Making Jeans into a SKIRT!

So, I have finally done something that I have wanted to do for years!!! I made some SKIRTS made out of JEANS!!! YEAH!! My friend Kate wanted a skirt made out of her jeans and so we set the date to create! The day before she came I decided to give it a try so I could do a better job on her precious jeans! So, this first skirt is actually the one created for her from her jeans...(we just happen to be the same size by my surprise:).

She wanted her jean skirt to be ALL jean, so we cut the legs off of another matching colored pair, cut it up the seam and turned it upside down so the wider part of the jeans(the thigh part) was at the bottom of the skirt. Then pin and sew:) We added a decorative trim ribbon at the very bottom.

She had a whole in the front of the jeans so she took the pocket from the jeans that we used for the triangle patches and put it on the front, what a perfect touch!

This is the skirt I made for myself the day before. I used a pretty dark blue fabric this time. It happened to be in almost perfect rectangles already so I just pinned and sewed and hemmed it at the bottom. SO comfy, long and warm and modest:) YEAH:)

I had enough extra fabric leftover to make a matching headcoving...yes... I kinda dig matchy matchy stuff:)

So, does everyone want to make one of these skirts now!!! You can do it!!! Very awesome:)

Messenger Bag made out of Old Jeans!!

Ok, so for a very long time, I have been wanting to have a go at a messenger bag. Finally a few days ago I had my chance. Now for some reason I just can't seem to pull out all my nice fabric.... I mean, it's so pretty in tubs all folded and stuff.......SO, I had this pair of old cut off jeans that a sweet friend of mine had given me. PERFECT for a dry run at making one of these things. SO, I gave it a shot. I took some pictures of it, and then my camera died, so not everything one would like for a tutorial, but you'll get the gist:)
SO, cute the bootie off your pants for the large flap that goes over the bag.

Now cut out on both sides the inner seem of the jeans.

Now flip the pants over, cut off the back side of the legs left after cuttin out the bootie.  Then, on the left side of the little bit of seem that is left from the crotch, cut up alittle ways, right before the fly.  Then fold that part over the other leg and pin to where it looks nice and flat.

Pin all the way down the middle of the two legs so that it looks like it lays nice and flat.

This is a shot of the back side.  I would cut off the excess AFTER you sew down the front of the pants to connect the legs.

Now, these pants were already cut short, so I leaved them the length they were.  Now is a great time to cut off the length till you have it where you like it.  Actually, could have done that before you sewed the legs together, but either way works.  Now, flip the pants right sides together so the bottom of the legs is even with the top waist of the jeans.  Should be inside out.  Now, decide how wide you want the bottom of your bag to be.  I cut my corners 1 1/2 inches x 1 1/2 inches.

Corners cut the same on both sides

Now I cut off some of the messiness of the bottom of these jeans so there more even with the waist line.  Not perfect, but close enough.

Now, with right sides together, put your "pattern" piece over your folded choice of liner fabric.

cut to a pretty close shape, alittle bigger is MUCH better then to small:)

Back to the flap.  I had to cut off these belt loops so that sewing the lining on would work out.

Fix the inner seam just like you did the front crotch seam.  YES, this is not symmetrical...oh well, still cool!

Now, lay out your "pattern" piece of your lining fabric.  I did this WRONG, do NOT lay it on the wrong side of your fabric!  Make sure you fabric is and your pattern piece are RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER!!  Especially when your pattern is not symmetrical!  Cut this out, pin, and sew all the sides but the top opening.  Flip out, press if you like, but, you know me:)

Here is where we lost camera battery.  I went ahead and sewed the corners and sides on both the jean and the liner.  I promise to have pics of this for my next one.  This can be kinda confusing so it's nice to have really good pics or video.  It IS really easy, but still better to have good pics to go off of.  Then I put the flipped right side out flap in the inside of the jean pattern ( the jean pattern was turned inside out).  I pinned it to the back side of the inside out jean purse and sewed it in place ( jean parts facing each other).  Then I put the liner in the purse so the right sides would be together.  I sewed around almost the entire purse leaving a hole to pull everything right side out of.  and then, wallah!

