Our first pillowcase dress!

I'm so excited to finally be posting one of my projects online. I just got my sewing machine a few months ago. It sat in the box for about a week waiting for me to research how to sew... via Pinterest, various blogs and YouTube. I basically stalked the web.

I will also admit that I was scared to death of this sewing machine. The last thing I had sewn was a stuffed football for my little brother when I was in 6th grade!

Fast forward and I'm sewing on a big girl machine for my grand-daughter's, Alana (Lala) and Micah. I've made several things now including the little blue shoes she (Lala) is wearing in the picture below. I've taken to it like a fish to water. Who knew?

My secret is to be fearless. After I got over my fear of the machine I decided to come out with scissors blazing! You see I can't afford to purchase a sewing machine and all the notions, trinkets and fabric and not use it.

My husband actually took the boxed up sewing machine and put it up to get it out of the way. And I'm sure you know what happens to things that get "put up". So I decided to get it out and put it on the kitchen table. It sat there for only about 2 days before I grabbed the instruction booklet and read it.

Then I decided that I was going to teach myself once and only once to 1) thread the bobbin (I didn't know what bobbin thread was for before this), 2) thread the machine and 3) utilize the self threading needle. Once I did that I felt pretty happy and self confident with myself. I turned into a mad woman...a mad sewing machine

It was on then. I have sewn skirts, shirts, doggie beds, pillows, valances, napkins, headbands, little purses, fabric flowers and now dresses and shoes. I've also altered 2 of my husband's pajama pants and altered 2 of his shirts to make them sleeveless. Don't tell anyone but I think he secretly wants some shoes too.

I'm also in the know. My daughter handed me a few things to alter. She also knows to save clothes and pillow cases. There are all kinds of things that can be done to used or outgrown clothes. It's free fabric for smaller people clothes, pillows, embellishments or alterations. Really your imagination is the only limit.

I have a whole list of things in my imagination to tackle too.

I have to admit that I also have 2 grandsons that have been terribly neglected in this area. When it comes to boys clothes it's not the lack of ideas, it's the lack of experience. You can basically cut the top off of a pillow case and turn the disgarded fabric into straps and viola...a little girl twirls. But when it comes to boys well we have pockets, zippers, hoods, arm holes and shirt lengths to deal with. I know I will need to learn these things not only for the boys but for the girls and anyone else that I will sew for.

I'm stalking researching all of these things and I'm getting ready to tackle the zipper. I have already tackled the button and button hole so I'm on a role. I have had a bad streak with snaps. I put them on a shirt that I made for Lala and when I opened the shirt the snap came with it. I even got one of those plier things to smash them. It was dissapointing but a lesson learned.

Just like the lessons I learned when I sewed the bottom of a skirt closed, the end of the valance closed, the many many times I attached a piece of fabric backwards, broke needles and stalled the scary sewing machine. By the way, her name is Loretta.

I discovered that I talked to myself a bit too much when sewing so I named my machine and me and Loretta are getting along just fine.

I wish I had taken pictures as I threw this dress together this morning but I didn't. I was a spur of the moment situation and Lala is staying with me for a few days so she was right there to make sure everything fit. And it really only took about 20 minutes to throw this together and that includes my design ideas that swirl around in my head when I'm making something.

This is what I did...I cut off around 4" from the top (the closed end) and sewed a casing for the 1/2" elastic, leaving a small opening to stuff the elastic in. I also zig-zagged around it again to keep it from fraying. After putting the elastic in and sewing it together, I sewed it shut.

I took the discarded fabric and fiddled around with it a bit because I was just going to make a sleeveless dress but a 3 year old kinda needs straps...ie it kept sliding down a bit. So I wrapped the fabric over her shoulders and figured out how much I needed to cut to make a strap and be able to put her head in the dress. I folded it over...sewed the long end and one of the short ends, zigged it and turned it right side out. I then attached the strap about 3" from the arm, sewed them both on and crossed it a bit in the back and sewed that on.

One thing that I really love about sewing is the finishing touches and the personal details that you can add. I have yet to make something for my grand-daughters without making a hair piece to match. The hair piece in Lala's hair is just a piece of the fabric with the edges sewn down and tied into her hair.

Since I'm a sewing manic I wanted to leave my mark on my creations and make them extra special. The tag on her dress I ordered through Etsy for under 20 bucks for 200. They are fabric and it's a picture of a tree with a little boy peeking out from one side and a little girl peeking out from the other and the text I added says "Made with love and stitches xoxoxo". I can't tell you how much this meant to her. It made my heart melt. I just love that little girl so much.