Phone Booth Shirt Dress Tutorial

I know that you all have been patiently waiting for this grand tutorial so here it is. :)

A couple months ago we found these shirts at Wal Mart for $1 so we bought 5 of them for the little girls to wear to the Pioneer Days Celebration.

So here's what I did.

Take a shirt that fits and use it for the pattern.  This is a shirt for the babies (12 months).

I don't know if you can see my marks but I basically just marked wear the arm holes and the top of the shirt would be so I would have an idea wear to cut.  Don't forget to add about an inch for hems and seam allowances.  I always have a hard time making all of the sides the same when I cut so I folded the shirt in half and cut through all layers at the same time. 

Then I sewed up the sides and hemmed the arm holes.  I stitched twice along the arm holes so they would lay a little flatter.

Then I cut 1" strips of material (2 strips of white, 1 strip of red from an old T-shirt that I was throwing away).  Braid the strips together and using your original shirt measure how long you'll need the straps.  Sew the two ends of the braided strap together.  Fold the back of the shirt over your strap and stich along the bottom.  I gathered the back just a bit but you wouldn't have to.

Now all you have to do is hem the bottom where you want it and you're done.  Super easy and fast.

And if you try the finished project on your little model and find that the straps are too long you could just fold it up in the back like I had to with Joselyn's.  (Can you tell from this picture?)

(Cute little buns huh?)

It was super hot outside so it was nice to have a thin shirt that wasn't too hot.  They even worked great while playing in the park.

Oh and we also braided some red and white straps for flip flops.

Of course we had to finish the look off with lip gloss.  Let's be real, this girl doesn't leave the house without having lip gloss with her.  Crazy child.

They were even good outfits to take a little nap in.

I thought the girls looked super cute and it was a lot faster than some of the previous years outfits so that was nice.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me at rufflesandmudpuddles@hotmail.com.

Happy Wednesday!

Sneek Peak

Here's a sneek peak of what I'm working on.  Watch for a tutorial and lots of pictures coming soon.  The tutorial will include how to make this ranging from sizes 12 month to 8.  :)

Now back to cleaning I go.  :) 

Getting ready for the big move is not so fun at this point.  I hate going through all of my junk.  I'm such a pack rat.

Fabric Finds - Part 2

Sorry that I'm just now getting these posted.  Here are some more of my finds in the fabric that I got a couple weeks ago.

Sister Mott made this quilt blocks and embroidered names on them.  They are beautiful.

Here's a stack of fabric that I don't want.  Any takers?

And here's a stack of smaller pieces.  There's some cute stuff in there but I think I already have more than I should at this point.  Any takers on these?

And then there's this.  I'm not real sure what she made with it but it's supper cool.  I don't know if you can tell but the underneath is some kind of rubbery foam.  I think it's darn cool but again...don't have much room to store it.

If anyone wants any of this stuff (excluding the quilt blocks of course) please let me know.  If I don't have any takers, I'll probably take it to good will.  Let me know soon if you're interested.

Fabric Finds - Part 1

I finally went through all of the many trash bags filled will material and other sewing stuff.  I was like a little kid at Christmas yesterday.  :)  Here are pictures of a very, very, very small portion of what I got. 

Look at all of this thread.  Amazing.  And the middle picture is elastic.  Yes, I think I'm set for awhile.

I got all of my material packed up in HUGE tubs (32 gallon tubs to be exact) plus a small box.  That doesn't count the material or sewing stuff that I already have. 

I'll post Part 2 later on with details about a possible fabric giveaway if anyone is interested.

Today I'm working on going through all of my clothes to get rid of the stuff that I've had since High School.  I have a whole page of "stuff" that I need to get done before the big move next month plus all of the packing that needs to be done.  I don't know that I'll get much crafting or sewing done for awhile but we'll see what late night projects I can come up with.  Busy little bees over here. :)

Happy Wednesday!

