Take It In

And pull your hair out while you’re at it.  That’s how I felt while trying to take in some maternity tees I was given that just didn’t fit my frame.  I had this great plan to resize all these hand-me-down pregnancy tees I was given according to the directions on how to take in a regular tee I found here via Pinterest.  Well, I hate to divulge the obvious (because apparently it wasn’t obvious to me…naive or just plain hard-headed, I don’t know) but previously worn maternity t-shirts (or maybe just maternity t-shirts in general) have more fabric in front than in back to accommodate baby, or they’re just plain stretched out in front which naturally happens…duh.  So this method of simply using a tee you like as a stencil for the tee you plan to sew in doesn’t quite work and therefore may cause you to want to poke your eyes out with pins.

 

So, I finally scrapped that plan and started anew.  And, I’m alive and well, eyes and hair intact, to tell you that I finally figured it out and my wardrobe is happily expanding.

Here’s how it went down.  First things first, I hate maternity shirts with ruching on the side.  I feel like they make your widest part, already wider due to baby, appear even wider.  So, I was bound and determined to try and remove them without harming the tee I was working on.  I was happy to find out that all I really had to do was take a seam ripper to the elastic making the ruching and that was that.

Yay!  Easy as pie.  I threw it in the wash to smooth out the wrinkles left behind, tried it on, and…

still a little frumpy.  So, armed with a renewed motivation to try again, I tried a new approach.

Instead of using an existing fitted tee as a template, I worked on one side first, then the other.  First, I laid the tee out flat along the first side I’d be working on.

Side Note:  See how when the right side is laid out flat, you can’t even see the left seam?  That’s what cause me so much distress in the beginning.  You can’t lay the tee out flat with both side seams perfectly aligned without having extra fabric in the middle to contend with.

Then I figured out much I wanted to take my tee in by making marks all the way up the side.  In this case, I wanted to take two inches off each side so I made marks at one inch all the way up the side of the shirt.

When I got to the sleeve, I simply continued making my one inch marks but then connected them with my marker just so I’d have a guiding line to sew over.

After that, I pinned the sides together to make sure they wouldn’t move while sewing.

 

Foot pressed and hands guiding, I sewed a straight stitch along my dotted line guide, making sure to reinforce my stitches at the top and bottom by reversing my machine and sewing a few stitches back and then forward again.

Then, I moved to the next side and followed the same process.  For each side, I made sure to start my sewing at the bottom of the shirt so I could make sure the sides lined up perfectly.  Next, I took a deep breath and tried the shirt on.  It worked!  After jumping for joy, I used my pinking shears to cut off the excess fabric.

Here’s what the tee looks like now:

 

Happy as a gopher on a spring day, I moved on to the dreaded tee I had previously tried and failed on, used this same technique and took it from this:

to this:

Easy peasy, especially for a semi-beginner seamstress like me.  I’ve got a pile of maternity tees about a foot high just waiting for a similar fate.  In between tees though, I’ve explored and conquered taking in a couple of pairs of maternity shorts which I’ll share soon.

It’s such a great feeling to know that looking cute during pregnancy doesn’t have to cost a lot, especially when you’ve got great friends who gladly pass on their old maternity wear to you AND you’ve got a sewing machine and little motivation to use it.  Rest assured, as I am, that as long as I can reach the sewing machine (at least another month hopefully), that I won’t be lacking as far as maternity clothing goes.  :)

Have a great weekend!

Twins: 24 Weeks

I took full advantage of the mix and match fad at the beach over Easter by putting together my new maternity swimsuit consisting of green bottoms (belonging to a green tankini that obviously will not work at the moment) and a black tube swim top borrowed from my sis covered by a "tankini" top - a $5 microfiber tank from Charlotte Russe purchased solely to be my swim top for the rest of the summer after which it will probably be so stretched out that the trash can will see it next...or the next summer pregnancy.  :)

Onto more important things though...I got to see my sister's little girl, Claire, for the first time this Easter weekend.  I could not get enough of her.  Those cheeks.  Those huge, blue eyes.  The wispy blonde hair that curls in the back.  How she screams loud enough for neighbors a mile away to hear her when she's happy.  The way she holds her blankie up to her face and mouth when you put her to sleep in her crib.  And best of all, her beaming smile that shows her pearly whites peeking out underneath those rosy lips.  How I wish she, my sister, and her hubs lived closer.       

