DIY tshirt skirt

Yay a DIY! The t shirt skirt is a relatively easy project, & it's also common. So i know, what makes mine different? The "traditional" (if there is such a thing) t shirt skirt is made out of 2 large t shirts that are cut in triangle type shapes & stitched together to make a kind of parachute-looking pattern. Well it's been done. A lot. & i didn't have 2 large t shirts. i had a bunch of smaller ones.

Yes, yes i come from the days of crop tops. Anyone remember those? Well in elementary & high school they were mostly the rage, those shirts that were cut just at your hips so whenever you moved an inch, part of your stomach or back or something showed just a little. Or a lot, depending on how short the shirt was! Well i thrifted aplenty back in those days as well & as a result i now have several shirts that are too small. No they still fit me, but they are way too tight & way too short! Even too short for layering, trust me i've tried. The thing is they are still perfectly good, & while i could give them away, i'd rather be creative & change them into something i will wear.

Hence, my version of the tshirt skirt!

You will need!
at least 2 too small shirts. (i used 4)
Scissors
Needle & thread or sewing machine
Fabric / Ribbon to use as a drawstring

i went with a common theme, places i haven't been! (Except Colorado.. still).




Cut off sleeves (if any) & cut up the side seam (if any), separating the front & back of the shirt, so you have 2 pieces per 1 shirt.
This is where you be creative. While i used 4 shirts & only used the fronts of 3 of them, you can use both the fronts & back of 2 or more, mix & match however you like. In this particular skirt i'm using the 4th shirt (yellow) as an accent stripe between colors. This is optional.





Take the smallest shirt & measure it up against the rest, using it as a kind of pattern. Cut the shirts down to this size. It will be easier to sew this way.



As i said i'm using the yellow as an accent instead of a full panel. If you want to do it this way, cut 3 strips of even length (same length as the smallest shirt), about 3 inches in width, from anywhere on the shirt.



Arrange the pieces, right side down together, & pin the sides together, so the raw edges are upwards. If you turn the pieces over (right side up), you won't be able to see the seam.



Sew the pinned edges together. This doesn't take long, by hand or sewing machine.



Now you have a skirt, kind of! With the right side of the skirt you're working on, facing down (so you're looking a the inside of the skirt, seams & all) fold the top edge down about an inch. Pin the edge down all the way around the skirt, leaving a 2 inch section unpinned. This section will be where your drawstring will go.
Sew the edge down all the way around except for the 2 inch section.



Cut out the 2 inch section of the folded edge, so you have a beginning & ending of your drawstring-holder. (What's that called??)


Thread your ribbon or fabric through the folded edge. It's easier if you pin a safety pin on one end, & use the pin to work through the fabric as you pull the drawstring through.

Having a drawstring makes the skirt easy on & off, & adjustable so you can wear it on your hips or at your waist.


Just another tiny note...
i'm participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time ever this year. The writing begins on Novemeber 1st, meaning much of my energy will be going towards that. Of course i'll still be updating the blog. But if you'd like to track my progress of writing 50,000 words in 30 days, you can do it here.

the spoils of thrifting

This entry, & perhaps the next few entries, will be all about thrifting. Yes, i use it as a verb, meaning to go thrift shopping, bargain hunting, the like. One thing about me is that i love to save money. LOVE it. i actually crave saving money & there's nothing wrong with that. i've gotten quite good at it over the years. & i want to share it with others.

i'm sure a lot of people are grossed out by thrift stores for whatever reason. They smell like grandmas, they're full of "weird" people, whatever. The important thing one must realize if they want to save money & still look fabulous is to get past that part. Who cares if someone has worn this shirt before? Take it home, wash it, deconstruct it, do whatever with it. It's still perfectly good fabric. It's a form of recycling (which i'm big on) & not to mention many thrift stores benefit the not so fortunate-- another great thing. The best part?? i can find AMAZING clothes (sometimes even vintage, yes, real vintage, that same dress some fancy place downtown or some website will charge you $50+ for, & you can find it for $5!!) at amazing prices. Finding really great stuff will take a good eye & it's often helpful to know how to sew at least a little bit, but all of that will come with practice.

Some helpful hints i use:

- Know your size. In everything. Womens, mens, kids... yes kids. i must tell you that i'm actually 4'9" & 90 pounds so i frequent the kiddie section. Don't judge me!! Many times thrift stores don't offer dressing rooms so knowing your size will help you to know if something will fit without trying it on.

