Transforming Basic T-shirts into Something Special

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday. We sure did! You can see some of our favorite ooey gooey chocolate recipes in this post.   I made our Valentine's Heart-shaped Meatball Subs and Brownie Volcano for my crew last night. Delicious!

I'm sharing another older post about making basic store-bought t-shirts into something much cuter. Now that Isabelle is older, I don't typically embellish her clothing like this, but when she was little, it was absolutely adorable. You should try it!

The easiest method is to attach a single or double ruffle along the hem. If using a knit, don't even worry about hemming the ruffle; otherwise, make a narrow hem along the ruffle edges before sewing onto the shirt.

One ruffle was about 3 inches, the other was 5 inches, but you can make yours however long or short you like. Mine was cut from a fat quarter. It doesn't need to be super long because you don't want a really full ruffle. Here I simply cut two separate long ribbon strips, hemmed the edges, and then sewed each ruffle edge, forming a circle. Next I basted the ruffle pieces together, one on top of the other and pinned right sides to the right side of the t-shirt, adjusting for fullness. (You can certainly gather the ruffles with basting stitches, but I opted to gather using my fingers as I sewed, since there wasn't much fullness.)

Add two bows if you want, tack them in place by hand, and you've got a very sweet t-shirt for a little girl. Be sure to put some Fray Check on the edges of the ribbon so they don't fray.

The next shirt was slightly more complicated because it involved having to keep a straight line while sewing. I marked off where the ruffle was going with some chalk, so it was no big deal. The biggest difference with this method is that you can sew the ruffle directly onto the shirt without first having right sides together. Simply sew the ruffle onto the shirt as it appears above- you're going to cover that raw edge with the ribbon!

After you've sewed the ruffle onto the top of the shirt, place the ribbon along that raw edge, making sure to cover it completely; top-stitch the entire way around, both top and bottom of the ribbon.

We also went through a big rosette phase, ha. This can be omitted, but it does look really cute. You cut a rectangular strip of cloth, fold it down, and then cut tapering curves each end, like a stretched out "C." Run a basting stitch through the raw edge to gather up the rosette. I do this by hand. Then, getting the center as tight as you can, tack it by hand to the shirt. I usually place a small piece of leftover fabric or some interfacing to the inside of the shirt where I stitch something heavier to give it some support. Leave as is or finish with a button in the center. So, so cute!

I cannot find a picture of Isabelle wearing them, and learn from my mistake: don't bother trying to embellish a too-small shirt. I do remember that they were already a bit small, and so she really didn't get much wear out of them afterwards. Oops.

Lastly, this was a fun, easy little addition. Using the same method as making the ruffles above, cut shorter ones to sew onto the wrists of the shirt. It's most helpful to use your narrow arm of the sewing machine, as the sleeve will fit right around it. Otherwise, just be careful not to sew the edges of the sleeves closed when sewing on the ruffle. Sew them right sides together, or use the method with the ribbon for a different look.

Happy embellishing! Let me know if you have any questions. :)

Oh! I extended the FREE SHIPPING SALE over at Rose and Ruffle, so be sure to check it out! Herer's a link to my shop:

ROSE & RUFFLE 

I'm sure you're feeling heartbroken and overwhelmed with the news of yet another senseless tragedy, so let's remember to be the LIGHT in our dark world. Be thoughtful and kind, no matter whether others deserve it or not.

FREE SHIPPING SALE at Rose and Ruffle

Hi friends, just popping in to tell you about the Valentine's Day sale I've got going on in the shop. There are tons of flannel nightgowns, outfit sets, and special occasion dresses there if you're looking for some fun things to get through this last bit of winter, and ALL baby bonnets and bibs ship free thru 2/14! This includes Ready to Ship as well as Custom Order bonnets and bibs!

We ended up bringing Levi into Urgent Care at dinnertime last night, and it's a good thing: poor baby has double ear infections and the onset of pneumonia. Must.Get.Rid.Of.The.Germs. This has been a brutal fall and winter season for sure. Here's hoping today fares a little better than yesterday. #fingerscrossed

You can visit my shop with this link: Rose and Ruffle

Quick and Easy Craft: Prettifying Basic Mittens or Gloves

Halfway to the weekend! It's been a rough week so far, maybe today will turn the tides. :)

I've decided to share some of my sewing projects from Rose & Ruffle on this blog, since sewing is such a big part of my life. Feel free to skip over if this doesn't interest you in the last, ha ha.

Here is a super simple craft idea to transform basic mittens or gloves into something a little cuter, ie prettify them. I used leftover scraps and some buttons I already had in my jar, so this was free. Easy AND free? Hooray!




Decide what shape you want. Choose something fairly simple to cut out, like a heart. Using two to three strands of embroidery floss, stitch the shape in place wherever you would like it on the mitten. I thought about doing a few more on the top before settling on just the ruffled edge.

I added the button for extra detail, but it isn't necessary. Or you could sew a smaller shape onto the first, maybe a contrasting color and thread. Totally up to you!


