Stuffed Alligator from Old Clothes $3

  

You will need:

Alligator Pattern by penguin & fish (given to me as a gift)

Fabric (I used a linen skirt and cotton shorts for the body and an old pillowcase for the teeth)

Embroidery Thread or Buttons for the eyes

One Entire Bag of Premium Fiberfill ($3)

*If I make another one of these I will use one layer of quality felt for the teeth and spikes instead two layers of fabric turned inside out. It will be way less clipping, trimming, pain and suffering.

Vintage Backrest Pillow from Tank Top $3

 

 

Mother-Daughter project! RE bought this tank at Plato's Closet for $3. We snipped the lacy bib off of the tank and then hand-sewed it to her backrest pillow. Just the right color and sparkle for her vintage bedroom!

Freezer Paper Stenciled Tees <$10

Materials:

a tee (cotton or mostly cotton...my best transfer happened on a shirt with a low % of spandex, and I wish I had practiced on an old shirt my first time)

Reynolds freezer paper (sold at the grocery store, one $6 roll will last forever)

x-acto knife

iron

permanent fabric paint (<$2/bottle, sold everywhere)

foam brush

an image you want to stencil (can be drawn by you or printed on a piece of paper)

Tutorial here. If the link disappears, just google "freezer paper stenciling" and you will have your pick of tutorials. Some tutorials say to peel the stencil away when the paint is still wet. Some say dry. I have had better success with peeling after the paint is dry. Also, iron a piece of freezer paper to the inside of the shirt, or stuff a piece of cardboard under the stencil before you paint it so the paint won't seep through.

Here are a few of the shirts I have made:

For my aunt's birthday, the one that has been to Europe a zillion times. It's Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence.

Hedgehog for RE. Based on her beloved hedgehog Target wallet. I embroidered his heart and sewed on his button eye.

A joke shirt for Rat, my J-school grad sister who once texted me that she "loved all the tool at the bridal shop." English does have some funny words. This was one of the first shirts I did...before I learned to paint a second coat. I still like this look, but be aware that you can make the paint as opaque as you want it to look.

Father's Day shirt for my dad, who always led me to believe we grew up in Missou-ree, but changed his pronunciation since I left home to Missou-ruh. He's a switcher. One year he likes the Chiefs, the next year he likes the Rams. I grew up in Missou-ree.

Christmas gift I made for my neighbor, Pam, who uses this phrase A LOT. I used stickers for the letters (instead of the freezer paper)...just stuck them on with force. They worked beautifully.

Onesie for my friend Annie who was doing a Native American/Southwestern nursery for her baby girl.

Footie Pajama Mooshy Bunnies $0

RE's old footie pajamas. They used to have feet, but RE is growing like a weed these days and I had to whack the feet off and give her elastic cuffs so that she could continue wearing them all winter.

Created by Holly Keller of Beeper Bébé. Pattern for her bunnies found here.

Materials needed:

Fabric for the bunny (old clothes/real purchased fabric)

Polyester stuffing

Embroidery floss and needle (for the face)

Pom-pom tail

I obviously altered the pattern a bit. I did not use old striped tees (though so cute). I opted to use the stuff I had, which was dessert-motif fleece. I was able to make seven bunnies with RE's pajamas.

I didn't stuff them as much as the tutorial shows. I wanted them more like those Minky squares that have animal heads attached. I also didn't choke my bunnies. I liked their necks loose.

I made RE's Mooshy Bunny the day she had the 24-hour flu bug. She was so happy to get a prize on a sick day. RE is also a very tidy girl and can't handle stuffed animals on her bed, so she likes this bunny because he tucks in the pocket of her backrest pillow. He's very small. Just the right size for a tweeny 11-year-old that is stuck between wanting to be a teenager and a little girl.

RE's Easter Dress $7

 

 

Materials:

Old shirts from SIL "Leesh" (they were all stained and therefore could not be donated to Goodwill)

One of Greg's old white Sunday shirts for the bottom "stripe"

Lace for the hemmed edge ($7)

I had to add a button to the bodice for RE's little body. I also had to add five darts to make it fit her. Lucky day: the sleeves were fine "as is." I hate messing with sleeves.

I used the smocking from this gauzy cotton shirt for the waist.

I made a strip with pintucks for a little textural detail.

ReDEUX projects really aren't about the money for me. Making something out of nothing just gives me satisfaction, especially with things that are termed "unusable." I know I am not the greatest seamstress yet, but I love hearing my daughter say I'm awesome and seeing her twirl in it. I also love that RE outgrew a shirt with neat embellishments on it this week and saved it under her bed for a ReDEUX she has in mind. Teach 'em while they're young!