Jenny Skirt from BurdaStyle

Jenny Skirt from BurdaStyle... I paid 7.50 for the pattern PDF. It's a little pricey for a basic skirt, but the possibilities are endless! I could create numerous designs from this one pattern. (Worth every penny in my opinion.) Above is a picture of my practice skirt.. made from an old sheet. It came out exactly like I wanted. I just need to get it onto some real fabric and add a zipper. The fit is phenomenal as well. This was my first time trying a pattern from Burdastyle and I can honestly say I will be back for more in the near future.

New Dress Patterns to Sew Up!

I just got 5 new patterns in the mail the other afternoon! I am so excited... This is like a Christina Christmas right now!

Here are the 5 I chose-

I think this is my favorite of the bunch.

V8532

V8552

Probably my second favorite!..

V8615

V8380

V5029

Most are just quick easy summer dresses. *Perfect* for evenings out on the town... Now I just need to hunt for the ideal fabrics! Any suggestions if you've made these before.. any ideas for the fabric selections?
Time to get started! *evil grin*

Turning a Twin Sheet Set into a Couch Slipcover...

Lately I've been getting quite fed up with the crappy Army issued furniture in my home. 

If you've ever lived in housing and borrowed their couches you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about-- PURPLE DINOSAUR SKIN COUCHES! lol... They go with just about nothing in my living room!.. It was about time for a change. Unfortunately, slipcovers can get pretty expensive. That's when I grabbed my purse and started off to the PX. What could I use to improved the awful look of these dreadful couches without blowing a ton of money?

BINGO! I bought a gorgeous chocolate cover for my sofa for just over 80.00... But I still had the chair to spruce up. Hmmmm... A twin size sheet set will do! ;0) 

I found a nice chocolate one for around 9 bux! Perrrrfect! Now off to my workshop, I mean, house!

I took the sheets out of the bag and placed them around to get an idea of how I would piece the cover together.

First, I cut the fitted sheet so that the corners fit in the elastic corners. Basically, I cut the fitted sheet in half.

I liked the way it looked and moved on to the next step... I used a seam ripper to pull the elastic out of the sheet corners.

Now take the flat sheet and place it so that the long side is running from the back of the chair to the front of the chair. Fiddle around with it and trim it where it's needed. Once it's in place, pin the three sheet pieces together.

Sew allllll the way around and hem the bottoms.

It should start looking like it's taking the shape of a chair cover.

After the sewing is mostly complete, place it back in the couch and make any necessary adjustments.

Notice how perfectly the fitted sheet corners hug the chair's arms?

Finish tucking and pin anything extra up in place with some pretty little upholstery nails.

Add a pillow or throw and VOILA! No more ugly patterned chairs!

Now, if I wouldn't have told you which cover I bought... could you tell the difference?
My pocket could! ;0) I saved so much $$ making my own chair cover! Hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave your comments or questions.
xoxox,





***I Just wanted to mention the blog I got my inspiration from! Another Carolina girl! :) Pink and Polka Dot Her blog posts helped me get an idea of what the heck I was doing and gave me the confidence to give it a go!

My Latest 'Keep Me Busy' Project

There's nowhere close by to buy patterns, and ordering online takes FOR-EV-ERRR, so I searched the internet and found a really cute and simple purse pattern on Made By Rae . Here's what I came up with! ;0) My ACU Buttercup Purse.

Our fabric is limited, so I find it where I can! LOL Just measure it out to a fat quarter and make it work!

I cut my pattern pieces and pinned my pleats.

Sewn up and ready for the liner.

Sewing in the liner..

The inside where you can add a clasp.. pockets.. etc.

And Tadaaaaa! The finaly product.

A closer iphone pic...

Here's another I made as a clutch.. It's red, white, and blue dots with a pretty red liner. It looks crooked in the picture, but I swear it's just the way it's propped up on my counter lol

Now here's YOUR mission! Go make yourself one of these bags and come back and let me see your final product! I've seen soooo many versions and all of them have been 100% awesome! Thanks to Made By Rae for such a fantastic project and keeping my sanity intact lol

My Moda Fabric Quilt :)

Here's the finished product! (Well, almost finished) I just need to do some stitching through the center of the blanket.

