Summer clothes in a moment

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Leggi questo post in: Italiano

if you follow me on facebook, you might have seen last week when ashley from make it and love it had the same idea that i did: use your daughter’s too-short leggings and shorten them to make summer leggings. and if you read this blog, you’ll know that i just love recuperating unused clothes and i love super quick projects. so, here’s the first part of how to make summer clothes in a flash without spending a cent! (the other ways will be for next time.)

my little girl had really used these leggings a lot, but they still had a little life in them (not a lot….). so i had her put on the leggings and i marked where they should go with a safety pin. i admit that i first tried to make ruched leggings as i’d seen at made (and how ashley did too!), but apprently i didn’t have the right kind of  elastic thread. i used one made of clear nylon, but i guess you need that covered type. i couldn’t find it where i live, so i bought this type in the states and can’t wait to try it out!

so i just did a simple hem. i cut off the pants bottoms, folded them inwards and ironed them (yes, i ironed for once!).

i did the first pair with a simple zig zag stitch from the inside and called it a day. but i didn’t like the homemade effect it had, so for the second pair i used a double needle (which i learned here, again from ashley).

doing them this way you have to sew from the outside, so i used the sewing machine’s guide (that thing on the right in the above photo) and, with the pants inside out, i adjusted it so it would be at the right width. then i turned the leggings the right way out and sewed the hem.

much more professional looking! look at the difference after having sewn them this way before and after ironing. (i ironed again!)

i was wondering how to use the rest of the fabric. i thought of doing some sort of fancy decoration, then i remembered that my daughter always wants pockets, even if they’re little, to bring her little do-dads with her.

i don’t think that this is the most expert way of making this type of pockets, but this is how i made them. and this way only works with jersey, which doesn’t fray in the wash. with the removed pant leg inside out, draw on the shape of the pocket, using the pre-existing hem for the open part of the pocket. sew along that line, cut around it and turn it right side out.

sew the pockets directly where you want them.

see how there are two layers in there?

now turn the pocket inside out and cut close to the stitching to cut away that middle layer, obviously being careful not to cut the fabric that should stay there.

and there you have it! there was a little fabric left over, so i cut it up into strips and pulled on them to stretch them out. i split them into two parts (here one of each color to help show this better) and i made a quick bracelet.

 

but i like mixing up the colors more:

it’s a little grunge because these leggings had two side seams, but that’s ok. i’m pretty happy; i recuperated two pairs of leggings that i was sorry to get rid of without throwing anything away, i provided my little girl with summer leggings that she really needed, and i was even able to make something small for myself… without spending a cent! olè!

other ways of fixing up clothes for the summer that are even more simple for the next time! (in a week or so. right now i’m on vacation again with the whole family here!)

18 thoughts on “Summer clothes in a moment”

  5. Complimenti, ho scoperto oggi il tuo blog e sto leggendo ogni singolo post!
    Sei di Boston? I miei suoceri abitano in New Hampshire, vanno spesso a Boston: gli parlerò del museo del riciclo 😉

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  7. …questa volta ho letto con più calma il tuo post 😉 sei stata bravissima!!! Anche io per fare capi sportivi per i miei figli (quando erano piccoli!!!) ho usato l'ago doppio proprio come hai fatto tu … per evitare il "troppo fatto in casa", invece, non conoscevo il filo di nylon trasparente né quello ricoperto!!!
    Prima di salutarti, cara Lisa …bellissimo il posto dove sei con la famiglia! Mi sa che lo sfrutterò anch'io con amici =)
    Ciaoooo

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  12. ciao clyo e benvenuta! ho appena scritto un lungo commento, ma non so che cosa è successo, è scomparso! comunque, sì, sono di massachusetts, ho vissuto a boston e sono stata il mese scorso a new hampshire (che mia figlia si diverte a chiamare "new hamster", cioè nuovo criceto). credo che vuoi dire il negozio del riciclo al museo dei bambini. purtroppo, l'hanno chiuso l'anno scorso!!! è stata una notizia molto triste non solo per me, ma anche con le persone con cui ho parlato di questa novità sfortunata. c'era da almeno quando ero piccola io e l'ho sempre amato. buuuu!

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  14. ciao silvia, guarda, ci siamo trovati stra-benissimo in quella struttura! l'ho consiglio moltissimo!
    sai, forse quel filo di nylon trasparente non è fatto proprio per cucire, ma per fare cose tipo collane? non lo so! so solo che non ha funzionato per quello che volevo! il doppio ago fa un bel effetto, no? mi piace davvero tanto!

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  15. carissima Lisa, sono allora doppiamente felice per la struttura! Appena ci andrò ti saprò dire come mi sarò trovata. A proposito degli aghi doppi, invece, lo sai che ne esistono di larghezze diverse? Io ne avevo usato un tipo per le maniche di felpe e un altro tipo più largo per la parte bassa…l'effetto è veramente bello.
    Ciao ciao. A presto =)

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