Upcycled Capelet Tutorial . Part II

First of all, thanks so much for all the positive feedback on this capelet. And thanks again to Kathleen of Grosgrain for designing the original pattern. It is such a great fit.

For Part I of the tutorial, click here.

We will begin with the lining.

Hem the straight edge of the FRONT lining pieces (shown above but covered with the next step). To figure out how much to turn in, place these pieces on the jacket fabric and measure. I turned the button edge in 3/8” as that is the seam allowance. But for the buttonhole side, you will need to leave room for the buttonholes and turn in more (see arrows). This measurement will depend on your jacket’s original buttonholes.

Take your warm fleece fabric for the muff/pouch and turn all four edges under ½” and stitch. If your fabric won't fray much, you could probably avoid this step. Or if you have a serger, that would be even better.

Place the fabric panels on the wrong side of the lining as shown. They should butt up against the edge. Topstitch them on taking care not to get the lining all bunched up.

Stitch the FRONT and BACK cape pieces RST at the long curved seam. Don't forget to leave the armhole open. Backstitch for extra strength at those points. On the original pattern there are marks and notes, "sew to here." I will make a note to myself by putting a pin in the other direction where I need to stop.

Stitch the FRONT and BACK lining pieces RST at the long curved seam. Leave the armhole open as before.

Remove the buttons and mark their placement. You will sew them back on later.

Next the place the lining inside the cape RST.

Prepare the hem. You will need to turn the existing flap of the jacket to the outside to ensure a clean edge. Then pin the entire hem and stitch carefully.

Stitch the collar to the lining RST, making sure to leave the neck edge open.

Clip both points off as shown. Turn inside-out and press.

Set the collar inside the cape RST as shown. The inside of the cape (the wrong side) will be facing outward and the collar will be nestled inside. Make sure that you attach the collar lining to the jacket fabric. Likewise, the cape lining will be attached to the jacket fabric. Then pin like you’ve never pinned before, starting with your center folds. Stitch carefully. If you get a pucker, just pick out the stitches around it and sew that area again.

Now the fun part. Pull the whole thing inside-out through one of the front openings.

Topstitch your neck seam so that it will lie flat.

Now finish up the construction by topstitching the lining to the cape. Leave an opening as shown so that the chubby little fingers can clasp on crisp Fall days.

Your buttonhole side should have the lining stitched just outside the edge of the original buttonholes. If you have a weighty tweed like the one pictured, your stitching will not show very much on the front of the capelet.

Finger press your bottom hem, pin and topstitch about ¼” from the edge.

Sew the buttons back on. Attach the hook and eye closure.

And it’s done! Please let me know if you have any questions. I know that a few of the photos are less than stellar. I am happy to try to fix any problems in the post.

Upcycled Capelet Tutorial . Part I

Welcome to Part I of the Upcycled Capelet Tutorial. I had this idea a long time ago, found the perfect jacket this Summer, and used Kids Clothes Week over at Elsie Marley to make it happen. It may seem daunting but I am breaking it down into simple steps. Also, you do not have to make the hidden pouch with the lining. You can just skip those parts.

I really love how how this turned out. I found large hook and eye closures so that it could hang open or we can button it up using the jacket's original buttons and buttonholes. I used the Storybook Cape pattern from Grosgrain because it's a perfect fit and uses less fabric than a traditional circle cape. This makes a size 2 - 3 but can be easily enlarged by adding width to the fold line on the pattern back piece and the straight line of the pattern front piece. And, of course, length as needed.

Print out the pattern pieces from this link. You won’t need to print out the hood.

Print this collar pattern. I drafted this from the original pattern's hood so it is a perfect fit.

Trim two inches of the pattern from the bottom edge of both cape pieces.

Carefully remove the sleeves from the jacket.

Place the pattern on the jacket as shown if you want to use the buttonholes. As you can see, the pattern is hanging over the edge of the jacket at the opening because it has the seam allowance built in. Because I'm using the existing jacket edge, I don't need a seam allowance.