Another unexpected perk of this little project: doing this personalizes your child's mittens, which makes them easily identifiable at school. Everybody knew exactly whose mitten belonged to Isabelle, students and teachers alike. :)

Our Family Themed Fairytale Halloween 2017

It's hard to believe that this was nearly one week ago! It's the first family theme we've ever done, and while I'm a little sad that it didn't include ALL of us, that didn't stop me from having lots of fun with the whole thing.

Somewhere along the way Isabelle and I came up with the idea about Little Red and her Big Bad Wolfie. We could even reuse her Laura Ingalls Wilder outfit, which is always music to my ears! But then I wanted to participate, which meant I forced the hubs to participate, ha ha, and it just worked out great.

Truth be told, I had seen one image on Pinterest where the Mom was the hunter and the Dad was Granny. I thought they looked SO cute and I couldn't wait to try that. However, Isabelle was having a fit and refused to cooperate. Fun, right? And also, if I were to take a completely honest viewpoint, it just didn't look that cute for us. It was kind of creepy, and not in the good way.

So back to the traditional roles we went. Scowling faces somewhat restored. And we did have fun. First , there was a big trick or treat party at the high school, so we met with friends and had a blast there. Then we were going to have a fun trick or treat brunch, but either everyone got sick or had last minute things come up, so we had to postpone that, and on Halloween night, it was just the four of us, walking all over our neighborhood under a nearly full moon, and it was such a beautiful, balmy fall night. I'm calling Halloween 2017 a big success. :)

 Happy Halloween from the Hunter, Granny, Little Red & the Big Bad Wolf!!

I just realized that I've got some really cute pictures still on my phone and I hear someone upstairs, so I'll have to get to those later. How was DST for you? Surprisingly, things went pretty smoothly here. I was shocked!

DIY Tufted Baby Sleeper-Swaddle Pillow Tutorial

 We're nearing little Levi's first birthday as I'm writing this post, so of course I'm sitting here in a puddle of tears looking at all these teeny tiny Levi pictures. Kidding. Almost.
Right now, poor baby is struggling with an ear infection and a bad cold, so while he's actually napping and the rest of the crew is off at church, I thought I'd finally share this tutorial. =)

 I think it's funny that I had never even heard of or seen one of those popular DockATot when the idea for this little baby pillow entered my mind. I was thinking primarily of having something that would nestle in between my husband and I on our bed to keep baby elevated, and possibly swaddled, and out of harm's way (is, us rolling over on him, which never even remotely happened, but still...). 

 Levi looooved his baby sleeper pillow. He had us all fooled into thinking that he was going to be such a great sleeper.

It was the pillow.

I would actually see his little body completely relax and sink into that pillow, and he looked so content. He slept on his pillow for at least the first six weeks, but around two months, he was showing signs of rolling over and pulling things toward his face, which meant bye-bye baby pillow. It clearly was no longer safe for him to use.

The day he outgrew it will remain one of the saddest days of our lives. We haven't had more than a handful of decent nights since.

Okay, so here are the directions for making your own. It was simple and straightforward, my kind of project. 

If you have zero interest in reading this tutorial, feel free to scroll to the end and ooh and aah over adorable newborn photos. :)

Also, I apologize in advance for both wonky angles and weird lighting. I was very pregnant when I made this thing...maybe that had something to do with it? ? ?

Choosing your material

I opted for a soft minky fabric (I used a coupon on JoAnn's) for the top side, and a lightweight terrycloth for the back of the main pillow. For the built-in swaddle, I used the the chevron minky fabric for both the top and back. One word of caution when using minky: there is an obvious nap, so be careful to sew pieces with the "smooth" finish going in the correct direction.

If you don't want to use minky fabric, you could certainly opt for a quality cotton or knit, maybe even use a knitted sheet to cut up- whatever you prefer, as it does not need to stretch. I would avoid flannel or other heavier materials, as that might make baby a bit too hot.

The basic shape of the pillow

I used a standard pillow to outline the baby pillow. I knew I wanted rounded corners and some type of built-in swaddle, but one that could be pushed to the side or back if I didn't want to use it.

Cut out your top and backing fabric the same shape. Do not sew these pieces together just yet.

The swaddle piece

I designed mine to be long enough to loop around a button on the underside when it was being used as a swaddle. The straight edge on the right will be sewn into the side of the baby pillow; the curved edge will have a piece of elastic loop sewn in to fasten to the button on the back.

This piece is cut with the two minky fabrics. 

**It measures approximately 25 inches long by 13 inches high, but if I were to make this again, I would shorten the height to about 11 inches, sew it closer to the bottom edge, and possibly not gather the curved end- more about that in a bit.

Pin right sides together and sew together, leaving straight edge open. Turn right side out.

 The lighting is way off and this photo isn't necessary for the tutorial, but I have to include it because that's my little baby in there!