The front with the lovely 'Love U' fabric panel.

And the back... full of small quilt blocks! I am beyond happy with the results! It is exactly as I had envisioned it in my head! I think I might do a small tutorial post on how to make a log cabin block  (the super easy way)... We shall see!
Time to get busy around the house!
xoxo

Moda 'Love U' Series Fabric OMG! SO excited!

Yay!! Today I got the fabric I ordered from Fabric.com in the mail! I plan on using it for a baby quilt. I think the Moda 'Love U' series is super cute, so I bought quite a bit along with one or two other designs.. Here are some of the fabrics I ordered.

(Moda 'Love U' Tree Panel Sunshine Yellow/Green)

This will be the center of the front of my quilt. The colors are neutral and the animals and lettering is ultra cute!

(Moda 'Love U' Snail & Turtle Stripe Cloud White)

I thought the little snails and turtles were great! The colors are vibrant and playful.

(Frolic- Animal Collage Yellow)

This isn't part of the Moda collection, but I thought it was still adorable enough for my blanket. This is Frolic by Wendy Slotboom. I'm a sucker for cute forest animals. :)

(Frolic- Peering Animals Green)

Owls, possums, squirels, and little birdies.. I 'heart' them!

(Moda 'Love U' Who's Who in Cloud White and Grass Green)

Speaking of birdies!!... How do you like these little branch perched owls?! I liked them so much I got two different colors of the fabric! teehee..

(Moda 'Love U' Trees Cloud White)

This fabric was perfect as a filler and to tone down my quilt. I can't wait to get working on it and show you the finished project!! Until then, why not make your way over to fabric.com and start your project! Let me know what you end up creating with this pretty little collection :)

*Smooches*

Little things I'm working on..

Made another cute pair of (6mth) bootie slippers tonight..

Just need to finish up the detailing..

Now I just need to think of a design for the next pair! I'm also thinking of adding a non-slip material to the bottom to prevent slips.. any suggestions? :)

Make Your Own Skinny Jeans :)

            Being an Army wife sometimes comes with the loss of luxuries! lol

Recently I came to a roadblock and had to get creative to make my current wardrobe fit my needs. I bought some boots from Aldo before the big move and now that it's getting pretty chilly here, I wanted to put them to use. Unfortunately, our PX is rather small and EXTREMELY limited. (especially when it comes to anything 'fashionable') SoOoOo it was time to brainstorm! My regular jeans were NOT going to work with these boots.. and I did NOT spend over 140.00 on boots just to leave them in my closet. I have some boot cut jeans and some flares... but neither fit smoothly in my boots. They all wanted to bunch up or my boots wouldn't even fasten..

Since I can't find skinny jeans at our local store (and don't have a car to explore much further)  it was time to get modifying! After a little cutting and sewing, my boots can now be warn and I have a chic new pair of custom skinnies!

First, I put the jeans on inside out and pinned down the leg to fit my desired shape...

Then, I sewed a straight stitch down the outside of my legs and tried them on to check the fit. 

Perfect! Now I trimmed the excess and ran a zigzag stitch over the outer edge to keep the jean fabric from fraying or coming undone. Flip them inside out.. pose a little in front of your mirror and BAM! You've got a nice new set of skinny jeans! 

Not to mention the awesome fit since they are made FOR YOU. ;0)

And the problem is solved! My boots close completely and there is almost NO bunching! 

Guess we'll give them a trial run this weekend... Hi haters :0P

Ok! Time for you to get chopping! Let's see what you come up with! Jeans can be modified into over a million and one new things. .. so the possibilities are endless! 

Have fun! 

--Steens

The bag I made Tess' daughter

Messenger bag with a button bow. Same fabric inside and out and a ribbon strap to match. I love the color choice. And Tess was happy to report that Elizabeth loved it! <3