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Upcycled Skirts: Umbrellas Converted into Colorful Clothes

Upcycled Skirts: Umbrellas Converted into Colorful Clothes
Like designing your own styles to dress in but not skilled with complex stitching or comfortable with creating new patterns? From their shapes and size to their scale and appearance, skirts and umbrellas have a lot in common – except, perhaps, that when it comes to an umbrella the interior is designed to be seen publicly and thus is as carefully considered and crafted as the exterior … whereas, well, looking up a skirt … that might get you in trouble. But seriously: used umbrella material is a perfect choice in many regards to upcycle into a skirt, dress, other easily-planned piece of refab clothing, as designer Cecilia Felli discovered during her creative umbrella-to-skirt upcycling experiments. Moreover, since umbrellas are well known for breaking down, this provides a simple do-it-yourself way to take advantage of something that frequently falls apart. Umbrellas come in all kinds of colorful, creative and unique patterns that convert readily into skirt material for women or girls.

Made By Lex & Blog Archive & Anthropologie Pratia Tank Top Tutorial February 6, 2010 1:59 pm Per popular demand, here is the Pratia tank tutorial! Start off with a t-shirt or tank top. Measure your neckline and get a piece of chiffon that length and fold it in half. Pin it to the inside of your neckline with it peeking out. Since I cut the sleeves off my T, I wanted to finish the edges. Stitch it. I highly recommend interfacing where you are going to be adding the embellishments, otherwise it’s going to sag. For the flower pieces, here is the shape and dimensions I used. Fold your pieces in half and cut that petal shape out. I used the extra sleeve pieces, cream chiffon(the kind that won’t fray) and another grey jersey I had. How many do you need? Lay two petals on top of one another, as shown. I did a small ‘X’ shape to stitch them so they stay in place. Just add more, and more, and more, and more………(It’s time consuming. I really liked the bottom gathered feature of this top. Measure how much elastic you will need to be comfortable around your waist.

how to make a staple-free matchbook notepad. In an effort to use up the damaged & small surplus of 2010 calendars I have on-hand, I've been experimenting with ways to repurpose them. These matchbook notepads were this week's project. They are easy to make .... and adorable ... and completely practical. I'll be making these to drop into my customers' packages as a token of thanks. The paper is from the offcuts of my shipping labels. You could use any scrap paper with at least one blank side for this project.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -To make these staple-free matchbook notepads, you'll need:- a piece of cardstock / coverstock for the outside- 2 or 3 sheets of paper- sewing machine or needle & thread Cut cardstock into 9" lengths and whatever width you desire. Cut sheets of paper into 4-1/4" lengths and the same width as you chose for your cardstock. Make a 5/8 - 3/4" creased fold on one end of your cardstock. Tuck a stack of 10 pieces of paper into the fold. These are so simple and fun - try it out!

Fully lined zippered box pouch - pattern and tutorial - its a Pretty Modern life I love the look of a zippered box pouch...so incredibly cute. I found many tutorials on the internet, but was disappointed after making pouches following these tutorials to find that they were not fully lined; looks so much nicer when you open your pouch and there are no seams. It took me a long time to figure it out and I thought and thought and thought...then I got it♥ I don't want to keep this knowledge to myself, so here it is. I'd like to thank Jane at Projects by Jane (the only other tutorial like this that I was able to find on the internet - wish I'd found it sooner). Her photos may help you out too if mine fail to communicate properly. If you like what you see and this tutorial was helpful, please help me by making a small donation to my site (click mauve button on top right on homepage). ♥♥♥Thanks so much! The finished pouch is 3 high x 4 wide x 7 long (inches) Here's what you need: 1 twelve inch zipper 2 10x7 inch panels for the lining (my lining fabric is the green one) STEP 1.

A Bath Pouf. That, Um, Looks Like a Rose.... Have you ever had an idea, and you thought "That's awesome! It'll be so fantastic!!" and then you make it, and you realize that it's really kind of kooky? That sort of happened here today. (well, a couple of days ago) I was trying to think of something to do with these old towels I had. It's a bath pouf. But, I thought I would post it anyway, on the odd chance that someone might want to make one. And if not, please enjoy a laugh at my expense :o) What you do, is cut about 1.5 inches off one side of towel (to get that finished edge), and two circles out of the middle. Gently pull the bottom thread to gather your strip, pretty tightly.Sew it onto one of the circles in a spiral shape, starting on the outside. Cut a 1.5"x6" strip, and finish the edges with a tight zig-zag stitch. Then pin the two circles together, with your 7" strip laid across the bottom.Sew a tight zig-zag around the two circles, sewing right over each side of the strip on the bottom. There. God bless! P.S.

