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Everything Else

DIY Fringe Scarf

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Oh my goodness!  Easiest project ever!  This scarf takes about 15 minutes and can be so cheap, or even free, depending on what’s in your stash!  I found the idea on Pinterest, but I recreated the steps here:

1. Find a tee shirt.  Any tee shirt would do, but I wanted a green scarf, so I found mine at Michaels for $2.99.  IMG_5185

2.  Chop it off below the arm holes.IMG_5186

3.  Slice into the scarf.  I made 1/2 inch slices about half way up the rectangle.

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4.  Gently tug on each of the strips, stretching them.  They will curl naturally as you pull.IMG_5197IMG_5198

5.  Ignore the crummy cell phone picture and enjoy your new easy-peesy scarf.

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Being Creative, Everything Else

A denim skirt refashion

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The facts:

  1. I needed wanted a new denim skirt.
  2. I have a straight one that I’m constantly tugging on.
  3. I’m trying not to spend any much money on my closet right now.

The solution: 

    A trip to Goodwill, my scissors, and my sewing machine!

Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t enjoy thrift shopping.  Sure, the prices are great, but I just find it kinda icky to go through someone else’s clothes.  However, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to look.

On first glance through the racks, I found 3 denim skirts that held potential.  One was a straight skirt, in my size, $4.  The second was a mid-calf length straight skirt, in my size, $4. The third was a mid-calf length fuller skirt, in my size, $2. 

Score!  The third skirt fit the bill—cheap enough I could mess it up, not straight so I wouldn’t be tugging on it, and my size.  Here it is:

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Not cute, is it?  Yep, that is an elastic waist band you see.  But, look at those pockets.  This thing had potential!

So, how’d I do it?

1.  Wash the skirt.  Twice.  Told you I have a thing about other people’s clothes.IMG_5290

2.  After pinning up a few lengths and checking it out with a mirror, I decided I needed the skirt to be about 9 inches shorter.  Figuring a 1/2 inch hem, I chopped off about 8 1/2 inches.  Since my skirt had a little curve to the hem, I was careful to measure up 8 1/2 inches from the hem and draw my cutting line.  Just cutting straight across would have cause the skirt to hike up in various places along the hem.IMG_5291

3.  I decided to serge the bottom edge of my skirt.  Just ‘cause I don’t like ravels and such.  If you don’t have a serger and you wanted to finish that raw edge, you could use an overcast stitch along the edge, zig zag along the edge, or just cut it with pinking shears.IMG_5293

4.  I pressed up my hem.  Basically, I folded up 1/4 inch (the width of my serged edge) and then folded it again another 1/4 inch.  I made a narrow hem because the skirt is so full.  Had this been a straight skirt, I probably would have used a deeper (1 to 1 1/2 inch) hem.IMG_5296

5.  I stitched my hem in place with a straight stitch.  I chose to use a yellow thread that matched the top stitching on the rest of the skirt.IMG_5297

6.  All done!  I paired it with some cute flats and a wide belt to hide the elastic waistband. 

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Having now worn it for a day, I can assure you, it was wonderful to not have tug on my skirt all day.  And those pockets—worth every penny of my $2!