DIY Recovered Sewing Bench

Hello friends!
Today I'm opting out of the Blogging Everyday in February 
prompt idea to bring you a project post instead!

If you have been keeping up with me,
you will recall in my January/December Month in Review post
the mention of a promised project post.
Well, I'm a woman of my word, so here it is!

Along with the new sewing machine and dress form,
another new addition was added to my little sewing nook.

 For some time, I have been wanting a sewing bench to replace the folding chair I was using.

When I found this sturdy specimen at a garage sale for $10, I was thrilled!

It was ugly, but that was easily remedied with a quick recovering job!

 From the same garage sale, I also secured a very large piece of heavy, sturdy fabric,

which I'm assuming was upholstery fabric or the like.

Isn't this a fun, colorful print?!

Here are the supplies I used:
screwdriver
heavy duty stapler (not the kind you use for paper)
scissors
measuring tape
hammer

 

First things first, I unscrewed the top lid of the bench.

(It is already off in the 'before' picture.)

Look at all that storage space inside!

To make this project simple, I wasn't going to remove the old covering,

but simply cover over top of it.

I measured the length and width of the lid,

then measured how far they overlapped the previous covering piece,

which was about 1 1/2 inches.

So I added 1 /1/2 inches to my length and width measurements

so I had enough to fold in and staple down. 

While stapling down the fabric,

I made sure to fold the raw edge under so it wasn't exposed.

I cut a notch around the hole where the lid reattaches to the seat.

For the corners,

I folded the material over in what sort of looked like pleats,

being sure to staple each fold so it didn't come out.

This gave a smooth, unpuckered appearance to the edges.

Here it is all stapled down.

After snipping off the excess material at the corners,

it looks much more clean.

Ta-da!

 Beautiful, no?

In order to recover the outside of the bench,

I first needed to remove the gaudy gold, plastic trim.

This required a little patience and a screw driver.

I cut out my piece of fabric the same way I did for the cover:

measured the length, all the way around the bench + a few extra inches for overlapping

and the width from top to bottom + extra for folding the raw edge under.

I was able to use the salvage edge for one of my edges, which eliminated the need to fold over.

I started my piece on a back corner of the bench,

a place most out of the way for the seam.

Don't worry about the first raw edge, as you can see in the above photo,

this will be covered when you come back around.

Smooth and lightly stretch the fabric taut as you go, to avoid wrinkles.

Staple the top and bottom and you move around.

I also had to fold under the raw edge along the bottom of my fabric.

When you come back around to your starting point,

fold under the raw edge, pulling the fabric taut,

and staple all down the edge of the seam.

This was the end result.

With my busy fabric, it hid the staples and they weren't very noticeable,

but if you don't like the exposed staples down the seam, you can try super gluing it instead.

Also- if you want to cover up the staples on top and bottom,

you can super glue a ribbon or trim over top, creating a border.

I had originally planned to do this, but on second thought,

you can barely see the staples and I liked the unbroken look of the pattern, so I left it be.

After I was done stapling everything in place,
I lightly tapped all of the staples down with a hammer, to ensure none were sticking up.

There you have it!

This was a a pretty easy project that truly updated and beautified an otherwise boring piece!

From One Beginner to Another: Sewing with Leather

After completing my first leather project,

and after lots of research and personal trial and error,

I decided to write down what worked for me when it came to machine sewing leather.

 

Must Haves and Tips



 

Leather needles

These are a must!

They have a cutting edge that helps pierce the leather.
If/when that edge/tip gets broken, you will know!
The needle will have a difficult time piercing the leather,
and mine made clanking and puncturing sounds while sewing.

 

Nylon thread

There are actually other recommended types of thread you can use,

but 100% nylon was the easiest for me to find and worked really well.

As long as you can't break the thread when you pull it hard
 (like I do with cotton thread when I can't find the scissors)
then it should withstand sewing the leather.
Plus, the nylon thread had a glossy feel/finish, which I think worked similar
to waxed thread, which I read in various places was recommended for leather sewing.

 

Corn starch/baby powder

Ok, this is actually a trick I found while searching the web.

Ideally, you should use a Teflon or walker foot for your machine.

I didn't have one, so I used corn starch (because I didn't have baby powder)

to dust the working surface of my machine, the bottom of my foot,
and the surface of the leather I was working with.

This reduced the drag and helped feed it through more evenly,
reducing the amount of teeny tiny bunched up stitches.
It does make a mess though.

 I would recommend getting the special foot, but in a pinch, this trick will help.

 

Thread tension

On some scrap pieces, I experimented with tensions

and found that it worked best between 1.5 and 2.
Whatever your numbering system is, you just want to reduce the tension.

 

Feed dogs

Leather has bulk and sticks,

 so lower the feed dogs a lot so it will feed through more easily and not bunch up.
Some posts I read, the seamstress completely lowered the food dogs
and fed the leather through manually.

 

Bobbin tension

I used a nylon thread for my project,

and when I inserted the bobbin into the case, I realized it was very tight.

Depending on the thread you use, make sure to adjust the tension.

I follow this little method to test and set my bobbin tension.

 I just use my finger nail instead of a screw driver.

It works all the time and it is so easy.

 

Thread length

You don't want teeny tiny stitches, so adjust your length to a longer stitch,

I had mine set at about 3.5- 4.
(4 is the longest stitch setting on my machine).
 

 

Don't back stitch!

