A Not-So-Average Denim Skirt

One day I got out of the car in a not so lady-like fashion and tore my long denim skirt all the way up the back!!! Thankfully I was at home! Anyway, the tear was beyond repair and it wasn't a favorite skirt to begin with. So I threw it in the scrap pile. I kept looking at it on top of the pile...hmm...I really had no plans; I just started playing. I cut off about 15" from the bottom and cut out some 4" squares. I have saved some of Keith's old torn jeans and cut some more 4" squares out of contrasting denim. I used dark, medium and light denim squares. I just sewed them all together and attached it to the bottom of the skirt. I liked the diamond edges and I didn't want to hem each diamond so I made a lining out of a lightweight pink cotton.

Denim skirts can be boring; but I think this patchworked version is interesting; maybe even a little retro! It makes me happy to wear it; should we all wear clothes that make us happy?!

T-Shirt Quilt

A few months ago my sister-in-law asked me to make a T-shirt quilt for my niece using her extensive collection of cheerleading T-shirts.

My niece, Cassie, is going to college now and the quilt would be a nice way to share her high school memories, enjoy her collection and free up some closet space!

I agreed to make the quilt even though I have never made a T-shirt quilt before. There were soooo many T-shirts. I felt a little overwhelmed and I admit I was a little nervous about cutting up Cassie's cherished tees. What if I screwed up?!!! They're irreplaceable!!!

I swallowed my fears and just started cutting! When I realized all the tees were about 12" wide, that made things a little easier and gave me reassured that this was going to be a cool project! I'm really satisfied with the way it turned out! It's so colorful, fun, soft and cozy!

I used the backs that weren't printed on and extra parts of the T-shirts for the back of the quilt and bordered both sides with a navy blue knit. There is a layer of extra fluffy batting in the middle and I knotted navy blue embroidery floss throughout to hold the layers together.

So this is my first T-shirt quilt and I'm sure it's not my last! It is an easy project and a great way to display and enjoy a T-shirt collection!

So...the moral of this story is don't let fear stand in the way of making memories!