Stepping Thru Crazy: Mens Button-Up Refashion... into Ladies Tank!

A few years ago, when the hubby and I lived in Florida (this was pre-kids, so make that 5-ish years...) I bought him a button-up shirt for his work. The deal was that he had to wear blue or white button-ups, so I thought, "Why not both at the same time?" And I got him this:Apparently when he wore it to work, his boss told him he looked like a picnic basket, aaand the shirt was retired to the closet. Well, I don't care if I look like a picnic basket, so I decided to turn it into a tank top for myself! It was actually really easy to do... let me try once again to tell you how I used a sewing machine... eh.... First things first, I chopped the sleeves off. Then I slipped the shirt on and pinned in the sides so that it fit. I took off the shirt, flipped it inside out and sewed up the sides where my pins were, trimmed off the excess, flipped it rightside out again, and tried it on to make sure it fit. Then I pinned the armholes the way I wanted them... carefully......and sewed them. That's it!

Long Overdue Fusing Plastic Bag Tutorial I realized this afternoon that I basically explain this technique to an Etsy Labs visitor at least once a day, but had never put the instructions online. So, here it is. Fusing! Plastic! Bags!Do you have one zillion plastic drugstore and grocery bags under your sink, or perhaps smushed into a drawer? What you'll needPlastic bags (thin, flimsy ones work best)Parchment paper, freezer paper or plain old copier paperIron (and your favorite ironing surface) Making it Flatten out the bag and trim the bottom seam and handles off. Turn the bag inside-out if it has printing on it. Next, run a hot iron (we set ours to "Rayon", but you will need to experiment a little to see what works for you) and keep the iron moving constantly. Peel a corner of the paper back to see if the plastic is fused together. Peel the parchment paper away from the finished plastic sheet. Here are a few more rad examples of what you can do with this stuff, courtesy of Etsy seller Eclipse Alright, y'all.

XOX SKIRT & Weekend designer Featured: Victoria Secret Peasant Skirt You’ll ♥ this easy-to-sew skirt…XOX. You will need: Approx. 1 ½ to 3 yds. of fashion fabric (depends on fabric weight and width)Coordinating threadHeavy-duty topstitching/upholstery thread Waist – measure around narrowest part of torso (just above navel level) Hips – measure around the fullest part of the seat, about 8” [20cm] below the waistline. Finished Skirt Length – measure vertically from waist to desired hemline. This is a simple block draft. (This also will help you determine how much fabric to purchase.) Designer Tip: If you wish to use a printed fabric, look for a print that has been “railroaded”, that is the print runs along the fabric’s length. XOX Block Draft Measure the hip. O = (hip measurement + 2” [5cm] ) divided by 2. Next, determine the desired length of each tier; divide the finished skirt length by the number of tiers you desire. X = (finished skirt length + 2 ½ ” [6.5 cm] ) divided by 3. O = 20” [51cm] X = 8” [24 cm] Top Panel = 1 block

Paper-Tape Dress Form David Coffin Photo: David Coffin by David Coffin Barbara Deckert, a dressmaker from Elkridge, Maryland, and author of Sewing for Plus Sizes, uses a form-making method that I've seen in sewing texts from the 1930s: Brown-paper tape from an office-supply store forms a body mold as well as duct tape does, then hardens into "papier-mâché" to become a pinnable form, which you don't even have to stuff. from Threads #75, p.41 <A HREF="

BABY DOLL SUMMER STYLE Let’s begin by folding the paper in half, lengthwise (for symmetry). At the top of the paper, square a line across from the fold. From this line, measure along the fold the finished length of the dress. For example, the finish length of the model photo is 28″. Square a line from this point across the paper from the fold. Now along each of these draftlines, measure half the hip or bust measurement plus 6 inches (whichever is larger). Join each point to create a rectangle. From line AB, make a parallel line 9 inches down the fold. Divide this line into three equal sections and label the second third, point X. Divide the distance from X to the edge in half. Join a straight line from O to D. Parallel to line AB, draft a line across from fold 1 inch. Where it intersect line X, label +. Above point D, place a set-square on the sideseam line (OD) and draw in hemline with a smooth curve blending into the line CD from the 90 degree angle. Trace off each tier for each layer of the dress. Like this:

Pretty Felt Flowers At the book launch party, there was a table devoted to crafting with felt. I made several flower pins and some templates for others to use. I thought it would be fun to show you how to make a couple of those flowers. I drew inspiration from two Japanese crafting books: this book and this book. I love working with wool blend felt! Tools Needed wool felt pin back scissors, embroidery scissors are excellent hand sewing needle thread glue gun, optional For both flowers Draw your templates. Cut out the felt using your templates. Flower 1 Fold the rectangle lengthwise and snip into it all the way across. Repeat the previous step for the smaller piece. Keep the felt folded over and sew a basting stitch through the bottom layers. Pull the thread tightly to gather. Repeat the previous steps for the smaller piece. With a couple of stitches, sew the smaller piece into the middle of the flower. Using a glue gun, attach the pin back to the flower. Flower 2 Hand stitch the flowers together at the base.

Style Secret: The Only Spot Remover Youll Ever Need: Slaves to Fashion:... Friday, 10/24/2008 at 2:37PM by Tracey Lomrantz Lester Email meContributing style editor. Bargain-hunting ninja, hot-pink enthusiast, Michelle Obama style groupie, "Class Chatterbox" of '99. About a year ago, I had a little incident involving my favorite Chloe dress, a glass of red wine, and a party guest who might have been feeling a bit too festive. I was convinced the dress was completely destroyed, until most Martha Stewart-like friend let me in on a little stain removal secret that I've sworn by ever since (Thank you, Elizabeth!). Keep reading to find out what it is... Mix one part Dawn dishwashing liquid (the plain old blue kind, in the big bottle that usually sits on your sink), with two parts hydrogen peroxide (available at any drug store), pour it directly on the stain, and watch it disappear like MAGIC. What are some of your best secrets for keeping clothes looking great? Photo: Istock

Reversible Dress Tutorial Here are the steps I follow for making an adorable reversible dress. There's a photo for each step, and it appears above the text that describes it. Each photo is clickable to see a bigger, more detailed version. If you get stuck at any point, have suggestions or if it worked well for you, please, please, please leave a comment or e-mail me. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. If you choose tie straps, place them inside each of the 4 shoulder pieces with only a small part of them sticking out for sewing in place. Notch around the top, especially in the armpits to allow the finished dress to move more freely. 7. Sew the inner seam together from armpit to bottom., so it's completely closed. 8. 9. 10.

Urban Renewal Sy dina egna trosor Min senaste grej är att sy trosor, jätteroligt och inte särskilt svårt! Det första paret jag sydde, sydde jag efter ett mönster från Allt om handarbete. Blev inte nöjd så jag slaktade ett par av mina favorittrosor och ritade av helt enkelt. Tänkte att jag skulle göra min första tutorial om just trossömnad. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Tyg - Rosa pandor från Liandlo Spetsresår Bibbi Mönster - Eget

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