PJ’s for Little Cowboys from Vintage Flannel Fabric

A Happy New Year to everyone. I’m finally back to my neglected blog. Sorry to be away so long, the last month of the year is always a very hectic time for me.

Anyway here’s my post on one of my holiday projects:

Since both my mother and grandmother did so much home sewing we’ve always had piles of fabric around the house. Some pieces have been in the family as far back as I can remember. I had this favorite piece of flannel with a cowboy print that I’ve loved since I was a little tot myself. I figured someday I’d make something for a son, but I never had any kids.

Then I realized a few years ago, when my youngest nephew was turning four, that I’d better do something with the fabric before all the boys were too old to enjoy it. So I made him a cute pair of PJ’s. I guess I should have gotten my sis to send me a picture of him in them as I’m sure he’s outgrown them by now.

 

This year at Christmas my niece asked for PJ’s for her 19 month old son. I shopped around and wasn’t very thrilled with most of what I found in the stores. I did finally find one cute pair and thought I’d use them as a pattern for a second pair. Low and behold I came across that small remnant of the cowboy flannel (I save everything). There was enough for a pajama top if I pieced it together. I also had some knit fabrics in both blue and red, so I asked my husband if he were 2 years old which color he would like. He said the red. So I made the bottoms with the red knit and the top from the flannel. Originally I put a stripe of the red across the front of the shirt where I pieced 2 parts together, but we both agreed it looked too girly. So I did a quick google search on cowboy motifs for other ideas to cover the seam and saw the suede fringe. Also in my remnant piles were some pieces of ultrasuede (can we say hoarder). I cut a strip 1-1/4” wide and then cut 1/4” fringe along the edge and sewed it down over the seam. Way more cowboy now!

A Tutorial on Covering Old Shank Buttons

I’m making some pillows for my sofa and needed some large buttons for them. I didn’t find any in my collection whose color satisfied me, but I did find 2 rusty old metal buttons and 2 very plain black plastic ones. I decided to look for fabric to cover them. The piece I found was a ribbed knit (the kind used for neck bands on t-shirts). A woven fabric would probably work better for this project as it won’t stretch around the button as easily, but I found that mine came out well enough to use for my project.

I know it’s easier to just buy a covered button kit, but I hate having to spend money on something new when I have so much stuff that needs to be used up here at home.

Here’s a how-to:

Step 1)

Choose a shank button and cut a circle of fabric about 1/2” to 5/8” larger in diameter than your button.

Step 2)

Sew a tight running stitch around the outside edge of your fabric circle.

Step 3)

Place the button upside down on the wrong side of fabric and pull your thread so that the fabric gathers tight around the button. Securely knot off the thread.

Step 4)

Cut a circle of felt or lightweight pellon smaller than the button but large enough to cover the raw edged on the fabric on the back of button. Cut a slice in the center for the button shank.

Step 5)

Run a circle of glue (I used Ilene’s Ok to wash it) around the stitching. Place the felt on top and press firmly down and secure with some clothespins until dry. I placed a piece of plastic wrap on top so any glue that seeped out wouldn’t stick to the clothespins.

As you can see in the photos, it worked a bit better on the 2 black plastic buttons because they had a recess on the back, but the metal ones are still usable.

Bathroom Window Valance

I finally got around to finishing & hanging my bathroom valance. We renovated the bath over a year ago and a few months later I can across a remnant at Joann’s Fabrics that matched the tile I used to repair the windowsill. I originally planned to make a horn & swag valance, but the pattern showed it was cut on a curve, which didn’t go with the square background on the print. I put it aside for awhile and after passing by the fabric so many times in my craft room, I finally decided to just go with a traditional pleat. It was easy to construct and it really does go perfect with the tile, so I’m glad I finally knocked it off the ‘to do’ list.

Mother’s Day, Thank You for passing on the skills and talents

Where would I be without the knowledge, skills and artistic encouragement passed down from my mother and grandmother. As mentioned in my profile, both were responsible for teaching me to sew. Even though most women of their era were taught to sew, many did not take to it or enjoy it as they did.

My grandmother did quite a lot of hand sewing, embroidery and crochet. Here are some of the wonderful vintage linens of hers I still have. She used to embroider lots of pillowcases for us, and our doll beds too. She started me hand sewing doll clothes, possibly as young as five years old. She made lots of things without patterns at all.

My mother inherited quite a lot of skills from her mom and was a talented seamstress. She used to design her own clothes by modifying and combining patterns. She passed those skills on to me. She made quite a lot of clothes for all 5 of us kids. She also made curtains, toys and other stuff too. I can still remember the day she taught my sister & I how to use the sewing machine, helping us make curtains for our bedroom. Boy did we have a hard time mastering that foot pedal. I also remember some adorable pastel flannel polka dot PJ’s with reversible robes that she made my sister and I. We modeled them in a fashion show for what I believe was a sorority sisters event when I was maybe 3 and my sis 5. I may still have a scrap of that fabric. Here’s a lovely linen dress she made in the 50’s.

So a big THANKS to mom and grandma, and don’t forget to pass on your crafts to the next generation.

Costumes – Pirate Wench

Each year we try to visit the Florida Ren-fest when it comes to town. Being a seamstress and having made a medieval costume in my ‘History of Costume’ class, I tend to dress up for the event. This year we went on Pirates weekend so I stuck with the theme. Credit for the pic goes to my husband, you can see all his great Ren-fest photos on his flickr stream.

The Honey Pot Bag

My friend is planning to go to a Halloween Party as a Bumble Bee. She wanted something to use as a small purse. She brought me a small remnant with a bee print and a small plastic food container and asked how she might make something that looked like a honey pot. So I drew the diameter of the container on the fabric and cut a circle with seam allowance. Then I sewed a drawstring pouch and gathered it slightly to the circle. I taped it to the bottom of the container so it would stay in place & then added a black shoe string for the drawstrings. She is thriller & it seems pretty sturdy with the plastic liner. I may have to make a few more bucket pouches now.

The Threads of Crafting

How can I have so much thread and still never have the color I need?










UNSEWN – my abstract photo
(When upcycling clothing, sometimes I need every inch I can get so I have to undo seams. I just though this made an interesting photo)

Matching Outfit for Barbie

My great niece (ugg can’t believe I’m that old) just turned 7, so I made an outfit for her birthday. She LOVES Barbie, so I decided to make an outfit for her too. My fingers aren’t as nimble as they used to be, was more work than I had expected. But they were both a hit.

Passing on the Knowledge

The last few weeks I spent some time giving my niece her first sewing lessons. She’s never sewn before, even by hand. We decided to start with a tote bag, I thought it would be a fairly simple shape for a beginner. The original pattern had grommets and a drawstring through the top, but after she chose her fabric, I was concerned about the grommets on the satiny fabric, so we left them out. We then added the handmade flowers for a decoration. I had to help with a few things like making the piping that went around the bottom, but she amazed me how quickly she learned to get the right pressure on the foot pedal. I remember that being very difficult for me when I was a child. Anyway, she made a great tote bag. I’m very proud of her.