable Organic Cotton Fleece and Bamboo fabric I decided to take the challenge of making my own organic sweater for the winter. Organic clothing can be really pricey, most times far out of the range most people want to spend and when it comes to organic cotton winter wear it's even worse...although worth the $$$ to those with sensitive skin, chem sensitivities or eco minded ethics, sometimes we just can't pay $100 to stay warm.
This is why DIY sewing skillz can be a big money saver, not to mention a lil' creative fun. I am not the best at sewing to be honest, each project is a lesson...
so here is what I learned & how I did it....
I took a shirt I made a few years ago, and used it to make a new pattern.
When making a pattern from a garment you already own here are two important tips:

• Make sure to trace extra room at all the seams where you will be sewing (see pic below)
• Check for differences in the fabric, like stretch vs. not so stretchy and adjust accordingly

Once you trace your pattern cut it out with scissors.
I cut out the body part and the sleeves separate, because I planned on sewing them together later.

THE HOODY ::::

Making a hoody is actually super easy, like making a basic pillow!

Trace a hoody you already have, which will make a pattern for one side of the hoody. Both sides will match and be sewn together.

You can always test the paper pattern on your head to make sure it will fit, and to see how long the neck part may need to be to meet the back of your sweater.

Lay out all your pieces on the fabric and make sure you have enough. I ended up not having enough purple organic cotton fleece for the hoody and used more bamboo fabric instead.

To make cutting out the pattern you made easier, pin it down to the fabric. I totally hate this part for some reason and always try to find ways to get out of it... but it never turns out right without those pins holding it right in place.

Once the pins are in, you can cut out the fabric pieces that will be sewn together.

I doubled the fabric so that I could cut out the back and front of the sweater all together.

I then took my sweater cut outs, and pinned them to the bamboo fabric I wanted to use as a warm smooth lining inside the organic cotton sweater.

TIME TO SEW ::::

I made the sleeves separate, and after sewing together the seams for the body part of the sweater, i added on the sleeves.

I did a tight zig zag stitch on the outside of the sweater so that it could have that cute handmade look.

The hoody got cut out and sewn on last....

END RESULT #1 ::::

The sweater is SO amazingly soft and warm, but was feeling a little tight because the fleece didn't have much stretch... (some organic cotton does and some doesn't, bamboo typically stretches.)I could have taken out the inner seams and loosened it up, but then i got another idea!!!

NEW IDEA! :::::

I cut down the entire front of the sweater and sewed some zig zag seams along those sides to hold in the bamboo lining.

Then I took the bone awl Urban Scout made me (see pic below) to punch holes evenly along those seams.

I used the bamboo lining scraps to create a corset, lace up front for the sweater that way the size could adjust with my needs.

ADorabLe & SeXy!! It has a hardcore fairy feel to it now, and I like it even better. :)))

END RESULT #2 :::

Yes? Yes!

Xoxoxoxoxoxo

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FABRICS BY :

The Bamboo Fabric Store, see more.

Near Sea Naturals (who now carry Spiritex local organic cotton), see more.

DIY: Big Button Down Shirt Made To Fit

This won't be my most dazzling sewing project, but the idea of altering clothes to make them fit is a noble upcycle endeavour and I wanted to share my attempt. Taking a button down shirt that was too big for me (a men's medium), and sewing it down to a more fitted shirt my size.
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My original idea was to somehow turn this into a mini-dress (i like to turn everything into mini dresses)... but it didn't work out since the length of the shirt was too short, and well.... you'll see...

SUPPLIES YOU NEED:

• push pins
• sewing skills (machine or needle/thread style)
• thread
• maybe a friend to help
  

STEP ONE:

I turned the shirt inside out and put it back on.

STEP TWO:

If you have a friend, have them put the pins along the right & left side of the shirt to make it fit to your personal curves, including the sleeves. Leave space for your sewing seams.

If you don't' have a friend over (like me) then carefully try and place the pins yourself - or use measurements. I hate measuring things so i tried standing really stiff and put pins in myself, but it wasn't as accurate as it should have been.

STEP THREE:

Sew along the seam lines you created with the pins.

AND....

You are already finished (or at least i am)!!! This would be great for making a new winter wardrobe on a shoe string budget, because thrift stores are packed with men's button down long sleeve shirts of all colors, patterns and solids which you could tailor to fit your body.

Funny Lookin' Fail ::::

I also did a lil' experiment with adding another layer of shirt at the bottom, which could make a really neat look if you have the right contrasting colors... which I did not. Stark white, with nice subtle plaid is a recipe for a terrible horrible no good country-fied look, but ya know what? I modeled the Sewing Fail for ya'll anyway.......

The Dolly Looks Better. (aka, this might work if ya have big boobies, sassy hair, and long tall legs. Being able to line dance & sing would help too.)

The Baggy Art-TEEst. (This look will work if you like your clothes swaying, loose, half buttoned and probably half assed.)

The Front Knot! (my personal favorite. This shit was hot in the 80's and we all know whether we like it or love it that pushing obscure 80's ideas is totally in style. Maybe not in my rural neighborhood {cause it never went out of style here}, but in Brooklyn, yes. Besides a front knot on a tight plaid shirt is so movie star country girl, roll in the hay - who doesn't like that? I am bringing this back to the fashion forefront right this minute.)

Maybe I can't win them all, but the whole idea is onto something good. ;)

Xoxoxo