Something old is new again...

Last summer, on yet another op-shopping expedition, I came across a strappy, halterneck dress that I thought would be just great for a long hot season.
But once I got it home and put it on again, this time in some good light (!), the colour just didn't work for me at all. So, not wanting to waste it - I put it away in the refashioning cupboard and promptly forgot about it.

Last week, I came across the dress again and decided that I could rework it into a lovely skirt for my niece, Miss A, who is very girly and loooves a 'pretty dress'.

So, into my fabric stash I ventured and sourced some white spotted quilting fabric - for a skirt lining. The straps on the dress I reused as a tie for the front or back of the skirt, plus a little elastic for the back. I wanted the front of the skirt to be smooth, with all the elastic action at the back at waist level.

It was pretty easy to construct, as all the pieces were rectangles which I cut out using my quilting matt and rotary cutter. Very easy!

I still have half a dress to reuse...not sure yet what that will become. Anyone got any ideas?

Refashioning - baby sleeping bag

I really love being resourceful and making something new from existing materials. It's such a creative process. Particularly when it comes to sewing! So, here's the my latest refashioning project....

Take two barely used pillow slips, a couple of bamboo bassinet topsheets, some bamboo wadding left over from a quilt and one new red zip = one gorgeous new comfortable sleeping bag for my beautiful little boy!

I had an old sleeping bag handed down from my nephew's baby years which I used to trace off a pattern. I unpicked the european pillowcases and cut out the pattern from both these, the wadding and the bassinett sheets.

The result is a really beautifully soft sleeping bag. The bamboo sheets and the wadding are so lovely for a baby's sleeping bag! And I'm really pleased that I've been able to make something so comfortable and soft from resources I had at hand.