ThreadBanger - D.I.Y Fashion & Style

DIY Feather Earrings, LA Art Walk, GothicTany, CRAFTOVISION!

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:14:38 EDT

HEY TB'ERS! CORINNE'S BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER WITH HER NEW PROJECT,

For the very first episode (!) of CRAFTOVISION, Corinne shows us how-to make sexy feather earrings, and takes us on a tour of downtown LA Art Walk and talk with ME, as a ThreadBanger Super Moderator and Etsy seller GothicTany!! I had such a blast and honored to be her 1st guest!! Enjoy!

Written Instructions for DIY Feather Earrings:
http://craftovision.tumblr.com/post/3885045006/how-to-make-sexy-feather-earrings

Cruelty-Free Feathers from The Happy Rooster:
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Happy-Rooster

Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk:
http://www.downtownartwalk.com/

The Hive Art Gallery:
http://hivegallery.com/2010/

GothicTany's Etsy Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CurvyBettiesRock/

Check out the tumblr, it's pretty...
http://craftovision.tumblr.com

And if you want, follow the twitters:
twitter.com/craftovision
twitter.com/corinneleigh facebook.com/craftovision

"Stay Inspired" my Threadheads!!

xoxoxo Gothictany!

Category:

Whitney Sews- Messenger Bag (GeekWeek)

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:07:05 EST

In this weeks video Whitney shows us how to make an awsome messenger bag out of TMNT character thrifted sheet!

Go Muntant Ninja Turtles!!!!

Bag listing- http://www.etsy.com/listing/67931298/handmade-tmnt-messenger-bag

Facebook page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/whitneysews#!/pages/Whitney-Sews/176817902333202
Personal channel- www.youtube.com/user/whitneyfletcher
Website- www.whitneysews.blogspot.com
My etsy stores- www.generationgap.etsy.com
www.vintagebywhitney.etsy.com

Happy crafting and enjoy! xoxo

Whitney and Gothictany!

Whitney Sews- Sweetheart Special (Two Tutorials)

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:35:36 EST

Hey Threadheads!!! February is here and Valentines Day is just around the corner, and to help us with some ideas, we got our wonderfull talented "Whitney" to show us some fabulous tuts just for Valentines day!

She comes straight from here, the Threadbanger Forums, so go check out some of her past Projects and tuts!!

The first project has so many variations! You can leave off the button design for an everyday pillow sham. Or sew the buttons onto a piece of fabric and frame it. Or you can piece together several different shirts for a patchwork pillow sham...there are so many options :)

Facebook page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/whitney...
Personal channel- www.youtube.com/user/whitneyfletcher
Website- www.whitneysews.blogspot.com
My etsy stores- www.generationgap.etsy.com
www.vintagebywhitney.etsy.com

Thanks for watching & happy sewing!! xoxo

Your pals, Whitney and Gothictany

Whitney Sews- T-Shirt Dress Reconstruction

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:01:35 EST

Hey Threadheads! If you guys havent seen "Whitney Sews" on YouTube, you guys HAVE to watch her!

She comes straight from here, the Threadbanger Forums!

Her weekly show is full of tutorials, sewing tips, thrift hauls and pattern sewing. Go check her out!

Facebook page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/whitney...
Personal channel- www.youtube.com/user/whitneyfletcher
Website- www.whitneysews.blogspot.com
My etsy stores- www.generationgap.etsy.com
www.vintagebywhitney.etsy.com

Have fun crafting and sewing for this new year!

xox, Gothictany ;)

TB Gang TAKEOVER!

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:49:56 EST

Threadbanger TAKEOVER!!!

Hey everyone! There have been massive changes going on in Threadbanger Land, & I think it's fair to say that we're all a little shaken up by it. Saying good bye to RC&M is difficult, but we're really fortunate to be able to welcome K.L. of SecretLifeOfABioNerd & Tracy of EcoCurious. Say hi & please give their new shows & styles a chance--it's probably pretty scary to try to fill our former hosts' shoes!

No matter what happens in the show, we are a community. We were here when it started & we'll be here after it's over. As such, we stick together. Over on the forums, in the youtube comments, & here on this blog--we're the core, the creative collective, & we are what matters. It's always been about the viewers, hasn't it? Let's keep it that way. Let's keep this as a conversation, a sharing of skills, and the starting of friendships.

We are: The TB Gang. We love Threadbanger too much to let it dwindle or die. Watch and tell us what you think. Email us if you want to submit something or just drop us a line: Addie@addie-marie.com & Gothictany@yahoo.com.

xoxo

Addie Marie & Gothictany

Brooksie's How-to on a Cuff Watch!

