Cargo Pants to Cute Tote

My husband had a pair of hand-me-down cargo pants that were too short for him.  I wore them for awhile in my post-partum days when nothing else would fit.  What I liked about them were the pockets--they were big and closed with velcro.  Enter my new fascination with upcycling along with endless tote-making tutorials on the Web, and I found a new purpose for them.

When I started this project, I just wanted a simple bag in which to carry my calendar and schoolbooks for the kids.  It kind of took on a life of it's own, and I decided it was so cute, I would probably use it for my casual purse...which translates to everyday since I rarely go anywhere worthy of a formal bag.  :)

Supplies:
-One pair of adult cargo pants
-About half a yard each of fabric in two coordinating patterns--one for the lining and one for accent
-Fusible fabric bond (optional)
-Button

Cutting
1.  Take your pants and cut the inseam up one leg, around the crotch, and down the other leg.

2.  To make the body, lay out the pants and measure around the pockets.  I cut mine at 18" wide x 15" tall.  Do this for each leg and cut out the fabric.  CUT OUT JUST WHAT YOU NEED AND AVOID MAKING ANY EXTRA CUTS.

3.  Cut two pieces of fabric 18" wide x 15" tall from the fabric you chose for your lining.

4.  Here's why I bolded my statement in step 2.  Measure a piece of fabric 24" long x 3" wide from the legs of your pants.  (I didn't plan ahead for this step and had to cut two pieces of varying lengths for my straps, hence the knotted strap.)

5.  Cut a 24" long x 3" wide of accent fabric for your strap.

6.  If you want an inner pocket, cut a 12 x 12 piece of accent fabric.

7.  Find the closure on your pants and snip off about 3 or 4 inches from the end.  (I stopped at the first belt loop.)

Sewing
1.  Turn your two body pieces right sides together and pin.  Stitch around the sides and bottom.

2.  Take the fabric that you cut for your pocket and fold it right sides together.  Stitch along the open sides, leaving about a two-inch gap for turning.  Turn the fabric right side out and secure about 4 inches down on one piece of your lining.  Making sure your fold is on the top, stitch the pocket onto the lining, making sure you close the open edge.  Determine if you want this pocket divided into two or three pockets, and sew the appropriate lines.

3.  Take your two lining pieces, and pin right sides together.  Stitch around the sides and bottom. (This is the same thing you did with your body pieces in step 1.)

4.  Now you'll want to square the bottom of your body and lining.  With the pieces still turned right sides together, press the corners into a point MAKING SURE YOUR SEAMS ARE IN LINE.  Measure across 4 inches, pin together, and mark with a fabric pen.  Do this on both bottom edges for both pieces.  Trim off a little of the excess points, if you wish.

5.  Take your strap piece and strap lining, and pin right sides together.  Stitch the long sides only.  Turn the strap right side out.  Sew about 1/8 from each edge down the length of the strap.  You don't have to do this, but I think it adds a nice finishing touch.  (You may want to iron your strap before doing this step, unless you're like me and enjoy a good battle with your fabric and machine.)

6.  Take the body of the bag, right side out, and pin the straps to each side.

7.  Take the lining, wrong side out, and fit the body into it.  Repin where your straps are on the edges.  Now, stitch around the top leaving about a 5-inch gap (centered) across the back to turn it right side out.  

8.  Turn the bag right side out and fold in the unsewn edges and pin.  Sew again around the outside of the top of the bag.

9.  Take the button tab that you cut and pin it to the back of the bag.  Stitch across several times and seal any unfinished edges with fabric glue or fray check.   (NOTE:  You may want to tuck the button tab into the unsewn edge before sewing in step 8.  I decided I wanted mine after I had already sewn my bag, which is why it's on the outside.)

10.  Determine where you want your button closure to be and sew a button on the opposite side.  (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture!)

11.  If you want to get a little fancy, measure your pocket flaps and cut out some accent pieces.  Use fusable bond to attach them to the flaps.

There you have it!  A fun tote to carry around.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.  I'm new to tutorials, so I apologize if my directions aren't as clear as they should be.  :)

I'm linking this tutorial to two of my favorite craft blogs: Today's Creative Blog and their Get Your Craft On link party, and Tatertots and Jello: Weekend Wrap Up Party.  :)

Unflattering Shirt into Cute Skirt

I have a list of craft, home design, and sewing blogs that I flip through every morning with my cup of coffee in hand.  A trend that I really enjoy is recycling clothing.  I have two boys and a girl, and let me tell you, I never thought that shopping for a girl after age five would be so difficult (she's almost seven and I prefer to have her not dress like a sixteen-year old streetwalker).  I thank God that he gave me a small portion of sewing talent. ;)

I have a few shirts that have either shrunk or just don't flatter my body type.  Rather than donate them, I thought I would try to recycle them into something for my daughter.  I always liked the bottom of this particular shirt, so I decided a skirt would be the best option.

(Note that your measurements will vary.)  For the length of the skirt, I measure from my daughter's bellybutton to below her knees, and then subtract about four inches (for the waist band).  One of my best sewing investments was this cutting mat and rotary cutter--it makes measuring and cutting so much easier!

Next, you'll cut the fabric for the waist band.  Measure your daughter around the fullest part of her hips (usually across her bottom), divide by two, and add 1.5 inches.  In our case, that measurement wasn't too much smaller than the width of the shirt, so I was able to cut straight across the shirt.  Take the top portion of the shirt and measure about four inches from the bottom.  In this case, I folded the shirt and pinned the bottom before I made my cut.  (My daughter is very tall, so I barely had enough fabric for the waist band.)

The one thing I love about this project is that the amount of sewing required is minimal--my side seams are already there!  (If your daughter is smaller, you will have to stitch one of the side openings on the waist band closed.  Simply turn the band right sides together and stitch up the open side.)

The next step is to gather the skirt and attach it to the waist band.  Use whatever method you want for gathering (I apparently like to re-invent the wheel and prefer to hand gather).  ;)  Attach the gathered skirt to the waist band as show below and sew.  (If you had to trim down your waist band, your skirt may be fuller than what is pictured, too.  That's okay--what girl doesn't love a full twirly skirt?)  :)

The last step is to add the elastic at the top of the waist band.  I used 3/4-inch elastic, so to make my casing, I folded down about 1 1/8-inches from the top.  Sew around and be sure to leave about a 1-inch opening in which to thread your elastic.  I find it's easier to use a large safety pin to work my elastic through the casing.

Stitch the two ends of your elastic together and then stitch your opening in the band closed.  Voilá!  You have a cute new skirt for your daughter!  :)