knit upcycle + serger love

Like I said - my new serger has been getting a workout.  Here are a few Lil Blue Boo Sienna Dresses that I've cranked out recently.


The blue and green striped fabric is an old tshirt, the dots are left over from another project I did a couple of years ago for her.  Because of how I cut the sleeves, I didn't even have to hem them.  Woohoo!


The dragonfly fabric was a tank that never quite fit right in the armholes for me, and the pink floral fabric is Patty Young's design. I did a lettuce edging on my serger to finish off the short sleeves.


The calla lily fabric was also an old tank of mine - bought before I got married! It has held up relatively well, but was getting a little small for me. The green and white fabrics are just plain tees I had sitting around waiting for a new life.

The blue and white solids are just random knit scraps - the upcycled tee here was used in the skirt

I've also been using some of the knit scraps to make little shorts for under her dresses.  I LOVE my serger and being able to give my old t-shirts new life in my daughter's wardrobe!

lil blue boo knit dress

I've got to get going on more serger stuff so I decided to buy myself a knit dress pattern.  It is the oh-so-popular Lil Blue Boo Recycled Tshirt Sienna Dress by Ashley of Lil Blue Boo.  It was easy to follow and had lots of good ideas for ways to change it up.  Her blog is chock full of other embellishments, stenciling and decorating tips.  I got my husband to clean out a couple of old tshirts from his closet and I got to work.  I did find the pattern a little short for my taste, but add a ruffle on the bottom and it was set to go!

One of the best parts is this dress was (basically) free!  The discussion continues in our house whether I should have done the seams on the outside or inside.  What's your vote?

On my next one I'll probably do them all on the inside and we'll see how it looks.  I have a tshirt with dolphins on it ready to become a dress!
School's out for summer now though - so we'll see how my crafting life holds up as we attempt to do a lot of the activities on our list too!!!!