Project Denim, Diminishing the Jean Pile, Episode 11, How to Make an Asymmetrical Jean Skirt!

Welcome back! Today I'm sharing the other project I made using my favorite, old jeans. I hated to let them go, but they were so worn that I decided to make something new out of them! Distressed denim pencil skirts are all over lately and I have wanted one. So I made one! Here is how it turned out and I love it!!

To make one you will need:
Denim Jeans that fit you
Sewing Machine, thread
Scissors
Unpicker

Directions:
Begin by cutting the skirt off about the knee or however long you want, keeping in mind to cut one leg a little longer if you want to do the asymmetrical look. Then unpick both the inner leg seams all the way up. And a little further in the front (like to the zipper seam) so you can over lap it later. Now sew the legs together in the front over lapping the original crotch seam so it shows in the front. Sew a new seam all the way down the front of the skirt to make the front of the skirt intact. Then for the back I cut one of the legs (that I cut from the original pair of jeans) in half the long way and made a rectangle that fit the hole in the back and sewed it to the skirt, I just placed the square on top of the skirt, pinned it and sewed, so there are frayed edges showing all the way around the skirt. The bottom of the square had the original pants hem on it and I liked the look. Then I cut the front of the skirt so it looked asymmetrical. Then I frayed all edges for a more distressed look. I left all holes and fraying.
My inspiration for the look was a Metallic Skirt from Top Shop that I saw in a fashion magazine.

My fav jeans before I started my skirt project today.

Here they are cut off at and below the knee and inside leg seams unpicked and opened up.

Here the skirt is pinned together and ready to sew. With my inspo, the silver, leather, metallic skirt.

The whole look!

And when I got this all typed up and pics loaded...I realized...I somehow missed taking shots of the back! Well another day I'll show you the back. I'm such a goof ball!!

Hope you love denim projects as much as I do and hope you have a great day!
Much love from my little "Patch-A-Heaven!"

Project Denim, Diminishing the Jean Pile, Episode 10, Moccasin Inspired Summer Sandal Make Over!

Maybe you have been wondering where I've been...maybe you thought I ran out of ideas...well I'm back! It's been a super busy summer around here with kids, lambs, horses, garden and potty training, ugh!! And I'm not out of ideas, I just need more time in the day, the week, the year, know what I mean?!

I have a favorite pair of denim jeans and I've had them for eons!! Seriously they are so worn!! And I have decided that they need to be turned into something else so I can continue to enjoy them. Distressed denim is so in right now, but mine were getting ridiculously distressed!! So I made them into 2 different things (and had some denim left over for another project later!)
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The first thing I want to share with you is a Moccasin inspired sandal look! Moccasins are a hot trend these days too, and I secretly wish Freshly Picked would make adult sizes, but until then I will settle for these!!
They turned out super cute and easy. And I think they add a little extra fun and sassy fringe to my sandals.

The finished project!

To make these you will need:
Denim
Needle and Thread
Hook and Eye closures (Joann fabric store) 2
Scissors
Rhinestones
Glue Gun or E600
Your favorite sandals to wear them with

To make them:
To begin start with two equal strips of denim about 10.5" long and 2.5" wide, (length may vary depending on size of ankles you are trying to fit so make sure to check that they fit around with room to over lap a bit for the hook and eye closures)
Now that you have 2 strips of denim I would fray the bottom and sides by pulling the thread closest to the cut and pulling it all the way out and repeat until you have a nice fray. Then fold the top edge over and glue down to itself using the glue gun, you would also sew this down if you want or leave it frayed, whichever look you like. Then working from the bottom, make cuts about 3/4 of the way up the strips, (stopping at the exact same place each time) about 1/4-1/2" wide, repeat all the way down the strip. and then I cut off the last strip to make a space so the strip could wrap on top of itself where the hook and eye are. Now attach the hook and eye by sewing in place. (Check the fit on your ankle before sewing so they fit perfectly)

Here is my strip I started with.

A closer look at the cuts along the strip to make the fringe.

Here I have cut just above the seam at the top, cut the original strip into 2 strips and trimmed the last fringe off one side on each strip.

Here I have finished the strips by hand sewing on the hook/eye closures and glued on some rhinestones so they match my sandals. I also hot glued the top of the strips down to the back of the strip, by folding it over and gluing.

To embellish and make these match my sandals I added some Rhinestones by gluing them on!

Here's my look!! And tune in tomorrow for the "big" project I made with my old jeans! Just in time for the rodeo!!

My finished project! 

How to Keep the Kids Busy This Summer, Have a Bubble Day!

