Stained T-Shirt refashion

A few months ago, I came across some colorful t-shirts for just $5 each. I grabbed 5 different colors, Diana looks awesome in anything but 'awesomer' in bright colors; or maybe mommy just loves color:)
My daughter has been very 'artistic lately', she has been writing and drawing and cutting whatever she can get her hands on, she was wearing this T-shirt on one of her missions. She is only 3 and I guess its a phase for her, hopefully it passes soon.

I like how this colorblock 'combo' turned out

So, this is how Diana refashioned her tee

We tried to watch off the stains but wasn't successful. So I cut off the stained part. Lucky the top was ok

Use the cut off tee to measure the replacement knit fabric. Sew on both sides as shown. After sewing along the sides both pieces should be of equal width. Then turn the striped fabric out, so the wrong sides are facing.

From the 'head side' insert the lower piece

Make sure the edges on both pieces are evenly aligned.

Use pins to attach the 2 pieces. Then sew around the shirt above the pins. Then sew the bottom of the shirt and you are done.

Isn't she the cutest thing EVER?! I just followed her around and got some cute poses.

Striped maxi skirt tutorial

I am back with yet another maxi skirt tutorial. I have always loved maxis. I had c-sections with my pregnancies and elasticated skirts were the way to go for me. So I fell in love with maxis even more. They are comfortable and I think they will never go out of fashion, at least in my world. A couple of months ago, I came across a ton of knit fabric from fabric.com and so I have many more maxis to come..

First of all, I apologize for the poor quality of my photos.

I used a slightly different approach from my previous maxi skirts, here and here. Check out my toe nails, my 3 year old daughter painted them!

1. My fabric was 58" wide. My length from waist to floor is 43" long and I added 3 inches seam allowance for the bottom and elastic at the waist.
2. I folded my fabric in half (hotdog style), then in half again.
3. At the fold, I placed my old maxi skirt as a guide. I cut out the shape as illustrated in the picture.
4. Then I had 2 pieces. With the right sides in (facing each other), I sewed the 2 pieces together, the bottom and the top and added my elastic..

I love this particular knit fabric. It is a sherbet color, perfect summer color. It is light weight and thus very see-through and so I added a light weight slip inside.

Chevron Skirt tutorial

I finally made myself a chevron skirt. Can you tell that am a little behind in the fashion world??? Well, the good part is that I am getting more confident in making my own clothes and I am loving the challenge. P.s, the maxi skirt will never be outdated, right?

I have worn this outfit twice already, I am loving the skirt. I have always loved color but I LOVE black too so it ends up in most of my outfits:) I had to throw in some colorful shoes so it didn't seem like I was going to a funeral.

It was so windy when I took these pictures, you can't really see the shape of the skirt. It's the same as here.  It cost me about $12 to make the skirt. I bought the fabric on sale from fabric.com. They don't have this particular color anymore.  It's ponte roma, my favorite knit for maxi skirts. They had tons of stripe fabric, I got too excited and ended up buying a couple more knits to make a dress and a few more maxis. I shall post them here as I get done.

What you need:

2 1/4 yards Knit fabric (am 5'11" tall so I needed some extra fabric to make this design work) So buy your fabric accordingly.
Elastic
Thread
Scissors
Sewing machine:)

1. lay your fabric flat.
2. Fold it in half, hotdog style (the wrong side of the fabric facing each other, so the right side facing up)..
3. Then fold your fabric in half (hamburger style). At this point, you should have 4 pieces of fabric.
4. Take your waist measurement, divide it in 4. Even though my skirt stretches, give allowance for the skirt to be able to pass through the hips. For example, waist is 36", add 4 inches etc (depending on your hip size) Then divide your total 40" by 4 = 10". Therefore, 10" is how wide the waist will be on each piece. Arrange your fabric at an angle, as shown in picture #4. Make an outline with a piece of chalk. Both sides = the length of your skirt from waist to ankles (In the length of the skirt have 1/2" seam allowance at the bottom and about 1.5" for the elastic at the waist.With the width of the skirt at the bottom, I measured it the same as here.
5. You should have 4 pieces of fabric once you are done cutting. Then arrange them as shown and sew the pieces together.

Wasn't too hard as you can see from the smile on my face

 If you would like to make a skirt like this and have any questions, feel free to contact me and I would love to guide you.


 
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Pillow tutorial - grommet & rope

This pillow is one of my favorite Pinterest finds. Immediately I saw it, I knew it would look good in my son's room.

Here is a tutorial on how to insert grommets:

Cut a hole into your fabric

Insert the grommet into the hole (the piece that pokes out should be on the wrong side of the fabric)

Place the grommet on top the the round hardware you see in the picture

Place the washer (the flat piece) on top of the grommet.

Place the puncher on top of the washer and hit it with a hammer a few times.

Voila!

 And here is the tutorial on how to make the pillow



Linking up to:
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Brother cs6000i sewing machine - awesome purchase

It finally arrived and I am in LOVE.. I have been trying to figure out what machine I should get for ages. I finally settled on the brother cs6000i. Its a wonderful upgrade for me. Its basic but filled with cool stuff. I can even do basic quilting with it, hurray! and the price is awesome..