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:21:39 EST

Here's Brooksie on an awsome tutorial on how to make a "Cuff Watch" out of a mens button up shirt cuff and a watch head!
Very easy to do and fun to watch!
Watch Brooksie and his adventures in sewing and stand up comedy on his youtube channel, Hautestew!

Happy Holidays!!

Thank you and enjoy TBer's..

Your pal's, Brooksie and Gothictany!

Crafty Chicas T-Shirt Chirstmas Stockings!

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:05:51 EST

This project is directly from the blog of the one and only, The Crafty Chica!

Some shirts are just too cool to slice up into scarves. These are a perfect example. I decided to make holiday stockings out of them!

Here is what you need:

Stocking to use as the pattern, paper to trace design onto
T-shirt
fabric for lining
fusible stabilizer
craft felt
sewing machine
trims
Crafty Chica® Chunky Glitters™
Crafty Chica® Extreme Embellishment Glue™

Tulip® Glitter Spray Paint

Directions:

1. Trace the outline of the stocking onto paper.
2. Set the shirt out on a flat surface and set the pattern on top. Trace around it and cut out through both layers (NOTE: If you only want the front of the shirt, just use the top layer.
3. Do the same for the lining fabric.
4. Iron the stabilizer to both sides of the t-shirt cut outs. Iron to lining.
5. With both layers facing together, sew around the edges.
6. Take an 8x10 sheet of craft felt in a contrasting color and cut it in half width wise. Glue one at the top of one side of the stocking, and another on the other side. Trim up the sides so it is flush with the edges, hot glue the felt together up the sides.
7. Turn the stocking right side out and fold the felt over to make a cuff.
8. Hot glue trim as desired.
9. Add sparkle with glitter, crystals, and glitter spray!
10. Hot glue a ribbon so you can hang it.

Now go and check your closet for any cool tee's that might need some recon for the Holidays!!!

Hurry! Hurry! :)

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)
P.S. Go and check out Crafty Chicas new Novel! Its awsome! Check out my new novel!

Thanks to Kathy Murillo-Cano aka The Crafty Chica for letting me post this awsome tutorial to share with my beloved

Threadbangers!!!!!

xoxo -Gothictany

A Ho Ho How-to from Brooksie!!!

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:08:21 EST

"Brooksie is BACK!!!!!!!"
Brooksie TAKEOVER:
A How-to on making a neat Christmas Stocking using a mens button down shirt and tie!
I hope you this video and your DIY Holiday Season!!
Ho Ho Ho.....
Thanks for watching Threadheads!
your pals,
Brooksie and Gothictany

How to slim/shorten a Pair of Demin Shorts!

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:24:37 EDT

This weeks TB Gang Tutorial comes from our own tb forum member, the cool cat, Ludeykrus!

Howdy howdy howdy. Threadbanger has given a lot to me, so I thought I might try to give something back. Knowing my luck, though, this has been documented 37 times already on here... oh well, if so. I'll try to take more pics and post up stuff I've done, this just happens to be the last thing I did recently.

I have had this pair of denim shorts sitting in a drawer for many years now. They were an awful washed out shade of light blue, which I hate. I tried dying them (and a denim jacket) a deep black/bruise blue...

but I suck at mixing Ritt dyes and I ended up with this bright royal blue mess. So now I'm just messing around with them to try to see if I can make them into something I would actually wear. I decided that they at least needed to be slimmed/tapered.

First, the fugly shorts that went under the knife:

Taking a look at the seams, the hem is is a normal straight stitch hem, and the inner seam is a flat felled seam made with two chainstitches:

First, I needed to bust the hems:

Then I busted the inside stitch of the inseam's felled seam, leaving just one seam holding the inner seam together:

With the shorts turned inside out, put them on and pinch-n-pin them to find where the new seam should be:

Run a quick basting stitch:

Turn them right side out, and try them on. If they need to be slimmed or let out, now you do so and get the final form right. I slimmed one leg at a time so a comparison could be made, though you can't really see much... :

Once the shape is right, you need to finish up the inseam with a final seam. You could make another flat felled seam like the original inseam, but I'm lazy and didn't care to put that much time into it. I serged the seam, using a strong denim thread for the outer needle seam, and a thicker cotton thread on the inner needle seam (pics were taken while monkeying with the machine, ignore the settings):

Now, press the seam flat:

Topstitch the seam to hold it flat:

Cut hem to length wanted, then straight stitch the hem:

The finished seam:

....and the finished shorts!

Hope this helps someone out!

Thank you Ludeykrus for your awsome tutorial for guys and gals! YAY!!

If you wish to see more helpfull tutorials, or want to submit one, visit our "Tutorial Lab" over on the forums!

See ya there!!!

<3 Your Pals, Tany and Addie!

TB Gang goes to ComiCon 2010!!

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:31:08 EDT

Hi Threadheads!!