Design*Sponge & Blog Archive & sewing 101: making a pouf Add a burst of color to your room with this crafty pouf! At 17” wide and 10” deep, it’s large enough to serve as floor seating or a foot stool. (And if you have pets, I have a feeling they may want to make this their new favorite spot!) This project is a little challenging to sew, but it’s not too difficult, so if you’re comfortable with the basics of sewing, give it a try. I love the idea of making a set of these poufs in a range of sizes, for a sculptural stack of cushions that will become a room element in their own right. CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Finished Dimensions: 17” diameter by 10” tall What You’ll Need ¼ yard each 12 coordinating fabrics (I used quilting cottons) 1 yard muslin 3 pounds fiberfill stuffing 2 large buttons (approximately 1 ½”) 2 flat metal washers, slightly smaller than your buttons 12” upholstery needle (get this where upholstery supplies are sold) fishing line sewing thread hand sewing needle sewing machine sharp scissors iron 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Little Red Infinity Dress Tutorial *Tutorial made by Melissa @ Sew Like My Mom for her win during the Red Week challenge.* I made this little dress in about 3 hours and for under $20! I used some soft polyester knit I found at Hancock Fabrics for $4.99/yard. I got 5 yards, and with my 40% off 1 cut of fabric coupon, my total came to $15.87 after tax!! I found these dresses on Craftster years ago and have always loved them. First, you need to do some measuring. So, 30/6.28 = 4.7. Then I decided on length of skirt and came up with 18″. To make your straps, you need to decide how wide to make them. To determine strap length, you need to make them 1.5 times your height. So, got that? To make your pattern, get packing paper, freezer paper, or a bunch of pieces of computer paper taped together. Then I measured 18″ down from that and made another line for my skirt length. Cut out on your lines. Now, keeping your fabric folded in half with selvages matched, fold the fabric in from the end so it’s doubled on itself.

make your own 6-pocket mini pocketbook and stay organized — insatiable need I’m sure that many of you, like me, are on an eternal quest for organization. I know I’m not alone in finding the Container Store’s promise of a perfect, organized life utterly seductive. But here’s the thing…I don’t really like purging, I love my stuff. Therefore I also love pretty things in which to stash my stuff, so I get to enjoy my fantasy of being organized and contained. This tutorial is about helping you stay organized, in a quick, easy, and super-cute way. It is a distilled version of the Holland Cox pocketbook, and is a breeze to make. the pattern …is only four rectangles. the body is 7.25″ tall.the large pocket is 5.5″ tallthe medium pocket is 4.25″ tallthe small pocket is 3″ tall materials needed I chose a vintage cotton canvas for the body in a bright retro floral, and quilting weight cotton in a matching color for the interior. You’ll also need a button and a bit of elastic for the closure, and a bit of ribbon for the pen. start with the pockets 1. 2. the closure 3. 4. 6.

do stuff! & Ten minute no-sew recycled t-shirt bag! Tutorial time! I got a gig teaching a recycled t-shirt project at the library a few months ago, with a request for a recycled tee bag – the only bags I’d made from tees in the past had required sturdy sewing, and I didn’t want hand-sewing to be the only thing holding the bottom closed in a class version of the bags, so I started brainstorming about some kind of hand-sewing-friendly or no-sew bag idea…. and here’s what I came up with! The simplest version of these bags is great for smaller tees, or the more light-weight kind of girl-tees – just turn the bottom of the shirt into a drawstring and tie it closed! But to make smaller holes, just make more than one of them! And now for the actual tutorial – for this one, with the step-by-step, I will be making the bottom with 3 holes. Cut the sleeves off, but try to make a somewhat straight line, and go in a bit from the seam – these lines will be the sides of your straps: You could make it rounded, V-shaped, or squared like this one:

Coffee Date Dress- multisize sample! Notes You asked for it, and here it is! The Coffee Date Dress pattern now comes in standard BurdaStyle sizes 34-42, based on JJ’s fantastic bodice sloper. It has a simple silhouette with a ruffle detail and just enough swing in the A-line skirt to make it dainty and feminine. It’s quick and simple to make and very versatile- try it in a neutral with a cardigan for work, in navy silk for dinner out, in a fun print with a big belt for weekends, or in black or fuschia satin for a festive cocktail party. This is my first time making a graded pattern, so I apologize for any errors or inaccuracies and suggest making a muslin of the basic bodice to test the fit :) IMPORTANT NOTES: unlike the original size 32 petite pattern, this pattern does not include seam allowances. NOTE: I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS GETTING THE INSTRUCTIONS TO UPLOAD. If you make one, please post your creation to BurdaStyle- I would love to see it! Recommended Materials Lightweight woven fabric such as cotton poplin Amount of Fabrics

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