Ocean curtain to new apron

I have a thing about the ocean.  So when I saw a pair of preloved curtains with an ocean theme I just knew they would come in handy.

 

Curtains suitably purchased, I wondered what to do with them.  Then inspiration struck - my current apron is getting very tatty, so why not make a new one?

 

I made it in a larger size, added a front pocket (making sure to match the pattern) and then added bias binding along the edges.

 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

 

Now I can combine ocean AND cooking!

 

 

Next...

William Morris Messenger bag

You really can't beat curtain fabric for making bags with.  Not only is it substantial, but it also comes in such a fabulous range of prints - and this William Morris print is no exception!

On looking through my fabric stash, I realised I already had the perfect fabric to go with it - a beautifully coloured preloved sheet!

There is a magnetic snap on the tab underneath the decorative buckle.

An internal pocket was added for that all important mobile/cell phone/pen!  I centred the pocket on a flower.

And added a label.

 

I was really pleased with the result.

Next...

Sew Selena Aprons

I wanted to have an image for Sew Selena when I have a stall at a fair but wasn't quite sure where to start. 

Perhaps it didn't matter? 

But I *knew* it did to me.  I knew that it had to be something that summed up 'Sew Selena'.

So, who am I and what do I stand for anyway?

A stay at home mum who has embraced her creativity and loves to breathe new life into pre-loved fabric.  But how could I sum that up in something to wear?

Well, I started with a pre-loved vintage floral curtain and it built from there.

I added pre-loved lace from the bottom of a top (I have already used the oranges and lemons elsewhere - watch this space!)

Added rose polka dot detailing.

And added a large pocket divided into three so that it could be used as a money belt.  So much prettier!

Here is the apron and the look in action:

I'm happy!!

 

I also made one for my daughter to wear too:

 

 

Next...

 



 

 

Chrysanthemum bag

I have a thing about really large, bold designs.  And colours.  And textures.  Oh, ok, I love fabric of all descriptions really LOL!

But some fabric speaks louder to me than others.  And this refashion is no exception.  A while back I discovered a curtain with a huge chrysanthemum on it so I brought it home.  I could spot its potential from a mile off as it had 'please make me into a bag' written all over it.

So I did:

Its lovely, slouchy style is perfect for days out with the girls, a shopping trip or three or to carry all of your books to college.

And of course, it's unique!

I lined it with some fabric from a teal dress.  And added a magnetic snap.

I think I might make more bags in this style - what do you think?

Another use for brocade curtains...

You know how it is.  You spot a curtain shop that you haven't been to in a while so it would be rude not to go in and have a look at their fabric, right?  Right.  Exactly!

So that is what I did.  And I discovered two fabulous, fabulous pieces of fabric.  I could see lots of potential in them so I bought both of them there and then.

And this is the resulting fabric adventure...

I just knew that the sumptuous brocade fabric would look positively divine as the outside of a bag. 

With very long straps...

I love how the sun reflects off the gold thread.

The interior of the bag was made with the second fabric which I think goes perfectly with it! 

It's amazing how many times I find two pieces of matching fabric in the same shop at the same time!

In keeping with the gold theme I added a golden magnetic snap.

And made an internal pocket with the piece of fabric I cut out from the top of the bag. 

It's lined with the inner fabric and the cuff of the pocket was set at a jaunty angle for a bit of fun!

One of the most surprising parts of making this particular bag happened when I came to make the straps.  Each strap was made from two pieces of outer fabric which were sewn together down the middle.  Something I noticed after I had completed the bag was that I had cut the fabric so well that it matched all the way down the centre of the straps. 

This is where some might say 'I meant it to do that' but I say 'wow, that was lucky wasn't it - I'll look out for that again LOL'!

 

A girl can never have too many bags!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Tunic top (aka curtains!)

Freecycle's fabulous!  I once asked if anyone had any sewing patterns from a particular magazine and one lovely local lady got in touch and is now saving them for me (ever grateful!) 

So I now have a whole host of patterns that have been looking rather tempting for a while now but I haven't got round to making any of them up until now.

