Tutorial: Knot No-Hem Capri Pants

So, sorry about the long break.  Things got a little crazier than I expected (financially, academically, and moving-ly).  But I finally had a little time to do some sewing and blogging today annnnd....I have what you've been waiting for (maybe)!  Remember this picture I used to taunt you in my last post?

Well....Introducing the Knot No-Hem Capri Pants...

Because there's knot no hem on them!  Get it?  Hahaha.  I crack myself up.  :)

 But, okay.  Seriously, let's talk about the pants.  I made three pairs of these pants for my boyfriend's niece and thought they were worth sharing.  They can be made into shorts or capri (cropped) pants.  I made mine capris because I figured the elastic would stretch to still fit in the waist as she grows and then as the length gets shorter maybe she can wear them as bermudas or even shorts (if they still fit in the waist by then). 

They're super easy, super cute and they don't take much fabric at all.  I made mine out of some scrap fabric and a remnant I bought at Jo-Ann's.

But you can make the project even easier than that.  If your youngster has some long pants they wore this spring that you know won't fit by fall, why not cut off the extra length and add the cute knot to the bottom to make them into a new summer item?

You could even make an adult version with some old jeans for yourself!

So without further ado, here's the Knot No-Hem Cropped Pants tutorial.  Join me after the jump to learn how to make your own pair.

Peasant Tops for Adults

A few weeks ago Jess over at Craftiness is not Optional shared these peasant tops she made for her daughters.  I thought the peasant blouses were adorable, and since Jess swore they were the easiest thing ever to make, I decided to give one a shot in an adult size!  I couldn't find any good adult peasant top tutorials, so I used this tutorial and this tutorial as guides to create my own adult pattern.  And it worked!

Well, sorta.  I ran into a little trouble with the sleeves.  I think I cut them wrong or sewed them wrong or something.  I never really figured it out which, so for two days the top sat on my kitchen table (where I sew) and every time I walked past it I'd say jokingly to my boyfriend, "My sleeves ain't right!"  Eventually I quit following both of the tutorials' instructions and made up my own way.  I got out my seam ripper then cut off part of the sleeves and sewed them on a different way, just for good measure.  I'm pretty sure no one's ever made sleeves like this, since the seam is on the top.  But whatever!  It worked and it fits. :)

 

 Isn't this shirt so cute?  I'm in love with the fabrics.  Can you believe I got them at Jo-Ann's?

Oh, and, by the way, since this post isn't flower-related and I'm still doing my May Flowers event, I made asked my boyfriend nicely to go with me to the botanical gardens and take pictures of me in my new shirt.  You can thank him for the photography.

Anyway...I didn't put elastic in the sleeves because I thought that was a little bit childish and I also sewed on a tie at the bottom of the blouse, a la Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional.  I didn't make the tie quite long enough to tie a bow, but I think it looks like I did it on purpose, don't you?  All I did was sew a tube that was twice as long as the circumference of the shirt.  Simple!

This was my first top to sew and I'm proud I made my own pattern, plus some adjustments to the original blouse.  I used the same technique for the tie on my peasant top as I did for the tie on my pink party skirt.  I always thought modifications to patterns would be hard to make, but I'm starting to learn that once you know a few basic skills in sewing you can mix and match to create almost anything.

The pattern I made for this definitely needs some adjustments, and I'm not sure if I can replicate the shirt again or not, but I think I'll try when I get the chance.  Who knows, maybe I'll make an adult peasant top tutorial for you!  So keep checking back if you like this shirt.  Until then, happy crafting!

--CC

Tutorial Review: Circle Skirt from MADE

Today we'll be reviewing the Circle Skirt Tutorial from MADE.

So here's how mine turned out:

 

Looks pretty good, huh?  I can dress it up like this to wear to work, or I can dress it down with a t-shirt and my Sperries.  And guess what?  The fabric was 60% off at JoAnn's, so the skirt cost me a total of $4 to make.  That's what I call dressing on a budget!

 

I also made a toddler sized version for my niece.  It's in a jersey knit (also purchased on sale) with colorful giraffes on it.  It didn't turn out quite as well due to my inexperience with knits.  The fabric seemed to gather and quit moving through the machine if I didn't stretch it, but got wavy if I did.  (I guess it's about stretching the right amount?)

 

The waviness of the skirt hides the waviness in the fabric pretty well, though, so it still looks alright.  Although, I think I made the skirt waaay too long for a two year old.  I might have to go back and re-hem it.

On to the tutorial review:

As always, Dana's tutorial was EXTREMELY simple to follow.  (If you haven't already, you should really check out her blog!  Lots of great, easy-to-follow tutorials.)  The tutorial walks you through making your own pattern in this tutorial which is always a daunting thing for new sewers.  But Dana's incredibly clear directions break down the geometry so it's as easy as pie.

She even tells you which fabrics will work best with the tutorial.  I didn't happen to follow that advice because I got such a good deal on the fabric I used and I didn't want to waste the good polka dot satin fabric I picked out until I tested my pattern on something cheaper.  The fabric does bunch around the hips like the tutorial said it would, but it's not too noticeable.  (Be looking for the satin polka dot circle skirt when I review the elastic dyeing tutorial from MADE.) 

The tutorial didn't take too long start to finish and was a good afternoon project.  I would recommend this tutorial for even the newest sewers, so try it out today!