field trips and sewing projects

egads! already almost forgot i'm supposed to do a daily post...it's going to be a long month!

today we are headed to the bird sanctuary to see the white pelicans and the trumpeter swans (the latter and just now starting to arrive). it should be a fun afternoon! we will be reviewing a bit about pelicans today and tomorrow we'll talk about the swans. i wasn't expecting them to be there so soon so i didn't prepare anything about them.

i found a sweater jacket that i fell in love with. problem is, 1. it's too big for me and 2. it's $225! ouch! so, i'm going to start collecting sweaters from the thrift shop and make my own. here is a link on etsy to it:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59754225/autumn-retro-gypsy-elf-travellers-coat

this one is amazing too:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56413964/reserved-for-chellemybelle-through-the

i also like the ones in this seller's shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/katwise

and the upcycled sleeves in this shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NomadicRoots

i have been wanting some of these for awhile and even made my own out of old socks but didn't like how the ends frayed....i can use some sweater cuffs to embellish them and make them nicer! i should join the wardrobe re-fashion, lol since i have all these ambitions projects in mind. now we'll see if i can actually follow through with them!

does anyone know where i could find a pattern for these sweater coats? i have seen several sellers on etsy selling them and they all look the same...there must be a pattern out there somewhere or are they just really smart and can recreate the same thing?

wardrobe re-fashion

i'm not a part of this wonderful group but i love the idea of it and have done this myself on numerous occasions. i love this dress idea from a men's shirt. i was organizing my fabric bin this weekend which consists of old clothes and fabrics that i've collected. several caught my eye so i started matching them up. i plan to make jaden's summer wardrobe from them:cotton and linen: top left -cotton pillowcase, bottom left - cotton fabric, right - greg's linen shirt that has worn out on the collar (all three were originally from thrift stores)
cotton: top left - pair of cotton swim shorts that ripped beyond repair, bottom left - swatches of fabric cut to cover canning good lids (from garage sale), right - fabric gifted to me by friend
cotton and silk: top left - fabric from clearance sale, bottom left - pillowcases from thrift store, right - silk shirt from thrift store that ripped
linen: left - fabric found in remnents bin at fabric store, right - leftover fabric from my commitment ceremony dresscotton: left - leftover from business projects (eye pillows, shoulder wraps, etc), right - pillowcase from goodwill

stay tuned to see what i come up with!

is there anything better?

a handmade dress from a handmade pattern using a cast off shirt and skirt of mine. i made it a bit big so it will fit her two years.

cold, gloomy day projects

today i spent the day re-doing my two aprons i made w/o a pattern. the brown one i had to completely take apart and resew. i added the pockets and crossed the back straps too. i love it! the pockets have lots of room, just like i like them.

the floral print still needs the straps to be crossed but it now has added pockets and has been slimmed down on the bodice piece to fit better.