- Often thrift stores will carry newer stuff & also vintage. Familiarize yourself with the current (or the vintage, whichever you're looking for at the time) trends. Peruse fashion websites, blogs or even just look at the newspaper ads. Department and chain store ads & websites will have tons of photos of trendy pieces, whether it be a maxi dress or skinny jeans or an overall look like the "layered" look or bohemian. Whatever you fancy, make yourself aware of what's being sold at non-thrift places so you'll be able to spot those same items for $2 at the goodwill. For vintage, again, tons of websites devote themselves to vintage & retro-inspired looks. Take a look, see what you like, & go out there with an idea of what you like!!

-I find it’s easiest to navigate through those sprawling racks of clothes if you go there with something specific in mind. For example, unless I have an entire afternoon to kill in one shop, I need to go there with a list because otherwise I will look at absolutely every single article of clothing. But when I go with a list, it helps me to narrow things down a lot. Most shops (at least the ones I go to) are divided into style or color or both. So I can go knowing that I want to find a brown sweater and a green shirt and a pair of black pants (or whatever) and then I can focus just on finding those few things. Sure it’s fun to browse and if I had all the time & money in the world, I would. But I don’t, so I need to keep myself disciplined. It sounds like common sense but it works! It’s important to note, though, that I may not find what I’m looking for. Then I give up and just try another shop on another day. Thrifting is exciting and fun for that reason, you never know what you’re going to find.

-- But most importantly stay open-minded. You may happen across something that looks awesome but is way too big. This is where a sewing skill comes in handy. On my last trip thrifting i found an incredible 70s style wrap dress that was a size 10. i'm a size 2. i'm going to have to take it in quite a bit, but i can do it because i taught myself how to sew. And don't for get to think outside the box. Do you love the pattern of the fabric on those super early 90s granny shorts? Buy it for a dollar & make a shirt out of it. Stay tuned to this blog because i'll show you how to do just that. Take that $1.20 man's cute plaid dress shirt & turn it into a dress for yourself. i've done it all & it's easy!!

Just for some inspiration & motivation, i'll include these:

First take a look at this adorable 50s style plaid dress from one of my favorite retro clothing websites, Modcloth.

what a steal at $58.99 plus shipping, right? if you have the cash by all means, it's a great dress.

but check this out.

i found this cute plaid gem at one of my local thrift stores, for $1.95. i had to hem it, a lot, & the ribbon around the waist is mine. i wore it originally with a navy blue, wider ribbon but couldn't find it when i took this picture! sure it's not the same pattern or color scheme, but really? colorful plaid is very in right now & so retro & cute.

alright, til next time!

Made from Scratch Cookies

Obviously, I was bored last night. So i wrote this:

I am still becoming adjusted to my having only one job. I know how weird that sounds but I’m serious. & while there are many things that I could be doing on my free evening—such as reorganizing my sewing room, eek—I decided to try my hand at making cookies. Now I know, I’ve made dozens of cookies before but I’ve only made a few kinds, the standards, sugar, choc chip & oatmeal. I am trying a new recipe tonight.

For those who don’t know, I pretty much live on allrecipes.com. when I first started cooking I went to a few different websites for ideas & they were ok. What I like best about this site are the reviews/ star ratings & the wealth of info provided. There is a search feature, tons of articles, a personal recipe box and plenty of other options which I haven’t even explored yet. Basically members submit their own recipes & then others can try it & rate it. I typically search for recipes sorting with their rating, because then I know that chances are, the top rated recipes will be the best. & in my several years of using it, it turns out to be true. Not to mention people can make comments & offer custom versions & make adjustments which are very helpful. I often read through a few of the comments to see what others had to say, just to get a feel of what other people tried.

So aside from me living & dying by this site, I am making ‘Jumbo Breakfast Cookies.’ While another member pointed out, I don’t think any cookie could replace breakfast in any case, but it is still nice to have a cookie that is sweet but still has some good stuff for you as well. I remind my readers , including my husband ; ) , that cookies are desserts, not snacks & should be eaten sparingly, regardless of how many oats or whatever is in them, because they’re still loaded with sugar & fat. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, onto baking!

I changed the recipe a bit, because I didn’t have much cereal. I used Post Toasties (my husband's favorite, we always have these in the house. They’re like Cheerios only slightly sweetened with brown sugar), and used one less cup. In its place I used an extra cup of rolled oats. I didn’t have raisins so I used chocolate chips instead.

I made the cookies a bit smaller just so I’d have more, & as I type the first batch is cooling & the second batch is in the oven.

Edit: My husband & i each had 1 1/2 cookie last night, they are amazing! So many different textures but still soft & chewy. Delicious! Give them a try.

