LEOTARD UPCYCLE



My heart goes out to all gymnastic moms out there!  Gymnastics is an expensive sport, and to top it off you need fancy expensive leos to go with it.  I like to upcycle or make my own. For now my daughter is A ok with this.

 A leo from Savers.

An iron on silver stone star. From the LA garment district. 10 cents. http://fashiondistrict.org/

 Pull the white back off and place.  Iron from the back on high heat, but put a thin towel between the leo and iron.  If you don't you will MELT THE LEO. Leave on for 10 seconds. Peel off the clear plastic.

The finished LEO.  No model picture since this leo is still big on my 5 year old.  She tried it on anyway, and said,"I'M A SUPER STAR!"

BOWLING TEAM SHIRTS

My hubby called and said his work needed bowling costumes, could I give suggestions.  Of course, I sent them fun, crazy ideas.  They mellowed me out, and this is the final product.

 Real bowling shirts that needed adjusting.

 Each team member needed a letter of the company logo on the back of their shirt.  First step, print the logo letters the size dsired and in the same font as the company logo. Next gluestick them to the fabric choosen for the letter.  I just used a cotton broadcloth that matched the yellow in the shirt.

Company Logo

 Now we are ready to cut.  I love using a rotary cutter.  Make sure your blade is sharp.  Also cut on the correct surface, it will leave lines.  I have a cutting mat.

 I cut the letters two layers thick so the letters appear more yellow, and the black of the shirt does not show through.  Glue the two layers together for stability.

 Make sure the letter is centered on the back of the shirt and gluestick it to the shirt.

 Besides glue sticking, pin to make sure the letters are stable.  You do not want the letters to shift while you are satin stitching the edges.  For satin stich set your machine to zig zag and stitch length to 0.5.

 The finished product on the backs of the shirt.

As a final touch I hand embroidered their names on the front.  My embroidery machine is not in service, but I still think they turned out nice. 

   

NOW WE'RE HOOKED UP!!

 The old hooks. My youngest got a little crazy pulling her jacket off and broke it. Not sturdy at all. It was cute while it lasted, only one winter season.

My new idea.  A friend helped me cut the boards since my saw will not cut angles.

 Sanding...

 Painting 3 coats.

 The finished product...well almost.  The flower is attached at the top, but the bottom is loose.  A Bella mishap would ruin them for sure; so, I anchored the flowers better. Aunt Margaret gave me the flowers.

 This picture shows how they hang crooked without anchors.

 The clip I choose to use. I modified it by bending with pliers.

 The clip screwed into the wall.

After screwing, I bent the clip around the flower. Now it is secure, and looks clean.  Hopefully my exuberant Bella won't rip or break these hooks.

HAIR HAIR N MORE HAIR

Thank goodness I have little girls.  I love to do hair.  Here are some hairstyles I have done in the past.

Thank goodness I have little girls.  I love to do hair.  Here are some hairstyles I have done in the past.

DIY BACK TO SCHOOL SHOES

My mom is brilliant.  She came to visit the girls, and of course she brought a craft to do with them. 

She bought white shoes, cheap ones from Walmart. You can also Google image canvas shoes and select from there! https://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=719&q=white+canvas+shoes&oq=white+canvas+shoes&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5l2j0i24l6.5086.8222.0.8534.18.15.0.3.3.0.171.1931.1j14.15.0...0.0...1ac.vXYbM-JxaKk#hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=white+canvas+shoes&oq=white+canvas+shoes&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5l2j0i24l6.18579.19609.2.20763.2.2.0.0.0.0.140.218.1j1.2.0...0.0...1c.eDlE-g5FIes&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=f28323414058f542&biw=1600&bih=719

 We pulled out my fabric markers, colored sharpies, and glitter puff paint.  The girls attacked their shoes.  THEY LOVE THEM!!!



After letting my youngest wear hers for awhile, I decided I needed to put in elastic no tie laces.  We added buttons with shanks to decorate the laces. 

What a way to spice up that drab uniform my oldest is going to have to wear.  She is so proud of her artsy shoes made by herself.

SCHOOL UNIFORM UPCYCLE

It's that time of year!  My 5 year old is entering school for the 1st time and has been asked to wear a uniform.  I have mixed feelings about this, only because I love clothes.  We had to order shirts from the uniform company, but were informed that we could obtain the rest from other vendors as long as it is navy blue or khaki.   So of course I remade something.  I might be getting her in trouble since it is a variation. We'll see what the school says.

 Here are two examples of a school uniform jumper.

 An adult crepe de chine skirt, that I never really wore.

 The pins mark where I am going to sew to take it in from the center back seam. I only sew it down to the bottom pin.

Now I am taking the extra fabric and centering it on both sides of the CB.  I will sew it down to the end of the pin. Two seams here.

 The skirt is now smaller and is ready for straps.  Khaki belt and a trusty hanger. The belt has an adjustable slide to change the length of the belt.  This is important.

 Bent a hanger and made a metal loop.

 Sew the metal loop on the CB.

I cut the belt buckle off  and attatched to the skirt. (Seen on the left).  Feed the cut end through the back loop, then sew the cut end to the skirt. (Seen on the right.)

 Finished Product.

What do you think?  Will she get in trouble?  Personally I think it is a step up from the drab uniform shown above....but my 5 yr old hates confrontation like me.