Upcycle old Pajamas into Christmas Stockings - DIY

Christmas will soon be here, I cannot wait, I just love celebrating the time with my family. It's the perfect time to wrap up in extra layers, snuggling up with a Massive mug of hot chocolate, watching Festive films.

Whist looking through my drawer for any clothes I could donate to charity I came across my old reindeer PJ bottoms, I don't even know why they were folded up and put away as they had a massive hole in them. (A classic sign of over eating during such a Joyful time, I seem to forget the counting of calories and scoff as much as I can, 'Because it's christmas' )

I really like the pattern on them, and just hate throwing things away, So I decided to turn them into stockings for my partner and my little boy.

 

I literally goggled Christmas stocking template then printed out the best one I could find and got to work.

 

 

 

At first I was going to put a white band around the top, but decided against it, I also kept the elastic, but decided tho throw it away as I was just hoarding and realistically never going to use it.

I also used a safety pin to turn the material inside out to make the tube for hanging up the stocking.

 

I did rush them, but I'm happy with how they turned out. The money I saved on buying new ones has paid for some extra stocking fillers.

 

DIY and save some money this Christmas by up cycling.

 

 

Do you prepare early for Christmas, or get all of your gifts at the last minute?

 

Charity Shop + Bargains = Super happy

Don't be a stranger to charity shops, you can find some fantastic bargains. I used to be embarresed to go into them just incase anyone I knew seen me, but I have overcome this and now love to reveal my fantastic buys.

I thought I would show you a few things I found at my local charity shop today, as I took my little boy in so he could pick some books and toys. He gets bored of them very quickly so I don't like to pay full price for them unless it's for his birthday or Christmas.
He got a few thick books for 20p each and an electronic toy thats meant to go on the front of a baby walker for £3.50. He was very pleased, as was I when I took a peak in the crafts section, only to find a big pile of fabric. 'Get in there' I thought to myself.

As I am new to sewing, I thought I would spend less on my fabric as I'm bound to go wrong somewhere. So you can imagine my relief and excitment when I came across 4 Meters of Beautiful pinky/ Salmon coloured fabric for £3, Perfect for the Butterick B5605 Retro Dress and Belt pattern I purchased the other week.
Along with this I found 2 Meters of Yellow and purple floral Boussac Fabric for £1.50
I also impulse purchased some patterns which aren't amazing, but I like the crossover shape of the top And the skirt that comes in the 2 piece one, although I would prob hack most of the length off.

Does anyone have any ideas what I could make from the Floral fabric? I'm thinking a short full circle skirt for next summer. It's not very me, but I just picked it up because it was so cheap. lol.

Have you found any bargains in your local charity shop lately?

 

Related articles you may like:

My Style....Patterns I'm crushing on...

Completed Elisalex dress By Hand London

How to make Mustard with Dylon Fabric dyes

 

Classic Style on a Budget... Inspired by Pearls

We all know some things are timeless, classic and very feminine. To me and most other women, Pearls fall under this category.

Image Source

For many years our Style Icons have been seen wearing pearls, take Audrey Hepburn, need I say more?

I am on a journey, transitioning my style into classic and feminine, my aim is to slowly build my capsule wardrobe with key accessories and co-ordinating outfits, yet still keeping some patterned and beautiful colours that show my personality.
Most importantly, on a budget I can afford, hence the need to 'slowly' transition. Lets face it, if I had the money, I would have done it by now.

So I thought I would Share with you my Pearls, which you can see me wearing in my Completed Elisalex Post.

I Got them last Christmas and they are lasting far better than I thought they would.
For the price they are perfect, ideal for anyone, like myself, looking for classic style and beauty on a budget.

Argos 9ct Gold Fresh Water Cultured Pearl Stud Earrings
£16.99 211/9504
CURRENTLY £12.99 (Correct at time of posting)

Image Source

 

In all honesty, Argos need to get better photographs because these do not do them justice at all. Also the ones in the video look silver, So not sure what product they are showing there. (Black background screen shot)
Again, you can see them being worn HERE.
They are the perfect small size, look very elegant and are an expensive creamy looking colour, unlike some cheaper pearls I came across.
They are currently on offer and I think I'm going to snap up another pair at this ridiculously low price.

Sewing Notepad Giveaway

I have a giveaway for my lovely readers.

Today while shopping in Sainsburys I found a lovely little notepad in the sale. As it was such a bargain I thought I would pick up another one to do a giveaway on my blog.

I'm going to use my little book to for inspiration pictures and to list patterns. Also, I'm trying to plan my blogging and sewing a bit better so I can be more consistent, so hopefully this will help.

So one lucky winner will get themselves 1 A5 lined notepad. It also has a little cute card pocket in the back for little scrap notes.

I would say anyone that enters has a good chance of winning as My blog is new and there may not be many entries. :)

Entries are open to any country, this is my first time using rafflecopter, so hope it works fine.

Good luck to everyone who enters.

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Halloween - Pay Day treats :D

First off, Happy Halloween everyone.

TRICK OR TREAT?

...'Umm, Treat Please'...

