Alter the length of your jeans but keep the original hem - a tutorial

I have had this pair of boot cut jeans that never fitted me right, it's too long and because of the cut, it will go under my shoes when I walk but I have kept it nonetheless. I have worn it on and off, at times folding/tucking/stepping on the hem.
After like 'forever' of doing that, today I decided to do something about it *roll eyes*

Here's a few simple steps on how to shorten your jeans length while keeping the original hem (and not breaking any needles in the process)

 

step 1: Wear your jeans and measure the length you want, it is best to measure with your shoes on (I didn't bother as I am always wearing flats)

step 2: Divide the measurement you took in half and pin all around (3"/2= 1.5")  

 

step 3: I used walking foot and size 14 needle and sew as close to the original hem. It makes sewing easy if you use the free arm on your sewing machine to insert the jeans leg 

step 4: Try it on, if it seems fine move to step 5, if you are not happy with the length (repeat step 1-3) 

*note: I would rather throw the jeans away than repeat step1-3, so better do it right the first time around.. 

but hey.. that's just me..

 

 step 5: Cut excess, zigzag or serge to avoid fraying

 

step 6: Press original seam down, you can topstitch all around above the new seam or leave it be as I done

 

And you are done.. 

The best part of this is, you can do it in a very short time, on your portable machine and the end result does not make it obvious like you have shortened it 

Further reading on shortening jeans while keeping the original hem: here, here and a video tutorial here 
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No cut, no hassle Pool Towel

My 10yo girl prefers to use her pool towel than the usual wrap ones after bath. Especially now that it is colder, it is easier to just get into one of these than the hassle of wrapping yourself.. 

*It is surprising that when I Google pool towel, none of the links were anywhere close to resembling the pic above.. apparently it's only in Japan (most likely) kids pool towel looks like the one I'm talking about. More pics on Amazon.co.jp

It is a quick and easy project, something that you can get done in under half an hour. 

Things you'll need: 

Towel - I got mine from the AS IS bin in IKEA many years back. It is SOMMAR (75cm x 150cm)

Wide elastic band - Mine was about 75cm

Of course the usual notions of thread, scissors and sewing machine 

1. Remove the tag 

2. Fold the towel in half

3. Sew straight down

4. Press the seam open and sew straight or zig zag stitches so that it will lay flat and not irritate your child's skin   

5. Wrap your elastic band (sew the ends to create a loop) around the top opening and slowly sew 

*It will start to gather half way through, with the presser foot and needle down, pull and adjust the towel and sew till the end.  

And you are done. 

These towels are sold in shops here in Japan, you can find a lot of them in summer, and not so much in the other seasons. Price ranges from RM40 - RM120 depending on size and brand

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Teardrop Bag - sewing stage and pattern review

I assure you I'm still alive and kicking...

Continuing with the main agenda...

(You can read about Week 1 and Week 2 and see the whole time plan if you've missed them)

I found the sewing stage to be smooth mainly because I got a lot of help and guidance from the other members. We shared tips and tried to help each other out along the way. Thus making deciphering the long essay-like instructions in the book bearable.

I mainly enjoy making the hip - I have never made a bag with a hip before and I thought it clever and gave the bag a smart look. It was a bit tricky to attach the hip to the side of the bag the first time (luckily no unpicking of the seam), you have to measure the centre point and pin the hip to the bag and slowly edge stitch around the hip - the trick was the keep the balance from the edge and manage around the bag opening.  

I didn't like the partition pocket style suggested by the original pattern, so for the second bag I added zip to the partition and wallah!! - a partition with a function *grin* 

The bag is surprisingly spacious, it can fit in all my usual stuff that I take along when I go out: 

1. Long wallet given by my dear friend Nadia

2. Make up pouch - almost the same size (only fatter) as the long wallet

3. Note book and pen

4. Coin case

5. Pocket tissue and handkerchief (too embarrassing to have it in the pic, but it is always there in my purse)  

*Can you see the non-functional partition pocket?* 

The handle strap is perfect in length and width - it is comfortable and stays put on the shoulder all day long (if it has to)

*my second teardrop bag*

A fun bag to make, will definitely make more in the future. 

 Do drop by my FB page for more pictures and details

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Gift Idea: Personalised hand towels

A simple  and quick project to transform a plain hand towel to a personalised gift for my friends or for your own use.. I spent more time lamenting and fussing over the right and perfect combo then the actual sewing *bliss*  

Here's a simple how to -  

What you'll need:

1. Plain towel of any size, mine is 34cm x 80cm

2. Scrap fabrics  

1. Mix and match your fabric scraps and once you are happy, join them together OR you can have a long strip of the same print

2. Place your fabric strip - about 10cm above the towel edge (right side facing the towel) and sew along the lower edge 

3. Fold, press and fold the raw edge inside (so no raw seam is showing) and sew

*add rick rack or other trimmings at this point if you like*  

4. Repeat the whole process on the other side and with other towels

*believe me it is not possible to stop after only one*

I made 7 altogether - as a token for friends returning to Malaysia upon completion of their studies here in Japan

More ideas here:
1. Trimmed kitchen towel with rick-rack
2. Tea towels with ruffles and ribbon accent


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Recycle project - Comfy indoor slippers

Over the long winter break last year, I managed to complete a pair of indoor slippers totally out of recycled materials in my stash. Since then I aim to slowly reduce the pile by making something  for the home every now and then. 

Half of the items waiting to be recycled

If you have made indoor slippers or baby booties before, you'd know that it is quite a straight forward process but let me share how I did it. 

I use pattern taken from a book in my collection. 

1.Trace and cut out pattern.

