Shannon Sews is finally on Pinterest

I know I'm behind the times a bit but I FINALLY joined Pinterest! I've been eyeing its creative goodness for a long time, but didn't want to add more to my computer time.

HOWEVER, when my husband came to me the other day and said I had almost 20 GB of "creative" pictures hogging up our computer space (oops), I knew just how to fix it. Enter Pinning.

I love to browse the internet and save pictures of cute clothes I want to make but it does grow rather quickly. You should see my internet sewing bookmarks. Gulp.

No time like the present to get a little more organized! I've only just begun, my friends, but with time my Pinterest Pins will grow.

It even prompted me to start cleaning up my blog, as you may have noticed from my "Category list" on the sidebar, or the Refashions link and Favorite Projects link at the top. I'm trying to get it more streamlined. I had like a billion labels to wade through in order for readers to find something. Shame on me. I'm trying to keep it more concise.

Happy Pinning! ♥

---

Never miss a post! Subscribe to ShannonSews
Like on facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
Follow @ShannonSews1 on Twitter
Subscribe to youtube.com/ShannonSews

Skirt to Shirt Refashion - easy cowl neckline

Would you believe me if I told you this bright royal blue dolman-sleeved top with a ruffly hemline used to be a skirt?

What if I told you the skirt had actually started as an oversized robe-looking-dress on an Old Navy clearance rack?

Yes, it's true. I'm a refashioning maniac. If it were a cat, she'd have 6 more lives. But I think I'm done with 3.

How many of you refashion clothes and then find you don't wear them? I'll admit it. I've done it more than once. Speaking of once, I think I only wore this skirt once.

Want to see how easy it is to refashion a skirt to a shirt? Well, I'll show you! 

• I started with my {refashioned} skirt.

• Snipped off the waist band and then re-cut with a straight edge.

• Measure how wide you want the neckline by using a tape measure across your shoulders and/or check it against a favorite shirt. 
• Find and mark the center (that's where your neck will go). Pin shoulders up to where your neckline will be and stitch. I think I left a 10 or 11 inch opening for my neckline.

•  Next, from the shoulder seam down, measure how long you want your arm holes to be and mark.

• If this were 2 big squares of fabric, I wouldn't need to pick the seams open, but since I'm using an existing skirt, I picked open the seams where the arm holes will be. I secured the spot with a few stitches just below the new arm holes.

• Since the skirt hung square and full, I took in the sides based on an existing shirt. I folded both shirts in half, lined up all the seams, laid them down and trimmed. You can leave this part out if you like a fuller fit.

• Pin together carefully without moving the shirt. It's hard to line jersey up again after moving it. Jersey likes to roll. And stitch it up.

And before you know it, you're done!

I love the soft cowl neckline. It just came naturally. 

This 3rd life suits it well.
I think I'll be wearing this one for sure.

---

Never miss a post! Subscribe to ShannonSews
Like on facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
Follow @ShannonSews1 on Twitter
Subscribe to youtube.com/ShannonSews

---

linked to:

http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/, http://www.iheartnaptime.net, http://www.flamingotoes.com,  http://sewchatty.blogspot.com,  http://cherishedtreasures-terry.blogspot.com, http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com,  http://www.sewcando.com/2012/07/craftastic-monday-link-party-big-week.html , http://makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com,  http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2012/07/link-party-craftomaniac-monday.html ,  http://www.skiptomylou.org, http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com, http://www.sweetlittlegals.com/ http://www.notjustahousewife.net/ http://www.hopestudios.blogspot.com/ http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/, http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/ http://www.craftyconfessions.com/   http://www.diybydesign.blogspot.com/, http://www.733blog.com/, http://www.sew-much-ado.com/, http://www.mygirlishwhims.com/, http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/, http://www.creationsbykara.com/, http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/, http://www.rolleduppretty.com/, http://raegunwear.blogspot.com/  http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com  http://www.somewhatsimple.com/  

http://www.aglimpseinsideblog.com/ http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ http://www.the36thavenue.com/  http://www.504main.com http://shabbynest.blogspot.com http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/  http://tatertotsandjello.com/   http://www.delicateconstruction.com/ http://reuseandupcycle.blogspot.com/

Ruffled Crossbody Tote - with recessed zipper, zipper pocket & slip pockets

I finally got the guts up to sew my own purse. I've been craving a Ruffled Bag with a nice long cross body strap for forever, but have been too scared I'd botch it up (having never sewn a purse before).