Finished bag!

I just love that Burgundy red paisley fabric with jean!  Works for me!

I will be adding some stick on fabric Velcro to the flap pockets as well as the inside jean pockets, to help from things falling out just in case.  This works so great for my phone in one pockets, camera in the other!  LOVE IT!

One bootie bag done!  Big enough to hold all of my crazy mommy stuff that makes my husband nuts! YEAH!

Now this didn't turn out perfect, but close enough to work for me.  Give it a shot, what's the worse that could happen??....try it!

Christmas gift PICTURES are posted!

Click on over to Kelly's Crafty Creations to see tons of new creations made for Christmas!!! ENJOY!!

New crafts I've been making....

Here are a few things I have been making lately. Will be putting them up on the CUSTOM ORDERS page ofKelly's Crafty Creations. Enjoy!
Tissue paper holder

Travel Tic-Tac-Toe game

This is a great game for in the car! I made this with felt on one side so the pieces would "stick" and not fall all over the car. It folds up nicely to close the outer pocket of pieces:)

This one is made from recycled jeans and green felt.

Folds out into a fun board!

And here are the pieces... I did circles and squares for these.

Time for a girly one!



This is a really nice patchwork bi-fold wallet!

It has places for 12 cards and two long pockets behind those for bills, receipts etc...

It also has a zipper for change!! I'm starting to really get this zipper thing finally!


Magnetic button finishes it off! I REALLY like this.... what do you think about these new crafts???

TO short shorts and TWO pillow cases, into ONE cute SKIRT!!

A good friend of mine gave us some clothes for the girls. Included was a pair of shorts....VERY VERY SHORT shorts. SO, I thought that these shorts would make a really cute skirt. Well, the other day at a.... of course:) Thrift store, I found two really nice paisley blue and off-white pillow cases. SO, these items seemed destined to turn into a sweet modest skirt for my daughter:) Here's a QUICK tutorial on how I did it:

First, you need two matching ( guess they don't have to be if you like that look!), and the top of a jean skirt, shorts, jeans etc... I cute maybe one-two inches off these shorts, that's IT! SHOOOOORT shorts!

Cut off as much of the top ( closed ) part of the pillow cases as you want. ( I cut off about 5 inches). Then, cut the seam side open so you have two big rectangular panels.

Sew the two large rectangular panels together. The open part of the pillow cases become the bottom hem of the skirt. Just sew up the sides where you cut them open. I sewed up both sides as well as zig-sag stitched to reinforce.

Now, sew one long stitch across the top of your sewn together pillow cases. DON'T BACK STITCH!!! Start at one seam and go across till just before you hit that seam again. USE THE WIDES STITCH YA GOT! Now, while holding the string at the beginning of the stitch, slide your fabric across the stitch and gather it till it looks semi even and is the same with as the opening of your cut jeans. ( THANK YOU JENI for teaching me this!!) You may want to sew another stitch just below that one in case your first stitch snaps... I'm alittle to impatient for that, but that is the proper way:)

Now, take the jeans top and put it inside the waist line of the skirt, pointing down and make sure the right side of the jean fabric is against the right side of the skirt fabric. Pin, seams together, your skirt around the jean opening. Make sure you have the fabric gathered to the SAME SIZE as the opening.... this is kinda tricky for a impatient person (ME), so it may not turn out just right, but close enough:) Just TRY not to yank on the thread, it breaks EASY and you don't want to have to pin all that gathering where it breaks, TRUST ME!! lol

Now, below the gathering stitch a bit, sew on the skirt to the jeans. Then, pull out the pins.

turn it right side out but with the jean top flipped over like this. I opted to cut do another stitch this way, all the way around, for more secureness ( is that a word??)lol

Then, I cut off the excess pretty close to the last stitching I just did.

Flip the top back right-side out and take a look!! You have a new, COOOOOOL skirt!! What do ya think?? Don't tell Kayla, it's for her 11th birthday in a few weeks!!!