That was until I discovered a pair of curtains that I fell in love with in a charity shop.  You can't beat a nice pair of curtains for hardwearing fabric, pretty patterns and all-round loveliness!  These particular curtains were shimmery two-tone (does anyone know what the technical term is?) so they look different colours depending on how the light catches them - always a plus point in my book!

Here is the resulting tunic top:

I veered away from the pattern slightly by adding homemade bias binding to the hem, cuffs and neckline.  It was quite therapeutic to sew them on by hand.

Ooooh, that reminds me, I'll put up a bias binding tutorial at some point!

Thankfully I managed to centre the pattern on the fabric before I made the pleats.  They turned out ok LOL!

 Righto - onto the next project...

More costumes - A-line dress

One of the things I love most about sewing is that I get to a) play with fabric and b) figure out how to make things as I go along.

So when I was given an A line dress to see if I could make something similar as a costume, I didn't hesitate to give it a go.

Here is the dress I was given:

I always like to make a mock-up of a new garment/item first and only then when I'm satisfied with it, do I go on to make the item itself.  I learn loads along the way.

So this is the dress that I made from a pair of old curtains that were sitting in my airing cupboard:

And this was the resulting costume that I made.  I was given some really pretty lace to add to the top and bottom to make it look similar to the blue dress.

I loved the whole process of figuring out how to make the costume - especially the little puffy sleeves.  You see, the more I sew, the more I discover new techniques that I can bring to my own creative process the next time round.

Along the back seam I inserted velcro to make it easier to change into and out of.  Gotta think of these things with little ones and dance shows!

It wasn't until I was watching the dance show that I realised that the blue and pink dresses would be worn alongside each other. 

 

I think they went really well together!




Dancer photo reproduced with kind permission Kathryn Hurley Dance Academy
Copyright Rich McD

Curtains and Amy Butler bags

Curtains, curtains, curtains - what do you do with yours when you decide to have a new colour scheme in your room?

Well, here's what's been happening in my house...

...another bag <grin>

 

I used a pattern from Amy Butler's Style Stitches book and I absolutely love it!  The bag itself is huuuuuuuuge!  I'm probably going to be using it for days out, beach trips, shopping trips - you name it, I'll be using it!

It's fully lined and interfaced making it very solid so much so that it even stands up on its own when not attended.

I especially loved the design detail on the sides pockets which are enormous too!  I'm thinking I could stash my sunglasses (in their case!) in here...

The interior is rather fabulous too - there are pockets galore for sandy footwear, umbrellas (if you're British!), water bottles - oh, absolutely everything you could possibly need!!

I just love making bags out of preloved fabric!

Happy days!!

How to make... cushion covers

I recently took up some curtains and made the excess fabric into a pair of cushion covers. 

Why waste good fabric, that's what I say!

So here's a 'How to...'

What you will need:

Sewing machine
Zip foot
Tape measure
Pins
Zip (about two thirds the width of the cushion) - ask for a 'closed end zip'
Matching thread
Unpicker (really useful)
Tailor's chalk (or a pencil, whichever you prefer!)
Scissors
Calculator or pen and paper
Tea (copious amount)


Here's what I did:

1
Measure the front of one of the cushions from side to side to find the right size and then add on one inch to this measurement to allow for seams.  Keep it somewhere safe.

2
Then do the same for the top to bottom measurement.

3
Cut fabric to this size

4
Using a wide zig zag stitch, sew around all of the raw edges about a quarter of an inch in.  This will prevent your lovely cushion covers from fraying.  Repeat for both pieces of fabric.

5
Pin both pieces of fabric, right sides together, along the top edges (it didn't matter too much with this fabric as it was the same on both sides but will make a difference if the fabric is patterned)

6
Measure zip from metal top to metal bottom (there's probably a technical name but it escapes me!) and ensure it works by pulling it up and down a couple of times :)

7
*Easy Maths alert*
Grab a calculator and do the following sum:

Meaurement from step 1

minus

zip measurement from step 5

then

divide by 2

This will give you the distance from each side that you need to mark - it's where the zip opening will go.

