Re-purposed Skirt

One of my favorite things to do, that you know even if you only occasionally stop by my blog, is to thrift. Sometimes I am in the mood to slowly hunt for that rare find...a unique garment or vintage treasure and other times I just breeze through the shop stopping at whatever catches my eye. This toddler skirt was found on one of those latter days. Reminiscent of an old patchwork quilt and spotted with some of my favorite summer hues... This is a super easy project with endless variations. I simply turned the skirt inside out and sewed about a 1/2" from the edge, then turned the skirt back to right side out. I then took two purchased bamboo purse handles and attached them by sewing loops made from grosgrain ribbon. This stitching I did by hand. As you can see, I even left the garment labels in for a bit of re-purposed charm...

Circle Applique Bag

First, a Very Very Happy 13th Birthday to dear Caroline! Her birthday present was inspired by my fabric stash, this photograph from a Japanese craft book, the colors of an upcoming Spring and by that youthful exuberance and energy that surrounds a very special 13 year old.

I started by sifting through my fabric scraps and used a 2" circle stencil to choose the placement of my circles on the fabric patterns. I marked the back side of the fabric with a dark marking pencil and then cut scraps of applique paper to iron on top of my marking. As the applique paper is opaque, I was still able to see my markings. You could certainly iron the paper on first, but I wanted to be picky about my circle placement and wanted to use as little applique paper as possible. After cutting the circles out, I touched up the edges with fray check to avoid fraying.

I then planned the layout of my circles anchoring the corners with darker colors and distributing my colors and duplicate patterns without appearing too contrived. I took a quick snapshot of this layout as I hadn't yet planned my bag design.

After designing the bag and cutting out the interior and exterior pieces, I peeled the backing off of the circles and ironed them onto the front bag piece. After that, I machine stitched each circle about 1/4" from the edges for added durability. I then assembled my bag which I designed as a cross shoulder tote. The straps tie at the top to allow for shortening and lengthening.

SimplyJune - Winter 2007 Newsletter

Our Winter 2007 Newsletter went out this weekend via e-mail. We featured recent press coverage, new products, upcoming events, a special coupon, crafty ideas, etc.

We also included a free pattern designed and written in our studio. If you did not receive our newsletter, sign up on our Mailing List or send us an e-mail.



















Free Snowflake Scarf Crochet Pattern featured in our latest Newsletter


Visit again soon for shop updates and some great new tutorials!

Cardigan Refashioned

I bought this cute little 3/4 sleeve cardigan for a steal, but was a little overwhelmed by its glittery beads and citrus flair. Hmm, what to do, but make it mine...

I first removed all of the beads and buttons, which I'm sure will pop up in another project down the line. I then measured the existing fabric detail and added a 1/4" seam allowance on all sides. Then I ironed over the seam allowances and pinned the fabric into place. After that, I sat down with a good movie (crucial step) and hand stitched the fabric to the sweater. (As a side note, this would be an easy addition to any sweater whether or not there was an existing fabric detail. I also covered all of the button holes as I don't tend to button my cardigans. You could easily measure and mark the existing button hole placements on your fabric strip.) After that, I cut two strips of fabric 4" wide by about 2x the length of the circumference of the sleeve. I ironed over the edges 1/4" and machine stitched. I then folded and stitched again for a finished edge. After that, I machine basted along the length just inside one finished seam and used the basting stitch to gather the ruffle. I then pinned my ruffle (slightly overlapping the short ends) on the inside of the sleeve and hand-stitched in place. This is a great project for your fabric stash and perfect for updating an old or thrifted cardigan.