My kids love bubbles! And the bigger the better!! To be honest when we get this stuff out, even the adults can't resist...it's a lot of fun. So my next suggestion for summer fun with the kiddos is to have a bubble day! We do this a lot and have some suggestions. We like to buy the biggest bottle of bubble liquid at Wal-Mart and then pour out into a round pizza pan. Then use either Joy Dish Washing liquid or Johnson's No Tears Shampoo to squirt extra soap into the store bought bubble liquid for extra big bubbling. Because the bubbles get so big and when they pop if the kids are little and it gets in their eyes the Joy might sting a little. I think the Joy works best for the bubble factor, but the Johnson's also works good and no sting. We like to use butterfly nets that we have cut out most of the net, leaving only the part attached to the ring (so the bubble liquid has something to stick to) and then dip the ring into the liquid, pulling it out slowly. You can also make your own buy using wire hangers and or sticks, making a ring and a long handle, then crochet around the ring making something for the liquid to stick to. (If you have older kids it's a perfect way to teach a simple crochet stitch!)  We have the best luck with huge bubbles when there's a slight breeze to help elongate the bubbles. My 6 year old is the master! She can make the longest bubbles I've ever seen!

Here are some pics of our bubble fun!

This is my mom, seriously you guys she is the funnest grandma ever! Wish I could be more like her...

Here is a look at the wand in the bubble liquid. Keep in mind if you do this on concrete it does get slippery so be careful! I would put the pans on the concrete (so they don't dump over in the grass) ,  and then have them dip and then move to the grass to run or make the bubbles.  Also keep in mind, we have yellowed a patch of grass when we did a huge amount and someone dumped it over in the grass. 

The bubble queen!

Another thing the kids love to do besides make the bubbles is pop them! And for this they like to use fly swatters, but the wands and hands work fine too. We usually take turns making the bubbles and popping them, some make, while others pop!

Keep in mind these are huge bubbles using a lot of bubble liquid so if they pop them over head they will need a bath after or they will feel very slippery and soapy! Or maybe playing in the sprinklers or kiddy pool after would do the trick!! Or just hose them off, LOL!

This is by far, one of my kids favorite summer activities, we hope you like it too!

If one is good...two is better right?!

Pretty sure you can guess how this ended! POP went the bubble!!

All Hail the Bubble Queen!

Next time we do this we are going to try the hula hoop in the swimming pool to see if we can make the huge bubble you can get inside! I just need to crochet around the hoop first! And buy a tanker full of bubble liquid!! Bubbles are so fun and hope you get out and try these with your kiddos.

Happy Independence Day! An Easy 4th of July Craft, Firework Bows!

Here is our Activity Day craft, patriotic flip flops!

Hi friends! Hope you all have a super 4th of July tomorrow! It's such a fun holiday with such special
meaning. I was looking for a fun, easy red, white and blue craft for my Activity Day girls yesterday. (If you aren't familiar with "Activity Day" it's a special bi-monthly, planned activity for the girls in our church ages 8-11, I have the privilege of being one of their leaders.)  I wanted something we could make, that they could wear on the 4th and something they could do while we discussed the significance of Independence Day. I have always loved the 4th of July, the parades, bbq's, fireworks and traditions. But I wanted the girls to really appreciate why we celebrate the 4th and what it means. So we talked about that and made these easy flip flops. Of course this idea has been around forever. And Joann's had flip flops on sale for $1 and I had access to lots of free fabric scraps so it was a win, win! But, then I had another idea...why not make some hair clips using the same method (don't know if anyone has tried this, but it worked great too!) They look like fireworks which is very fitting, and they were super fast and easy!!

This is a fun, inexpensive craft for camp, activity day or family reunion. You could make them using any color combo of fabrics to suit the holiday or affair. We did Red, White and Blue of course and they turned out cute!

To make these, just buy some hair barrettes from Joann, and cut/tear strips of scrap fabric about 1/2-1" wide and 6" long, then just tie the strips onto the barrette, using double (two) knots. And fill in the entire barrette, easy peasy! The barrettes had small, circular holes in the ends so I put one strip through each hole and tied them as to cover the metal ends.

Here are some pics of our creations:

Here is a finished firecracker bow!

This is the kind of hair barrette clip we used.

The fabric strips look like this...

Here is the little hole I was talking about. I thread a strip through each hole and tie 2 knots.

Here's one knot after threading through the hole.

This is two knots in the original red strip and another blue strip added right next to it.

If you continue adding more strips and turn the ties different directions when tying the knots it will look more like a firework and less uniform as the first two do. 

Here is a finished firework bow.

 Oh...and if you aren't familiar with the flip flop craft shown in the picture at the top, you use the same method of tying strips of fabric to the flip flops until they look full. We have also used this same method on a giant safety pin, (only filling one side of the pin) and then you can pin it to a hat or blouse to create fun, patriotic accessories!

Hope you all have a great 4th of July and always remember what it means and how blessed we are to live in the great U.S.A!!