{ almost sandals } bare foot wear

My sister just got married! I'm so happy for her and

her new husband! They are wonderful together!

Being the oldest sister and all, I was asked to make

some things for the wedding. One thing was to make

some "almost sandals". My sister wanted

the simplicity of bare feet but she wanted it to look put

together at the same time. So, this is what I came

up with!

 

 

My mother went to the store to get yarn and came back

with this stuff. It turned out to work better than I

could have hoped!

 

What you'll need:

* mesh yarn/ netted yarn

* scissors

*string

*pearl bead

 

I started by generally measuring the foot from the

toe webbing to the ankle and then adding another inch.

Double this length. Cut two pieces (one for each foot).

Tie the two ends together in a knot.

 

Cut a length of netted yarn that will wrap

and tie around your ankle.

 ( you will need two of these as well)

Thread it through the loop created in the

original strip.

 

Now you can spread the netting out to create

a triangle.

 

Next to your knot, spread the netting out so

you have a hole.

 

Slip your second toe through this hole. The knot

should comfortably sit in the crevice where

your toes meet the ball of your foot.

 

Spread the netting out

 

 Tie the ankle strap in a bow on the side.

 

Thread a short piece of string through a pearl bead.

 

Tie the string in around the thinnest area

of netting, near the toe.

 

Slide it down. Cut off excess string.

That's it! So simple!

 

 

 

 

 

 



{ no-sew homemade american flag tank }

With the 4th of July right around the corner, here is a homemade tank 

for you to try out! Perfect for all the festivities you may be attending this 

Independance Day! 

What you'll need:

* white t-shirt

* scissors

* acrylic paint

* foam brush

* card board

Start by cutting your t-shirt! Simply cut around the neck line as low as you

like. Then cut off the sleeves. You may want to try it on before hand 

to mark where you want your new sleeve holes and neck line before cutting.

Now fit your shirt with some cardboard. Slip it in through the shirt to prevent

the paint from bleeding through to the back of your tank.

 Now start painting! I used red and turquoise. 

I started by outlining some

star shapes with the tip of my sponge brush. They don't have to be perfect.

If you prefer a more precise star, try using a stencil or some vinyl that can be
removed after painting.

Now paint your stripes. I just eyed these up. You can use wide tape
(like packing tape) to stencil in your stripes if you wish.

I wanted my flag tank to look "rocker", so I didn't worry about
perfection!

Allow the paint to dry completely before wearing. Don't wash for 24 hours
to allow the paint to set in. First wash and dry should be separate from any
other garments. After first wash and dry, the paint will be set in and you can throw
it in with your other laundry without worrying about bleeding or color transfer! 

This shirt is even cute turned inside out! :) It muted the colors
to compliment the actual flag!

Yep, I have pretty fun friends! <3

I made this shirt about 15 minutes before doing these photos! And.... it was free!
Enjoy

{ elastic waist dress }

Halloween is in only a few days and I'm

barely getting my kids' costumes made! Kaj wanted

to be a witch ("a nice one, not a scary one") this year.

I made this simple dress

that can be dressed up with a witches hat and broom.

But.. I made is so that it didn't have to be a costume! She'll be wearing

this more often than just the holiday! It's too cute for only

one occasion! I can't wait to make more in different colors!

What you'll need:

1. Fabric and scissors
2. Narrow elastic (1/4 inch)
3. Sewing machine and thread
4. Bias tape, ribbon or twill (for straps;optional)

I made this dress to fit my 3 year old. So measurements may

be different for you or your child.

Start by doubling your fabric. I cut mine 20 inches wide. Then I

held it up to my daughter, under her arm, and cut it about an

inch longer than I wanted her dress to be. It was 21 inches long.

Now that you have two pieces, match them up, right sides

together and decide which sides are top and bottom

and which are the left and right sides.

Sew down each side with a 1/2 inch seam.

Now, hem the top and bottom by folding the edges over 1/2 inch

and sewing it down with a 3/8 inch seam.

 

Next, take your elastic and wrap it around the waist

and under arms of the person wearing the dress.

cut your elastic this length.

Now lay your piece out (inside out still).

Measure yourself or your child to decide where the
waist will be. My daughter's was 4" down from the top.

I used my measuring tape and marked around both sides
with chalk.

Now you  are going sew your elastic onto the waist of the dress.

 Start on the seam (you are sewing this to the wrong side

of the fabric). Lay the end of your elastic on the

seam and back stitch.

Now pull your elastic tight and hold it to the fabric.

Sew down the center of the elastic while you are still holding it

stretched out. Do this until you've gone around the whole dress.

You will notice that once you have sewn the elastic, it

shrinks back to size and ruffles the fabric. This is what it's

supposed to do.

Now, sew your second piece of elastic to the top hem

of your dress the same way you sewed

 it to the waist (wrong side of fabric).

 

Now you can leave it like this as a cute strapless dress,

or add straps. I hate sewing straps so I always

use ribbon or bias tape or twill! I used black twill on

this dress.

Put the dress on the person it's being made for. Use

a measuring tape and measure from front to back how

long your straps need to be. Cut two at this length.

While you're measuring, mark where you want them

sewn.

Sew these straps to the dress, on the inside.

I made a V in the back. You can do a more

traditional strap or even an X. Just measure

it accordingly!

 

That's it! A lot of words to explain but very simple

to actually make! I'll be making my self a shirt next!