First refashion – I’m so out of my league

I know it's not much, but I did manage to make these boyshort pajama bottoms (actually, that's not how I'm using them, but that seems more appropriate to post) out of a tshirt purchased at a thrift store.  The shirt was super stretchy, so I didn't even have to use elastic in the waistband and they stayed on all day.  Actually they are very comfortable and by some stroke of luck, the stripes meet in a very cute "V" in the back.  

 Here's how I made them:

- took a pair of existing boyshort, uh, pajama pants

- laid them out on pattern paper (as luck would have it, a pattern I recently cut had a lot of blank space)

- marked where the seam line and fold line was

- added a seam allowance back in, cut 2 on the fold, and sewed them together!

I started hemming the bottom but it became Too Much Trouble (see "things I did wrong) so I just left it.  it's fine, doesn't roll or anything. 

 and here are the Things I did wrong:

- did not add enough of a seam allowance.  it was tough to sew a narrow little hem on this stretchy fabric, so I should have added like an inch for a seam allowance.  of course, this was a tiny t-shirt so I didn't have enough fabric, but next time

- did not cut the pattern properly, so the two halves didn't quite meet up correctly.  I was constrained by my tiny piece of fabric though.

and I'm sure there were a gazillion more things that I have already forgotten, but anyway, I did it!

Now I just need to work on making an item of clothing I can actually wear in public! 

Preparing to Refashion

I got two bedsheets (the pink print in the back). I’m not sure how I feel about the fabric, but it was cheap and I figured I could use it as a muslin if nothing else. The yellow sweater, I plan to felt and then make… mittens? I don’t know. it has some stains (which of course I didn’t see until I got home) so it will have to be something small. I also like this felted scarf so maybe I’ll try something like that once I get more sweaters to felt. The striped t-shirt, sadly is too small and I’m not sure how to reconstruct it. The pink sweater is for unraveling to use the yarn. and the green and white is an adorable halter dress with a full skirt that unfortunately is about one size too big. if I tie the halter really tight and can somehow take in the sides, it could be really cute though. But maybe I’ll hold onto it until my sister comes. It might fit her perfectly. Although I suspect it will be too big in the waist area.

I wish, I wish I could sew better. I know, I need to practice. But I can’t even understand the darn patterns!

I made paper out of junk mail!

If I could categorize, I’d like to categorize this under “stuff you can make from trash”. Basically I soaked the junk mail, blended it in an old blender someone gave to me, passing it on from someone who gave it to them, then poured the resulting paper pulp into a screen, pressed the water out, ironed the sheet dry, and presto! snazzy paper. The coloring came from colored junk mail (security envelopes make a nice blue) and some old tissue paper someone wrapped gifts for me in. I also used a bunch of scraps of embroidery thread that I’d had hanging around forever. If you want detailed instructions, just google for it, there are tons of instructions. I actually used the Arnold Grummer papermaking kit which I got cheap on ebay, but you can make your own tools too. here’s a closeup:

and an extreme closeup: