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Laced Back Shirt from Baggy Shirt Recon
- 1/13/2009
I've had this shirt (which is originally from Target but I found it at the thrift with tags still on) for a while & have worn it a bit. I like the puffy sleeves even though they're not in any more. But the fit is just way too baggy on my. My waist gets lost in all the fabric & then the sleeves just add width on top of that.
So, what I will be showing you here today is one way to make a top more form-fitting around the middle. It's definitely a rough way to do it so this is for all of you out there who really dig the rough re-con!
Supplies: baggy shirt, needle/thread or sewing machine, scissors, ribbon
Behold - the puffy shirt:
 I pinned down the edge on either side seam - wrong sides together. We are making an exposed tube type section down each side:
 Sew along the line - with a tank you could go straight up to the armpit bit with this top, I curved the seam a bit to end right at the armpit.  Now, take scissors & make cuts, perpendicular to your seam. Be careful not to cut through the thread or the whole thing will unravel. Also, do the same to the other side & make sure to line up your cuts. We want an equal number of cuts on each side - they need to be in pairs. From here you can start threading your ribbon through the sets of loops. You're probably starting to recognize this technique now, huh? Just use the ribbon to lace the shirt as tight as you desire. You could use the ribbon in the front instead for another take on this.  So, there you have it! A more flattering, snugger shirt than before. Total time was around 15 or 20 minutes.  Yes, you get some extra loops but I think that adds to the one-of-a-kind charm of the DIY.  I will try to work it in an outfit soon so you can see it on a human!
Well all, as always, let me know if you give it a whirl!Labels: Crafting and Creating, Shopping and Fashion, Tutorials
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DIY Detergent - Major Money Saver - Think of the Shoes!
- 1/08/2009
 Over Christmas I tried this great tutorial about Homemade Laundry Detergent from the commonsensewithmoney blog.
Pictured at left is what the shredded soap looked like - I little like pasta. Excuse the color, the camera made it a little yellower that it really looks. I just thought it looked funny & decided to share LOL.
So, I've really enjoyed the liquid soap that I made. It smells great & seems to clean just as well as the kind I buy at the store. It's a little thick but thins as you shake the jug like she tells you to do.
If you can boil water, you can make this & save yourself tons of money. More for shoes, I say...
I saw another tutorial for a no-cook version of powdered detergent which I'm considering trying but you really have to shred the soap much tinier for this version. Not sure if I'm up to the challenge. I think the boiling/liquid version is fine for me. Do let me know if you try the dry version out though! I'd love to know what you think about it.Labels: Crafting and Creating
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Leather Bag Re-con Earrings
- 1/06/2009
 Here's a new & very simple re-con for you. I was (and am still) planning to use this leather purse for a bracelet project but in the meantime, I decided to make some simple leather earrings.
The bag I used is a Liz Claiborne in a really weathered leather that I wouldn't sell on ebay since it's kind of mottled & has a lot of, shall we say, character. It also wasn't working for me to wear it - it was a little too slouchy for me to find my stuff in. I will be using a piece of it for a bracelet but I have a lot left over that I won't need for that.
Sooooooo..... below are the main supplies - old used leather, old scissors, earring hooks, a rotary cutter & a mat. I also ended up using a safety pin and an awl to make holes & I'll explain that a little later. Oh, plus a couple tiny sterling beads & glue for finishing.
Begin by cutting the leather as close to the seams as you can. We want a nice flat piece to work with & as large as we can possibly make it. 
Below you can see the piece I ended up with: 
I cut out a diamond with the rotary cutter by making 2 sets of parallel lines that intersected each other. Then I used the first diamond as a pattern for the second. You'll end up doing some trimming to make sure the two pieces are as close to identical as possible.  Then, start making a hole with the safety pin where you will attach you earring wires.  After starting the hole with the safety pin you can finish making it with the awl. I tried starting with the awl but actually bent it - so be careful & take it easy on your tools :)  Then I bent the loop on the ear wire so I could fit it through the leather.  Just stick it through the leather & bend it back as much as you can to hold the leather in place but not too tight - you want it to have move to move & dangle a bit.  This isn't totally necessary but I glued a tiny sterling bead on the end of the wire to add a little polish to the look plus hold it on a little better.  And, voila! You have a handcrafted, large but lightweight set of earrings of recycled material.
Let me know if you make these - there are endless possibilities of awesomeness available here & I'd love to see your take on it!Labels: Crafting and Creating, Tutorials
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Four Dollar Fun
- 12/17/2008
I went on a total binge at Joanns Fabric Store in the jewelry section. I went for 3 things & came out with way more than that. I chose to return everything that was surplus with the exception of this jewelry chain. It ended up being really fun & versatile & only cost $4. I can always make something "real" with it later but for now it's been really fun trying it out different ways. Check it out below:
You can barely see but in this photo I have it on as a tightly layered necklace.
