Refashionista - Delia from Delia Creates Welcome to Day 3 of Refashionista. Today our guest is Delia of Delia Creates. I adore Delia. Hi I Am Momma readers! I love re-purposing projects, because you get to take something useless to you and make it useful again...or maybe even something you love. :) Such is the case with some too tight, too short sweaters I had, that I converted to cardigans. I know, I know...this has been done before - a lot, but this is my version of a: With most cardigans you have buttons that line the length of it so you could technically wear it as a blouse if needed. With these cardigans, because they are starting out as too tight and too short sweaters, there are only two to three buttons that clasp the cardigan partially closed. This idea is really simple, but I provide some tips and detailed methods to help you achieve a durable, beautiful outcome. Materials: Matching thread looks best...but as you'll see I didn't for two of my cardigans. Let's begin. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. P.S. Happy Re-fashioning!
Filing Fabric & A Fabric Organization Round-Up — the thinking closet In case you missed it, here’s my fabric organization solution that I shared at Made with Hugs & Kisses a few weeks ago…plus 15 other ideas to suit your fancy. When Hannah generously invited me to be a part of her “Spring Clean Your Sewing Space” series, I leapt at the opportunity to join in on the fun. In fact, it was just the motivation I needed to come up with a new organization system for my fabric. But how to solve my problem? I stared. That’s right. I had seen it done before by the amazing Karen from Sew Many Ways… ..and I knew our file cabinet needed some major spring cleaning anyway, so I cleared out the bottom drawer and set to work. I used acid-free Pendaflex file folders that I already had on hand, cut them down the middle, draped my folded fabric over top, and loaded up my bottom drawer with files of fabric. Of course, I had to organize them in ROYGBIV order…. Pretty nifty, huh? Isn’t this hutch just gorgeous with the colorful stacks of fabric and mini suitcases? Featured on:
Refashionista - Kelly from Sewing In No Man's Land Kelly amazes me with her detailed, over-the-top designs. She is an incredible seamstress and to top it off she's a professional photographer. Even if you don't sew, her blog is too beautiful to pass up. Welcome Kelly! I am so excited to be part of the Refashionista event this year! My family is from Ireland and my Granny and Granddad never left the island. I wish I had taken the opportunity to learn more from her. What is fantastic about using an old coat is that all the difficult parts are already done for you so the coat comes together incredibly fast! This left me with an extremely professional looking pocket and hardly any effort. The same is true for the center placket. The topstitching from the original coat again makes the shrunken version look much more professional: The original coat had a turned over collar not a hood. Plus hoods show off the super cute lining you put in! Although, I don't know how soon Evie will be letting me take some more pictures of her though ha! Cheers!
Passport Art on the Cheap As you know, I have travel on the brain. So I got to thinking how I incorporate some momento of our trips into our home. We're notoriously bad souvenir shoppers so it couldn't be tchotckes. This is a re-interpretation of that concept but on a much smaller (and more diy friendly) scale using the "art" found inside the pages of a passport. First off, I purchased some 6x6 wooden panels from an art supply store. Opened my quart of trusty gold paint and applied to the sides... Allowed to dry... Trolling our passports for worthy stamps, I realized that I didn't have one from Paris!! Moving on, I had just 8 stamps that fit the following requirements: Worthy location, a good trip we took together, semi-legible and attractive. Enlarged the images to suit the size of the panels. Cut the prints down to a size slightly larger than needed. Coated the reverse side of the paper with spray adhesive. Laid the paper on top of the wood and pressed down all over. Flip the whole thing over.
Upcycled Design Lab Blog - Starting Over - More T-shirt Tales and a Tutorial (Basket Weave Upcycled T) So yesterday I accomplished what I was beginning to believe was the impossible!!! Drum-roll please..... I finally finished another t-shirt project!! Amazining?? I know. Thank you. Can you here the music? No? Ok I guess that part is just in my head. Anyway I actually used one whole t-shirt and a good portion of another tee-shirt. As you may already know I was feeling quite discouraged a few days ago as all of my current work in progress was at the I don't know What The Fork to do with it stage . Remember this? OK so it actually looked like this. Well I am happy to report that as with most things persistence does pay off and surprisingly no gin and tonics were even required. I am learning to be more tuned in to the lessons that can be learned in even the smallest experience in our lives. But it is important to be able to let go of things. Isn't it? We hold on to so many things that hold us back in life. But of course the lesson is, that in the end, I was glad that I did. That's it for now.
Return to Sender Window Treatment Tutorial + Freebie So now that you saw the window treatment, its time to reveal how I did it. The most exciting bit was that it cost me a total of $1 in supplies I didn't already have laying around the house. First off its a faux roman shade - it doesn't go up and down - perfect for my needs since privacy and light is not an issue in here. I thought about what I wanted in here for a long time - solid was too boring, a geometric print was too mod, a floral print was too fussy. So then it hit me, why not take my love of vintage ephemera and do something more whimsical up there? Materials & Tools: drop cloth fabric, fabric glue, a strip of wood, t-shirt transfer paper, iron, printer, staple gun, scissors, hammer, measuring tape, nails, tacks Step 1: I started at my desk and did a layout of a vintage letter on my computer until I was happy with how it would look. Step 2: Print out all the elements on t-shirt vinyl paper and cut to size. Step 5: Glue a bead of fabric glue under each hem. Its not perfect.
puppet play: diana schoenbrun guest post! If you're anything like me, you have any number of stray socks and mittens lying around the house that have sadly lost their mates. In the new book Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycled Mittens, Towels, Socks, and More, author Diana Schoenbrun shows her readers how to make super cute and easy puppets from these and other recycled materials. Since many crafters are interested in the creative process behind a craft book like this, Diana is here at the honeybee blog today to tell us how she came up with the inspiration for her book. PS--if you'd like to try out a couple of sample projects from Puppet Play, including the quirky striped elephant puppet on the book cover, please visit the links below! Crazy Cat PuppetBetty the Elephant Puppet From Diana Schoenbrun: I came up with the idea for Puppet Play a few years ago. I had taught a puppet and playwriting classes for children ages five to seven. Here’s some fun background information about the book.
Salvage Dior: Rubber Door Mat Wall Art This week I am featuring the most frugal decor idea that I have ever posted about... { This is my version } { of the same look for less } I wanted a vintage iron piece for the wall but could not find an inexpensive one. Our dollar store had some outdoor black rubber door mats. I purchased a few then spray painted them with Heirloom White. from Home Depot. I took my hand sander to them after they were dry to give them an aged feel. I was quite pleased with the results and made a few in various sizes to keep in my decor shed. I sanded heavier in some areas to suit my own taste but they could be left just painted. Below are photos of how I did them in my home during the fall a few years ago This rubber mat was smaller and I used the same Heirloom White Spray paint Large rubber mat that I used over the mantel My updated version mixed with my coastal decor I love how versatile they are these mats can be cut into smaller pieces and also use different shapes to create a larger wall grouping. I will be posting next week xoxo
Re-purpose And Save Money During Back To School If you can re-purpose old clothes for this school year, I highly recommend doing so, think of the money you will save. These three pairs of jeans were from last year. Two pairs are too short, and the third, well, the holes just too big. It's still summer, we live in San Diego, and these are not worth sending to the Thrift Shop, so I decided to turn all three pairs into shorts for the little man to wear to school. I began by using an old pair of shorts as a guide for the length: I tend to just eye-ball things but if you prefer, measure and use a fabric marker to make sure you get your line straight before cutting. As you can see two pairs of shorts still had holes in them but the third didn't, so I tackled that pair first. I cut a piece of scrap fabric to the size I would need to make a hem for the shorts, then stitched it on. I then turned the edges of the hem up, hand stitched the sides to keep the hem up, and ironed it in place. The second pair I tackled were the tan pair.
Travel-Keepsake Kits If after every vacation you have the best intentions of making a scrapbook but never get around to the sorting, designing, and gluing, try a wooden keepsake box instead. It can hold photos, ticket stubs, maps, and mementos -- and takes very little time to prepare. To make it, mix one part craft paint with two parts water; brush on one coat. Let dry, then stencil on your label: Apply adhesive stencil stickers, daub on the paint, let it dry, and peel away the stencils immediately (then clean them off with water). Keepsake box (#3211), $17, walnuthollow.com Craft paint, by Martha Stewart Crafts, in Arrowhead, Pool, Wild Blueberry, Grey Wolf, and Granny Smith, $2 each, michaels.com Condensed Sans Alphabet glass adhesive stencils, by Martha Stewart Crafts, $17 per set, michaels.com
Re-Purpose Little Girl Jeans How many other mother's go crazy spending money over and over again on pants that end up looking like this? I'm so tired of it. You can't donate them, and yet you feel guilty for throwing them out. Today I decided to add a little something to these and turn them into new summer pants for Marisol. So I chopped off the torn bottoms. Cut up some sweet flower fabric (that I picked up on clearance this week at Beverly's for $2 a yard). Then I hand-stitched a pretty lace trim (I really need an industrial strength sewing machine). Such a simple way to bring new life to old jeans, and perfect for the weather we are currently experiencing. As seen on: The Mother Huddle This post linked to: