Simple Knit Skirt From a Huge Tank Top

I'm a sucker for two things.  Well maybe more than two, but I am for sure a sucker for the clearance rack at any store, and I'm also a sucker for knit skirts.

I found this gem of a find at Walmart for a buck.

It's a 5XL cotton/poly blend light-weight knit tank top.  I couldn't leave it there for $1.  Like I said, I'm a sucker.

I wanted to leave the original hem of the shirt intact, as I'm not really a fan of sewing knits, and I'm lazy. So I chopped off the top portion, right under the arm pits.

 I pinned down about an inch for an elastic casing, making sure to leave a couple of inches open to feed the elastic through.

 I sewed a zig-zag stitch, fed the elastic through, and sewed her up, and TA DA...

Missing part of my head...

Me.  The awkward model in a breezy knit skirt.

Super easy, cheap, comfy, and cool for the hot summer ahead.  Thanks for stopping by!

Cute PJs, Too Bad You've Grown

I'm baaaack.  I guess I took a couple of months off.  Don't worry, I've spent the majority of my time off of the blog collecting more project material (aka junk) or pinning things to Pinterest.  Time well spent, no?

I was also able to travel back to the good ol' U.S. of A, and of course while there I came across things at my mom's house that I couldn't bring myself to part with.  Example number one, these super cute PJs.  Originally from Japan, 100% cotton in a SUPER pretty flower and butterfly print.  Perfect, no?  Except they are around a kids' size 3/4.  My kid is 8, so needless to say, they were a little snug.  They were in the donation pile, and I rescued them (you're welcome pretty PJs).

I painstakingly took apart both the pants and the kimono top, and ended up with quite a bit of material to work with.  I decided to make the princess a simple skirt.  I used the pieces from the pants and the back of the top and came up with this:

I still have a couple of pieces of the pretty material left, so I may make something else, as soon as I can figure out what.  Maybe I'll head over to Pinterest :)

So that's what I did today.  It's good to be back.  Thanks for stopping by!

Save a Skirt By Killing a Tank Top

Today I did a super fast and easy transformation for the princess.  She has a cute ruffle skirt in a really fun bright turquoise knit.  The problem?  Too much 7 year old bootie hanging out.  When I told her I could see her underwear, she begged me not to get rid of it.  Sigh, another "favorite" destined for the garage sale bag.  I told her to go change, and she comes out wearing the skirt as a top.  That's my girl.  Refashion that skirt.  It was a little big on top for her, so instead of adding elastic, I made some straps out of a too small tank top.

The bootie showin' skirt.

The sacrificial tank top.

 I braided 3 of the strips together for each strap, and sewed them in place.  And...

Future supermodel working the camera.

 Pretty cute!  Now I can hold off fighting her about getting rid of it.  Until her belly starts to show, at least.

Here Goes Nothin'

Welcome.  I've been on the fence about starting a blog for a bit.  I generally feel that most of the "mom blogs" out there are annoying, at best.  Most of them make me feel like I should have an opinion/clean house/dinner on the table all while being totally fashionable.  Nothing like a little pressure.  I'm going to attempt to show you the things I make.  Sometimes they turn out well, other times, I just make a mess.  The messes usually involve dinner, so you probably won't see many any recipes.  Because who needs a recipe for cereal or grilled cheese?  Plenty of places out there to figure out what to make for dinner, I'll probably see you there.

Ok, enough intro crap.  Here's what I'm working on today.  A too short dress for my almost 8 year old.  It's a 6X that I got at a thrift store a couple of years ago for a couple of bucks.  She's showing too much bum, and it's generally too hot here for leggings.  Did I mention that it's one of her favorites?  As in, "MOM!  You're not going to put my FAVORITE dress in the donation pile, are you?"  Sigh.  Note to self: clean out closets while the child is at school.

So, I'm making it into a skirt and little bolero/shrug jacket.  Here's the dress (sorry I didn't get a shot pre-chop, but you get the idea).

Choppy choppy.

  I left an inch or so above the actual "skirt" part so I could fold it over and sew, then slip some elastic through.  In hindsight I should have made a larger waist band area, as I hard a hard time sewing it due to the curly nature of knit.  No worries though, I just used a skinnier piece of elastic than I had originally planned.

For the shrug I simply cut down the middle of the top, folded it under and zig-zagged around.  I used yellow thread, I guess I could have used some cute pink, but then my drunk-like sewing would have shown up for the world to see.

And here's the after.  We'll probably get another 2 years out of it.

Future supermodel.

   Not too shabby.  I would love to know what you think!