2. Prepare the pieces - I use knit fabric taken from my girl's baby jammies (puppy print) for the exterior, fleece taken from an old baby jumper (light green) for the back and another fleece (black colour) to add cushion in the slipper.  

*You can use felt, denim or anti slip fabric for the back* 

3. Sew the flap right side together - turn, press and topstitch 

4. Align the centre point, pin the flap to the body (I pin the black fleece together)

5. Sew 

View from top

View from the side

6. To attach the base (light green fleece) to the flap and body piece, sandwich the base on top of the body piece (right side facing). Align and secure with pins. 

7. Sew all around and leave small space for turning. 

8. Turn, press and stitch the opening close

You are done and the best part is no seam showing and it is machine washable.

However the next time I make another pair, I might insert a shoe insole in-between to have it retain it's shape better.   

Any recycle ideas up your sleeves..? 

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Scrap Busting - Fabric Tape

Remnant fabrics from projects can really mount up very quickly and surprise you.. Without realising you might end up with bags full of pesky odd size fabrics.. 

One particular type of fabric scraps that I have collected over the years of crafting (and don't know what to do with them other than make tape to use for binding) are long fabric strips - too narrow for scrap bags or binding but too cute to be chucked out.. 

A really neat project done by a talented lady (Azzah of Sewfabby) got me all excited and immediately I went to work on producing something similar

A fabric tape works like a sellotape but with a cuter personality. They are very easy to make and cost very little. A wonderful project that would be enjoyed by both kids and adults. 

Here's a simple how to: 

All you need are fabric strips and double sided tape in the width of your choice (for best result, it should match the width of your fabric strips). 

   

For wider scrap fabrics, paste the double sided tape on the wrong side of the fabric to your desired length and use a rotary cutter to cut the strip out

After rolls of double sided tapes and various fabric strips later, you will need to figure out how best to store them. I find folding them over some old cardboard works best.. 

And.. why stop at fabric strips.. 

I have a tin full of lace scraps to kawaii to dispose.. 

Use the same method and produce cute lace-tapes

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Silicone Stamp - How to..

Have you used silicone stamp before? 

They function like any other stamps you might have tried, the only thing you need to remember is, unlike rubber stamps where you stamp with all your might to get the design perfectly stamped onto paper, with silicone stamp you need to be gentle and not put too much pressure when stamping as it might cause the ink to spread and distort the pattern.. 

*click the picture to animate*

Here's a simple how to:

1. You will need silicone stamp and a clear stamper 

2. Peel a desired design from the sheet - For first time use, the design might be unyielding and may require some pressure to remove from the sheet 

3. Mount the design on the clear stamp - Unlike rubber stamp, you do not need to fix it permanently onto the mount, and no glue is required

4+5 Stamp away - Try it out on a test area before you stamp onto the desired place, remember that not much pressure is needed

*To change design, wipe the design with tissue for excess ink, remove it from the clear stamper and place it back onto the sheet and repeat step 2 to 5 

I have listed the silicone stamp in the shoppe if anybody's interested.    

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Tracing made easy

Until recently, tracing for me meant finding a big enough tracing paper - with the thin tracing paper on top, trace the pattern once, turn it over and transfer it onto another piece.. talk about waste of time!! That is why I always procrastinate or in many cases pretended that I forgot to trace some cute new patterns I found especially in the library books (which eventually I have to return *sigh*) or from books or magazines where the patterns look like a maze (YIKES!!!)        


When I 'discovered' the use of serrated tracing wheel (bought a while back from my local 100yen shop) I was elated. Gone were the days of my procrastination (or so I thought.. But that is a whole different blog entry *roll eyes*   

Here's a simple how to

1. Gather all your materials: tracing wheel, cutting mat, pattern, paper

(I get a roll of good quality white paper from my local hardware store - it's thicker and sturdier and lasting) 

2. Place the white paper (or any color for that matter) onto the mat, place your pattern on top of it. 

3. Use the tracing wheel to trace around the pattern (straight lines, curves, waves whatever pattern really) - just a little bit of pressure is enough to transfer the pattern 

4. Remove the pattern and wallah you can see tiny little dots of puncture on the paper (Click the picture for a better view). You can now cut along the dotted lines and store the pattern away for another day (this is where another problem arise for me - I've so many cute new patterns stored away waiting to be tried out.. HELP!!!) 

*Sharp object - Keep away from the reach of young children and safely store away after use. 

Try the window tracing method

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From a dress to a skirt - refashion project

A 4T cotton dress bought many years back and has been dearly worn yet still in good condition only now the bodice is quite tight for Sofea (who is 9yo). It has been hanging in my studio for months (over a year actually.. *roll eyes*) waiting for me to get an epiphany... which I finally did (thank god) last weekend.

I turned the dress into a skirt *grin* 

The first step was to unpick the stitches. All I needed was a long drive to somewhere, and coincidently last weekend we did go on a road trip and I separated the bodice from the skirt (as pictured). The dress originally (as usual forgot to take a before picture) has a full twirly skirt with lots of gathers and is fully lined.

I wanted to maintain the gathers and the lining so after un-gathering the skirt, I gathered it again (check out this gathering tutorial). 

Next, for the top edge of the skirt, I decided to make a waistline casing for the elastic band using some fabric tape from my stash (see the how to here). Once you have the proper length, pin the tape to your skirt with the right side facing.

Similar to attaching a bias tape, sew on one side, turn, fold and sew again, only this time you need to leave a gap to insert the elastic band. Once threaded and tried on for sizing, zigzag the raw ends. Tuck the band into the casing and topstitch the opening closed by machine.  

And there you have it, a pretty simple refashion project.. I didn't stop there, went ahead to refashion a shirt to go with the skirt. Will post that up next. 

Do you have any refashion ideas? 

On another note, my giveaway is still on till the 10th.

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