Dupatta Dress/Top

This kaftan gown is one of my favorite piece of clothing. I love to wear this loose fitting silhouette while lounging at home. This kaftan is one-size fits all and extremely comfortable. For my  Recycle and Reuse series, I decided to make a trendy version of this kaftan with an old dupatta as my main fabric.

For those unfamiliar with dupattas, here is a little bit of info. They are long scarves or stoles worn mostly by the South-Asian women over the traditional Salwar Kameez. It  measures any where between 3-5 yards in length and is available in variety of fabrics, colors and textures. It can be draped over the shoulder or across the chest. It is a very versatile piece of fabric and can be used to dress up or dress down your look. Below is the picture of my old dupatta. As you can see it is in perfect condition. I have not used it that often. I love the print of royal blue paisleys on it and knew if I cut it the right way I could get the look I want.

I made a paper pattern by tracing the kaftan. To really make it trendy I shortened the length of the dress/top and kept it knee length. I also changed the neckline from V to bateau and curved it up a little bit. It took me less than a day to finish the dress and just for fun I came up with these three looks.

For the first look, I paired it up with some skinnies and brown heeled pumps.

For the second look, I paired it with some knee length, black boots.

For the final look, I wanted a summery feel so I just matched it with jeans peep toe wedges.

The cost of this project as usual is zero and fortunately for me, I already had the accessories and shoes and as such did not spend a dime on them.

So what did you think of this project? I would love to have some feedback. Let me know which look you liked the best?

Jeans Skirt

This next project is an absolutely fun one. It was born out of frustration. You see, my four year old has a very, very, let me emphasize...very tiny waist. I cannot find any age-appropriate pants or skirts for her. Waist wise, she still fits into a 12 mths to 2T pants/skirts. As I was cleaning her closet, I came across a couple of rarely used jeans which were in excellent condition. The size 2T jeans were short in length, but fit her perfectly at her waist. So I borrowed and idea from my earlier project the  T-Shirt Dress Project  and decided to remake the jeans into a skirt.

I began by cutting off both the legs of the pants.

From the top edge, I measured about 5" all around and re-trimmed the jeans.

I cut a piece of fabric that was leftover from the T-Shirt Dress Project

I double folded it, wrong sides together....that way I did not have to hem the bottom. I ran a long stitch all along the top edge of the fabric. Pulled the threads to gather the skirt to the appropriate width.

Pinned it to the bottom edge of the jeans, adjusting as I went along. Once I got it all pinned, I sewed it twice to secure it. This is how it looks all finished.

My little one modeling the jeans skirt for me.

Cost of this Project: NIL

Pink & Orange Dotted Tote

I'll pick up from where I last left. As you can see, I sewed the lining as well as the main fabric with all the panels. I must say this part was not easy. I was glad to be done with that.

 

The next step was to attach the main fabric and the lining. I struggled with this step so much that I had to rip it open twice. I almost felt like throwing a fit like my toddler. All I had to do was insert the lining into the main fabric and sew it all around the top with a 3" opening. I did it wrong and instead of a clean finish; it exposed all the raw edges. Finally on my third attempt I was able to get it right.

I cut out two strips of fabric and 25" x 4". Attached an iron-on fusible interfacing to give it some thickness. Folded it and sewed it into straps. I love how the two straps turned out to be of two different colors.

Finally this is how the bag looks like from the inside after the the straps were sewed in. All neat and clean.

A look at the completed bag.

I made two different sized flowers from the leftover fabric and attached them to the front of the bag with a matching button.

The final Look:

Update on the T-Shirt Dresses Project

Finally, I have an update for the T-Shirt Dress project. All the clothes have been packed and shipped to Evelet in Mumbai. I did hit a road block when it came to shipping the package.The quotes, I got from UPS and  DHL were simply ridiculous.  For that price I could have booked a ticket to India and personally delivered  the package to Evelet. Mentioning that this was for charity was no help at all. Anyway, I finally shipped it through the Postal Service (USPS).  Here is a look-see.

These are all the T-Shirt dresses I sewed. I was able to make about 17 dresses in a month. It was an absolute delight and fun project. I wish I will have more opportunities to do this kind of project in the future.

The boys t-shirts were donated by my friends. Thanks to Prathima Lal, Sudha Laxminarayan and Pallavi Rahate for their generosity.

I will have more updates once the clothes have been delivered. Thanks again  Evelet.

Second Tote

I am making a second tote. I need a bag for gym as well as the library. I want an over-sized bag, so that I can stuff anything & everything in it. Gone are my  days of carrying a pretty little handbag. Nowadays I need something that resembles a sack. It has to accommodate everything....water bottles, snacks, my kids books, tissue, first aid kit, stuffed toys....you get the picture.