When I first started this blog I mentioned a few different things that I thought were cool.  Of course my list of "have to do someday" has grown.  Here are some more things that I would like to make someday.

Wouldn't these snack and sandwich bags be so much fun to take to the park?  You can find a tutorial here on Saltwater Kids.

I got a sweet deal on a super cute table cloth from Target. I'm going to make some changing pads similar to the tutorial here.  Jill from Homemade by Jill made this tutorial for Celebrate the Boy month.

I saw this dress on Shabby Apple's website and the first thing I thought was "I could totally make that."  We'll see how it turns out.  If this dress wasn't $72 I might consider just buying it...oh wait...no I wouldn't...I'm far to cheap for that. :)

I finally found some watch bands so I can make some of these.  Tutorial found here. 

So those are some of the things that are on my mind.  Now I just need to find the time to do them.  I'm trying to get my house cleaned out and getting ready to start packing in the next month or so.  The move is getting closer and I can't wait.  :)

Happy Wednesday!

Super Find!

A lady I go to church with was getting rid of everything in her house.  (They're moving her to a nursing home.  A little sad but the reality of life sometimes.)  I got a call saying that she had a lot of material that needed a good home.  She used to work for the Gerry Factory here in town which made coats, sleeping bags, duffle bags, etc.  She was telling me about how the NFL contacted them asking them to design some warm jackets for the coaches.  So she designed the first coats that were used by the NFL coaches.  Anyway, a lot of fabric was an understatement.  I seriously thought that I had died and gone to heaven when I saw the 30 metal trash cans that were filled to the brim with material.  That didn't include the 15-20 bolts of slick jacket material that were sitting along side.

I haven't gotten to go through all of it yet but I came home with 6 huge bags of material, a bag of serger thread, sleeping bags, rain jackets and these lovely zippers.

Check them out.  Now I can't complain (or go take some from my mom) because I have plenty!

Hopefully in the next couple of days I'll get the chance to check out all of my finds!  Aren't you so excited for me?  :)  Oh and don't you love my cool jar?  Thanks Andy!  You're the best.

Snazzy Capris

I made matchy capris for the girls for their birthday.  They were super easy...yes...you can make them in a sinch.  I made both of the capris for less than $4.  So much cheaper than buying them plus you get the satisfaction of making them on your own. :)

I personally can't sew great using store boughten patterns.  It seems like I end up using my seam ripper more than my sewing machine.

All you need is a pair of shorts or capris for a pattern and some super cute material.  Don't forget to add at least 1/2" for seam allowance.  I added a bit more just to make sure that they were big enough.  It's always easier to make things smaller.  If you're looking for more tips, you can go here or here for a tutorial on how to make shorts.

I planned on doing a tutorial with these but it seems like I always forget to take pictures along the way.  (I have a hard enough time remembering to take pictures of the finished project.)

I used elastic for the waistband but just in the back.  The front of the waistband is straight...so that the pants will lay straight instead of being bunched.

(Yes, I put her right next to a pot of flowers so there was tons of dirt to play with.  Otherwise she just tries to climb on my lap instead of posing.)

I added pockets too.  They aren't very deep.  They're more for just looks.

You could make the bottoms look like a cuff too.  That was my plan but time was running a little short. :)

I thought that the girls looked super cute and I'm happy with them.  I secretly want to make me a pair.  I might have to but probably with different material.  Matchy is good but I don't want to take it too far. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Barbie Birthday Cakes

I finally have gotten some pictures off of my memory card!  Yippee!  :)

We had the girls' birthday party last week.  Here are the cakes that I made.  This was my first time using fondant.  I've tasted the fondant that you can buy and personally I think it's super nasty so I attempted to make my own using some tips found here.  I liked the taste of the fondant.  Next time I think that I need to make a little more and not roll it out so thin...and make sure that it is really cold with I work with it.

