Wine Bottle Candle Holders (A Picture Update)

 

Previous post here :)

Shortened Skirt

I had this black velvet skirt that I didn't feel like I could wear because it was too short to be considered  a gypsy skirt skirt and too long to be a regular skirt. So now it's shorter!

  

It's just about knee length now, and while I was doing it I was a little worried that I would change my mind about thinking I wanted it shorter, and since it was a really gathered skirt with tons of body...

I just left all the skirt there. That way I have the freedom to change my mind later, and I don't worry about ruining a perfectly good skirt.

Now I just have to wait for fall to come so that I can wear this piece...

Bias Scarf

I've been using a lot of the old yarn that's been stored away in my closet for the last several years to use in my knitting projects instead of breaking the bank for new wool, and one of the things I had was fifty or so yards of super bulky Lion Brand yarn that I couldn't figure out what to do with. Finally I found a pattern for a scarf knitted on the bias that I think uses it up just fine:

 

But honestly, it's just fine. I'm not ecstatic about it. Give me a couple years-- I bet I rip it apart to do something else with it (or give it to someone who likes it better than I do!)

Table Cloth

When I was in high school (which seems like forever ago, but really wasn't) someone at my family's church brought back a lot of great things from India, where they headed a mission. My Mom bought me this great piece of cloth:

 

For the last several years, it has had unfinished edges, and been covering a table in my bedroom at my Dad's house, but when I moved into my new apartment, I brought it with me. Of course, I wanted it to be finished to use it.

 

So now I have a very cool table cloth from India!

 

(Clearly this is more of a "man, it's nice to have a sewing machine" kind of post than a "look what I did" kind of post. Although I am proud that the seams are straight...)

The Last Ex-Sweater Piece

Remember the massive yarn ball from my Mom's sweater? Well this is what we're left with:

 

Because I made one last piece for my Mom: A table runner :)

Torn Top

I am a genius. Also, I hate tags. So when one of my new tops had a tag on the side, I decided to rip it out. And I did this:

 

Like I said, I'm a genius. However, a sewing machine and a little white thread later, I had this:

 

Whew!

Fixed Found Shirt

Remember the shirt I found on the ground? Well I got around to fixing it. Here's what it looked like before:

 

Clearly I'm not too happy about how it looks. The first step was to change the collar:

I think just folding back the collar is a good way to make it look younger, without ruining the integrity of the piece (it still has an old-fashioned vibe, without being old-fashioned).

 

I like to use a contrasting thread, but that's just me. While the first half was simple, the second half required that I remove some buttons.

 

Then I matched the fold and sewed that side down, too.

 

The next step is to fix the sleeves. I thought maybe the best thing would be to take out the shoulder pads, but they're not the normal removable ones I'm used to:

 

So instead I just decided to make the sleeves short. My options were traditional short sleeves, or cap sleeves.

  I decided to start with short sleeves, and then change them if I wasn't happy with the look.

 

I cut out the extra sleeve:

 

And tried it on.

 

Much better! I made the other side the same, finished the edges:

 

( note that there are better ways to do this), and cut off the excess:

 

And now it's a wearable top :)