Anyway, this is my main fabric. The one which will be on the outside. Isn't it  really pretty? I love all the orange and pink dots on this fabric. It has quiet a modern look to it. It is 100% lightweight cotton.

 I cut two 18" x 18" pieces for the front and the back of the bag.

Repeated the same steps for the lining. The fabric I used for the lining has a faux suede look with ribbed texture like corduroy. It is a medium weight upholstery fabric, so it is nice and thick. Once I line the bag with this fabric it will hold well.

I wanted the tote to have a boxed look, so I cut up single strips of both the main and lining fabric. They are for the side & bottom panels and measure about 56"L x 5"W.

That is as far as I got. Will update tomorrow....:)

Totes Project

Yes, I need totes!  There are all kinds of beautiful and lovely totes available in the stores....but making one is far more gratifying than buying something generic off the shelf.

I found this beautiful table runner at TARGET. I decided to use this as my fabric for the tote. It is thick and sturdy. Once finished, I knew it would hold well.

I cut it to size. The length was around 18" and I kept the width around 14". I made adjustments to those measurement as I went along.

With the right sides together, I sewed on the wrong side all around except the top side. That was the opening where I was going to sew the straps later.

Clipped the corners.

This next step is important. I pinched the corner and shaped the the fabric like a  pyramid.

Opened the edges and laid them flat. Measured and marked it about 1 1/2" from the top.




















Sewed it on the marking. Cut the excess fabric. Repeated it on the other side too.





















I cut two strips of fabric measuring 20" x 4". Folded them and sewed them into straps.

















Attached both the straps to the bag on the inside.

Made a pom pom flower from some leftover wool. I attached it to the front of the bag with a button to accessorize it.

This is how it looks all finished and ready for my older one to use as and when she needs it.

Totes

I need Totes...more information on the way...

Kid's Apron

I finished sewing the apron for my niece. I found a beautiful purple fabric with prints of yellow cupcakes. I am sure she will love the fabric. She wanted a purple apron. Since my little one is of the same age,  I asked her to model the apron for me.She was very willing, although at the end of the photo session....she did not want to part away from the Apron. So now I have to make one for her too.

Anyway this one is for you Vibali......

T-Shirt Project Update & Child's Apron

I will be absolutely honest. The procrastinating devil in me has been raising its ugly head. I don't know if it is the weather (had 2 snowstorms so far) or maybe, I am just being lazy. I  kept putting it off. So today I have forced myself to sit down and give an update.

Well, I have finished sewing all the T-Shirts dresses. I am happy to say that I did it on time. This was one of those projects that gave me a tremendous amount of joy.  I hope I will have more opportunities to do this in the future. As I was doing this project, I was constantly thinking about the boys. I did not want the boys to feel left out. I don't know how to sew boy's clothes, so I asked my friends if they were interested in donating boy's T-shirts. A couple of my friends have been generous and volunteered to do the same. In the meantime, I am shopping around for economical ways to ship the package to India. I am hoping to send the package to Evelet by the end of this month.

As for the project for the month of January...I have to say that for some reason my creative juices have taken a haitus. Even though I have a lot of things to do around the house, I don't consider them to be project worthy for this blog. The only thing I can think of right now is to sew an apron for my 4 year old niece. After seeing all the aprons that I had made for the Nov project, she wants me to sew one for her.She specifically wanted a purple apron.

So there it is; my project for this month ending Jan 31st will be a Child's Apron, specifically for my niece 'Vibali'

T-Shirts Dress Project.

Since my saga with the aprons is all done and finished, I’ll update my project for the month of Dec. I already hinted that it has to do with giving & charity. Well here it is. I have decided to sew and donate T-Shirts dresses.

Initially I had planned to make these dresses and donate it to girls in Africa through the group ‘Mothers Without Border’......but, then I thought of my friend Evelet Sequeira in Mumbai. Her job as a doctor in 'UNICEF' allows her to travel to the far off villages in India. Evelet has graciously volunteered to donate the dresses on my behalf to the children there. Since this is my personal donation, I have until Dec 31st to sew about 10-15 dresses. So far I have made two of them and I am shopping for more materials. What can I say......I LOVE SHOPPING !!!!!

This is what the dresses look like:

Aprons are here

I was finally able to finish the photo shoot...:) of the aprons with the help of my two friends. They graciously volunteered to do the assignment. Thank you guys!!!!!

Here are the images. I hope you have as much fun viewing them, as I had making them.

All the above aprons have cotton blend fabric with vinyl lining in the back.

 

I made this apron a little bit different. I used a silk fabric and lined it with black cotton lining. I am going to call it my  "Diva Apron". Anyone who loves cooking and entertaining guests & having all the fabulous parties...this one is for you. I, for one will be using this to bring out the cooking Diva in me.  Smiles & more smiles.