Handmade Flats
front view

After seeing a cute etsy shop I decided to try making some flats of my own. I used as materials heavy canvas, plain cotton, and a vinyl sole as recommended in an online tutorial. I created the pattern by sewing a shoe from an old sheet until it fit. I added a little decoration with a button that I covered in fabric.

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Corduroy Pants
front view of corduroy pants

I made a pair of cordurory pants from scratch as a respite from studying during exam week. They came out quite well.

I used a patterned fabric to make deep front pockets, and to decorate the back pockets. Once again, I used another pair of my pants as a pattern. As my first pair of pants were too large, and the second pair were a bit too tight, I used a moderately sized pair of pants for a pattern to create pants that fit me just right. Sadly, after I washed them, they shrank significantly: about 1.5 inches shorter, and now they fit me snuggly around the upper legs.

Looking at these pants and the last two, you can really see my learning-curve.

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Plastic Bag Rainboots
boots

I made some plastic-bag rainboots from my imagination. The idea for using plastic bags came from an article in the latest Craft magazine.

Click here to see the process of making these!

Fleece Slippers
slippers

I made some fleece slippers from this website for Trevor. They are lined with a plaid fleece and the outside is a higher quality gray fleece. I put hot glue on the bottoms for traction.

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Second Pants
pants2

I made a second pair of jeans with fabric from Britex Fabrics in San Francisco (what an exciting store!). This pair fits me better than the first pair did. I used a tighter pair of jeans as the model, which probably helped. Also, I had some experience from the previous pair, so everything went a little quicker and smoother.

The front is remarkably normal looking, which I like. But the pocket insides, which you can't see here, are from a blue and white flowered sheet and are really pretty.

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First Pants
pants1

I made some pants from scratch! I'm really excited about them -- this is the first big step towards making all my own clothes. Pants are probably the hardest of any daily clothing, so knowing I can do this is exciting.

I used another pair of jeans that fit me well as a template, but didn't take any measurements or anything. As a result the pants fit well, but need a belt just in case. Oh well — it will be better next time.

I accidentally sewed the pocket to the bottom of the pant leg in the early stages, so I just cut it out and sewed it up to the top. The patch looks pretty cool, though -- almost if I did it on purpose!

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Fleece Pants
pants

I am taking a few backpacking trips this quarter, and I need fleece pants (because they are warm when wet). I woke up this morning and decided the best way to get cheap fleece pants was to just go to JoAnns, buy some fleece, and make some pants. So, that's what I did. These easy pants were made from a pair of sweat pants as pattern, and a piece of t-shirt as tie. They are comfy and look pretty good!
Comments, suggestions, questions? e-mail kaytdek(at)gmail.com. Please do not use any content on this site without permission from and credit to Katie Dektar. Last updated 2013