THE WEEKENDER Featured: Lex Trip Bag So this weekend will have you jetting off to the coast for sun & surf? For a weekend excursion you need a quick trip bag. Forget the luggage (too bulky); you need a versatile tote made specifically to carry all your belongings from wallet to swimtrunks for a quick weekend getaway. Dimensions: approximately 18″ x 8 x 17″ [45cm x 20.5cm x 43cm]. You will need: 6 pop rivets1 metal slider, 2″ dia [50mm]2 latch hooks, 1″dia [25mm]2 d-rings, 1″dia [25mm]1 square ring, 2″ dia [50mm]2 dome snap set, 5/8″ dia [15mm]1 heavy metal zipper, 25″ [64cm] long *1-2/3 yds. [1.5m] of nylon webbing, 2″ [50mm] wideheavy-duty thread1 yd. [0.9 m] of upholstery weight fabric, 54″ [137 cm] wide1/3 yd [0.25 m] of polyurethane leatherette, 39″ [100 cm] wide 1 square = 1 inch [2.5 cm] Bag – cut 1X on fold Pocket- cut 2X Struts – cut 4X Handles – cut 2X Handle trim – cut 2X contrast Bag Bottom – cut 1X contrast Tab – cut 6X contrast Like this: Like Loading...
American Apparel Circle Scarf Knock Off (tutorial) | come on, ilene! My friend was wearing this super cute circle scarf from American Apparel and I wanted one!! Circle scarves, also called infinity scarves, are so popular this fall! I love the look of them! And they are so cozy and warm! I shared a tutorial last winter on how I upcycled one of Jeff’s cashmere sweaters into an infinity scarf but Jeff won’t let me take scissors to any more of his other sweaters now. The hardest part of making these circle scarves is finding the right fabric. I got this pile of fabric all for under $20! Super cute, right? And super easy!! I think for the scarf to look good, you need to have a really wide piece of fabric so that it is extra plush and voluminous. Once you cut out the fabric into a rectangle, fold the scarf in half so that the top edge is aligned with the bottom edge, right sides together. You can leave the edges raw because they won’t fray. These scarves are so versatile, too!! (source) The American Apparel website also says that the scarf is unisex!!
say YES! to hoboken: Project: Stencil Tshirt My new friend, Camie, walked me through this great stencil t-shirt project. I love the way it turned out and now my head is spinning with all sorts of variations on this idea. Start to finish it took about 45 minutes, top.Here is a step by step of the process: 1. Print out your stencil image (easy tutorial here on creating one from a photo) and tape on top of freezer paper (found at grocery store).2. Using an exact-o knife, cut out the black sections.3.
Decoupaging with Lace - Urban Comfort Once in awhile I'll come up with a project that I get a little obsessed with and can't stop making. This decoupaged lace container that I made for Better Homes and Gardens was one of those projects. It all started with my love of textured pottery, but as I've been embracing my more feminine side lately, I was drawn to using lace as well. Admittedly, I wasn't even sure it would work. I started with white containers, cut a strip of eyelet lace wide enough to cover it, applied a layer of Mod Podge in matte finish, and wrapped the eyelet band around the container. Since then, I've moved on to different shapes and tried my hand at tapered containers (Cutting small slits around the bottom edge of the fabric helps when you're dealing with a tapered shape. I think there are a lot of possibilities here. I decoupaged this deep bowl with a piece of embroidered cotton. Containers can feel modern or more romantic, depending on the lace you choose and the shape of the container. ShareThis
The Easiest Skirt in the World (x2) « handmademess I’m the queen of cheap and easy sewing projects. If there’s a fun fabric around and I can make it wearable, in garment form, in an hour or less, I’m going to go for it. This weekend I found some fun printed upholstery fabrics at my local shop that suggested immediate and simple fashions with barely any effort required. There’s no garment more simple to sew than an elastic-waisted skirt, and I’ve found that if I skip the casing and buy elastic that can serve as a waistband, unattended, I can simplify the “simple” even farther. Materials: 3/4 yard fabric of choice 1 yard (or waist measurement length) 2 1/2″ wide elastic thread Directions: 1) zigzag the top edge of your fabric 2) cut the elastic to be just long enough to fit around your waist and sit comfortably, slightly stretched, at just the height you want to wear your skirt. 3) fold the elastic in half and mark the center with a pin. 4) You will now have the same number of pins in both your elastic and along the top edge of your fabric.
Striped Cardigan I decided to go completley out of my comfort zone and make a piece of clothing that wasn't a skirt. I have always stayed away from making a shirt or any sort of top, simply because it looks really hard and complicated. But I had a ton of this cute striped knit fabric that I had picked up from the fabric district a while ago and figured I would give it a try. It didn't even take a full yard of fabric. It worked! Basically I just took one of my favorite cardigans (I love how long it is), and traced each piece of it using muslin. I didn't take too many pictures while I was making it, because I wasn't really planning on it turning out right. I folded the fabric in half and made the stripes go vertical for the piece that goes around the neck and down the front. I had some gold buttons that I was originally planning on adding, but once I got this far, I thought that anything else might be a little much. I couldn't believe how easy it was!
Urban Comfort If I were brainstorming gifts for my son it's unlikely that a pencil holder would come to mind, but that's exactly what he's getting from me this Valentine's Day and I think he's going to love it. It all started with pottery classes, which I've been taking since September. My son has enjoyed watching my progress, taking particular delight in my mishaps since I am always reminding him that we get better at just about everything through practice. He mentioned recently that if I ever got past being able to make something other than bowls, I should make something for him. At any rate, I had purchased a wood grain texture mat and made a vase to use for the holidays, which I liked a lot and was continuing to experiment with, working to create a more organic, slumping profile that felt treelike. To continue this very long story, the pencil holder pictured here is not the one I'm giving him. Here's how: Step 1: Create a base. Step 2: Make slip. Step 6: Scoring. Resources
The Little Giggler: Pink Skinny Jeans {a re-fashion} Are you loving pastel skinny jeans as much as I am?I've been seeing them everywhere and I just had to have a pair! I had this pair of dark jeans that someone gave me. I love dark jeans too, but these were a freebie so I figured "what the heck". They had a little flare, so I started by taking in the legs with my serger. Then I bleached them. *UPDATE: I used a plastic rubbermaid tub. All jeans are not created equal. Can someone please tell me why thread doesn't take bleach? Next, I used Rit dye in Rose pink to dye the bleached jeans. I love how they turned out! What do you think? I like to link up to THESE parties!