DIY bow shirt

Recently my friend and I whipped up this bow shirt.  I thought it was cute, well perhaps not.  My husband said it looked like I could be an announcer on Telmundo and my sister said it looked like part of a costume!  I do think now we should have decreased the size of the bright purple bow!

 

DIY take take my picture

I used this photo transfer method to make darling pillows for my gals.  Check out the tutorial from Country Living Magazine after ooohing and aaahing me’s wee pillows…

 Did you know that you don’t need special fabric for the printer? Nope… you just need… Freezer Paper!

 

Cut a piece of freezer paper the size of a 8.5 x 11 piece of computer paper. Then, just iron it on to the back of the fabric that you’d like to print the photo on.

 

Cut the fabric to the size of the freezer paper after it’s been ironed on.

 

I took my picture and put it on a word document so that I could size it to fill up the most of a regular sheet of paper. Put your freezer papered fabric into the printer so that it will print on just the fabric side (NOT the freezer paper).

 

Sew two sides of fabric together to create pillow!

DIY canisters

These jars are incredibly easy to make!  I used old pickle and olive jars.  I painted the lids and a matching cowboy/indian in the same color.  I adhered the action figure to the top of the lid with heavy duty glue(e6000).

 

DIY chic bracelets

Ta da-easy bracelets!  Very simple and also chic!  Tutorial found all over internet and here’s my favorite blog spot http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-gold-tube-bracelets/.

 

For single, adjustable gold tube bracelets, you’ll need:

• a 2mm x 38mm curved noodle tube bead
• 2 feet of 1mm chinese knoting cord
• an embroidery needle
• 2 spacer beads

Start by cutting the knotting cord into 2 12 inch pieces. Thread a gold noodle tube bead through one of the strands and cross the ends.

And now, all that’s left is the sliding closure! Similar to our macrame bracelet, fold the 2nd strand over the overlapping ends and start tying square knots. Fold the top cord over the bottom cord . . .

. . . and bring the top cord under both the bottom and middle overlapping strands through the loop, into a knot.

Repeat the same step on the right side.

Continue to make 5-6 more knots.

To finish the knots, thread one of the cords onto a needle and sew up the center of 2-3 knots along the backside. Pliers will help pull the needle through the tight knots.

Trim away any excess cord.

Thread two gold spacer beads onto each cord and tie the tips into a knot. Trim.

Your adjustable & colorful bracelets are done!

DIY leather earrings

Needed a quick DIY to focus on something other than marathon training and general malaise over kids going back to school.  Tutorial was found on http://milkandhoneyhandbags.com/2012/05/diy-faux-suede-fringe-earrings.html.

What you need:

(2) 2″ x 3/4″ strips of faux-suede

(2) hook earwires

(2) ribbon end clamps

1 pair jewelry pliers

1 pair scissors

Use the pliers to put ribbon clamps on the ends of both suede pieces

Cut the bottom of each suede piece to a point

Mark back of each suede piece at every 1/8″

Cut strips at each 1/8″ mark to create fringe

Hook earwires to ribbon clamps and close with pliers to secure

DIY horse shirt

I made this t-shirt to go with a pinstripe skirt for my daughter’s back to school wardrobe.  Found the tutorial on one of my absolute favorite blogs, http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/02/hand-stamped-diy-pony-print-dress.html.  It’s wicked clever and pays homage to well designed vintage.

Hand Stamped D.I.Y. Pony Print Dress

Hi there! I made a hand stamped pony print dress this week. It was so much fun and something that you can do on any skill level! The best part is that the end result is a custom dress that’s one of a kind! 

To stamp my dress I used this method. If you’ve never made a foam stamp read this how-to. My pony stamp was pretty large (about 4 inches long) which made the spacing a little bit more tricky. Smaller stamps are definitely easier to work with, plus my dress had pockets to work around! When searching for a dress to stamp, look for something in a solid color that flatters your body. You will want to avoid a lot of ruffles or ruching. Cotton is an easy fabric choice. I picked my dress up at Target! 1. Create your own stamp. You can print out an image from the internet and trace it if you need help illustrating your object. I chose a pony because it reminds me of my grandmother, Corina. 2. Cut your stamp out and mount it if you like. I chose not to mount mine because it was so large, it was easier for me to place it unmounted. 3. Use tape to mark the spacing on your dress where you will be stamping. This will help to make the spacing consistent. 4. Stamp your object using fabric paint. I would brush paint on my stamp before each application. Since my stamp was larger the impression was less perfect so I used a small paint brush to do touch ups along the way! Be sure to let each section dry completely before moving to the next section. Practice makes perfect!  