Yes, Lots of little treats as it's payday. I thought I would order some sewing goodies as it is my first pay since being a SAHM now I've started my new job.

I may have got abit carried away this morning, but Jaycotts currently have 50% OFF Butterick and newlook patterns, plus free shipping over £20. Some Lovely bargains under £3 to bulk out my collection.
Also, I ordered the Deer and Doe skirt the other day, but thought I would add it in this list.
I would really like to support more indie pattern designers, but thought I would pick up a few bargains while I'm learning.

So, whats in my cart?

Deer and Doe Chardon Skirt (This has been on my list for awhile now, I just love the  detail and that it's a french Indie company)
Newlook 6932 Toddlers and Child's Pyjamas (To make My Handsome little boy cute PJ's, Plus I keep shrinking my partners RTW's, turning them into ankle flappers, so I could re-use the material and make my boy some instead of throwing them out, lol)
Newlook 6211 Dress (Only want the Skirt pattern for this as it reminds me of Megan Nielsons Cascade)
Butterick B5605 Retro Dress and Belt (Really like the feminine shape and bow tie back)
Newlook 6899 Easy Skirt and knit top pattern (Mostly Want this for Tee pattern)

Will you be getting any Treats for yourself today?
Thanks for reading, Have a Fab Halloween.

Completed Elisalex dress By Hand London

Here it is, I have finally completed my Elisalex dress.
It's taken awhile to do the photos, mostly due to our weather and lack of daylight.
Also, I have now started a part time job and have less sewing/ blogging time than I did as a SAHM. I'm sure once I get used to it, I'll manage to schedule in time for creativity and regular posts.

So I used the Elisalex dress pattern from By Hand London. If you haven't already got this pattern, I would highly recommend it. It's the third pattern I have ever used, and as a beginner, I found it very easy to follow and the bodice comes along in no time at all.

You my have read about my progress here.
I done a FBA and used dylon for my mustard fabric, sticking with the original skirt pattern instead of going for the full circle skirt.

So, I'd like to say a big thank you to my Bro for taking the photos for me, also, we both agreed we disliked the background, but it was the only thing we had big enough for a backdrop. Just thought I'd clear that up.
'Thanks Marc' really appreciate your help and efforts in what little space we had to work in, and would like to thank my better half for being patient with me, with my rambling on in the evenings about what patterns and designs I like. Bless him, hehe.

(For my make up lovers: Highlighter - Vanilla, Lipstick - Girl about town, Both MAC)

Please excuse my cheesy poses and grin, I'm not really one for being serious.

Thanks for checking out my dress, I can't wait to sew more. Have you got this pattern in your collection?

Related articles you may like:

Completed My Charlotte Skirt

Progress on my Elisalex

Although I haven't been posting on here much, I have been getting up to a lot at home away from my laptop.

I have finally made some progress on my Elisalex dress.

It's been a long week of muslins and changing my mind on the skirt way too much, I have been documenting as I go:

Measuring up at a UK 14 in the Waist and a 16 for the bodice, I started by making a muslin for the top half and after being pinned in by my partner, I realised I didn't have the 'Perky McKnockers look' and needed to go down a size with the full bust adjustment. So this was next on the hit list, I put it off for a couple of days because it looked confusing and as I'm a beginner it was a scary thought.
As soon as I sat down and read through the tutorial, it all started to make sense, and I'm really glad I took the time to read it as it's a brilliant skill to learn.

This was also one of the main reasons I wanted to learn to sew, finding a dress that would fit around my bust and waist correctly was rare, the FBA tutorial really breaks it down and teaches you how to adjust the pattern easily and gives you more confidence.

I also treated myself to a Prym sew and knit gauge to help me measure hems and seam allowances. It's a handy little tool which will help me alot. Please excuse my weight, it's a takeaway pot with some ceramic balls in. It does the job, but think I will be making some tins with dry beans in as an alternative.

Amy from SewsnBows helped me decide on Mustard as I wanted more of a neutral colour, which was greatly appreciated as I just couldn't decide. Thanks Amy :)

Check out my 'How to make mustard with Dylon Fabric Dyes'

Finally deciding on a colour, I went to get the supplies and started to get creative. I hadn't chosen what skirt shape I wanted so thought I would do that at a later time, then after dying my fabric for the bodice, I realised I wouldn't be able to make the exact match again (Major oops).
So I have had to find fabrics that might go with it.

I think this Emmie Fabric from Ikea matches well, but wanted to make the dress for winter time so I think I will make a dress with this pretty floral number in the spring. What do you think?

Hmmmm, Still what skirt to have? I used By Hand London's skirt tutorial to make a full circle template.

 Part of me really wants to make the original design, but not sure if I'm confident to pull it off. I have decided to use black with my bodice because I have loads left over from my Charlotte skirt.

Here's a very minimal sneak peak:

 

Don't forget to Check back soon to see the finished dress, what skirt do you think it will be?

Have you made the Elisalex?

 

Related articles you may like:

How to make Mustard with Dylon Fabric dyes

Completed My Charlotte Skirt

My Style....Patterns I'm crushing on...