   And this is the package in case anyone wants to follow suit. It really is the simple things, isn't it? Labels: Crafting and Creating
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DIY Pearl & Velvet Ribbon Necklace
- 12/15/2008
I saw this necklace in the Spiegel catalogue and really liked how sculptural & rich it looked. My next thought was "heh, I think I can make that." The end result is pictured below:
Below are the supplies: darning needle, thread (I used a slightly thicker thread than I use on my sewing machine), really big faux pearls and black velvet ribbon about the same width as the pearls.
 You'll want to make sure that the darning needle is small enough to go through your beads:
 I started by knotting my thread to itself so I was sewing with a big loop with a knot on the end. I picked where to start adding the pearls & sewed through the velvet - obviously the knot anchored the thread to the ribbon. Then I sewed through the first pearl and out the other side through the velvet. I made sure to line up the velvet the way I wanted it to wrap around the bead.
 Here's a tip - you can buy these little rubber pads at the craft store in case you're having a problem pulling the needle through, like if you're hands are sliding on the needle:
 Then you really just continue threading through the velvet, the bead, the velvet, the bead, etc... Just try to keep it consistent by constantly tightening the thread to check your work. You don't have to do it as tightly as I did - I saw some other cool renditions of this at Target where they used a satin ribbon & a looser weave. It was another interesting look. They had done it with a bracelet as well & the pearls went all the way around. This could be accomplished by using stretchy thread so it can slide over the hand without a closure. Labels: Crafting and Creating, Tutorials
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Sequin Bracelet Tutorial
- 12/02/2008
 Over the extended weekend I had so much time to actually do some things I've been planning forever. I got a couple pairs of pants hemmed, some buttons/clasps sewn on. I pestered my husband into putting up the new drapes I got for our bedroom. I put up the tree, wrapped the presents, got the holiday cards done. I'm also planning on making my own clothing detergent. (I'll let you know how it goes!)
Anyway, one of the DIY things I've been wanting to try this quick bracelet idea I had which was inspired by a couple shirts with sequin trim that I haven't been wearing.
While I was out shopping for Christmas presents I kept an eye out for cheap plastic bangle bracelets. I scored at the Target dollar area. I found blue leopard print and red glittery.
So, I gathered my supplies: sequin trimmed shirt, glue, plastic bangle bracelets, scissors.
 Then, I cut the sequin trim as close to the edge as I could without snipping any of the treading that holds them to the material.  Once the trim was off, I cut carefully at the seam so the sequin trim is in a long strip. Then, I used the glue to adhere it to the bracelet, pressing down as I went. Once the sequin strip is around the bracelet one whole time I carefully lined it up & cut it so that the ends met perfectly. I reinforced the seam where they met with extra glue underneath. Also, I ran more glue around each edge so the sequin strip wasn't loose at all - no floppy edges!
 And then, ta-da! Behold, super cute bangle bracelet with a do-it-yourself bent:
Depending on how wide your sequin strips and bangles are you will get either a solid look (like the one above) or a cool tone on tone or contrasting look (like the blue & coral bracelet in the photo at the top of this post). So, that's it. DIY doesn't have to be complicated to be fun & sassy!Labels: Crafting and Creating, Tutorials
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Magic Jean Shortening!
- 11/11/2008
As you may already know, I am a short girl. So, I was so excited to try this jeans shortening tutorial from DaciaRay.com. I finally got around to it this weekend. (Side note: it's been such a great weekend - I've gotten so much done!)
Anyway, here are the photos to prove that this is truly a magical skill to have!
 I am just so delighted to know how to do this. I do still need to iron them so they may end up looking even better. I adore the fact that the casual observer will never know. Goodbye frayed bottoms, forever!
Labels: Crafting and Creating
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Long Sleeve to Sleeveless Recon - or How to Size Up a Top
- 10/27/2008
This is what I started with:
It's a Kenneth Cole long sleeved tee with lace up detail that I found at the thrift. I had to buzz off a zillion little pills to even think about selling it on ebay but then I decided that the material was really just too worn to try to sell to anyone. Thus it entered the experimental stack. Dun, dun, dun.
It really was just a tiny size, probably XS - there was no tag to tell for sure. So, I thought I could probably just use the sleeves to make the torso bigger. I cut them each off, leaving a cool jagged edge on the arm hole, cut up the sleeve on each side of the seam - so each one was a flat piece of material. Then I cut up the shirt side seams the same way, removing the original seam. I opted not to use a seam ripper since the top had such dense stitching & I wanted to save time & end up with smooth edges to match up.
Once I had separated the side seams, I pinned the sleeve fabric in place, treating it as if it was just more fabric for expansion. I matched up the hems on the sleeves with the hem of the waist. After that, I just had to cut off the excess fabric under the arms, pin in place & make my sleeve hole hem.
 I think it turned out really well & now is fully wearable for me.
 This is the outfit I wore it with today. I think it gave nice shape to the slightly too big button-down plus added a little edgy detail with the lacing at the neckline. I did notice that it has continued to pill so may not be featured again. Maybe that's why it was at the thrift? Such it life...
I hope I explained the process well enough to help you do it yourself. If not, drop me a message in the comments & I will try to help you from there!Labels: Crafting and Creating
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