As luck would have it, (& lots of helpful tutorials) I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out! 

(*this post contains Amazon links. As an Amazon associate I earn a small commission on purchases made through my links)

Goodbye to the grody green purse I've been toting around for 12 months too long. My older sister has a particular distaste for it and tells me what it looks like. I'll give you a hint. It starts with a b and rhymes with scarf. I know. I never said it would be pretty. 

Anywho, back to my new ruffled bag... 

How I made my own ruffled crossbody tote

I hate purses that fall off my shoulders, so I made this bag with a wide/tapered strap that fits comfortably on my shoulder and across my body. I used a heavier weight natural cotton material and did not use interfacing because I like the slouchier look.

I created the ruffles by hand 

much like I do with my shabby ruffled pillow cases, and secured the raw edges with fray check (*Amazon). Using fray check is very important so your ruffles don't unravel (see this post for our fray check test). The edge of the ruffles will still fray a bit, but I like the shabby look it creates.

I created square corners b/c I like the look and it gives it a tad more room.

If I was doing this purse making thing at all, I was doing it right. So even though I feared the inside zipper pocket, I put one in. And thanks to some fantastic tutorials (see end of post for those links), it was so much easier than I thought it would be! I also added some slip pockets for my phone, pens, etc. Love them.

Since I'm a bit fanatical about keeping my contents secure, I couldn't go with an open bag or magnetic snap. Although I dreaded it, I put in a zipper enclosure. It was a little tricky, but again, with the help of some tutorials I got it put in.

I just kept the back simple.

Now that I know I can sew my own purse, I'm craving making a few more! Like this cute Reversible Shoulder Bag from Lula Louise or maybe a lined zipper pouch like this from Skip to my Lou... We'll see.

Last step? Filling it with all my crap necessities. Now it looks more like my purse. hahaha

It takes a village to raise a child to help Shannon sew a purse! 
So as promised, here are some great resources I used to help me along the way.

*Putting in an inner zipper pocket and slip pockets 

Tutorial ~ Zippered and Slip Pocket Tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew!

Sewing Zippers in Bags Tutorial 1. (aka Zippered inner bag pocket) from U-handbag

*Adding a recessed zipper to an existing purse or tote

Adding a recessed zipper closure to an existing purse or tote from Nancy Zieman

Adding recessed top zipper to purse/bag -Tutorial from Arm Candy for You

*Adding strap/sewing a tote bag together. *This also shows how to square your corners.
How to make a simple (reversible) tote bag: from Skip to my Lou

Other helpful tutorials:

If you have a tote but need to add a zipper to it:
How to add a zipper to an existing tote or bag: from Maiden Jane

If you're making a bag with a recessed zipper and straps on either side, this is a great tutorial:
Recessed Zipper How-to: from My Spare Time

---

Never miss a post! Subscribe to ShannonSews
Like on facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
Follow @ShannonSews1 on Twitter
Subscribe to youtube.com/ShannonSews

---

Linked to: 
http://www.iheartnaptime.net, http://www.flamingotoes.com/, http://sewchatty.blogspot.com, http://cherishedtreasures-terry.blogspot.com, http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com, http://sewcando.blogspot.com, http://creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com,  http://makingtheworldcuter.com/2012/07/making-the-world-cuter/ , http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com, http://www.skiptomylou.org, http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com, http://todayscreativeblog.net/, http://www.craftyconfessions.com/, http://www.notjustahousewife.net/, http://www.hopestudios.blogspot.com/, http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/ , http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/, http://offthegridat-30.blogspot.ca/2012/07/frugal-i-did-it-tuesday-2.html , http://www.sew-much-ado.com/, http://www.mygirlishwhims.com/, http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/, http://www.creationsbykara.com/, http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/, http://www.rolleduppretty.com/, http://raegunwear.blogspot.com/, http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/ http://www.diybydesign.blogspot.com/  http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com  http://www.somewhatsimple.com/  http://www.aglimpseinsideblog.com/ http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ http://www.the36thavenue.com/ http://www.504main.com http://shabbynest.blogspot.com http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/  http://tatertotsandjello.com/   http://www.delicateconstruction.com/ http://www.mineforthemaking.com/

Thrilling

Have you done anything {thrilling} lately?

