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How to make a baby satellite appliqué T-shirt
What do you wear to an “S” themed party?
Why Space Outfits of course!
S is for Space, Sun, Stars, Saturn, Satellite, Solar System
Original image by Megan Webb Photography
Earlier this week I showed you how to make the Sun and Saturn facemasks, and here is how to make my Stars headband. And now I’ll show you how I made little Baby Bee’s Satellite T-Shirt.
But first up. Awwww. Isn’t she the cutest little Satellite you ever did see? She’s was only 2.5 months old at this party, and despite my headband, she was definitely the star of the show. Cluck cluck cluck.
I chose a T-Shirt appliqué for her outfit, because at that tender young age, I needed something comfortable. Something soft. Something she could nurse in and sleep in.
Here’s how.
First I bought a cheap little plain black T-Shirt and shorts (to represent the black space) in the smallest size I could find, and then took them here, there and everywhere to convert them into a newborn size.
Then I googled satellites, and discovered there are some really tricky images of satellites that I would have no hope of replicating in fabric. I chose this one, which seemed remotely do-able, and copied the design onto the back of some iron-on sewable adhesive.
Drawing of a satellite on iron-on sewable adhesive
I chose some four shades of grey fabric from my mammoth fabric stash (I keep getting donations of old clothes that are no-longer wearable but the fabric is still salvageable – it’s awesome!) and ironed on the adhesive, cut out the shapes, and then ironed them onto the T-Shirt. The design becomes reversed, but that doesn’t matter for a design like this where there is no right or wrong way round.
Satellite appliqué ironed on
By now we were running behind schedule, and I had Mr Banya breathing down my neck to finish the damn outfits. So I wizzed this around the sewing machine at lightning speed. Luckily I like little flaws.
Satellite appliqué sewn on
And here’s how it turned out.
Baby satellite T-Shirt fancy dress outfit
BUT, once we got to the party, Bee decided to do what newborns do best, and that was nurse, cry and sleep, and repeat. So the family shot above is the only one of her actually awake and happy. For the rest of the night, all you could see of her outfit was this.
Mother kissing newborn on the head
Image by Megan Webb Photography

Baby wearing a newborn

Oh well, at least I knew that she was in theme. 🙂
xxx
Danya

PS: Just in case you are interested, Bee’s satellite also makes a star appearance (lol, space humour) when JJ and I were playing outside with chalk one afternoon.

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There is a special little almost-four-year-old boy in my life.

His favourite day is Monday, because that’s garbage collection day. Every Monday, he runs outside four times to wave to the garbage men, point to the garbage bins (in case they don’t know where they are) and lust over the garbage being tipped into the garbage truck / recycling truck / green waste truck, or whatever the case may be.

His favourite possession of all time is a wee little garbage bin. But it’s not for rubbish. He puts all his most important treasures inside (including his Trashies collection of course).

And so, when it came time to make him a present, I knew just what this little lad would love….

DIY Garbage/Trash Themed T-Shirts

Here’s how I did them.

First – I started off with three basic store-bought T’s.

Then I searched for suitable images. And by suitable, obviously they first had to fit the theme. But also, I was looking for cartoon style images with block colours, and as little shading as possible. I knew I wouldn’t be able to replicate shading in my appliqués. I used these ones here, here and here.

Next, I pasted the images into a word document and printed them off. Then I traced each of the parts onto sewable iron-on adhesive.

For the Recycling symbol, I made sure to flip it horizontally in Word to get the reverse of the image, so that it would appear the correct way round on the shirt.

Then I searched though the scrap fabric pile for fabrics in the right colours and textures. And on finding suitable pieces, I ironed on the adhesive, cut them out and ironed them onto the TShirts, and lastly sewed on using coordinating thread for the cartoons and contrasting orange thread for the recycling symbol.

As you can see, lots of delicious little flaws.

And as the final touch on the cartoons, I drew over the black outline with a laundry marker.

Before outlining
After outlining

Ta da!!!