Introduction, part 2: Who is your author?

A few random things about me.
The blogger profile can only tell you so much so I’m going to explain myself a bit.


I’ve always been a writer. I’ve always loved film. My dream career would be to combine those two loves and write about film. Recently obtained two bachelor’s degrees, one in English and one in Film Studies. Not doing too much with them except writing film reviews on the side and also working on a novel or two.. I’m planning on going back to school to get my master’s degree (when I’m ready) and then I can teach at community college. I do love the college atmosphere, and find it very refreshing and inspirational.





Another love of mine that isn’t quite as academic is that of fashion. Sometimes I wish I would’ve gone to school for fashion design, but then again, I’m learning pretty well on my own. My mom taught me the very basics of sewing & I’ve taught myself the rest from there. I’m very small so altering clothes was a necessary lesson; I have to hem , shorten, take in, however you put it, make smaller, a lot of my clothes. That branched out into taking clothes and changing them to reflect my personal style. Making them a bit more “punk” or whatever I was into in high school. Found this was easier to do with thrift store clothing considering It was so cheap. I would say about 60% of my current wardrobe has been acquired through thrifting. It’s a godsend. Since then I’ve taken on the task of making more and more articles of clothing from scratch, shirts, dresses, purses.. most of the earlier things I have I sewed completely by hand since I didn’t even get a sewing machine until about 3 years ago. I find joy in creating my own clothing, I would love to do it professionally at some point, but I’m not quite that good, yet. It is hard work but the result is usually well worth it. I have the most unique clothes because no one on earth has exactly the same thing. I love it.



Another thing you may see me write about a lot is food. I love to cook (ask my husband, and all of my friends..) all of the time. When I lived with my mum, she did all of the cooking, & she was fabulous at it. I moved in with my dad when I was 15 & he didn’t really know how to cook anything besides 3-4 basic dishes. & we ate those 3-4 dishes every day, but at least he gave me a starting point. Got a bit boring. I moved in with my fiancé a few months after he & I got engaged & he knew absolutely nothing about cooking . So I took the reins in the kitchen, with pleasure of course. Combined with the help from a few cookbooks & the wealth of information online, I am a master at several meals & always want to try new things. This also led me to the belief in making things from scratch, which really stemmed from laziness and my overall self-proclaimed cheap-ness. For example, I like chicken pot pie. But I don’t have a refrigerated pie crust. But I do have flour and butter and water. So I just make a pie crust. Making foods from scratch out of ingredients you already have in your house just makes sense to me. I also try to use fresh vegetables and fruit in every case, simply because our local fruit market is just down the street, & it’s cheaper than frozen. Plus we have a garden that, even in midOctober, is still supplying us with veggies. Making food from scratch is rewarding & extremely healthy. There are no chemicals or preservatives, no hidden fat or nasty stuff if you start from raw ingredients. & I’ve been cooking like this for years.



A final note. I don’t like to brag, but I used to be extremely busy. I used to work 2 jobs, I used to go to school full time, & even during one semester, I did all of those things & planned a wedding. I had zero time. But I still was able to do my projects & make food the way I wanted to. It may be daunting, but truly, if I can do it, anyone can.

Introduction to being modestly modish

This may be viewed as cop out. i don't really care, i'm doing what is best for me.

i originally started this blog during the summer, because i thought i could handle it. Since then i haven't updated nearly as often as i had wanted to (i was aiming for twice a week, ha!) & i disappointed myself. i let other priorities get in the way, even though i swore that i wouldn't. So i am starting over. i feel a fresh start will do me good, & will also, hopefully, keep this blog on track.

Things have drastically changed since the summer. i used to have two jobs, working 60-75 hours per week, & it was rough. i recently quit a job, lowering my working hours dramatically. i now have much more time to work on the things that i love. This does not disprove the fact that you still don't need to have a lot of time to be creative, i still am working a full time job. With that said, i am rewriting this introduction, if you'll bear with me.

This blog began as an ode to all things creative. Since then i have had other ideas about what to include within, since there are plenty of other things that peak my interest. While i definitely did not want this to turn into anything emotional or "heavy," i still think i can include some random things that may not fall into the category of self-sufficiency, the blog's original theme. It will from this point on include points of interest, articles, photos, reviews, recipes & of course my DIY tips & how to's.

This blog will still focus on self-sufficiency, but to be more general, it will include entries on how to look and feel great, still staying within a budget, & relying on natural talent to do so. & perhaps a bit of personal taste as well. So i welcome all visitors & readers, i encourage those with ideas to contribute to do so, & i look forward to sharing my ideas with the world.