It was such a great Easter gift to be able to make the drive to see them along with seeing my mom and brother.  There was lots of reminicing, laughs (a few times when I was sure that I had smashed the twins with my abs from laughing so hard), candy (Cadbury cream eggs...mmmmm), and probably more dessert than food because that's how we roll.  :)  Such a great way to celebrate the life we've been given over the most holy weekend of the year.  Thank you Jesus!

Kitchen? Painted.

   Yes sir, this is what I walk into every morning nowadays, usually to scope out my first breakfast and plan for my second, third, and fourth.  No, it’s not done in the full sense of the word, but the hardest part – painting the cabinets – is.  We have yet to hang the new over-the-range microwave, build the shelf above it, and install a subway tile backsplash until we call it quits with our mini-reno.  Then of course I’ve got a few little things to do to keep me busy until Twin A and B come like taking some paint to a runner that will anchor the floor and hanging a picture collage on the wall between the dining area and the kitchen.  All in slow pregnancy time my friends. 

However, while waiting for Anthony to finish a couple of grad classes so we (more like he and a strong friend) can install the microwave, I’ve been taking advantage of the sweet southern weather and spending a good amount of time outside lounging and even putting in a little sweat equity.  As I mentioned in the twins 23 week post, I had enough energy to sustain a small army last week so I used some of it to improve our love-lacking landscaping.  In particular, one of the beds in the front of our house was looking a little shabby.  You might remember that a few years ago we overhauled our curb appeal, taking it from drab to fab, except since then, a couple of plants we chose had to be replaced.  I was in charge of buying the replacements last year and thought I scored a really good deal when I got a few plants for under five bucks.  So, I planted ‘em, thought they looked good (they always look good at the store) but this year, they grew back looking like weeds.  I should’ve taken a picture but I didn’t.  What I did do was, armed with a little more cash and sense, grabbed a few hibiscus (which are perennials down here) and a few annuals and went to work.

First, I set them in their soon-to-be spots just to make sure I got the spacing right:

  

And then I defied the probable wonderment of every passer-by thinking “look, it’s a pregnant lady with a shovel!” and dug, dug, dug until I got here:

All of the landscaped beds around our casa need a new layer of pine straw (which we use as mulch down here) and some grass seed needs to be sown throughout the yard, but at least our curb appeal isn’t a ‘lack of’ anymore.  And, if I've made the right plant decisions, the only tweaking of landscaped beds we should have to do in the following years is adding some annuals and maybe pine straw.  Fingers crossed. 

 Anyway, I’ve got a rather long list of to-do’s today before Easter that includes making some nips and tucks on some maternity wear, basking in the sun, and possibly some spray paint, so off I go.  I need to keep my mind busy to improve my mood – I found out last night, after finally doing our taxes, that the federal government was bound and determined to swoop in on my parade and take every last cent we had saved up for a new dslr camera.  Lovely.  Sometimes it’s harder to live on a budget than others but, we’ve got blessings galore and for these I am thankful.  :)

  I hope to get some more substantial Saturday posts in the form of tutorials and such on this here blog soon so stay close!  Oh yes, and most importantly, have an incredible Easter!  Thank you Lord Jesus for the sacrifice you made on the cross for us, that we might live and one day be united with you!

