PROJECT RECYCLE - Men's Used Shirt (DAY ONE)

 

First project was pretty easy.

 

The hardest part was planning ahead so that I didn't cut any fabric that could interfere with future projects. Sort of like a Rubik's cube -- I kept turning the shirt over, sideways, measuring and re measuring to make sure I would have enough fabric for each item.

 

My first step was cutting the shirt at the chest.

 

 

Since I don't have any young children around for measurement, I used a child's size 3 pattern to get the correct size. The pattern called for the fabric to be placed into a fold, but this wasn't possible. Lucky for me, the plaid lines of the shirt made measuring so much easier!

I was able to place the pattern on the line, and then turn the pattern over to face the other direction and cut the arm/sides.  No folding needed. The fabric was doubled, so that the dress/shirt would have both sides for front and back.

I went ahead and took apart the neck, thinking I would LINE the inside arms of the dress, but decided against it when I realized that I had very little COLOR to add to the plaid. I wanted to save the beige fabric for something special, rather than get all fancy on the dress.

Now what can I use this strip of beige fabric for?

Please be aware, I'm not doing a sewing tutorial, so I may skip a few steps. What I'm mainly showing here is how I'm sectioning off the shirt.

I also needed to cut the sleeves apart, because I'm going to need straps for the dress. Since I can't use any notions for the project (snaps, elastic, etc.) Remember, I'm only using THREAD on this challenge. Nothing else.

FIRST, I hand sewed both sides of the dress together.

NEXT, I rolled hemmed the under arms of the dress.

THEN, I overlapped the neckline of the front and back of the dress so that I could slide in the slaps.

 Again, I'm planning ahead for future projects, so in advance I had already premeasured items. Pictured here, I have the sleeve doubled, folded over so that I can cut. This is to make sure I have plenty of room to sew these into straps.

Folding over to sew strap
.

 Using a safety pin, I'm turning the strap inside out.

 

I had to sew two of these straps, as each strap is inserted into the front/back neckline of dress.

I didn't "hem" the edges of the straps as they are rolled into knots.

 

The straps are now adjustable and can be tied/re tied.

 

This outfit is perfect as a dress for a one year old, or can be used as a sun top for a toddler up to 5.  

 First project complete!

Tomorrow, I'll be posting updates for DAY TWO of the Project Recycle Challenge.

If you haven't already, you can follow me on Facebook for updates, or check back here.

PROJECT RECYCLE - USED MEN'S SHIRT

I confess to being a fabric hoarder. All these temptations to spend money.

Hobby Lobby and their 40% off coupons. Jo-Ann Fabric craft stores offering tempting sales.

Wal-Mart, and their fabric clearance.

Heck, I even bought some new fabric the other day at a thrift store.

But what if I stopped BUYING, and started RECYCLING?

Years ago, our ancestors made do with what they had.

It was not uncommon for a woman to only own one or two dresses. Children wore hand me downs that were altered to fit. Some didn't own shoes.

Little girls were taught to sew when they were old enough to hold a needle.

Not everyone could afford a fancy treadle foot sewing machine.

Many items were hand sewn...

SO, I've decided to stop being lazy and to challenge myself. I want to think more out of the box, and to use the resources I already have.

MY GOAL:

To see how many items I can create out of a man's medium sized shirt -- Hand sewn, and not a single scrap of fabric leftover.

MY SUPPLIES: 1 spool of thread.

MY TOOLS: Pin, needle, scissors.

                                        Can it be done?

I'll be posting my progress as each item is made. Come join me! You can check back here, or follow my progress on Facebook.

CHEESE BOWL - Gluten Free, Low Carb, and EASY CHEESY!

I've low-carbed off and on for years, but never THOUGHT of making "bowls" out of cheese.

Saw this recipe online and just HAD to give it a try. OH. MY!

 

I took an iron skillet, added just a dab of peanut oil and piled on some grated cheese.

 

As the cheese bubbled, I took a butter knife and smoothed the edges of the cheese, to form a better circle.

 What happens, is that the cheese bonds together (reminds me of the candy stage) and starts to harden. As it bonds, I continue to scrape the edges and shape. As it pulls together, it does shrink a bit.

ALSO, occasionally, tip your skillet over and let the excess grease drain, careful to not let the cheese (that hadn't bonded yet) slide around.

 As it hardens, I will add a spatula and start working the edges slowly, to "unstick" and to make sure it's firm enough to flip over.

 As your mixture is bubbling, if you hadn't already, get your bowl and plate ready.

If you are wanting smaller bowls, add less cheese to the pan, and set aside a cup upside down on a plate.

 Once you flip your cheese over, it will resemble a pancake. Let the fresh side harden just a bit and then lift with spatula and carefully center over bottom of upside down bowl.

The cheese is HOT, so grab two paper towels for each hand and very gently start pressing down the cheese on bottom of bowl, carefully guiding the sides into the shape of a bowl.

 Place the upside down bowl into the refrigerator, and allow to COOL. While this is cooling,
start on the next bowl, and repeat the process for each additional  bowl.

In less than 30 minutes, you'll be amazed at how FIRM your edible cheese bowl is.

The fun part is adding the ingredients.

We tried TACO SALAD.

I cooked a pound of ground beef and spiced it with:

Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Pepper
Garlic

Drained ground beef and added a large helping to the bottom of bowl, topped with diced Spinach and kale, and topped with tomatoes.

Since the bowl is already cheesy, I didn't top with additional cheese.

This is really quite a gourmet dish, and the cheese bowl is very rich.

My mind is swimming with more ideas. If you have any additional ideas for this bowl, pop on over to my Facebook page to reply, or comment below!

CHEESE BOWL - Gluten Free, Low Carb, and EASY CHEESY!