Amazon $154.97 - 1018 people gave it a 5 star
Walmart $154.94 - 911 out of 968 people recommend this sewing machine (including myself)
Target $154.99 - 4.5 star (12 reviews)
Joanns $ 199 - 4 star (83 reviews)

I haven't tried all the stitches and everything but I am so happy with this purchase. I must admit that I was nervous. It comes with tons of extra gadgets: Buttonhole foot, overcasting foot, monogramming foot, zipper foot, zigzig foot, blind stitch foot, button sewing foot, 4 bobbins, 4 needles, twin needle,cleaning brush, screwdriver, seam ripper, extra spool pi, foot control, operation manual, a hard case and a quick reference guide.

It has 60 built in stitches, and its computerized

Its cute, small, light weight and its relatively quiet - my new challenge trying to keep my 2 year old out of it. She thinks its a fun toy

I ordered a ton of fabric last week and I can't wait for it to arrive. I am making bedding for my little guy and our room. Wish me luck

Maxi Skirt tutorial

My very first piece of clothing for myself:) I have been wanting to make myself a maxi skirt for ages and today I finally succumbed. I must admit that I was terrified to even cut my fabric because the little red creature on my left shoulder was screaming that I couldn't do it. So, I kept my fabric for days. Last week, I plucked my courage and went to work.. It ended up being one of the easiest things I have ever done..

Fabric: here for $9/yard
Yardage: 1 1/2
Color: Charcoal
Fabric description: Its called ponte roma - the best knit fabric ever. Its medium weight so its perfect for winter. Its very smooth, soft and has a nice stretch and resists wrinkles.
Level - beginner (very easy)

1. Fold your fabric in half (hotdog style) - My fabric was 54" wide and 58" long. When I folded it hotdog style it was 27" wide and 58" long.

Since my waist is 36" long around, on the diagram, after the fabric is folded it will be 18" long. Add an inch for seam allowance going from waist to bottom of skirt. 

2. At the top of your fabric, make room for the elastic band. Mine is 1" thick, so I folded my fabric 1/4" then 1 1/4" to make room for my band. Then sew but leave room to stick the band in and out. Don't add the band now. We will do it at the end.

3. At the bottom of the fabric, fold 1/4" then another 1/4 then sew.

 4. Refer to diagram above, sew the 2 pieces of fabric together from the 18" mark to the very bottom of your fabric as shown. Then stick the elastic band at the top using a safety pin. Sew the 2 ends of the band together. Stitch the gap shut - you are done.

Ready for the FABRIC GIVEAWAY?

I bought this beautiful coral stretch ITY fabric to make a maxi skirt but the color didn't look right with my skin color. The fabric is light weight and its 1 1/2 yards. Its big enough to make a maxi skirt or dress. So I have decided to give it away to one of my blog members. If you are not a member yet, became one now:) Click here

Instructions:
Give away to Lilato laka blog members only

1. Like Lilato laka on facebook 
2. Follow me on pinterest 
3. Leave a comment sharing what you would make with this fabric on facebook and here on the blog 
4. Share this giveaway on your facebook or blog

The giveaway will run from today 02/11 to 02/13 and the winner will be announced Thursday Feb 14th.

Thank you and good luck

                                                                                     Inspirations for this fabric

1/2

 

Giveaway closed

'Every door is Special' Place Mats

I saw these place mats on Etsy and fell in love. I decided to make some for my brother in law and his companion on a mission in Washington. There is a slight possibility that he may think they are cheesy but I hope he likes them or at least the message. I will let you know what he thinks.

I also included a message to go along with the place mat. I have a soft spot for missionaries. I can't help it but think of my own mission and the joy I felt, the people I met and the wonderful experiences I had; totally priceless:)

Every Door is Special

As a missionary, every door you knock on is special. Every child, woman and man behind that door is a child of God.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20.

A successful missionary once said, “if I knocked on the door and saw a man smoking a cigar and dressed in old clothes and seemingly uninterested in anything—particularly religion—the missionary would picture in his own mind what that man would look like under a different set of circumstances. In his mind he would look at him as clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt and white trousers. And the missionary could see himself leading that man into the waters of baptism. When I look at someone that way, I have the capacity to bear my testimony to him in a way that can touch his heart.” We have the responsibility to see individuals not as they are but rather as they can become. I would plead with you to think of them in this way.

President Monson, See other as they may become, October 2012

DIY Apron set

 It's all about Diana, haha! Well, she was supposed to get a pretend kitchen for Christmas but that never got done in time. I am still working on it and hopefully it will be done next week.

So, I decided to make her these to go with her kitchen. They turned out great and the price was awesome ($6) for everything:) I had her try them on yesterday, she loved them and that makes me happy:)

  Aren't these so cute??

I will add the tutorial later..

Skirt + fleece Jacket

I finally managed to get a picture of Diana in her newly sown clothes - total cost $3.. Every time I mentioned taking a picture, she would say, 'not today, maybe tomorrow.' sassy little girl! while, today, tomorrow finally came:)

 

 This was my old tunic, wore it a lot when I was pregnant with Diana. I cut the top part off. I used the bottom part, folded it in half and sewed the open end. I added some elastic and walla! This skirt was inspired by the jacket below. After I made the jacket, I realized that apart from Jeans, Diana didn't have any skirts to match it with..

The Fleece Jacket

Isn't she the cutest model? For $3 Diana got herself a cute outfit. The fleece fabric was on sale for $2.99 at Joanns. And of course I ripped off the buttons from an old sweater:) I can be very very thrifty and I love it.. The mustard jacket was fun to make. I am in love with the color. It took me forever because I really didn't know what I was doing but it got me excited to try it again. I learned so much:) I will make my own jacket in the near future.