Guest Post::: Lexy from The Proper Pinwheel DIY Neon Yellow Striped T-shirt Hey y’all! I’m Lexy from The Proper Pinwheel and I am super excited to share with you this ridiculously easy DIY. Neon is all the rage right now and what better way to support the trend than by wearing it?! What you’ll need::: plain white t-shirt yellow fluorescent spray paint blue painter’s tape cardboard Take the cardboard and stuff it inside the shirt. Using the tape, divide the bottom ¾ of the shirt into 7 strips. Start spraying the shirt with short bursts of paint. Wait 30 minutes for the paint to dry and then peel off the tape and enjoy the newest and brightest addition to your closet! Thanks so much Lexy for sharing this tutorial with us!
Hand-dyed Fabric Trims * As I mentioned earlier, I've been working on a new tutorial, but yesterday I saw that Sew, Mama, Sew is having a tutorial contest this month so I thought I'd go ahead and enter. For a chance at some of their terrific fabrics? Of course! This tutorial will be in two parts. The first part is a do-it-yourself tutorial for dyeing your own fabric and lace trims to use in your sewing projects. Part two is a follow-up of that process to dye paper towels--yes, you read that right! Tutorial: Hand-dyed Fabric Trims Part One: I love the idea of dyeing and painting my own fabric designs. Here's what I had on hand: Materials you'll need: fabric and lace trims, white or off white acrylic craft paints or fabric paints cup of water & spray bottle of water disposable bowls or paint mixing tray foam brushes paper towels flat, non-porous work surface (cutting board, plastic tray, table covered with freezer paper, etc.) outside drying rack (clothes line, stick, branch, pvc pipe, etc.) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 7.
The Art of Homemaking: Photo to Wood Transfer Art A few weeks ago I was hunting for a project. Just a little something to do to scratch that crafty itch I get. I used to not have this problem. I had loads of time for crafting, sewing, knitting and such but lately my creative energies have turned towards writing and my poor sewing machine sits unused for weeks on end. If you'll remember, I shared a picture from a recent anniversary getaway Mike and I took. The supplies are fairly cheap. Here's the directions in their simplest form: a cheap photocopy of a picture, adhered to a wooden board using gel medium, rub off all the paper so you’re left with just the image and apply a quick coat of varnish. **Click below for full instructions plus step by step photos Photo-to-wood transfers wood ( I used a 5 by 7 scrap piece of really thin plywood with a smooth top)gel mediumpaintbrush ( I used a wide foam brush)laser photo, printed on cheap copy paper ( I did this at Kinkos. $.10)varnish (I used Mod Podge) 1. 3. 5. 6. 8. 9. 10.
Mens T-shirt Sewn Into Women's Tee My husband and I are runners so we have a million t-shirts. I love transforming these boxy, oversized tees into something I will actually want to wear other then for a nightgown. I love this heather grey and wanted to make it into my favorite style tee. I love the comfortable, effortless style of the dolman tee... It took me about 15 minutes or so. Supplies: DIY intructions: Full Video go here (it's old though). Begin by removing the collar of the shirt, pull to create an off the shoulder look. Mark your 1/2 your hip measurement inside the t-shirt so it's even. Pleat about 4 inches up by folding accordion folds and pinning through front and back. Mark your arm hole measurement and pin from the under arm seam to that measurement. When you sew, start at the bottom hem and sew up to the under arm seam in a gradual line. Cut all the excess interior fabric away or serge the interior.
Recycled Grocery Totes Ready to go green? Then say goodbye to your old grocery bags by melting them into something cute. Afterall, plastic is the new plastic, right? Skill Level: Beginner to IntermediateNeeded: * plastic grocery bags (Target bags work best)* Parchment Paper* Fabric for handles and decor (optional)* IronWe’ll be fusing layers of old grocery bags together to create a stronger “fabric” for our new bags. 1. I guess Target needs to add #6. I chose to only use the white portion of my bags. Cut the bottom, top and sides off of your bag. Lay the long rectangular sheet flat. This is the tricky part, so I won’t sugar coat it. I found that the best way is to start at the bottom and press the iron up, to get any air bubbles out. When you’re all done, it should look like this, a large sheet of plastic: Continue the process so that you have sheets of this new “fabric” to work with. 2. Cut out your bag pieces using a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and ruler. 3. Trace the letters on to your fabric with a marker.