I’m super happy with the end result. I want to make another one soon with a dachshund and a pug! What kind of stamp do you want to make? XOXO. elsie 

 

DIY pretty petal shirt

Megan and I made these t-shirts for back to school wardrobe additions!  We followed the easy instructions on http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/06/petal-tees-tutorial.html.

 

Petal Tees Tutorial!

 

 

 

I love the colorful, unique look of this shirt, and it can be made in only four steps!

Hooray quick and easy refashions!

 

• First cut “petal” shapes out of knit scraps in two different sizes. Cut enough to go around your neckline overlapping half of each other. I used 22 each of the large and medium size for my large scoop neck.
• Lay the larger ones across your neckline, overlapping by half. (don’t skimp on the overlap, you don’t want to see through when it stretches!
• Then lay one smaller petal where the larger petals overlap each other. Pin well.
• And sew on with a narrow zigzag stitch. You’re done!

For a little more elegant look, I used the same technique to refashion a sunny yellow tank that Paige had in her closet, using three different shades of yellow nylon Chiffon.

 

DIY butterfly embellishments

Megan and I used this tutorial to embellish a bag!  Thank you http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/05/butterfly-collection-pillow-tutorial.html.

 

 

It’s so easy to make, you’ll feel guilty about giving it as a Mother’s Day present!

Although, cutting out the butterflies will probably take you a good 40 minutes, but that’s nothing a cup of tea and a Jane Austen DVD can’t solve, right?

 

1. Starting with a pillow form (or an old, plain throw pillow), cut enough felt to fit around the pillow with about 4-5″ of overlap on top, and no more than 1/2″ overlap on the sides:

2. With the fabric still wrapped around the pillow, put a pin in each corner to mark a centered working space:

 

3. Print out this little template:

And cut out 16 felt butterflies in whichever colors your little heart desires.

4. Take the pillow cover off, and pin the butterflies on, within your marked space.

 

5. Then stitch around the butterfly bodies, like so:

6. With the pillow cover inside out, wrap it around your pillow and pin the top overlap, as pictured, then slip the pillow out, and sew both sides closed.

 

Turn it right-side-out, and use the slit in the back to put your pillow form back in! All done!

DIY lolly shirt

I whipped this up today while chatting about bug procreation with my six-year-old.  Kidd not, my daughter comes up with the most random, hilarious questions.  Today as I sewed she asked me how ‘squishy’ bugs have babies.  I digress, saw the tutorial on http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2011/08/lollipop-shirt-tutorial-two-ways.html and immediately thought Rosie would look adorable in a lolly tee!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both versions are quick and easy and can be made with small scraps! Yay! Brooklyn’s is made with scraps of old t-shirts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Paige’s version is a swirly reverse applique. A bit of ribbon and tulle finish them off!

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make a reverse applique lolly:

 

1. Cut a scrap of fabric slightly larger than your design and pin it to the inside of the front of the shirt with the right side facing down.

 

2. Turn the shirt right side out and use a sewing pen or quilter’s chalk to draw a swirl on the front.

 

3. Sew the fabrics together along the swirly pattern.

 

4. Use sharp scissors to cut in between each layer of swirly stitches.

 

5. Trim away extra as needed as evenly as possible. (Gently slide scissors backward slightly as you cut for a more even cut.)

 

6. Pin a few inches of ribbon to lollipop, folding under the edges, and sew on with a ribbon or tulle bow on top.

 

 

 

The curled-up edges probably won’t appear until your shirt has gone through the wash. (Or not at all if it’s ribbed knit.) And don’t worry about the unfinished edges; they won’t fray!

 

 

 

To make a scrappy lolly:1. Cut .5″ strips of t-shirt knit in three different colors.
2. Draw your lollipop onto the front of the shirt with a sewing pen or quilter’s chalk.
3. Pin the first color on and sew it to your shirt along the drawn lines.
4. Pin and sew the next color right next to the first.
5. Repeat for the third color.
6. Finish by sewing on a few inches of ribbon with the raw edges folded under and a ribbon or tulle bow.

 

 

 

 

 

DIY hair clip

I made this hair clip because we were inspired by the Olympics taking place in London currently. This is our spin on the British flag. I sewed along the x’s and used craft glue to adhere it to the back of a clip.  I bought the clip from Sally’s, the beauty supply store.