TooT! DIY Festive Fall Tablecloth!

I have had the awesome honor of being a Featured Blogger over at
What Allie's Making Now.  Please go visit her killer blog - you cannot believe the talent this chick has.  I can't get over some of her creations.  A-MAY-ZING!!!
I am guest posting over there today...sweet, right?

   
This is my rendition of a Festive Fall Tablecloth...for about $10.  Ya!  $10.  Sounds good, right???  Well let's make one!!!

Materials

Black sheet (or color of your choice) large enough to cover your table: $4-$6* depending on size

Fall Leaves: $2.50*

Metallic Thread: $1.94*

Sewing machine, pins, scissors, iron, patience ;) $0 if you already have these things

*Wally land prices

I chose a black sheet.  I thought black would look sooooo good with the beautiful colors of Fall.  It's also my favorite color and I couldn't see anything else on my table but black!  I am using a TWIN size sheet to cover my table and then some.

We need to make our square/rectangular sheet into an oval.  If you have a round table an oval will work but there will be lots of excess.  You might need to adjust this part of the 'how-to' so that it works for you.  If your table is square, or a rectangle, than just get the right size sheet to cover your table and skip to step 8.

1.  Lay your sheet out flat.  Now fold it in half width wise and then fold that in half again. 

2.  Now mark the area of the fold on both ends of the sheet with chalk.  I just stuck my finger in the fold to wiggle it apart a bit and then marked it.  Make sure you do this on each end of the sheet. 

3.  Unfold your sheet one time (do not unfold all the way) so that it is just folded in half.  Now we need to mark the long edge of the sheet.  (This is all in prep for cutting our rounded shape to make an oval.)  Measure the long edge and then divide by 4.  My long edge measured 75" so divide that by 4 and get 18.75" or 18-3/4".  Now I measure in from the right side 18.75" and marked this with chalk and then did the same from the left side (see pics).

4.  The pic I took for this next part just did not come out right so I will do my best to explain. 

Once you have marked both ends of the sheet fold it half but the opposite of the way we originally folded it.  So instead of folding it width wise again you are going to fold it length wise.  Fold it so that the you see the marked edges once it's folded.  So one side will have one set of marks and if you flip it over the other side will have the same marks.  They should actually line up with eachother.  Check it so that you know that you have measured and marked those 18.75" marks correctly.

5.  Now we are going to cut through all of the layers.  Make sure you have a cutting mat underneath the sheet.  I used my existing tablecloth's rounded edge as a guide.  I layed it on the square connecting the chalk marks and traced the rounded edge.  Then, using my rotary cutter (love that little beast!) I cut the rounded edge I just traced. 

 

6.  We need to cut the rest of the original hem off now that we have our rounded edges.  Then either create a new hem or serge the edges of the entire sheet/tablecloth.

Serged edge...not sure what happened to this picture :/



7.  Now you have an oval tablecloth!  Nice!!!  Try it on your table to make sure you like the size.

8.  Now the fun part!  Carefully peel the leaves off of their plastic stems.  They should come off pretty easily just go kinda slow and steady.

I seperated the leaves into piles by color. 

9.  Lay out your leaves all around your tablecloth until you get them in a 'pattern' that you like and then pin them on.

 

I also marked what I wanted to be the front of the tablecloth with small x's done in chalk.

10.  Load your machine with the metallic thread.  You only need to use it for the top thread.  I used regular black for the bobbin.

11.  Sew on the leaves.  You can do this however you would like.  I did mine by starting at the base of the leaf and following closely to the edges all the way around.  When I got back to where I started I continued up the main 'vein' of the leaf.  Then, on the larger leaves, I did a few of the small 'veins' that branch out.  Make sure that you are backstiching when you start and finish each stitch.



12.  Admire your new tablecloth in all of it's AWESOME glory!!!

    

I know the pictures don't quite do it justice but the way the metallic thread shimmers off the light ever so subtly is spectacular!!!  I am thrilled with the way it turned out and hope that you love it, too!

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I would totally love to see your tablecloth if you try this out.  Please send picures to

littlebuggietutu@gmail.com

Enjoy your day...it is a GIFT!

PEACE

   LOVE &

      Turkey - bring it on!

A

Upcycle TooT! Onesie Dress...cause "That's How I Roll"

Doesn't she look like she's about to do something that she shouldn't?  Or maybe she already has!  I love this little thing...she ROCKS my world!!!

This onesie is one of my faves but Buggie has recently become too long for it.  I didn't want to get rid of it yet, couldn't bring myself to do it, so I came up with this.  I have seen some toots (tutorials) on the onesie dress with 1 piece of fabric so this is just my play on that.  I wanted to add camo in somewhere because camo is awesome with red.  I am a bandana nut (the whole fam is) so naturally I was drawn to the red bandana print - which has been in my fabric collection for about 7 years.  I also did a bit of pre-ruffle to the skirt before attaching it to the onesie which gave it more of a full look I think.

