Re-purposing: Tshirts into 5-strand-braided-headbands I was walking through Target a few weeks ago and noticed this little knit fabric headband that was not just braided together…….but woven. I decided they were charging way too much for something that could be made with t-shirt scraps. And that means free. So there you have it. (Or you may need one for working out. I kinda love it on my little girl . She always has little hair fly-aways that get into her face…….and this helps with that problem. It even works great with her hair down…..and keeps that hair tucked behind her ears. And yep, good for me too. Thanks little t-shirt scraps. Want to make your own? First, find some old t-shirts. Then, cut your fabric into long strips. Next, stack your 5 strips on top of each other and sew together at one end. Now, pull on each strip of fabric so that they kind of curl on the edges. Now, to create this 5 strand braid……..you’ll kind of be braiding on the left side and then braiding on the right. But let me explain a little better. And that’s it.
Sewing Tips: Practicing your Sewing Stitches (including the back-stitch) Ooooh, okay, so many more of you told me that you received a new sewing machine for Christmas. Or a serger. Or some new sewing supplies. Yay!! Many of you are very new to this crazy sewing thing so let me give you a really quick pep talk. Okay. One more thing, if you think something is too hard to try, then yep, it’ll always be too hard to try. It surprises me. Okay, enough pep-talking. I know this first tip is so lame and you already know it……but practice. You may not be perfect your first time revving up your machine……but you will get better, I promise. Okay, first real lesson: the Back-Stitch A back-stitch is how you secure the beginning and end of your stitch. Now, sew a few stitches forward, stop, push your back-stitch button (it will be some sort of knob/button/lever) and hold it down and then start sewing again. Now, continue sewing right over that row of stitches and continue on the path that you were wanting to sew. Why Back-Stitch???? Next up? Sewing Around Curves and Corners
3 Stitch Summer Dress Yet another Kitty dress tutorial! You know if I was able to do it, then it is super easy! Only 3 stitches needed, and minimal measuring! If you can sew a pillow- you can sew this :) First I found this fabric at Goodwill. Here are the very basic instructions. Yeah, not super detailed but there really isnt much to it! Extra tips: I guessed on the amount of fabric. The hem for the elastic- I folded over twice to make sure it would be secure and not unravel. Make sure your elastic is tight around your chest. You may not even need to hem the bottom. Of course I've got to give GmaV alot of the credit- she is the sewing master around here. Thanks to my new years resolution not to purchase clothes- I've been learning all kinds of dress tips and tricks! Interchangeable Flip-Flops Are you ready for the sun? Ready to paint those toe nails and slip into some sandals? I am too. And I decided to greet spring (that will be here soon) with some flip-flops, with interchangeable straps. So I can start the day with some color and print….. Then change my mind. And take off the strap….. ……..and switch to a solid ruffle. Then choose some warm colors and sweet flowers the next day…… And then animal print with a simple bow the following day. (I saw something similar in a shop and knew I needed to figure out a way to make my own…) But all you need is one pair of flip flops (or two in my case), some velcro, and any sort of colored ribbon and accessory that puts you in the mood for spring. How to make your own?? Find yourself any pair of flip-flops. Start by cutting two pieces of the scratchy side of the velcro and gluing them to the flip flop. I used a strong epoxy glue that I found at Wal-Mart. Next, cut two pieces of ribbon and sew them together at one end at an angle. Now make more.
How to make my Chalk Lines Skirt This is one of my favorite skirts (and my sister’s favorite to borrow). It’s not the quickest sewing project, since you have to sew each seam twice – once to put in the piping and again to actually make the seam – but it’s worth the extra effort. These are the pattern pieces: To add piping to a seam, first sew the piping to one side, placing it on the right side of the fabric with the decorative bit facing in. First sew together the bottom and middle pieces of the side panel. To add the pockets, sew the piping to the top of the pocket, then add the top of the lining. fold the lining back and top stitch so this edge lies flat. To add an exposed zipper, finish the edges of the fabric so they won’t unravel by running a zigzag stitch along the edge. The piping stiffens the fabric so you need to add a facing to hem.
The Upcycled ruffles dress tutorial So this past week was pretty bad blog-wise, my blog and website got attacked with malware. My feed was having issues and subscribers seemed to banish. Happily most of it is fixed now and I am happy to be able to blog again (I didn’t wanted to post anything until I was 100% sure the malware was completely cleaned) And if you saw my site down, that was the reason =] I had this post saved from weeks! so finally here it is! A few weeks a go I showed you all how this dress turn out (I previously asked for color advice) and it’s finally time for a tutorial so you can also try it out! To make this dress I used Ken’s old sleeveless T-shirts and some fabric leftovers from a project I did years a go – Actually I was researching if those kind of shirts had a special name here because in Chile they are call “musculosas” because guys wear them to showoff their arms. Anyways, you will need either one long sleeveless T-shirt or 2 short ones. [Click on images to enlarge]
anthropologie inspired knotted bedding part 1 (making the knotted squares) Y’all have been too funny about this bedding- thanks for all of your emails and comments and kind words. It sounds like you’re all ready to make your own as well- want to get started on that? I should issue a warning up front that this endeavor is definitely time consuming… not difficult, per se, but time consuming for sure. That being said, today’s tutorial is for the how to make the pile of knotted squares that will make up your ‘quilt.’ To make the squares for the knotted ‘quilt,’ you’ll need: -18″x18″ squares of jersey (I used 56 of these for my king sized quilt)… I got the jersey from two flat king sized sheets and a pile of white t-shirts. *A tip before you start. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. This is what I did- I pulled the pooch of fabric to a point, Then, I poked down through the top center until the point was back down through the pulled-taut circle of thread. Then I twisted the whole poked-down mess until it looked knot-like. 6. Here’s part 2– assembling your ‘quilt.’
sew la vie: My super cute purple camisole dress I went to a party in this dress this Friday. I started sewing it this Wednesday. This dress is from a Burda 2005 magazine. I wanted to make a dress with boning from an expensive brocade fabric that I bought, but then I got the idea to use this fabric as a trial dress - kind of scary to cut into my expensive fabric without even trying the pattern! It was lots of fun to make and easier than I thought. Originally it was a strapless dress, but I was afraid it would keep slipping down so I added the straps. So conclusions and thoughts: I still need to learn how to add boning and how to properly fit a strapless dress.Attaching the shoulder straps when there aren't two layers to put them in (dress + facing) means you need to attach them by hand - a lot of work and a poorer result.Overlock (or zig zag finish) your edges at the right time.
michael ann made.: men's shirt to dress refashion the mr and i spent most of the weekend being busy and getting ready for our road trip down to california later this week, and i was able to finish up a men's shirt refashion that i've had on my project list for too long! before: giant chambray men's shirt thrifted for $2 after: simple summer dress! don't you love it when an idea turns out even better in real life than you imagined? i cut off the sleeves and the collar, leaving just the collar band. i also took off the pocket because it looked a little funny down near my waist... then i slimmed down the sides to fit loose so it would gather cute with a belt. when i tried it on, the shoulders turned out to be long enough to be little cap sleeves! the shirt itself wasn't quite long enough to be a dress, so i used the fabric from the sleeves to make a band at the bottom of the dress, adding the sleeve's placket as a little detail on the side.