Twins: 23 Weeks

Not sure what I ate or what got into me this week but I literally felt like I could conquer the world - every square foot of my house is immaculate, I tackled the twins future room and consolidated everything they currently own into their closet, completely redid an entire landscape bed in front of our house (all by myself), took up pages in my "thoughts and ideas" sketch book writing and drawing diy ideas and plans, and still had energy left to run 10 miles (which I didn't do, but just sayin') despite the lack of sleep I'm getting due to the awkward belly.  Here's to hoping week 24 will bring me the same crazy energy cause I've got lots on my to-do list!  :)

Cards from Cards

A.k.a. FREE Love Notes...a.k.a. A Frugal Scrapbookers Dream...a.k.a. Beat That, Hallmark...whatever you wanna call it, this here's a post about what I concocted last week during my painting-while-I'm-pregnant-need-to-sit-down breaks.  First of all, let me explain my situation/thoughts.  If you're anything like me, you have a shin-dig (birthday, wedding, baby shower, etc...), you get all these pretty, heartfelt cards, and you save them to write heartfelt thank yous back to their authors, then tuck them away because if you throw them away, what with all their lovely words and encouragement, you'll feel like a bad person.  (Keep in mind I'm not saying you are a bad person if you throw them away, I just feel like I can't...maybe it's just me.)  So then you find yourself in a situation like this...

…and you have all these great cards taking up space that could be used for other things.  By the way, I still have every single wedding card (the majority of the pile shown above) we received taking up half of one dresser drawer.  Now, in another part of that same dresser drawer I have a stack of postcard-style cards with envelopes that I scored from Target for like $2 or something a year ago. 

I’ve used them here and there but really haven’t used them to their full potential…until now.  My thought, while looking from one pile to the other, was “Hey, why not use each baby shower card to make a custom thank you card for the person who gave it?  That way, our thank yous will not only be cute and one-of-a-kind, but I’ll have the peace of mind that I didn’t simply throw away each persons affections AND it’ll allow me to get out some of this creative tension building up inside AND it'll be free AND it’ll be more cherished by the receiver (if they even realize I used their card to make their thank you).”  :) 

So in between sanding sessions and waiting for coats of primer or paint to dry courtesy of our mini kitchen remodel, I sat my rear down and played with paper.  Here’s a basic run down of what I did:

First, I grabbed a card.

 

Then I cut out anything I liked that could be used to construct another card – words, blank parts of paper, designs, and pictures.

Last, I grabbed a blank postcard (pink, purple, or yellow for this project) and created away.  Using this particular card, here’s what I came up with:

Fun, huh?

That’s it.  That’s all it took – a little time and effort and some supplies I had laying around.  Wanna see more?  I didn’t take before shots of each card but I definitely took afters so that I could remember and use each design for inspiration in the future. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

I didn’t buy a single thing to make these cards, just used stuff I had laying around – a decorative corner punch, scissors, glue, a silver sharpie, and some random things like the top to my lotion bottle used as a circle stencil.  As for some of the geometric patterns, I just free-handed them first using a pencil (in case I messed up) and then traced over them with the sharpie.  All of the shapes I used were free-handed onto scrap card stock and then traced…and then saved to use in the future. 

 

  After all was said, done, and mailed, I had these pieces leftover to use for future cards:

I also re-used an almost empty card organizing box I’ve had for years to store my new-found hobby:

I’ll sort pieces of cut-up cards I can reuse based on what category they fit into here.  As for the unusable remains of the cards I mutilated, they’re now laying in our paper recycling bin and I’ve got less paper clutter – both of which score me at least 10 points.  :)

Needless to say, I probably won’t ever spend money on a card again, unless I’m in the market for a sound-making one or something.  I even found a pack of 50 white, blank, single-fold cards for about $17 at Target with which I plan to make everything from birthday cards to sympathy cards using our stockpile of received cards yet to be “reinvented”.  Such fun!  I’m sure I’m not the only one to hatch this crazy plan – anyone else into becoming Edward Scissorhands with used cards?  Do tell!  I have a long life of card making ahead and more ideas I will need.  :)

Oh yes, and by the way, the kitchen?  Painted.  Show-and-tell next week.  :)