So here's how it happened.

Materials 

Outgrown Onesie (or even one that fits that needs a little something else)
2 Coordinating Fabrics
Usual sewing supplies:  machine, thread, scissors, seam ripper ;), ruler, iron

1. Cut off the onesie just above the leg openings.

2. Take some measurements like waist and length.  Decide how long you want the skirt, if you want the strips to be the same size, are you going to pre-ruffle the skirt?  So for mine I decided I wanted the top strip (camo) to be a bit shorter than the bottom strip (red bandana).  They are 4" and 5" respectively.  Then I decided I wanted to make sure it was ruffley-ish (made up word) so I cut the strips about double the waist measurement allowing an extra 1" for seam allowance.

In this pic the strips are folded in half so I could fit them in the shot.
My camo fabric (which was actually a bandanda (told you we kind of have a bandana thing)) wasn't long enough so I cut 2 strips to sew together to make it as long as I needed.

*Make sure you finish one edge of the strip that will be your bottom piece.  You can either hem or serge just go ahead and do it at this step.

3. Pin your strips, right sides together, and sew.  Finish your edges with an overlock or zig zag stitch to keep your material from fraying and give it a clean finish.  (This is particularly important when using bandana's as they tend to fray when cut).  Then open back up and topstitch along the seam where the strips are sewn together. 

Here the strips are sewn together with the finished edge (top of pic)

This is what it looks like when you open them back up

Top stitch

4. Ok, before you ruffle the skirt let's do a little work that will make it a bit easier to attach it to the onesie.  (I really hope that what I am about to type makes sense.)  Lay the skirt out flat and then fold it in half and put a pin in the top at that fold.  This marks the middle of the skirt.  Now open it back up and fold the left side in to the center and do the same with the right side.  Put a pin in the fold that was created on the left side and repeat with the right. 

Now do it again - fold the left side in to the center and the same with the right.  You are going to put another pin in each of the new folds that were created.  You will actually be doing this twice since when you fold there will be 2 layers of material.  Note: you're not pinning through both layers, just a single layer marking each fold with the pins.  I really hope the pics help.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Showing just the left side of the skirt after I had pinned all the folds.  Notice it is still folded in on itself.  I was hoping this would make it easier to see all the pins.  Egad!

5. Now do the same thing with the onesie.  Fold it in half and put a pin at the fold in both the front and back of the onesie (be careful not to pin it together) marking the center.  Next, fold it in on itself just like the skirt, from the left and the right and put pins at each fold in both the front and back of the onesie.

6. Run a long stitch along the top edge of the skirt, keeping the pins in place.  Then gather it into a ruffle by pulling on the bobbin thread.  Now pin your ruffled skirt to the onesie with right sides together.  You are going to match up your pins on the skirt to the pins on the onesie.  This helps to keep the skirt even and centered which can be hard to do when it's a big ruffled piece.  You will be scrunching and unscrunching the ruffle here and there to get it all worked out around the onesie and get the pins lined up.  Once you have it where you want it go ahead and pin like mad so it stays in place. 

Before sewing it to the onesie you are going to need to close up the skirt.  So unpin the ruffled skirt just enough to be able to pin the raw edges together.  Make sure you pin them with right sides touching.  (Of course I don't have a pic for this, duh, right?)  Now sew and then finish that edge and then pin back on the skirt in place. 

7. Next, sew the skirt on to the onesie using your ruffle stitch as a guide.  I sewed just above that ruffle stitch so that it would be easier to pull out later. 



Be careful that you don't do this or you'll be getting out the seam ripper...argh!



 8. I topstitched the skirt once I sewed it on.  You don't have to do this but I find it helps alot.  You're all done!  Whoot whoot!!!!!

 How stinkin cute is this?!?!?

 

It's so hard to get a good model shot with a bouncing 14 month old.  She does whatever she wants and does not seem to care that I am trying to get some great pictures.  Oh well, she looks fantastic either way.  This was a fun project and I will be doing many more like this.  I am even thinking on some Mommy size 'onesie' dresses, ahahahahaha, sans the onesie but same idea. 

Thanks for coming over to LBT and checking out my upcycled onesie dress!  I really hope you enjoyed it!!!  As always, please let me know if there is something I can clear up or help you with.   

I am linking up to the fabulous link parties listed in my left side bar.  Go check out some of those awesome blogs, you will not be disappointed.

Leaving you with love and wishes for a beautiful day...it is a gift!

A