Refashioning

I've been trying to be better lately about not buying clothing that I won't or don't wear.  I love clothes and I'm often swayed by a good deal.  So, in an effort to be more economical, I went through my closet and tried to come up with ways to refashion things I have.  

I have a wonderful and expensive down coat that I bought years ago when I worked at an outdoor clothing store.  It's really great quality, but there are things about it I no longer love.  

 I found some cheap faux fur and decided to add some fur trim to the hood.  I also wanted to get rid of the snaps that I never use and don't really like.

 I cute a strip 4 inches wide, pinned it to the right side of the hood an sewed it in place with the ends folded up.

I folded the trim to the right side and topstitched.  It looks much better in real life that this picture shows, and now I love my coat again.

 This sweater refashion was really easy and I really love my "new" sweater.  The neck on the original was just too big and the fit overall was reminiscent of maternity clothing aka not very flattering.  All I did for this one was to move some hidden snaps from the turtle-neck to the neck center, fold the turtle-neck down and move the buttons to the other side of the newly created collar. I sewed up the sides a bit to make it a little more fitted.  So much more wearable.

Messenger Bags

It's time for some messenger bag show and tell!  My kids messenger bag tutorial has been so popular and it's so fun to see your creations.  

Here are some great ones from the Zaaberry Flickr pool.

from Bruise Mouse via Flickr

from Rice and Soup via Flickr

Don't want to make one yourself?  Here are some gorgeous bags from Zaaberry licensed sellers.

Nicole from Bobbin's Boutique has done really well with these super cute bags. 

A reversible bag from Little Frienz.

This fall I also released my first PDF e-pattern for the Mirabelle Messenger Bag.  It's been a goal of mine and was super exciting for me.  

You can buy the pattern and make your own, or just buy a bag!  Here are some wonderful bags for sale from Sew Sofia.

One I made for for a friend recently.

 A cute corduroy bag from Jane of All Trades.

Here's my newest creation that's a larger, upgraded version of the Mirabelle bag that makes a great diaper bag.  So excited to make a few more of these.

Are you feeling inspired yet? 

Easy Camera Strap TUTORIAL

We're going on vacation soon, and I thought it was about time I prettied up my camera strap.  I've seen a lot of different tutorials for straps, but really didn't want to make the sleeve type.  I didn't want it to slide around at all, and since I have more than 1 strap, I figured I would just go ahead and sew a cover on.  Here's what I did.

First, I measured my strap.  I wanted to cover up the little buttons on each end, so my strap measured 22 inches long by 1.5 inches wide.  Be sure to measure just the part you want to cover, not the whole strap, unless you really want to cover the whole strap.

Fabric dimensions = (strap length + 1 inch) by (strap width x 4) 

 I cut my fabric to be 23 inches long by 6 inches wide.

I learned in my first attempt that my machine was not happy trying to sew through the leather on the ends, so I decided to fold the ends to the wrong side 1/2 inch and sew in place, so the ends will already be finished.

Fold fabric in half and press.  Open it up and fold the edges to the center, so you've basically folded your fabric in quarters.

 Sandwich the camera strap inside.

 Then fold over and pin the fabric along the edge.  Sew along each long side.  Notice that the short end looks like it's already sewn down

 Pretty new camera strap!  Ready for vacation.

Did you know you can't take a photo of your camera strap unless you have another camera?  Or a mirror I guess.  I don't like taking mirror photos, I always look slightly deranged.  Thank goodness for camera phones.  

Enjoy your new strap!