Cut 1 of the BACK on the fold from both the lining fabric and the jacket.

Cut 2 of the FRONT pieces from both the lining fabric and the jacket.

Cut the collar from what is left over. If you don’t have enough using a fold, add a seam allowance to the pattern at the fold line and cut from two different areas (like the sleeves).

A 3/8” seam allowance is incorporated into all the pattern pieces.

If you’d like a cleaner look to your arm openings, add a flap as shown.

Cut out and label all your pieces.

You will also need two 3.5” X 7.5” pieces of the lining fabric for the bound opening and two 5” X 7” pieces of something soft and warm like fleece for the hidden muff/pouch.

Trim the original inside seams from the jacket as shown (if they’re messy).

Fold in the “flaps” for the sleeve openings on all 8 pieces and stitch them down.

Mark placement for the bound openings as shown. The marks should be 3” from the bottom, 3” from the inside seam, and 4.5” long. One way to do this is to draw a line on your pattern, fold the paper over, then use the straight edge of the pattern as a guide.

Carefully cut the fabric on the line to make the opening.

Mark the lining fabric for the bound opening.
a. Draw a 4.5” vertical center line on the fabric.
b. Draw a line 1/2” on each side of the center line.
c. Draw short horizontal lines at the top and bottom to connect all three.

Place the lining fabric on the jacket front with right sides together (RST). You can see in the photo the edge of the original pocket. The center line of the lining should match up with the opening slit you just cut.

Stitch the rectangle as shown.

Cut the center line of the lining and cut a triangle from the center line to each outer line as shown.

Pull the lining to the inside of the jacket and handstitch it in place. Getting it to look just right takes a bit of fussing.

If your lining fabric is very slippery, you may want to adhere it to the jacket fabric. I used fusible interfacing (Wonder Under) and some scrap cotton fabric to make the patch. This is not necessary but it was getting on my nerves.

The hardest part is done! As you can see, I didn't do such a great job of lining up my fabrics so one side is wider than the other. Luckily, my 2-year old didn't notice.

We’ll do the lining and collar tomorrow. Special thanks to Kathleen at Grosgrain for the amazing original pattern.

Apologies for the terrible quality of some of the photos. I did most of this sewing after dark while the kid was asleep. Please, please, please let me know if you have any questions. I will answer them in the comments.

For Part II, click here.

Upcycled Capelet

So I've had the idea for this capelet made out of an old sport coat for a long time now. I actually bought the jacket this Summer when it was like 90 degrees outside and very, very humid (um, surprisingly, just like today). I knew exactly what I wanted to do, I just wanted to wait until Fall but decided that Kids Clothes Week would be perfect.

I used the storybook cape pattern from Grosgrain like I did for this and this but made a few alterations including drafting the collar from the hood. I had never done anything like that before so I was pretty thrilled when it turned out. The first time the points were too long and it looked like it would be a great match for John Travolta from Staying Alive. Luckily I had made a muslin so it only took one quick fix to make it work.

The buttons and original pockets are fully functional. I used a bound buttonhole technique to make the openings in the front. They lead into a fleece-lined muff/pouch that is open so that she can clasp her hands together if she wants to (and she does).

I took photos of the complicated process and am working on a tutorial. And I just couldn't put Zadie in a wool tweed garment when it was super hot so you'll get cuter pics soon.

Update: The tutorial is finished! Click here for Part I and here for Part II.

Travel tips: Beware the Chupacabras

Around here, we take our souvenirs to the next level. While in Puerto Rico this Summer, we decided to check out some gift shops near the rainforest since the rainforest was closed due to the tropical storm hovering over us for several days (yeah, yeah, you've heard it before). I hadn't really liked any of the t-shirts in the shop until I came across this AMAZING chupacabra design. Unfortunately, they didn't have any in Zadie's size but it hit me that I could buy the largest one in the shop and cut it up to make a dress.

