Kids Clothes Week Spring 2014- Day 2 & 3 (and a half!)

I've done fairly well keeping up with a bit of sewing each day, and I've even managed to get outside with my kids and make dinner. Let's not talk about the state of the laundry, though.

I have a goal this KCW of using stuff I have- refashioning, upcycling, or using fabric from my (small) stash- rather than buying new fabric. It is time to clear some things out and make these piles of junk into something useful! So, for day 2, I refashioned (or upcyled... I really should find out the difference) this shirt I picked up at the thrift store a while back. If you haven't seen a rhyme or reason to my thrifting yet, I'll let you in on a secret. It's all about the fabric. If I'm looking for something for me then yes, I'm looking at fit and lines and all that stuff, but if I find something with a fabric I just love I know I can usually make it into something cool. Which is exactly why I bought this shirt that I knew I'd never wear- at least not in its current state.

It had a deep scoop back that meant there wasn't enough fabric to make it a little dress, so I finally decided to lop off the bottom as is and gather it into a skirt. It was basically the easiest thing I've made in a while. I used some fabric from the top to make a flat front/elastic back waistband, gathered the bottom portion and sewed it on. Easy as pie and my little lady is in love.

Refashion: Preppy Pleat Skirt

Once upon a time there was a blog post about three dresses. They all desperately needed new life. The first one was granted its wish and became an easy breezy skirt. Sadly, the owner was a procrastinator, and the two other dresses sat in the closet, untouched, for months. Then, one day, a friend came to visit. She, too, brought an ugly dress that needed new life. It became a beautiful skirt as well. The owner was encouraged to work on her dresses, and the Preppy Pleat skirt was born. There was rejoicing in all the land.

Confused? Ok, so maybe I don't have a future in children's literature.

Basically, this green dress used to look like this:

and after a crafting day with my friend Annie (who refashioned this dress) it now looks like this:

Refashion: The Market Skirt

This weekend I went ahead and tackled the easiest refashion from these fabulous dresses I posted about last week. I have yet to decide exactly what to do with the other two, but am definitely taking any and all suggestions!

Although I loved the pink buttons on this jumper, there was no question the top portion had to go. I'll use those buttons down the line for something else. This totally nineties jumper...

 ...is now a breezy mid-calf length skirt, perfect for a day at the market (or outlet mall, in my case), and is therefore called, The Market Skirt.

 Seriously, it was hot and humid high 90's on Saturday here, and this skirt was a dream to wear as we perused the goods at the outdoor outlet mall nearby.