Compared to the melting princess castle that was a huge disaster from Joselyn's birthday last year...these are super amazing!  But anything is better than last year's cake. :)

Make it and Love it has a Make a Cake Series that you should check out.  She's really amazing.  She has a neat blog that has lots of ideas.

 Ok!  So I know that I promised pictures but for some odd reason, I can't get my pictures off of my memory card.  I'm going to try to work on it tomorrow cause I'm just a little tired.  :)

Question for you all.  Lately I've had some extremely random comments left on just one post.  (Comments talking about all kinds of drugs and stuff.)  I'm almost positive that it's spam but how do I stop that kind of stuff?  Anyone out there know?

We are getting ready for Joselyn and Macey's birthday party tonight!  As we speak I'm trying to finish 2 Barbie cakes.  Wish me luck.  (A little prayer wouldn't hurt too.)  Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the cakes along with the super easy capris that I made the girls. 

Sorry for the lack of posts but I'm trying my best to stay above water...soon I'll be a posting mad woman...well...I might just be a mad woman. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Travel Desk

When I decided that I was going to take a great adventure across the plains I knew that Joselyn would get a little bored of being in the car.  I randomly found this travel desk and had to make it.

I just came up with the measurements on my own because the pattern didn't make much sense to me.  Here's what I came up with.  (Please forgive the foot prints from dirty shoes.  I took these pictures after our trip...The poor thing did get a little abused.)

So one side is a pillow and the other side has a board that makes it easier to draw on.  You can slip the board out and wash the travel desk.  (On my list of things to do this week.)

I made some pockets for things such as crayons, lipgloss (of course), princess Aurora doll, fruit snacks and coloring books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sides fold in and stay closed with a button so it's easier to carry, throw, step on, lay on...you get the picture.

If I were to make it again, I would do a few things different so if you're thinking about making one, let me know and I can give you my measurements and a few of my post finished suggestions.

Happy Wednesday!

Where in the world have I been?

No, I didn't get kidnapped...well I kind of did I guess. :)  The girls and I spent a week in Nevada with my Grandma.  We had a lot of fun.  On the way out we stopped at Ikea.  I was in awe the whole 3 hours that we were there.  (Yes, 3 hours with 5 kids...we were a sight.)  I knew I was in love when I walked up to this:

It's hard to tell in the picture but they have some very lovely material.

We took the kids to the Peppermill Casino to eat at the buffet.  My dad actually wired the Peppermill back when it was first being built.  The kids loved all of the lights.  They walked in an just stared with silly looks on their faces.

On the way back we stopped to eat at the Mayan in Salt Lake City, UT.  (Yes, I know I look trashed...I was.  I had a horrible cold and had been driving all day.)

 

We also went to the Salt Lake Temple grounds to show the kids.  It brought back some very special memories for me.  I can't believe that 5 years ago I was planning a wedding and getting married in this temple.

It was fun to spend some time with Grandma.  By the end of the trip we were a little tired, sick and ready to see our Daddy!

Little Mermaid Shirt

So I have lots of bags of clothes that really should be donated to goodwill.  Let's just say that I'm a bit of a pack rat and I can't throw anything away.  I'm determined to make as many things as I can using random stuff I have laying around the house. 

Yesterday I made Joselyn this:

From this old T-Shirt of mine (that I can't really say that I ever wore.):

Ruffles and Stuff just posted a tutorial for it yesterday.  Go here for the scoop.

It was pretty simple and fast to put together.  It was pretty baggy on Joselyn so I shirred around the middle to make it a little smaller.  When I first made it I thought it looked like the dress that Arial wore when she first got her "legs"...you know the dress that was made from a sail?  (Very frumpy!)  But it ended up looked pretty cute on.

I braided some straps and criss crossed them in the back.

It's frilly but fun.  (Obviously it's fun to stick your bum out and make silly faces too!)

It's super fun to run from your mom while she's trying to take your picture.

You could make it longer and have a super cute summer dress.  If I didn't think that I would look like a whale in it, I would make one for me too. :)

 

Happy Wednesday!