I used this pattern that I bought off Etsy and didn't really have any problems with it. I made the size 3t. If I were to make this again either larger or smaller, I would make sure that the width of the shoulder seams on the bodice matched the straps. They are spot on for the 3 but as the pattern uses the same strap, it won't be even with all sizes.

The dress is a great fit and should also work next year. I liked how it has a self-lined bodice so it's very soft on the inside. I purposely added the black panel and off-set the image just for visual interest. I don't really like centering things (if you hadn't noticed). The rest of the fabric is from old t-shirts we have in the stuff-to-repurpose bin. I also used my machine's J foot and did faux serged seams for the skirt. That's an amazing technique and I plan to post about it.

I love the Chupa's glowing red eyes in the drawing. It reminds me of our very own mothman. Just in case you need a gentle reminder, we are huge fans of the yeti around here. My own obsession dates back to (roughly) 1983 and a papier mache project gone terribly awry. El Chupa Cabras is another of the cryptids. He originated in Puerto Rico in the mid-1990s. Some fascinating stuff. We were lucky to avoid him (probably because of all the rain).

But one of the reasons I love to travel is to learn about stuff like this. And although I knew about the chupacabras, I didn't know he was from PR. Whenever we go someplace new, I make sure to read fiction by local authors and I get as many guidebooks as possible to learn the history of the place. And buying a shirt like this and making it work really adds to the whole experience. I will keep this dress forever. I would not have kept the shirt forever had we bought one that fit.

Watch out or the Chupa will get ya! This one's female and her claws are sharp.

Project: Vote for the Yeti Dreaming of Soup!

I am a finalist in the Lil Blue Boo & Dharma Trading Design Challenge! How exciting. Go vote for me here. There are 15 other entries and they are pretty good so I'm going to need all the help I can get.

Remember I did a reverse applique using an image on the bottom piece of fabric. That's not easy! Plus I embroidered that soup freehand to make it all dreamy. No stencils, no tracing, no nothing.

Go give the yeti and shout out.

Project: Another cape

Yeah, I know. I've gone cape crazy over here. But this one was for a gift. Our friends are like way cooler than us and they're really into bikes (um, almost as much as Mr. Lemon and his entourage). I knew I wanted to make their kid a cape using recycled (upcycled?) t-shirts but I had NO IDEA I would find this awesome t-shirt with bikes all over it. Somehow there was another t-shirt at the thrift store in the same color (to do this, you'll need two shirts).

I used red Hello Kitty ribbon that I bought at Target in those fabulous dollar bins (actually this took the entire spool but there were 4 spools in the pack). Zadie is currently enchanted by this kitty -- so much so that she is finally letting us brush her teeth because we are using a Hello Kitty toothbrush so you know it's a big deal.

The inside is that same organic cotton fleece that I bought for the cloth diapers that I never sewed but used for that bird jacket instead. Perfect for slightly chilly Spring days but not too hot. The pattern, once again, is from the awesome Grosgrain blog. I used it to make this and will definitely be using it again. I'm going to do some math and alter the pattern to make a 3 for next year. Such an easy pattern and such clear directions! Like last time, I reinforced the armholes with a little tacking stitch but this time I did that last. I do like to learn from my mistakes (see earlier post).

And you thought I was going to talk about supplies all week...

Project: Men's Dress Shirt Dress

Since Spring isn't listening and we just keep getting more snow, I've decided to stop fighting it and just go with this Wintery theme: Corduroy! ManiMina on Etsy has some really great patterns. A few months ago I bought a set of patterns for recycling men's dress shirts into cute toddler wear. One pattern makes this awesome dress, another makes a top and skirt, and the third has you turn the arms of the shirt into a pair of pants.

I bought a super thick brown corduroy shirt at the Salvation Army for a buck. I thought it would be great for winter. When I took these photos the dress fit perfectly. Then two weeks and a growth spurt later, it was a tunic. I don't know how Mr. Lemon and I turned out this tall kid. I'm 5'2" and Mr. Lemon is no basketball player.