I was not one of those women who ever enjoyed being pregnant because I had difficult, complicated pregnancies, but it was very different this time. Even though I had morning sickness well into the sixth month, I think my perspective was completely different and I was just so humbled and thankful.

The swaddle piece is turned right sides out and pinned to the top piece of the pillow. I let it hang over the edge quite a bit because I didn't want any chance of it weakening and loosening up in the seam.

You could choose either side to attach it to, mine is obviously on the left.

The swaddle piece is not centered, either- I didn't want it to be too close to baby's face or mouth.

Now stitch the swaddle piece to the pillow to keep it in place. Remember the nap.

Now you're ready to form the sewing "sandwich"

Terrycloth doesn't have a wrong or right side, so it didn't matter, but you're going to pin right sides of the pillow pieces together. I folded up the swaddle piece on the inside to keep it out of the way when sewing. You want that curved edge to remain free and not be sewn into any part of the pillow. 

Leave an opening in the pillow on the opposite edge from where the swaddle piece is sewn in order to turn it right sides out.

 You can see the bulkiness of the swaddle piece, which was sewn into the side on the right

The opening is on the left of this photo.

It wasn't necessary to clip corners before turning right sides out, but you can if you want.

Here you can get a better sense of what it's going to look like.

Now you're ready to stuff the pillow. I overstuffed it the first time, so you may need to play around with it in order to get the right amount of "fluff."
Stitch the opening closed by hand, like I did, or with the sewing machine.

You could choose to omit the tufts, but I felt they were necessary in allowing baby to nestle into the pillow rather than just resting on the top, if that makes any sense.

I will add that it was a slight challenge pulling up the needle in the exact spot where I wanted to form the tufts, and this was by far the most labor intensive part of the whole project.

I used a long needle and doubled the thread to make sure everything was very secure.

Each tuft probably has ten or more needle "pull-throughs"

**The swaddle piece felt a bit too wide for me- I wished I had sewn it farther down the side, too.

I gathered the rounded edge by hand and tacked it in place, and then attached a loop of elastic.

Here is a close-up of the gathered rounded edge with the elastic loop.

Ignore the discoloration on the chevron pillow - the cats have decided that they like this baby pillow, ha ha

I attached this solid wood button on the underside - see the wayward terrycloth pulls? Yeah, thanks kitties.

Here are those adorable newborn pictures I promised. :)
Levi loved his sleeper pillow.
And so did his Mama.

I shared a tutorial for a little girl's nightgown several years ago, and it just so happened to be the BEST maternity nightgown ever. I loved it! It was great post-partum as well, and perfect for nursing.

The tutorial is HERE.

 Here is my little guy's baby quilt that I started the day before we left for Florida last year.

I remember having a hard time laying out the pieces on the floor and bending over them to move them around, ha! I love his quilt so much. I'll share a tutorial for it soon.

Baby's Quilt & Some Pregnancy Updates

You know how when you've got a million and one things to do, this one thing in particular keeps calling out to you, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with what you're supposed to be doing? Yeah, I do, too. I was supposed to be organizing and packing for our big trip when I couldn't stop thinking about making this little one a quilt. Great. ;)

I'd been scouring the internet for weeks looking for inspiration, plus I haven't made a quilt for years and years, so it had to be fairly easy. I ended up just making my own design, as usual, and though it gave me a slight headache or two at times, I just love it to pieces now that it's done.

 I bought a few fat quarters but used fabric I already had for the most part. These are 3.5 inch squares.

With the white sashes and strips... I had spent most of the day working on the top, and I knew I needed to simply fold it up and put it away until we got back, otherwise I'd never have gotten anything packed! I sure loved looking at this photo while we were away- it made me grin from ear to ear thinking that in just a few weeks, a little someone will be wrapped up in it!

I'd also never made a quilt with a minky or other soft backing, and I wasn't sure how I'd like it (or if I could even get it to work right). I used the machine for the binding for the first time as well, though I think I did everything that the tutorials tell you not to do. It's not perfect, which bugged me for a little while, but a few wayward seams here and there shouldn't make any difference. This quilt was made with all my love, for my little love.

Oh! And in the pic above, it's draped over this! There is an infant car seat in my house! Crazy! God has been so faithful to me and our family, and I am eternally grateful.

 

 And here are some shots of this growing bump over the past couple of weeks. We're so close now!

 33 weeks!

 ugh. This photo hurts me a little, but Caleb wanted to pose with me when he saw what I was up to, and he looks so adorable

 34 weeks, in FL!

 how about a close-up of that bump? yikes!

This week, 35 weeks! The week started out fabulous, sunshine and warm temps and has consistently gone downhill since then. I don't think I've felt very well since that walk that day. Oh well. It's worth it.

Today I'm going shopping with my Mom! Have a great Thursday! I've got some more vacation pics that I'll post soon.

I almost forgot...I'm listing some spring and summer pretties in the shop this week, so check them out if you're looking for something special. I'll just link to the Rose & Ruffle blog HERE, and that has direct links to my shop.  =)