#DIY Sewing Project ~Transform Clothing Items into Pretty Scarves~

#DIY Sewing Project ~Transform Clothing Items into Pretty Scarves~

         Sometimes the prettiest fabrics for simple sewing projects can be found elsewhere, besides buying straight from the bolt.
        Yes, indeed I am a fabric-holic :)  I love to find the right fabric at the right price. And usually that will be found in the craft stores with the long isles of bolt after bolt of fabrics. Whether it's a light weight or heavy weight fabric I hope to find for that desired sewing project I have in mind.
       But if you take your search else where for fabrics that are pretty & the type of fabric or size in yardage needed that you hope to find, you can find them lots of other places besides craft stores by the bolt. In places like yard sales, churches with Lords Acre Sales, thrift stores, your families hand me down clothing etc.  So the next time you are in these places, look at the colors, designs, weight of the fabrics in all the clothing items you see such as long dresses, long sleeve shirts, skirts, old table clothes, sheets, sweaters, etc. And imagine the yardage in fabric you may have needed for your certain project & then compare it to the yardage you see in those items right there in front of you that cost just pennies to buy. Much cheaper than fabric sold on blots by the yardage per price. Hold the item up, extend out  its fabric to see the length & width it can provide you. And most times, you will see that there is an ample amount right there in your hands to use on many projects that you had hope to do.
      A few weeks ago I enjoyed the day out for a few hours on two different occasions with each one of my sisters when we looked through some thrift stores.  And the one thing I simply love about thrift store looking is that you can be assured to always see & find all the 4 seasons of clothing items. When in the merchant stores your only going to see what clothing is worn during the time of the season you are currently in.
     I saw the prettiest skirts when we were thrift store looking. Ones with thicker grade fabric & others that were very light weight and just bursting with vibrant colors.  The same type fabric if...found on the bolt by the yard in craft stores would easily cost a price of $6.99 per yard or higher.
     And a skirt found in the thrift store that had the same 1 and 1/2 yard of sheer nice quality fabric within it, cost me a price of  .50 cent.  And I just knew all the pretty things I could use it for to make into other things to enjoy.
         Just look at the vibrant colors in this pretty skirt. It has at least 5 colors within it that would match other colors of my clothing. And within this piece I could visualize scarves being made, headbands, a lining for a purse, little sachet bags to fill with lavender dry herbs, cedar wood chips or my favorite  purex crystals to go in my dresser drawers to make my linens smell great.  Plus, I end up with a free zipper, pretty buttons & this skirt had a tan fabric lining so that means more fabric to use!
  
              So I took to cutting it up! Or should I say cutting it across!  Because I wanted a pretty spring thin scarf to enjoy :) And with the skirts vertical design pattern I knew I could create my scarf as wide or narrow or as long or short as I desired.  The band of the skirt will indeed become either a headband for my hair or the strap to a gypsy style hobo sling purse that I will create soon :)

                                        Here is another skirt I got for .50 Cent with such pretty paisley designs in earth tone colors of browns.  Both got washed & dried & now are ready to alter into new life enjoyed in other ways!
 
                         I began cutting! And I love using my serger so I just ran the sides through with a white thread serger stitch. But I also did some with a hem over turn of the outside edge on my regular sewing machine.

 
                      I  found a pink scrap of sweater fabric that was almost 2 yards  while there too for $1.00!!   And I did the same sewing project with it but made it 12 inches wide & seamed up the side after I folded it over then turned it inside out and let the seam line be located center on one side so my other side (the side that will face up to see and enjoy) and then hemmed up the ends.

 

I then took some of my Sashay Yarn and I stretched it out flat & sewed it onto my pink sweater fabric that I had made into a winter/fall scarf. Because those yarn colors found in the Sashay yarn are so pretty & have 3 colors that fade away and blend into the one combined color. It matched my pink sweater fabric just perfect.

 

 

 

 And when you are all finished after what took only a few minutes to cut your thrift store finds, seam up the sides, you now have lots of scarves to enjoy wearing. You can leave them as long or as short as you desire, open ends like you see here OR the one nearest the purple colored one, I have closed the ends together on that one making it a complete piece to loop over your head as many times as you like depending on how long you made it & it is an infinity scarf.

 

Here's you a good  Fact & Helpful *Tip*** 

 

Fabric is sold on the bolt by the "running yard" and the dimensions for a yard of fabric is usually 44 inches wide by 36 inches long. Sometimes you will luck up and find fabrics that are 60 inches wide. Most times if you are heading to the craft stores to buy fabrics for scarves, you will only need half a yard of fabric or even less than that maybe 1/4 of a yard. They will cut you what ever amount you desire & set the price according to what price per yard is on that said bolt of fabric type. 

So, when you are at those thrift stores, yard sales etc.

 Do like I do when I visit them and take along a seamstress measuring tape. You can find these at any craft store for $1 or less. Shoot, you may even find one in the thrift store for .25 cent ;)

 

Use it to measure the length & width of the clothing items you see that you too can transform into something else to enjoy.  And look at all those clothing items or kitchen linens etc in a whole new light.

They make some of the prettiest items as mentioned above or even more ideas like valances, table place mats, dinner napkins etc. Those items can be made with ease because they are just basically long or short pieces that need to be hemmed or adding a open section for a rod to hold them. 

   I will be back with more sewing projects to share with you, because I have been busy at my 3 different machines. One that I shared with you just the other day was my fabric lamp shade cover I created found  here So come back to see what's getting stitched up next :) 

         here at Mamawj's Moment Away ~ Take Care ~Julie

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