Project; Pillowcase dress for little girls

Pillowcase Dress - a different wrap on the idea.

I like the enthusiasm Homespun Heart shares in her blog. She and a friend liked the idea of sewing together strips of different fabric on their way to making a tote bag that got too large, so they decided on idea of borrowing pillowcase dress (link - tutorial).

For me, my granddaughters might all be too old to be running around on those hot days in these cool dresses, but there is Emily - she might be still young enough to wear and appreciate just such dresses - maybe for one more season, till she becomes school age and too old for such 'little girl' things.

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Refashioning from your valued 'stash' - not a rag bag anymore!

Still in my early enthusiasm phase, after looking over all the archives and posts at Wardrobe Refashion blog, I found so many ideas that will work for my 'stash' - all those bags of clothing I have saved. But even more than the ideas, I feel so validated that I am not alone in saving clothing and accessories because they catch my eye, the texture, the pattern, unusual, vintage and any other assorted reason why I 'just can't get rid of it yet'.

Some people actually have an entire room of these wonderous 'saves' and 'treasures'. So, I'm excited about my renewed appreciation for my own pack rat characteristics and I regret having given away so much of the 'saves' I kept for years and years. Over the years I've had my stash stored away in plastic bags in basements, garage, storage closets but I continue to move it around with us when we move from one location to another. Now that we are in our own home and have been for 4 years, my 'stash' has been in the basement. It's time to bring the treasure out of storage and the basement and create a 'treasure room' and get busy with refashioning!

I just knew I was saving it all for projects - I just couldn't quite see the whole vision of what projects. Gotta love those creative people who think up clever new ideas and what I like best is that it is 'recycling, sustainable living, green living, frugal and thrifty'. There are people out there who have created small business enterprises out of refashionng old clothing into something individually unique and exclusive! What a fun way to generate some income. I'm no seamstress - makes me wish I was though.

Projects to explore using my 'stash';

- men's shirts - reconstructed and using men's deconstructed shirts to reconstruct new items.

- dresses - reconstruct into skirts, halter tops

- pants - reconstruct into skirts

- jeans - reconstruct into skirts and bags

- bibbed overalls - reconstruct into dress

- sheets and pillowcases - reconstruct into tops, skirts, curtains

- t-shirts - reconstruct into exclusively fashionable and personalized closer fitting t-shirts. Based on a popular selling book 'Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt'

- table cloths - reconstruct into circle skirts

- napkins, handkerchiefs, scarves, placemats - use to make halter tops, add onto top in layers to form bottom skirt, add as hemline motifs

- lace from doilies, napkins, pillowcases, dresses can be used as motifs in reconstructed clothing, ie, t-shirts, tops, skirts.

- clothing remnants - refashion into bags, journals, gift wrap, wrap a box for use as stationary box.

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