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wardrobe refashion: t-shirt to little girl’s beach cover-up

I’ve talked about our vacation, but have I mentioned where we’re going?

t shirt to toddler dress

Yep! Can you believe I found this t-shirt? I thought it might make a really cool beach cover-up for my daughter. I just used one of her currently fitting dresses as a pattern.

t-shirt to beach coverup

This should have been such an easy project. The t-shirt was twisted and I had a hard time making the vertical lines look even. Also, the material is really thin and kept getting sucked into my machine. But I loved how it turned out!

t-shirt to beach coverup

So does my daughter. It would be nice if this fits next summer as a dress, but they way she’s growing, it will probably fit in the middle of January.

thrifted and refashioned: 99 cent sale t-shirt.

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this weekend i made a dinosaur cake

dinosaur cake

It did not have a volcano or really big teeth. It wouldn’t win a spot in the Craftiest Cake Hall of Fame. It did, however, have some really awesome dinosaur sprinkles, along with some moons and stars, carefully applied by the birthday girl herself. And it is the only thing I made this weekend.

I didn’t make her a fancy dino applique anything (although my friend Kelly made her an awesome dino tote), no special #4 shirt like last year (she wanted to wear her Liberty party dress), not one stitch sewn, knit or hooked.

I have done other crafty things, though. We’ve colored a lot, gone through an amazing number of stickers and built cool houses with magformers. We’ve also read lots and lots of dinosaur books and eaten lots of cheesy carbohydrates.

It’s been awesome, but I’m ready to get back to my usual creative self. I’m also buying my own set of skinny magic markers because coloring these cool animals is really fun.

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nature school open house

Bella will be in school every morning this year. She’s headed back to last year’s school for three days and going two days at a local park preschool. Last week we went to an open house and she didn’t want to leave. I’m guessing she’s going to really enjoy it.

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giveaway: interweave knits magazines

interweave knits

I found one more thing of interest at the textile sale: a bag of Interweave Knits magazines for only 25 cents each. They are various issues from 2001-2003. Some had a few patterns that had been cut out, but for a quarter each, I figured they’d be great just for inspiration.

Well, I found quite a few things that I liked, actually. As I was cutting them out, I marveled at just how many patterns were left. Did the magazine publish more per issue back then? I could not bring myself to put these in the recycle bin. Now, granted, some of the pullovers are a bit oversized, but a lot are classic enough to be made and worn today. Here are some of the pattern highlights:

*Grand plan patterns include every possible measurement imaginable for a completely custom fit.

How to enter: Just leave a comment and tell me about your current projects. You can leave a second comment for a bonus entry if you head on over and “like” me on my Facebook page.

Giveaway open until Thursday, September 2, midnight, central time. I’ll announce the winner next Friday.

Open to U.S. readers only. Sorry, international friends, but these weigh a lot!

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thrifty thursday: needlework books

Last Saturday was the annual textile sale and you’d all be impressed at the amount of fabric I did not buy. I did get some for an upcoming project, a few balls of wool and this lovely book.

barbara walker charted knitting designs

It was originally a library book with the last hand-stamped date being June 6, 1988. Her two previous books A Treasury of Knitting Patterns and A Second Treasure of Knitting Patterns are mostly collections of traditional patterns. The majority of patterns in Charted Knitting Designs are her original work. Every single one of them is absolutely beautiful.

reader's digest complete guide to needlework

After the textile sale, I checked out some of the nearby east campus sales and found Reader Digest’s Complete Guide to Needlework. I knew this had to come home and live on my shelf with the Reader Digest’s Complete Guide to Sewing. I am amazed at how one book can cover all of these topics in such detail. What an awesome resource.

thrifting: Can you believe I paid only $1 each for these? I’m still pinching myself! I also scored some knitting magazines that I’ll be giving away to one lucky reader. Stay tuned!

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my creative space

crochet bath mitt

Remember this sweater yarn? I finished my first square. I know this is supposed to be my vacation project, but the pattern is so addicting. Maybe just one more? It’s not like I don’t have plenty of other things on my to-do list. Ha!

pattern info: This is Wagon Wheel #2 from Granny Crochet Favorites. I modified the last round to be hdc instead of dc stitches. The colors in the book are seriously dated, but the patterns are really quite lovely.

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it’s hip to be mitt

crochet bath mitt

Dishcloths, charity squares, blanket squares — I needed a break from squares. I still had a few washcloth and soap gifts to make and give, but I couldn’t bear to make another square. I started cruising on ravelry and it hit me: Bath Mitt!

This was so much fun to make. I’ll definitely be making more, including one for me! Other changes to my “standard” gift: I’ve added a soap saver along with the fancy soap. Can’t believe I didn’t think of this before.

project info: stash (aunt lydia’s) cotton yarn, thrifted ribbon, etsy soap, lion brand pattern.

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wardrobe refashion: beach dress blahs

wardrobe refashion: beach dress

I bought this dress because I thought it would be nice for the beach. After taking it in at the waist (sorry, you can’t really tell in the photos) and shortening the hem to knee length, it’s not really doing anything for me.

wardrobe refashion: beach dress

My husband says it looks good, but it makes me feel kind of blah. I’m still keeping it for vacation, but it will probably get donated after that!

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thrifty thursday: deconstructing

thrifty zipper and wood buttons

Awhile ago, back when it was cold and icy outside, I found a sweater with the most amazing wood buttons. The sweater was 99 cents. Where can you find six wood buttons for 99 cents? Plus, get a two-way zipper as part of the deal?

Some of my crafty friends had me convinced I should keep the sweater. I agree that it is cute, but it really doesn’t fit me well. It’s been in my closet long enough and has been relegated to the donation pile. Not before liberating the buttons and zipper, of course.

Don’t worry, the sweater is still very wearable. The buttons were just for decoration.

east campus garage sales alert: Last year a lot of you mentioned that you were interested in this big, wonderful, fabric-y, fiber-y, vintage-y garage sale weekend. It’s here! Maybe see you there?

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my creative space

my creative space crochet doily

In my creative space today I’m blocking a doily. Yes, you read that right. I got out a teeny-weeny hook and used crochet thread. Can you believe it?

It’s a gift, so all I can show today is a sneak peek. Once it’s been delivered, I’ll post more pics and pattern info.

What’s happening in your creative space today? Make sure to visit Kirsty’s blog for more creative space fun.