SewMona

A slice of my Florida life

Shortening the Rise on Elastic Waist Shorts

FixingDroopyDrawers

Ever buy a pair of shorts (or pants, but I’m in Florida and basically live in shorts) and the rise is just too long?  You feel like you’ve got them pulled up to your chest just to have them not look like droopy drawers.  Most annoying!  With kids, you can roll the waistband down, and chances are as they grow, they’ll grow into them and you won’t have to roll it anymore.  However, as an adult, you probably aren’t going to grow into your shorts (or at least I hope not!)  As long as they don’t have a functional fly, it’s actually very easy to fix!

First, I iron the waistband to get rid of the wrinkles and to make it easier to line up and sew in place.

Jeans shorts that are too long waisted

For kids, you roll the waistband down and to the outside simply because that’s the only way it works.  However, for adults, you want to turn it to the inside so it can be sewn down.  I turn it down on the seam and clip it into place.

Fold the wasitband in and clip it

Then, sew it down by sewing close to the bottom edge.  I usually line up the outside edge of the presser foot with the bottom edge of the waistband.  If you have thread that matches what the manufacturer used (in this case denim yellow) that’s fine, but in my case I went with navy blue so it wouldn’t show.

Sew the waist band down

All sewed and ready to go.  It probably takes 10 minutes tops to do this – quick & easy!

Finished jeans shorts with waistband sewn down

The only thing that might be a problem is the pockets.  You’ll be sewing through them and making the opening about two inches smaller.  It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s something to think about before you sew the waistband down.

The pocket will be slightly smaller

See – you can still fit your hand easily into the pocket.  It’s not as deep as before either, but it’s still functional and there’s no more droopy drawers!

Even though the pocket opening is smaller, it isn't too small

Upcycling A Sweatshirt

Sweatshirt to Raglan

My son recently found a Ninja Turtles sweatshirt in a bag of hand-me-downs.  It’s too big for him, but he wants to wear it now.

So sad, the Ninja sweatshirt is too big

It’s also long sleeved and we live in SWFL where it’s almost always summer (except for a couple weeks in January where I actually had to turn the heat on…I hate turning the heat on!).

Long sleeves are no good in Florida

Anyway, I found the perfect color of cotton spandex in my recent material order so I can make him a raglan – short sleeves, possibly with a hood.

So happy the shirt can be resized

My first step is always to cut the sleeves off.

Sweatshirt to raglan - cut off the sleeves

Since I don’t want to rehem the shirt, I’m not going to cut the side seams.  This makes laying the pattern pieces out a little tricky, but hopefully it will work out.  The print on the front was slightly off center meaning that when I cut out the new front, I’m going to cut some of this sword off.

Cutting the front piece out is tricky

The front doesn’t look too bad.  I believe the original shirt was a 14/16 and I’m making a 10.  Not a huge change, but even so, the design just fits on the front.

Front piece cut out of old sweatshirt.

I’m always worried that the neckline is going to be too big, but I’ve learned to wait until I have the hood or neck band on…it always looks much better!

Sweatshirt turned raglan

With the hood sewn on, the neckline fits so much better and there’s still some growing room (very important!).

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt.

This kid loves making all different faces while I’m trying to take pictures.  Plus we’ve got a new cat who thinks he needs to try opening all the doors.

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt plus the cat.

Really Mom, you need another picture??

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt.

So, have you ever upcycled a shirt into something new?  If not, you should try it!  It’s really not that hard.

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt.

*affiliate link* The pattern I used here is the Rowan Raglan.  If you buy it through my link, I earn some money (it doesn’t cost you anything extra!  🙂  ).  Read more about affiliate links on my disclosure page.

How to Sew – Free Leggings for Kids and Adults

 How To Sew plus a free leggings pattern
*This post contains affiliate links.

I’m not much of a leggings person, but my daughter wears them under her school skirts frequently.  They’re perfect for keeping her modest on the playground and some of her favorite school uniform skirts are the ones that have leggings attached.

Fun leggings under a boring school skirt

Leggings are pretty quick and easy to sew up and there’s nothing better than a free pattern!  Feel free to skip to the end of the post if you just want the links.  Otherwise, read on for my review of the Bonny Leggings.

Bonny Leggings Capri Length

Leggings require material with good recovery – it should have at least 5% spandex/lycra otherwise you’ll have saggy knees and if you do a yoga style waistband, they won’t stay up all day.  Talk about a wardrobe malfunction!

I assemble my leggings differently than the instructions.  I prefer to sew the center front and back seams first.

Sewing the center front and back seams first.

Then I sew the inseams together.

Sewing inseam after center seams.