When leather is pierced, the holes remain.
So why make more holes and put your machine through the extra strain of back stitching?
Instead, pull your thread through to the backside and tie your ends.
Use this method to tie your string and finish your ends,

it is the same method I used to do the detail top stitching for this peplum blazer.


Trim Edges
To reduce the layers and bulk when sewing over edges/seems,
trim them down...this will make it much easier on you and your machine.


Fold Once
Leather doesn't fray, so you don't need to roll or double fold your hems.
In fact. DON'T. It is way too much work to sew through.


Go Slow
This may be a no brainer, but take is easy and go slow so stave off broken needles and mistakes.
 

 

These methods worked for me, so I wanted to pass along what I learned.
I am in no way an expert, I have in fact to date only sewn on leather once!
But if you are a beginner, you might find this helpful.
If you are more experienced, I welcome your comments and suggestions!
Good luck!

Fix It: Too Low Neckline

It's a common problem.

You find an adorable shirt or dress,

but the neckline is too low.

Sometimes you can slip a cami on underneath, or add a modesty panel.

But there is a quick little fix I've found that works well with pieces that have

straps...like tank tops or strappy sun dresses.

All I did was measure the amount of strap that I wanted to take up,

folded it over itself in the back, close to where the strap connects to the dress, then sew over it.

 

 See what I mean? You pinch together the excess strap, right sides together, then sew across it.

Now next snip off that extra little loop of a strap, and your are done.

 

This is what the back (wrong side) of the strap looks like after I cut off the excess.

I did this with two dresses and one tank top...

 

....it worked great for me!

Be sure to try on your top with the straps pinned up before you sew it.

Sometimes, the straps are long enough that you can do this without tampering how the rest of the garment fits, but with some shirts it will pull the arm holes up too far and make them too tight and uncomfortable. 
Be sure this isn't the case with your piece!

Simple, but a good, quick little fix.

Fixing Too Big and Stretched Elastic Belts

There is a phenomenon that I have yet to discover the answer to...

why elastic belts lose their elasticity when stored hanging up.

 

I have several elastic belts, and I used to hang them up on my belt wrack in my closet.

It wasn't long before I noticed they were getting way too stretched out to wear.

 

Sad day.

 

So take it from me, don't store your elastic belts hanging up!

The best way is it roll them up and set them on a shelf or in a drawer.

 

 

But...do not fear.

If you have, like me, already 'ruined' your elastic belts,

or even if you have some that are just too big...

there is a solution!

And an easy one at that.

 

 

First, try on your belt and fasten it where you would like it to be.

 This is not where it fits, but where you would like to wear it,

 the notch you prefer and the amount of tail you would like to leave.

 

 

 

 

This is where I wanted to wear my belt...I don't like much a tail.

 

 

With your belt still fastened, turn it around so the back is in front.

Take in the extra stretch of the belt, tightening to what feels comfortable to you, and pin it together.

 

Now, all you have to do is take your belt off,

put the rights sides of your belt together, and sew where you have it marked with your pin.

I did a double seam and zig zagged the edges.

 

Try to make your seam right in the middle back of your belt.

 

Now try it on, make sure you like the fit, and if so,

chop off the extra length of belt right next the seam you just sewed.

 

Ta da!

Now you have a belt that fits!

 

I did this with three of my elastic belts, it only took about 15 minutes.

 



As long as you don't mind the seam in the back, you have a great quick fix!

This would even work with fabric belts and sashes. 



Dressing Gown Refashion: Fix for Too Tight Sleeves

Have you ever found a lovely piece of clothing, but it was too small?

 

Well that was just the issue I had when I came across a beautiful, flowing, vintage coral dressing gown on one of my thrifting outings.

It was too small waisted to wrap around me, and the arms were too tight.

 

But it was only $1, I loved the color, and there was so much material, I figured I could make something work.

 

This was a project I did quite a while ago, and it being one of my first refashions, I was making it up as I went along.... which means.... I didn't bother to take a 'before' picture.

 

 

This is what it looks like now.

 

 

 

Gorgeous flowing ankle length dressing gown that I love because now it fits me!

 

And this is how I did it.

 

This dress is constructed with lots and lots of pleats...they go all the way around the waist.

So all I had to do was take out several of the pleats on either side in the front.

 

 

 

Then, to keep it from being too straight a line where I took out the pleats,

I added a single inverted box pleat on each side, like in the picture above.

 

 Lovely, flattering waist line.

 

The collar/front was pleated as well, folded over and sewn down, so when I picked that loose it was wide enough to accommodate letting out the waist.

 

 

 

 

Next, I needed to fix do something with the arms.

 

The sleeves came down to just above the elbow, a little longer than I would like for a summer robe.

 

So I came up with a solution that fixed the snugness and length.

 

I ripped out the seam under the arms right up to the point just under the armpit.

 

The ripped seam to the point under the armpit.

 

I'm not sure what material this is made of, but it rolls up instead of fraying,

so there was no need to fix the exposed edges after my ripping.

 

Next I pinched and gathered up the sleeves in the middle and sewed over the gathered material....

 

 

 

 

I loved the sweet, feminine look of it!

And yes, I'm sorry, but I did use white thread...like I said, I was winging it,

and I didn't have matching thread anyway.



So there you have it...a quick fix for too tight sleeves and waist.

I loved the way the sleeves looked, and I'm sure I'll use that technique again!