I decided to add some length to the sleeves since this would be worn when it's cold (and now with leggings, also super cute). That was not successful at first; the armholes, which fit perfectly with short sleeves, were way too tight when lengthened. I cut an ovalish shape out of some of the scraps and sewed them into the armpit area after ripping apart that seam. Now it's perfect. I will have to watch out for that when lengthening other patterns. It's no fun to hem sleeves so I added some cute bias trim that I bought on Etsy (it's Michael Miller) before I knew you could make your own.

The dress seemed dark to me so I went nuts with my sewing machine's very limited selection of decorative stitches and added a bunch of detail. I just put some pins in to give me some direction. That was quick, fun and really easy so I'm definitely going to keep doing that little trick.

Finally, I dug through my stash of vintage buttons and found some interesting ones to use in place of the hideous ones that came on the shirt (I bought a tin full of buttons at a yard sale for $3 a few years ago -- what a find!). The only really challenging part about making this dress, for me, was the thickness of the fabric -- especially where there were existing details in the shirt. It was a lot of bulk for my machine but the Huskystar once again pulled through.

I loved making this. I had made the same pattern with short sleeves for a friend in the Fall and will definitely use this pattern again. There are some other tutorials floating out there online for similar projects out of men's dress shirts so I'm going to try them all and report back to you.

Project: Design Challenge finished! Yeti dreams of soup.

If you were a yeti, what would dream about? Soup!

I'm so happy with the way this dress for the Design Challenge turned out. And Zadie loves it to. When I finished it I held it over my legs so it would be at her eye level and she screamed, "Yeti dress!!!!" and gave it (and me) a huge hug. Success.

For my embellishments, I did a reverse applique using one of my yeti t-shirts. I'm happy with the way it turned out and it was totally worth the challenge. If you like doing this technique, try it with a design element. Just trace your image onto thin paper (or photocopy it) to use as a template for placing the fabric underneath your garment. Use a lot of pins to get it right. I stitched around the edges before I cut then went around it again after. Basically I felt that the machine stitching wasn't standing out next to the embroidery so I wanted it to pop a bit more. It wasn't necessary to the construction because I used Wonder Under around the edges of the yeti.

I did the embroidery starting with the bowl of soup. I mapped out where I wanted everything with pins and then just did it freehand. I wanted it to look dreamy so I didn't want to draw on the dress and "trace" with the needle and thread. Finally, I surrounded it with the thought bubble.

Doing this project really reminded me of my love for embroidery. I'll be doing more of this type of work to Zadie's future outfits. If anyone wants a tutorial on my reverse applique, leave a comment. If there is enough demand, I'll write one up.

For more on Project: Project, read this post.

Project: Design Challenge in Progress

Lil Blue Boo sent me the pattern for the Design Challenge via email right away and after work, I got started. The whole Lemon clan looked through the Goodwill bin and Mr. Lemon donated some of his shirts to the cause while I pulled a couple of shirts Zadie had grown out of from the pile.

I ended up choosing the stripes for the bottom because that had been a favorite shirt of mine but it shrunk up too short. The sleeves are from a shirt I got for a dollar. I put Zadie in it all the time but she recently grew out of it. The red and grey are from pre-baby shirts I'll never ever wear again.

Mr. Lemon had gotten dinner together during an unusually long nap so I cut all the pieces out before we ate. After Zadie's bedtime, I stitched the whole thing up in less than an hour. It is a very clear and simple pattern. (I used existing hems for both the bottom of the dress and the sleeves for a more polished look).

I've already started my embellishments (because that's what the challenge is all about). This morning I asked Zadie what the _____ who is now living at the bottom of the shirt will do. She said, "Soup!" so soup it is. Mr. Lemon's trip was cancelled so I'll be able to spend more time on this today than I thought so I'm hoping for greatness. More on Monday!

For more on Project: Project, read this post.