Then sew the waistband on per the instructions.  The waistband does not need to be stretched to fit – it should fit the opening perfectly.

The bonny leggings pattern comes with directions for making a knit skirt to attach to your leggings.  Once you’ve made a skirt with the leggings and know how to attach the leggings to the skirt, you can use the leggings with your favorite skirt pattern to playground proof your daughter’s wardrobe.  It’s so easy!  Plus, if your school requires a certain color skirt (like navy or tan….boring!), you can add a fun print for the leggings.  No one will know, but it’s a fun way to dress up her school wardrobe.

School Uniform skirt with fun leggings

The kid leggings are available here in sizes 1/2 – 14 – Bonny Leggings.  They are totally free – no facebook groups to join, just add the pattern to your cart and checkout.

The adult leggings are available here (and in full disclosure, I’ve never made them, I’m just pointing them out for adults who may want leggings or for older girls who don’t fit into Bonny’s anymore) – Peg Legs.  Please note there are also a couple add on packs which are also free – a maternity add on and an add on with more options – waistband, color blocking, side pocket.

*This post contains affiliate links.  For more information, see my disclosure policy.

Upcycling a T-Shirt and Color Blocking a Dolman

Finished Dolman Upcycle Color Block

My daughter got this shirt for her birthday year or two ago and loved it!  However, it has recently gotten a little tight and she was sad about the thought of it going to the rummage sale.

Original too small shirt to be upcycled

I told her I might be able to upcycle it into a “new” shirt.  She was agreeable and I decided that a dolman was my best option (OK, actually I was going to do a raglan, but I would’ve had to reprint the pattern…foster kittens got to it….the dolman pattern was all printed and ready to go).  The first step is to cut the sleeves off (and throw them away!) and cut the side seams and shoulder seams.  I cut as close to the seams as possible.  You should end up with a front piece and a back piece.

First cut off the sleeves, upcycle

To make the dolman work, I would have to color block.  Color blocking is not my strong suit!  I have a hard time seeing what the finished thing will look like.  I tried laying out the fabric on the pattern so I could get an idea of what it would look like.

Laying Out color blocking

While doing this, I realized that I needed to straighten out the sides to the shirt and the arm cutouts to make it more like a panel, so I trimmed it down some.  Once I was happy with they way it looked, I sewed my pieces together.  First I sewed a pink rectangle to a blue rectangle.  I also hemmed the bottom of the blue since I was keeping the original t-shirt hem.  Then I sewed it to the newly straightened out sides of the the old t-shirt.  I also decided I was going to need to redo the neckline, so I cut the neckband off.

T-Shirt Color Blocked

Then, I folded my piece of fabric in half and put it on the pattern and trimmed it to fit.

Attach the color blocking

Then, I sewed the side seams.  At this point, I was really worried about the neckline.  It looked really wide for my very modest teen!  I was hopeful that the new neckband would pull it in!

Dolman upcycled t-shirt

I had her try it on and I was still worried.  It just seemed overly big!

Dolman neckline too big, upcycled t-shirt, color blocking

I figured at this point, I might as well finish it. All I had left was the neckband and hemming the sleeves.  I’m actually pretty happy with the way it turned out!

Finished upcycled color blocked dolman

I probably could’ve made the neckband smaller, but it works as is too.

Side view finished color blocked upcycled dolman

Do you upcycle your kids clothes?  Do you color block?

Back finished upcycled color blocking dolman

Pattern Review – Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates

 *This post contains affiliate links.

I recently got to test the Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates.  This is a woven dolman style top with options galore!  Since I normally sew with knits, this was a good chance for me to use some of my woven fabric.  It’s perfect for any drapey wovens.

Patterns for Pirates Bitty Brunch Blouse

I made the dress length option.  The hem is knee length in front and just below knee length in the back.  You can also make it shirt length with either a straight hem or more of a tunic length with a curved hem.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates full back

It has a simple button closure on the back.  No button holes – it’s a simple tab close button.  You can also do a henley placket if you prefer the opening in the front.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirate Back Button

I love the hi-low hems and have made several things for DD with this hem like the Patterns for Pirates Fav Tee.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates dress length curved hem

Waist ties to cinch it in a little – can be tied in the front or back or you can leave them off completely.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates Waist Ties

I opted for the traditional dolman sleeves – simple cap style.  There’s also an option for a tank top with wider shoulders and a cuffed dolman sleeve with a button tab.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates full back

I didn’t put any pockets on this dress (normally I’m all about the pockets!), but there is an option for a chest pocket.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates full front

 

Get the Bitty Brunch Blouse or the women’s Brunch Blouse for $9 each or buy the bundle for $17.

*This post contains affiliate links.  See my disclosure policy for more details.