$3 Wool Longies: A Naptime Sewing Project

Today I made the cutest little wool pants for my youngest. It's a great little project that's made with a thrift store sweater that was half off, so it cost about $3. A fun and easy project that can be made during a nap. I plan on using them as an overnight diaper cover but really these could be for just daytime use. .These took about 20 minutes total of work, though my little munchkin woke up half way through.

The pics aren't the greatest, but bear with me, this is the first tutorial I've ever done and I was trying to be quick.

Take your sweater and cut the sleeves off right at the seam lines.










Find a pair of pants that fit your child well. I chose a baggier pair with a little room to grow because I wasn't using an exact pattern. Once you cut, you can never get it bigger, I can always take these in a little or just deal with a little room and get more use out of them.

Cut a piece of elastic that's about 1 inch smaller than the waist line of the pants (remember, we want a stretchy waist band)







With the sleeves inside out, fold the pants in half, right sides in. Smooth them out and line them up with the seam of the sleeve like in the picture and trim the sleeve with the curve of the pants. I put the seam on what will be the inside of the pant.

Flip the pants over, and repeat with the other side.

 

 I've left enough room on the cuff so they can be folded up now, and down when my munchkin gets a little taller

 Now pin the part you cut, right side facing in to form a little ridge, taking care at the crotch area to make sure it's lined up well.

 Starting at the top, I zigzagged the edge, as close as I could get to the edge, to prevent unraveling later on. These aren't felted at all and would be way to thick if I did that, so I took this extra precaution.

Again, take care at the crotch seam to make sure you're getting everything in there. Otherwise you could end up with some pretty funky looking pants.












I then did a straight stitch directly next to the zigzag to keep it from pulling apart. Avoid the temptation to make your stitches very tight and small. If you do, the seam will not be very flexible.

This is where Miss Grumpy Pants woke up, so I took the opportunity to put the pants on her real quick to see where I needed to fold down the top to make the waist band. I ended up needing to trim about an inch off the top so the waist wasn't incredibly bulky or up too high like old man pants.

After trimming the top I again zigzagged the edge and then folded over and pinned where I was planning the elastic to be. I laid my elastic on top of my work to double check there would be enough room for the elastic to be in there with a little wiggle room.

I straight stitched the waist band around leaving about an inch un-stitched so I could get my elastic in later.

Hook a safety pin in the end of your elastic to make pulling through the elastic something you wont pull your hair out over. It gives you something to hang on to. I also pinned one end to the opening to avoid pulling it all the way through and making me cry...I hate doing elastic >.<







I then used a crochet hook to shove the elastic through. It takes a little wiggling, but it works. You could also use a chopstick or even the handle of a spoon to do this.





Tada! My elastic is through. Lay the ends of the elastic flat over each other and do a wide zigzag to make it all one happy piece.










That's it! Now put the pants on your baby and let her parade around in them while you chase her with a camera to show the world what a great job you did.

 

Vintage pins

As much as I love to sew, sometimes I hate to sew. I hate using patterns and I really hate measuring and pinning things. I've lost countless pins in the carpet over the years, bent almost as many and stabbed myself billions of times because I have to push the pins in so hard. Lets not forget the time I actually hit a pin with my sewing machine needle, broke the needle in half which then flew off and hit me right next to the eye.
So I don't pin anymore. This is why every large project I've ever sewn has come out wonky in one way or another. Any time someone complements me on a halloween costume I've made my daughter, I start chanting in my head "oh please don't look at the inside, oh please don't check to see if my stitches are straight"

Which takes me to my favorite sewing thing I own...pins.

I was given all sorts of sewing, knitting and crochet things when my husband's aunt passed away. These, I've cherished from the moment I laid eyes on them.

I've always had the habit of loving something kind of small and inconsequential. I love tiny sugar bowls and glass jars of every kind. It may sound silly, but I just love these pins. I love the discoloration of the cube they're stored in. Something about the light blue and yellowing of age appeals to me. It sings of a time where every woman knew how to sew, because their mothers, grandmothers, sisters and friends all did and were taught by example. I'm a little jealous.

Aside from the fact that they have that nifty swirl and come in interesting colors and sizes, they're built really well. You hear it all the time, but they just don't make things like they used to. These pins are long, thick and don't snag. They're a heavy gauge so I never have to shove them in so hard they bend, I'm not sure I could bend them without seriously trying.

I ordered some bamboo terry fabric to make diapers for my daughter the other day and I finally got to cutting and pinning (eek!) them yesterday afternoon and it just struck me, these pins are awesome.

I don't know what the brand is, or what they're called. The pin cube they're in belongs to the plain black pins that are also stuck in there. I have no idea what I'd google if I wanted to find more...but I have the feeling if I ever came across more, I'd pay a stupid amount of money for them.