Altered Men's Dress Shirt

Altered Men's Dress Shirt
Originally uploaded by heycarrieann99

I spotted this on flickr. I love that she recycled the shirt and it turned out so cute! I'm inspired. What else could you do with a men's shirt?

How To: Replace lined Patch Pockets

This coat still looks good and has many more years of wear left in it, but the front pocket linings were ripping which can be really annoying. I thread marked the top edges of each pocket. After removing the pockets, I saw this was somewhat unnecessary!

Pick off the lining and cut a new one for each pocket. Linings for patch pockets are smaller than the fabric pocket.

Sew the top edge of the lining and fabric together, right sides facing.

Folding down the top hem, match the sides and bottom and stitch, right sides together.

Leave one side open for turning.

Turn and press. Topstitch or hand sew to the jacket front, catching the turning hole.

The finished relined pockets!

Alteration: Strap Keepers

An easy alteration that will make a blouse more comfortable to wear is to add strap keepers. Take 3" of twill tape or ribbon and add a snap part to each end. sew to the blouse where ever it is needed inside. This top has a wide neckline, so it needed keepers in front (it is shown here wrong side out). Some tops need them on the shoulders. On the outside, straps and keepers can't be seen! When you are comfortable in your clothes you appear more confident and relaxed.

How To: Hem a Lined Coat

This coat is still in great condition with many more years of wear left in it, the length just didn't fit the owner's lifestyle anymore. So I hemmed it. Not hard to do, just pay attention to what it looks like to start with.

There is a bias strip of interfacing in the hem, so I removed that to reuse.

I marked the cutting line, after allowing for the generous hem.

After trimming off the extra fabric, I repositioned the interfacing and machine stitched in the hem allowance so it doesn't show on the outside. Coats usually have this type of hem to help support the weight of the heavy fabric-so don't be tempted to skip it!

Another view.

Trim the lining shorter than the coat hem so it doesn't peek out.

I use a catch stitch to hold the interfacing to the coat fabric.

For a fancy touch- machine embroidery!

The finished hem looks as good as the first one and looks even better inside!

Alteration: Turtleneck to Crewneck

My daughter had this sweater, but didn't like the turtleneck. I cut off the neck, leaving 1/2" seam allowance. I took a lavender t-shirt knit and cut a strip long enough to reach around the neck. I then turned under 1/4" on one side of the strip. I hand sewed the strip to the neck edge (turning under the sweater neck edge as I sewed). I whip stitched (invisibly) the other side of the strip to the sweater. She loves the sweater now! The lavender strip is completely hidden when she is wearing it. This simple alteration saved the sweater.

Items In Memory of...

This is just a small sampling of items possible for memorializing an event, time or a person.

The sock monkey was from my daughter's favorite socks. The sweater bird, and two pins are from grandparent's clothing, in shapes that are special to those people. Quilts that use small scraps of fabric work well also. I made a t-shirt quilt with commemorative logos all over it. A small heart shaped ornament from bridal scraps makes a nice keepsake. A Christmas stocking sewn from a red sweater, includes a loved one no longer with us. Something to remember when working with old clothes: they often have stains and holes. Repair what you can, cut around what you can't fix and realize a memory item may not take heavy wear and tear. All of my memory items have held up well except the t-shirt quilt. It lasted maybe 8 years on my bed with kids pulling on it to climb up. The well worn t-shirts started ripping so now it is a decorative quilt that gets hung on the wall from time to time. If I make another I think I will fuse knit interfacing to the back of each t-shirt square for strength.

How To Sew, Be Earth Friendly, And Save Money

There are so many ways to sew, be Earth friendly and save money at the same time! Mending and altering items which otherwise might go in the trash. Quilting with all the scraps saved from other projects or discarded clothing and curtains. Create something wonderful out of fabric that might go to waste. I use old clothes, unsuitable for quilts, to wipe up spills instead of paper towels. Make your own cloth napkins out of 12"-18" squares hemmed on all sides. I find that cotton in a medium to dark print works best to hide spaghetti stains! Make a canvas shopping bag from a simple pattern and use it when you go to the store. I have four I take to the grocery store and others in the car and in my purse just in case. Remake clothes, that are no longer being worn, into purses using my instruction booklets available at http://catsongstitchery.etsy.com . Give pants and sweaters new life. I even made an autoharp case out of my living room curtains. Make reusable gift bags out of pretty blouses, skirts or t-shirts. Cut 2 squares or rectangles- larger than the gift. Sew right sides together on 3 sides. Hem the opening and tie with a ribbon. It is that easy! Buy recycled fabric and organic whenever possible. It is starting to show up more in stores. Get creative- keep the earth in mind and save money too!

How To Replace a Backpack Zipper

This is my son's favorite backpack, so even though it is wearing out, I decided to replace the zipper. First, measure the length needed and buy one as close to it as possible. I used one I already had on hand. Sometimes you can find a heavy duty one at the store. On another backpack, I used two zippers and had them meet in the middle. Next, pick out all the stitches to remove the old zipper. Notice how the original one was positioned. You will want to put the new one in the same way. Just pin in the new one and stitch, using a zipper foot. This simple repair can save a lot of money!

Pants To Purse

I just added another instructional booklet to my online shop! http://catsongstitchery.etsy.com/ It is 6 pages of photos and directions for designing and sewing your own bag from any pair of pants. Easy and fun, you will never look at pants the same way again!

How to turn a sweater into a purse

I just added an instruction booklet "Sweater to Purse Instruction #109" to my shop at http://catsongstitchery.etsy.com/ . It contains clear, easy directions to make your own purses from sweaters you felt (on purpose or by accident!). Do some spring cleaning in your closet and end up with great new bags! Coming soon: Pants to Purse Instruction Booklet.