Add Some Fashion To A T-Shirt

Got an old t-shirt? Or new one works too. Is it too plain? Want to make it fun and pretty looking? Follow my easy and quick tutorial to add lace to the sleeves and you'll have yourself a pretty new t-shirt.

 See how I made it

Tulip Hat Perfect for Summer

Getting ready for summer yet? We sure are. Especially with the nice weather that we've been getting its hard to believe that it's only March. Even thought this nice weather is not here to stay we were still prepared for all the sunshine.

Since this is the first real summer for our baby girl we had to take special precautions, like covering up for the first couple of days and wearing a cute little sun hat. And I say "real" because last summer she was only 6 months and couldn't sit or crawl she basically slept through it all. Ha.

So we needed a hat for these sunny days to cover our little head so that our little one wouldn't get too much sun. And I found the perfect pattern for a tulip hat  here. I followed their directions and then tweaked it a little in the end to make different straps. I wanted a snap on my straps so that it would be harder for little fingers to take off. Don't let a snap closure intimidate you, they are easier than you think.

Make your own tulip hat

Fabric Yo-Yo's

These fabric yo-yo's are very quick and simple to make and can be used to decorate just about anything. Shoes, shirts, purses, even stationary. Take a minute out of your day and make a few of these cards to send to friends or relatives to brighten them up just because. Surprise them with what you can make. And don't worry these won't go in the garbage like all the other ones do. Hah. (not saying that I do that :P) They are perfect for this beautiful spring weather or great for party invitations. It adds a little bit of 3D to a plain flat card. And the best part is that its all hand made.

Here's what you do.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Yeah I know this has nothing to do with sewing but we had a fun day, so I thought I'd share.


 We don't celebrate St. Patrick's day at all. Ukrainians are pretty different from the Irish but we had to do something since there was so much commotion going on. There was a parade in Syracuse it was supposedly the biggest one in NY (excluding NYC). So we went to look at that, I guess it was ok. Alina couldn't really understand what was going on. Her favorite thing to look at was all the little kids running to pick up candy that was thrown. And when we just got there she wouldn't even pick up her head, she only wanted to look at the ground. Poor baby was probably scared out of her mind. But then she got used to it.

We even got ourselves some beads :)

And we decided to take Alina out for some junk food at McDonalds. She was
so happy eating her fries.

How was your St. Patrick's day???

Baby Girl Shoes/Slippers

Baby feet are just way too cute, and when they are embellished they are even cuter.

So Ashley over at makeit-loveit.com (who by the way is a phenomenal repurposer, is that even a word?) made the cutest little baby shoes from thrifted purses. YEAH purses from the THRIFT store. I fell in love with them immediately and knew I had to make some. I was debating whether or not to make a pair for myself also. Ha. So after reading her blog I ran to the thrift store, found a purse, came home and realized it will be too small, ran back to the thrift store, exchanged for a bigger one, and made my baby some shoes. Oh and yeah the thrift store accepts exchanges.

I forgot to take before pictures of the purse but I got some after shots.

Yeah theres nothing left of it. It was a New York and Co. purse,
 so now my baby has New York and Co. shoes. Hah.

Aren't they just so cute? I couldn't get pictures of my baby in them ( she wouldn't stand still) but they look darn cute especially with a skirt.

Want to know how I made them? Well Ashley has a whole tutorial here. And I purchased her Abigail shoe pattern here. Don't be scared to buy it, they are great step by step instructions and couple sizes to choose from.

So after tyring to make these shoes and getting a better understanding of how shoes are sewn I decided to make my own pattern and make slippers.

I added pom-poms around the edge for some extra fun. And there is also an elastic on the back so that they stay put on the foot.

I made my soles out of the same fabric thats on top, but I would recommend using non-slip grip material because they are a little slippery. And another thing I would do differntly is add fusible web to make them more stiff. More on what that is later for those who do not know. Or Ashley has a great explanation of it here.

If your interested in making a pair of your own and would like a pattern just send me an email. I'll recreate the pattern, its a pretty simple one.

There she is little miss cutie herself, enjoying her new warm slippers.

Amazing giveaway over at SimpleSimonandCo.

I've been following Simple Simon & Co. for a while now. The ladies behind the scense are fantastic at what they do. And they are offering an amazing give away of a dress form. For FREE. It ends Friday so head on over there quick and enter. Click here to go to giveaway.

Welcome All

WOW!!! I finally did it, I made a blog where I can organize my thoughts, my ideas and my to-do list. Haha just kidding about the last one. But I definitely needed to organize all those ideas in my head and they don't stop coming. Be prepared for this blog to be filled with all sorts of wonderful sew-alongs, and crafts, I'll even throw in a few recipes since I like to cook. I might even show a glimpse of my garden during the summer and share a few tips and ideas in that department as well. 

 Most of my effort will be put into sewing only because I enjoy it the most at the moment. I will share ideas that I get from other crafty bloggers and post them for all to see. And the ideas I get from thin air, or after visiting the thrift store. Ha.  I'm only a beginner in sewing but I have a pretty good handle on it. And plenty of instructions will also be provided for all those beginners who were just like me. If I did it anyone can do it.

So don't go anywhere hang around and see what I have up my sleeve...After all making things by hand is worth way more than store bought.