{image}

Something that strikes you with a sense of awe?
That takes your breath away?

We stumbled upon a local bike race a few nights ago and WOW.
In a word? Exhilarating.

You'd think I'd actually ridden in it or something with the way I'm going on, (not likely) but I've never had a front row view at a live bicycle race before. And let me tell you, there's nothing like it.

LIVE IT. 

Heart beating anticipation as the tight speeding band of riders rounds each corner

HEAR IT. 

Buzz and clicks as the bicycles whiz by, like a swarm of angry bees

FEEL IT. 

Surge of wind that blows you back, in the wake as the racers push forward

SEE IT. 

Strained, sweat-soaked faces; tightened muscles; pumping their way into first place

If you've never seen a bike race up close and personal? You've got to. I could have stood there all night watching them round those city blocks. The energy was tangible.

Bored of the same'ol-same-ol?
Do something {thrilling}.
I dare you.

---

Never miss a post! Subscribe to ShannonSews
Like on facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
Follow @ShannonSews1 on Twitter
Subscribe to youtube.com/ShannonSews

Sheer Scarf Overlay + Tank Top Refashion

Ever since I ran across this top made from simply sewing 2 scarves together, I have been on a mission to find two complimentary square scarves, worthy of sewing my own top.

Unfortunately, I'm having a heck of a time finding two scarves that are a) in good condition, and b) a good match. In fact, several thrift stores didn't even have any old square scarves (as seen below: Catherine Deneuve in the 1960′s). This project is meant to be thrifty, so I don't want to buy new ones.

{image}

In the interim, I ran across a sheer orange scarf in a thrift shop and thought of the orange tank top I never wear...how about a sheer overlay tank rop refashion? Perfect, since I was itching to refashion something with scarves.

Okay, here I go. Be forewarned, this may or may not be the easiest way to do this. I like to fly by the seat of my pants. 

First I cut open the tank top right along the seams.
Make sure you have an extra large fitting tank top because after you sew the sheer scarf overlay on the front, it will be quite a bit smaller around.

*The colors in these photos changed based on lighting, but they are the same orange tank.

I layed the sheer scarf down in half and cut a piece a little larger than the front piece of the tank top.

After cutting, I hemmed the two long raw edged sides, since I wanted the sheer piece to hang lower than the bottom hemline of the tank top. 

I layed the sheer scarf over the top of the front side of the tank top and pinned it down

After sewing the sheer to the tank top, I turned them right-side-out

Now the sheer scarf is sewn to the front piece of the tank top.

As you can see, the new skinnier shoulder strap is much more narrow than the back. I did a little tweaking, since I would be wearing this tank with a sweater over it anyway, by folding the other edges in slightly and sewing it down on the side before sewing the strap on.

The 3rd picture (upper right) is the strap sewn on, but I'm not done with it.

To cover those unsightly straps, I cut and sewed a couple pieces of remaining scarf material together to create tubes to wrap around the straps. The 3rd picture (bottom right) shows a little tack stitch to hold the wrapped tube in place. It covered the strap trouble spot perfectly.

And there it is.

I showed my husband and said I would be wearing it with...(he interjected, Birkenstocks?). I laughed and said, "I was going to say a sweater. Birkenstocks??" He said he's never seen me wear something with "these types of colors". They seem more "tree hugger-hippy" than what I normally wear.

So it's settled. I'll probably never wear it. But at least I figured out how to make it. hahahaha :)

Maybe next time.

---

Never miss a post! Subscribe to ShannonSews
Like on facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
Follow @ShannonSews1 on Twitter
Subscribe to youtube.com/ShannonSews

Sleepless Summer

{image}

A word for the wise: Don't mess with a woman's sleep.

