Saturday, March 19, 2016

Refashion Friday: The Leather Sheath

I'm thinking I should change the name of my daily blog seeing as how I seem to have a hard time getting it posted on time.  I suppose better late than never, right?  So, here's what we have been up to:
The Leather Sheath
So, one of Ellee's favorite things to do is shoot a bow and arrow.  Not a heavy duty real one, mind you.  I'm not that brave.  But a junior size, and she is really into it.  For Christmas, we got her a nice bow and arrows to begin to practice.  After watching the Hunger Games (don't judge), she decided she needed a sheath that she could carry her arrows around in for quick draw.  So, mom went to work on making that a refashion.  And didn't we find the perfect .49 cent item just to do the trick!


It's genuine leather!  So, I thought the sleeve would be perfect to make the pouch.  It was already lined and shaped in a way that a sheath would be. Perfect and Easy!















I first cut off the sleeve and the lining.  Then I cut off the bottom of the jacket with enough fabric to fold over and make a finish strap for the sheath.



I sewed a seam down the whole length of the bottom, creating a finished edge.  I then sewed the lining of the sleeve back together.  Then I positioned the straps where they would need to be for her to carry them across her back and sewed them into place.  After this was done, I turned under the bottom of the sheath (or top of the sleeve) and sewed a small seam close to the edge.



Then it was done!  Tada!




Update:  The strap ended up being too long because she couldn't just reach back and grab her arrows, so I took out the seams on the strap and cut several inches off, but still making it long enough to go over her head and sewed it back in place (not an easy task.  I ended up cutting the bottom seam off and then reattaching the strap, then sewing it back up.  Moral:  make sure the strap is the right size first) and she is happy as a clam!

Friday, March 4, 2016

Refashion Friday: Little Black Dress

Little Black Dress

This week, one of my bests got a refashion makeover, Kathy.  I enjoy refashioning for others (if you haven't noticed), mainly because I get to sit and talk while I sew.  This girl is one of the best encouragers that I know!  I just love this girl!  So, she came to me with this large black dress that she used for a Valentine's skit, but wanted to wear this dress for church.  It really was a pretty fabric, but way too big and long sleeves.  I knew I could fix her right up!
First, we started with flipping the dress inside out and pinning it to fit her body.  I sewed up the sides, trimmed them with the serger, and that part of the dress was done.  That easy!  Next was the sleeves...
Once again, I flipped the dress inside out and laid it flat.  I chose the length I wanted the sleeves to be, keeping in mind I would be adding a hem.  I cut straight across and then used the cut piece to measure the other side to cut off.  Once cut, I serged the edges and then created a hemmed sleeve with the regular sewing machine.  Voila!


 Isn't she cute?