I hope my little friend likes them!

xx
Danya

Gift Idea DIY T-Shirt Designs

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Upcycled Kindle Cover

Apparently word had gotten out that I was making some Kindle & Tablet Covers. (See my first attempt, Mr Banya’s Adam cover, and Miss TMME’s Kindle Cover). So one of our friends, The Cranky Fisherman, put in an order for a Kindle Cover for his then girlfriend, now fiancé, the lovely Miss Demeanour.

And so I whipped up this little number.
Kindle cover with ruby clasp and plaited shoulder strap
Front

 

Kindle Cover using old jeans pocket
Inside. The Kindle fits snugly inside the jeans pocket.

 

Denim Kindle Cover
Back
Mostly upcycled, of course. The idea came about when I realised how snugly the Kindle fitted inside the jeans pocket. Snug as a bug in a rug. Meant to be…The jeans were an old pair of Mr Banya’s with an unfortunate hole, and the blue, white and pale yellow stripy fabric was from my Reverse Garbage $5 green bag stash from ages ago.

The inside padding is from an old polyester blanket. The front “button” is a broken handbag table hook. And the blue ribbon was originally wrapped around a present I’d once received. The white ribbon, velcro and thread were the only things that were new.

And here is Miss Demeanour modeling her “not very new” new Kindle cover!

xxx
Danya
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Do you remember the cover that I made for my own Kindle? And yesterday I also shared the cover I made for Mr Banya’s tablet?
Well, when I mentioned that I’d made them to a friend of mine, (whom I’ve blognamed Miss Tequila-Makes-Me-Easy – a story for another time…), and she put in an order for one of her own, pretty please.
So I guess you could consider this part three in the Danya Makes An Electronic Cover series….

Now I know that Miss TMME likes blues, greens, skulls and butterflies. But since I was intending to upcycle from my scraps and worn out clothes stash, my options were limited. I found a few likely contenders though. Some old holey jeans. Three different pretty blue scraps, some coordinating ribbons…

jeans, three different blue fabrics and two ribbons

After too-ing and fro-ing about the different fabric combos, I decided to go with the jeans + blue floral fabric. I used the money pocket and the button as embellishments. Here’s how she turned out…

Upcycled Kindle cover in denim + floral blue fabric with jeans button
Front
Inside the Kindle cover, showing pocket and velcro
Inside with velcro on the strap
Other side
Other side (you can see the other part of the velcro on the right)

Here’s a close up of the back, with the jeans money pocket zigzagged on, to make a pocket within a pocket.

Back of the Kindle Cover with jeans money pocket
Miss TMME loves it! Well, I think she does. I hope she does. She certainly looks chuffed.
Miss TMME admiring her new Kindle cover
Kindle cover love
What goes in here?
That’s where the kindle goes, lovey!
A spot for a little something something extra
And that’s for a little something something on the side.
Want to make one for yourself? Here’s how.
First up, grab some fabric. I used these jeans that Mr Banya was no longer wearing due to an unfortunate hole…
Old jeans with hole in crotch
And this blue floral fabric which bought as part of my $5-green-bag-full fabric haul from Reverse Garbage.
Blue floral fabric from Reverse Garbage

Now, because the fabric is thin and stretchy, I actually sewed this to some of the denim first. That way, it was a lot easier to deal with.

Next, I used the same basic pattern from my first Kindle cover, except I removed the extra two pockets and the elastic tabs from the inside, which I found tricky to sew and superfluous.

And instead I zigzagged on a totally superfluous mini pocket to the back side, effectively creating two pockets. But I love this little detail, it looks super cute!

I also cut the waist strap (including the button) to use as the strap. I glued on some magnets to both the inside of the strap and corresponding part of the cover, but alas they didn’t work. I guess there was too much fabric between them? So I fixed this by handsewing on some dodgy velcro over the same spots. It isn’t the prettiest, but it serves the purpose, and is hidden from view most of the time.

A bit of dodgy zigzagging here and there to add a bit of “flavour”, and there you have it, a one-of-a-kind Kindle cover for a one-of-a-kind friend!

Hope you like it Miss TMME!

xx
Danya

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Reuse, refashion, upcycle, recycle.
Refashioned Baby Cardigan

Here’s a super easy “refashion” for you.

I started with this infant bodysuit (aka onesie) which had been handed down from JJ to Bee, and as you can see, had been loved just about to death.