We've had some major noise issues this summer that have left us with many restless and sleepless nights. I'm not talking about the screaming kids over the fence, I can deal with that. I'm talking about the kind of noise you can feel, whether during the light of day or quiet hours of night.

It all started the evening of the last day of school, June 19th. After a full day of fun with our after-school program, I was ready for a good night sleep.

Somewhere around 10pm: Enter: drilling, large truck rumbling & generator noise. Try to sleep through that in your backyard. It lasted for 3 long nights. I called the city and they basically said, "We're sorry. There's nothing we can do." blah blah blah. I bet you'd do something about it if it were in your backyard, sir.

After those nights, it's basically been a series of unfortunate events, whether it's construction or the tenant below us, one right after the other, that brings us to present day. And still not sleeping. Most recently? Up til 3am because of the noise. I think it's my record.

Every day noise surrounds us. We have construction zones on all sides of our apartment. Remodeling going on in our complex. Leaf blowers, tree trimmers and power washers in our parking lot.

And during the night we have distant sounds and rumblings from road work, or most recently the *tenant below us.

*If I may indulge, since I'm on a rampage anyway: The woman in the unit below us has been running a big old fan all night long, which makes our whole bedroom rumble and vibrate. You can even feel it in your ears. I've been on the verge of going serious bathrobe-curler-postal on her. Luckily our landlord is going to try to take care of that.

I never realized the impact noise has on my sense of peace. Now you can see why I've lost my mojo a bit & escaped to the country last week for some much needed R&R! hahaha

Sleep soundly for me tonight! ♥
And if you're still reading, thanks for letting me vent. :)

---

Never miss a post! Subscribe to ShannonSews
Like on facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
Follow @ShannonSews1 on Twitter
Subscribe to youtube.com/ShannonSews

Summer Happenings

{image}

I can't believe it's already July. Oh please, dear summer, don't slip through my hands!

Ever since school got out (& my school-year job) I've had a hard time letting my guard down; to let myself taste freedom. Afraid that as soon as I let myself relax, someone will say, "gottcha!" and it will be time for another school year to begin.

Seriously Debbie Downer? Stop the madness.

This summer started out a little bumpy. My husband lost his job at the end of May, and in the interim, is taking programming courses. Since that time, we've been trying to figure out the delicate dance of how to both work at home in a small place. It's not bad, just different. I need to figure out a balance to get my mojo back.

The other hiccup? The construction noises all around us. Oh the construction. I'll post more about that later, because oh yes, it deserves its own post!

---

✿But let us throw our cares to the wind for a moment, like I did last week, and come with me over the mountain pass to eastern WA and have us some good old country summer fun!

Can't you just smell that fresh country air?
Yes, this is a real place.

Where daisy's grow wild and free

A place where the sun kisses sheets til they're dry

Where grass grows high and green

And birds chirp, butterflies fly and old trucks bask in the sun

A place full of family and lots of love

It's one of my very favorite places. Where I could actually let my guard down, and let summer seep in.

There's nothing like a 4th of July small town parade.
Lots of candy throwing, horse clomping, flag flying, veterans marching, big rig driving, and loads of old-fashioned country pride.

One of my favorite perks of the week, was driving with my mom and dad in their canary yellow convertible Jeepster (1947, 48 or 49...sorry dad, I can't remember). Hard to feel anything but free with the breeze blowing through my hair in the back seat, riding with two of my favorite people.

And what's real country living without some good old farm grown produce? Ah, the fresh smell of the onions, green beans, cherries and peaches - like you'd grown it yourself, but without any of the work. Now that's my kind of gardening. hahaha Made for a delicious stir fry.

What else did we do out in this little piece of Heaven?

Lovely walks with my mom & lots of snake sightings. Eeew! Luckily they were pretty small. 

And fun family games out on the freshly cut lawn.

I came back a little early to celebrate my sweetheart's birthday. He wasn't able to come with me due to his courses.

He and his dad were both born on the 4th of July. Imagine that!

It's starting to feel more like summer!

---

Never miss a post! Subscribe to ShannonSews
Like on facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
Follow @ShannonSews1 on Twitter
Subscribe to youtube.com/ShannonSews