Drab to fab! 5 DIY ideas for t-shirt remakes Posted by ScrapHacker.com on tisdag, juni 5, 2012 · 5 Comments With temperatures rising so is the annual epidemic of fashion fever, making many of us feverishly hit the high street (although our wardrobes are already stuffed full…). This post celebrates the power of re-invention of a wardrobe staple – old t-shirts. D.I.Y from ‘Free People’, check out the full DIY TUTORIAL HERE Lauren of ‘Calico Skies’ has made a great screenprint tee, to make your own, check out the DIY TUTORIAL HERE Rebekah of blog ”A little Sunshine when skies are grey” made an awesome DIY ombre inifinity scarf from an XL white t-shirt, to make your own, check out her DIY TUTORIAL HERE Lexy of blog ‘The Proper Pin Wheel’ wrote a really cute guest post for ‘Yellow Bird Yellow Bird’, featuring this crisp DIY tee, check out the DIY TUTORIAL HERE Laura of ‘Trash Planet DIY’ made a racerback tank from an oversize tee and compiled an awesome DIY TUTORIAL
Basic dyeing A while ago, Caroline asked if I could go into more detail the next time I did a batch of dyeing, and yesterday morning I felt the urge to haul out the ol' dye-pot again... so here 'tis! A short tute on basic, one colour, flat dyeing. Firstly, if you are being scientific about this process, weigh your fabric and check the instructions on your dye packet to see how much is the recommended amount for this weight of fabric. This is the quantity that will give you the maximum intensity of colour the dye is capable of achieving in your fabric. If you are after a lesser intensity or a lighter shade then use less dye. The colour you will achieve is dependent on several factors: the quantity of fabric compared to the quantity of dye, the fibre content of your fabric and whether it is a mix of different fibres (different fibres react to and soak up dyes quite differently) and the existing colour of the fabric. Now wash the fabric. Assemble your dyeing stuff. Salt. Rubber gloves and apron
Make a modular felt trivet Related to yesterday's coaster project, here's a template for making a larger modular felt trivet. No sewing or gluing required. Connect as many pieces as you like to make bigger projects, too--placemats, a runner, or sew two pieces together for a pillow cover. Download the pattern here. Then print out as many sheets as you need, pin them to a piece of felt, and use a rotary cutter or X-acto knife to cut the slits in each shape. (Press hard to make sure you cut through both the paper pattern and the felt.) Begin locking pieces together by pulling the arrow-shaped tabs through the slots from the back through to the front side. To finish the trivet, trim off the excess felt around the edges and nip the points off the triangular tabs.
Stencil with Freezer Paper Yes, I am a nerd. I came up with a brilliant idea for a Harry Potter t-shirt and I couldn't resist. "Expecto Patronum!" However, you can make whatever kind of design you want with a freezer paper stencil. I learned about the joys of freezer paper back in my early college days. Basically, freezer paper is backed with a plastic coating that will stick to soft surfaces when ironed, but it peels off cleanly and easily. To make a sweet t-shirt you will need: paper & pencil a t-shirt an iron a piece of cardboard or poster board fabric paint & brush Start by drawing your design on some regular old paper. My design kept getting bigger, so I taped two sheets together. Next, place your design underneath a sheet of freezer paper and trace it neatly with a sharpie. The marker gives your lines greater width making it easier to cut them out and paint them in later. Now place a piece of cardboard under your freezer paper to protect your table while you cut. Important: Set these shapes aside.
DIY Découpage Floral Bag When H&M asked us to DIY a boho-inspired item for their summer issue, découpage was the first thing that came to mind. Honestly, does it get any better than customizing a simple handbag with a brilliant floral print? However you create it, it’ll be satisfying to know that you’ve designed yourself a one of a kind bag! You’ll need:a handbagcotton fabric with a large floral patternpainter’s tapeMod Podgecraft paint2 small plastic dishes2 brushesscissors Start by taping off the edges and hardware of the handbag. Squeeze a dollop of colored craft paint into a small disposable container. Allow the first layer to dry completely. While the paint dries, carefully cut out a handful of flowers from the fabric. Arrange them onto the painted section of the bag. Remove the painter’s tape when the Mod Podge has dried clear and your floral handbag is complete! (all images by HonestlyWTF)
Hemp pendant lamps Inspired by West Elm’s gorgeous Abaca pendant lamps Super talented Heika DeHart strikes again. These pendant lamps she made of hemp string are genius. How to make hemp string pendant lamps Supplies and tools bouncy balls of various sizesclear drying craft glue (about 1 bottle per ball) such as Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Gluehemp string 20lb. weight estimated amounts needed: 16 inch diameter ball—400 yards 14 inch diameter ball—300 yards 9 inch diameter ball—100 yardsplastic gloves (optional)trash bag or small drop clothpermanent markerball inflating needle (available at sporting goods stores or bike shops)light fixture and hardware (Lowe’s doesn’t carry the fixture that Heika used anymore. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
DIY Alcohol Inks, Mod Podge and more As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been experimenting with some more cost effective alternatives in the crafting/scrapping/art journaling area and I want to share some of those with you. 1. Alcohol Inks and Spray Inks. They are easily and cheaply made with every day ingredients. The first one I want to show you is the cool aid spray! Get yourself an empty small spray bottle either from the dollar store or from Target (Pharmacy department.) Place the cool aid powder in the bottle, fill it up almost to the top with rubbing alcohol. Of course you can add more or less powder, depending on how intense you want the color. The other option is the RIT dye alcohol inks. And of course, food coloring, egg dye and re-inkers can be used too! And then there is the Gelato way! Incidentally you can also use the gelatos to color modeling paste. You can also easily make your own acrylic color mist by adding some acrylic paint (the kind in the small tubes) to rubbing alcohol in a mister bottle. 2. 3. 4.
Tool Time Tuesday...Fabric Heart Bookmark Hi everyone and happy Tuesday. It's Tool Time!! Today's tool is your sewing machine. This is a quick and easy heart shaped bookmark perfect for anyone or anytime, but with Valentine's Day coming next month...it's extra perfect! This tutorial really is easy, but it's picture "heavy"...you know me with my pictures! Lol...I just think it's so much easier to explain each step in a picture. Here is the finished heart bookmark...I made up this pattern, so with lots of trial an errors...I hope you like it! The fabric heart hugs the page and keeps your place... with this little pocket on the back. and it's thin enough for the book too. Here's what you'll need...the heart pattern I found fits in a 4 inch square. The most important thing about your heart pattern is the point. I found a free heart pattern online somewhere and then placed it on the corner of a piece of card stock to get the 90 degree corner. My heart fits a 4 inch square. Here's where the 3 inch block comes in. Cut on the line. Press.