Baby onesie with hole in crutch


Holes from press studs
Holey crotch, Batman!


Initially I was considering cutting out the little baby giraffe design to appliqué onto a plain top, but then I thought –  BABY CARDIGAN! So obvious, and so easy…

Refashioned Baby Cardigan
Refashioned baby giraffe cardigan

(OK, I’ll admit that I first tried to do the hem with my new double needle, but failed dismally in getting the tension right. So I cut off that dodgy hem and instead re-hemmed twice using my normal needle. Not quite as straight as it would have been with the double needle, but certainly good enough. And Bee doesn’t mind…)

Baby Bee wearing her new cardigan

xx
Danya

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Do you remember the cover that I made for my own Kindle? And yesterday I also shared the cover I made for Mr Banya’s tablet?
Well, when I mentioned that I’d made them to a friend of mine, (whom I’ve blognamed Miss Tequila-Makes-Me-Easy – a story for another time…), and she put in an order for one of her own, pretty please.
So I guess you could consider this part three in the Danya Makes An Electronic Cover series….

Now I know that Miss TMME likes blues, greens, skulls and butterflies. But since I was intending to upcycle from my scraps and worn out clothes stash, my options were limited. I found a few likely contenders though. Some old holey jeans. Three different pretty blue scraps, some coordinating ribbons…

jeans, three different blue fabrics and two ribbons

After too-ing and fro-ing about the different fabric combos, I decided to go with the jeans + blue floral fabric. I used the money pocket and the button as embellishments. Here’s how she turned out…

Upcycled Kindle cover in denim + floral blue fabric with jeans button
Front
Inside the Kindle cover, showing pocket and velcro
Inside with velcro on the strap
Other side
Other side (you can see the other part of the velcro on the right)

Here’s a close up of the back, with the jeans money pocket zigzagged on, to make a pocket within a pocket.

Back of the Kindle Cover with jeans money pocket
Miss TMME loves it! Well, I think she does. I hope she does. She certainly looks chuffed.
Miss TMME admiring her new Kindle cover
Kindle cover love
What goes in here?
That’s where the kindle goes, lovey!
A spot for a little something something extra
And that’s for a little something something on the side.
Want to make one for yourself? Here’s how.
First up, grab some fabric. I used these jeans that Mr Banya was no longer wearing due to an unfortunate hole…
Old jeans with hole in crotch
And this blue floral fabric which bought as part of my $5-green-bag-full fabric haul from Reverse Garbage.
Blue floral fabric from Reverse Garbage

Now, because the fabric is thin and stretchy, I actually sewed this to some of the denim first. That way, it was a lot easier to deal with.

Next, I used the same basic pattern from my first Kindle cover, except I removed the extra two pockets and the elastic tabs from the inside, which I found tricky to sew and superfluous.

And instead I zigzagged on a totally superfluous mini pocket to the back side, effectively creating two pockets. But I love this little detail, it looks super cute!

I also cut the waist strap (including the button) to use as the strap. I glued on some magnets to both the inside of the strap and corresponding part of the cover, but alas they didn’t work. I guess there was too much fabric between them? So I fixed this by handsewing on some dodgy velcro over the same spots. It isn’t the prettiest, but it serves the purpose, and is hidden from view most of the time.

A bit of dodgy zigzagging here and there to add a bit of “flavour”, and there you have it, a one-of-a-kind Kindle cover for one of my drinking buddies!

Hope you like it Miss TMME!

xx
Danya

Threading My Way_Threading Your Way 

(This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.)
Are you new here? If you’ve just found my blog, be sure to subscribe via email or RSS feed, to “like” the Danya Banya Blog facebook page, follow @danya_banya on Twitter or to add Danya Banya Blog to your Google+ circles, so that you’ll get all my tips and ramblings on parenting babies and toddlers, sewing, crafting, wholesome cooking, photography and lots more!
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I was chatting to a friend last week, and she mentioned that she was going to buy a sewing machine and that I’d inspired her to take up sewing again. How double awesome is that!  And so she asked what sort of sewing machine I have.

Let me introduce you to Xanadu. Yes, I’ve named my sewing machine. And yes, I realise I’ve probably put that song in your head. You can thank me later…

Anyway, Xanadu is a Brother LS2125. I bought her just after moving back to Sydney, so about 1.5 years ago. I love her. She is a basic, entry-level sewing machine. She’s not fancy at all. But she’s encouraged me. She’s inspired me. She’s my friend.
Xan sits in our “toy room”, with easterly and northerly facing window flooding her with natural light, which is such a pleasant spot to sew. JJ’s dress up clothes are usually strewn across the floor, however until recently I haven’t been able to sew when she is in the room because she has demanded needed my attention and interaction. But this last month or so, she’s showing the maturity to be able to play by herself for longer stretches of time. Hence the increase in my recent sewing output.
The scrap ribbon tree sitting on the easterly window sill.
A little bedside table is next to me with my sewing essentials – thread, scissors, manual, unpicker, etc. An old bounty bag is stuffed with the smallest of my fabric scraps. The larger pieces fill the prime eye-level spot in the linen cupboard in the corridor just outside the room. 
Are there fancier machines out there? You betcha. Would I prefer a fancier machine? Umm, I’ll admit yes. I can do everything I need on Xanadu. But with the type of sewing that I do, I would totally use all the decorative stitches that the fancier machines boast. And Xan does have major tension tantrums every now and again. But a bit of oil and a gentle touch will put things right again. And at the end of the day, it’s the sewer, not the sewing machine, that creates.
I’ll upgrade one day. But for now, she’ll do.
(Although, I would cut off my left pinky for an overlocker.)
xx
Danya

(This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.)

Are you new here? If you’ve just found my blog, be sure to subscribe via email or RSS feed, to “like” the Danya Banya Blog facebook page, follow @danya_banya on Twitter or to add Danya Banya Blog to your Google+ circles, so that you’ll get all my tips and ramblings on parenting babies and toddlers, sewing, crafting, wholesome cooking, photography and lots more!

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The easy way to make a colour block dress and t-shirt
Remember this now infamous photo from Wednesday’s post and how I’d promised to let you know how I made the top that JJ is wearing?
Well, I saw these two tops on sale a couple of weeks, and immediately thought DIY colour block!

New to colour blocking?

“Color blocking is when there are highly contrasting colours together in one piece of clothing, making solid blocks of color. All colours should be of the same hue, the brighter the better.”

(OK, confession – I totally made that quote up. So I’m quoting myself then?)

So, I chopped both tops in half, and swapped tops for bottoms. Then sewed the two halves together using a basic medium length straight stitch. I also zigzaged to finish the seam. You don’t need to worry about hemming, as it is already done for you. I also took in the sides slightly, as I do for most of JJ’s clothes as she is a bit on the skinny side. And all done! Easiest sewing project ever.

Tip: when choosing your base tops, be sure to find ones that are quite long, as you will lose about an inch off the length when you sew the two halves together…

And here is JJ “modelling” her new top. Sorry for the milk moustache, we were in a hurry this morning, so I snapped a quick photo as we were rushing to get out the door…


So then I was going to make an inverted replica with the other two halves, but I thought it might be fun to vary it up a bit and make a dress instead. I had this colourful pink paisley pattern that contrasted with both the green and purple nicely. I cut out two rectangles the same width (plus seam allowance) as the other pieces, and sewed these together to make a third tube. Then sewed to the green top and the purple bottom.

The easy way to make a colour block dress and t-shirt

Tip: the introduced fabric needs to go in the middle section to take advantage of the already sewn hem on the other pieces.

And apologies again, I don’t have a photo of JJ wearing the dress. As our house is in toddler + newborn chaos at the moment, I had the cut out pieces of fabric lying around for a few days waiting for a chance to sew. JJ found the pink paisley fabric and was playing with it, pretending it was a robe or a bandage or a scarf. So when I showed her the finished piece, she started crying and trying to take “her robe” off the dress. Umm, not exactly the response I was hoping for! So I haven’t been able to get her to wear it yet. Tis a pity because I think it would look better on than it does hanging up.

So a third tip: don’t let your toddler become attached to role-playing with a piece of fabric before you sew it.

And there you have it – easy colour block top & dress.  Have you gotten into the colour blocking trend yet?

xx Danya

 

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