7
Sit down and have a cup of tea to recover.

8
All set?  Ok, let's move on -

Sew a straight seam along the top of the fabric, half an inch down from the top.  When you get close to the zip opening mark, do a couple of backstitches to secure the thread but do not cut.

9
Increase the length of the stitch to the widest possible and continue with the seam until you get to the other zip opening mark.  Backstitch a couple of times, shorten the stitch length again and continue to the end. 

What you've just done in the last couple of steps is to tack (or 'baste') the fabric together where the zip will go - don't worry, it will become clearer as we go along!

10
Open out the fabric, with the inside of the cushion cover up, press the seam flat.

11
Turn the cushion cover over and put a pin in where you had marked the zip opening so that you can find it again

12
Take your zip and place it underneath the zip opening with the metal top near the pin.  Start to pin the zip in place.  Feel through the fabric to ensure it's centred and continue to pin down both sides of the zip.

13
Change your sewing machine foot to a zip foot

14
Begin to sew from the end of one zip along the side taking out the pins just before you get to them.  Keep your fingers on the zip as you go along to ensure it's still in the middle.

15
When you get to the end of the zip, leave your needle in the fabric, lift the foot up and pivot the fabric 90 degrees.  Sew along the end of the zip and then pivot again so that you can now sew down the other side.

16
Sew along the other side of the zip and then finish off at the other end.

17
Using your unpicker, unpick the tacking stitches along the zip and pull out any loose threads.

18
Check your zip works.  It does?  Well, of course it does!  Excellent!!!

19
Another cup of tea is in order and maybe even a snack!  Now you've put in the zip you're nearly home and dry!

20
Ok, so now you will want to open the zip and leave it OPEN for the time being.

21
Change your foot to a normal foot then fold the cushion cover in half so that the outside edges are touching.  Pin along all three edges.

22
Sew along the edges, half an inch in, pivoting at each corner

23
Take the scissors and cut across the bottom corners in the seam allowance making sure you don't cut into the stitching.  This will make it easier to have crisp corners when you turn it the right way round.

24
Snip off any loose ends.

25
Turn the cushion cover the right way out using a turning tool to gently encourage pointy corners (oh wait, I used a blunt pencil, that did the same thing!)

26
Press the cushion cover and insert cushion pad.

27
That's it!
You've done it!  Give yourself a huge pat on the back!
Must be lunch-time by now or at least another-cup-of-tea-time!




Let me know how you get on!

Peony shoulder bag (from curtains)

When I see a beautiful pair of curtains for sale I feel compelled to give them a good home.  I suppose I'm a bit of a curtain rescuer on the quiet! 

I found this adorable pair in a charity shop that's down the road from me.  They really take the time to get to know their customers there.  It also provides a place for people in the local community to stop and chat and just feel heard and connected.  For me, the heritage of a piece of fabric is really important.

Anyway, I teamed the curtains with dusky pink polka dots for the handle - I think I'm going through a polka dot phase right now!  There is a soft pleat on both sides for the added fun factor.

The lining was created from a rose coloured fabric that was an offcut from the time I made the shift dress - I just cannot bear to throw fabric away!  I added a magnetic snap for easy closure and a large pocket with enough room to put a journal and phone/pens/whatever else you may need in it!

It's really quite sturdy as everything has an extra layer of interfacing on it.  And it's comfy too!

I cannot believe how much fun I had making this one!

William Morris bag (from a curtain)

Bags.  I have a few - especially now! 


I have a great bag at home that I wanted to make something similar to.  So I made up my own pattern, used some leftover curtain material, figured out which bits had to be done in which order and then made it up! 

I lined it with some contrasting material that I already had and added an internal pocket.  The most expensive part was the button which I had to buy from a proper shop LOL!  I put piping around the bottom to help it to stand on its own and tied it at the top.

Oh - and the curtain material was pre-loved and rescued from a charity shop for £4!  Well, someone had to - it's too gorgeous to leave there!