We always go to The International San Diego, ComiCon and this year we took our handy video cam and intervied a bunch of DIY'ers like us that make their own costumes! They told us how they did it and how much money it actually cost to make.
ComiCon is full of Cosplayers, Comic book fans and Super Hero enthusiasts! And we featured some of our favorites, but we still had tons of pics that wouldnt fit here! We had a BLAST!!!!! So many Celebs and Artist and omg...too much to say. If you havent gone yet, go next year!! We will absulutely see you there!

********SPECIAL THANKS!!!!!!*******
Thank you to the awsome talented DIY'ers that took the time to chat with us on camera and letting us share it with our beloved Threadbangers and YouTube!! You ROCK!!!

Our Threadbanger member, Seven from the forums interviewed these amazing people that made all their amazing costumes for this special occasion.

We hope to go next year again and take more pictures, video and even more interviews! woohooo!!

Thank you guys for watching!

If you want to submit a video of you making a tutorial, tips, or just want to get noticed for your craftiness?

Send to us! We'd love to see it. Email us if you want to submit something or just drop us a line: Addie@addie-marie.com & Gothictany@yahoo.com.

Thank you guys

xoxo

Tany & Addie

How To Make a Laptop Sleeve from a Leather Jacket

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 01:47:19 EDT

As you may recall from a previous project I posted, we still have the rest of the thrifted leather jacket leftover to something fantastic with! So with my Hubby's birthday quickly approaching, I decided to make him a homemade sleeve for his laptop computer. Sure you can buy one from the store - and I did scrounge up a tutorial for using some neoprene from an old wetsuit [and here, too!] (like I have many of those laying around!)...but I wanted to try a different material. Leather is cushioning and sleek - but if you prefer manmade leather or vinyl (or even fabric, corderuoy, or denim!) this project will work just as well. I was inspired by those wraparound manila envelopes - but you can always use a strip of material and velcro as a closure, or fashion a long strip with a parachute buckle around the entire laptop, or extend one side of the outer material and use it as a closure flap, or even add a couple inches to each end and use a zipper as closure, turning this sleeve into a simple zippered bag. The possibilities are endless!

You Need:

*leather jacket with lining (or leather/other material + lining fabric, if you are not repurposing a jacket)
*quilt batting (I used Low-Loft crib-sized batting, and had quite a bit left over)
*1 button
*black elastic cord
and...
*marking chalk
*leather shears
*fabric scissors
*matching All Purpose thread
*sewing machine needle for leather
*sewing machine needle for wovens
*hand-sewing needle (not needed if your button is not shanked)
*leather/vinyl glue
*tape

Optional
*matching upholstery thread
*walking foot or Teflon foot for sewing machine
*clothespins or binder clips

How To:

Prep Your Parts

1. Place laptop on your sleeve material, right side up, front edge facing away from you. Trace around laptop on all sides, adding 1".

2. Lift and rotate laptop up on its back edge towards you, then wrong side up on top of the material. (Front edge will be facing towards you.) Keep drawing 1" around all edges. (I know this sounds somewhat confusing, so I included the diagram above to show how the material was measured.)

3. Cut the rectangle out of the material (cutting through both outer and lining if you are using a jacket), using leather shears. If you do not have a lining, place this rectangle on top of your lining material, trace around, and cut using fabric scissors.

4. Cut a small piece of leather about 1" square.

5. Unroll batting from package, and leave it doubled up as you flatten it out. Place rectangle of material on top of the batting. Cut a piece of batting the same size as the lining, then trim batting about 1/2" on the sides only.

Time to Sew!

6. Fold material rectangle in half, and machine-stitch the edges together, using a needle for leather and upholstery thread. (Upholstery thread is not a must-have...but it is a lot stronger that regular cotton/poly mercenized, and is more suited to sewing leather and taking the stress of repeat usage. Also, f you have a walking foot or Teflon foot for your machine, it can help the leather from sticking.)

Clip corners and turn right side out.

7. Fold lining rectangle in half, and machine-stitch the edges together, using a needle for wovens and regular thread. This will make the lining into a "pouch." Do not turn right side out; the right side needs to remain on the inside.

8. Wrap batting around the outside of the lining pouch. Fold upper edges of lining pouch down and overlap batting piece at top edges. (Trim batting top edges if they are too bulky or long.)

Machine-stitch the lining edges down over the batting, at about a 3/8" hem.

Closing It Up

9. Sew button to the material pouch you made in Step 6), about 2" down from the top edge on the front of the pouch.

10. Slide the lining into the material pouch, and slip the laptop inside to check for sizing. On the back side of the material pouch, tape one end of the elastic cord to the center, about 2" down from the top edge.

11. Wrap elastic cord around button, and bring the other end to the back, cutting it and gluing it down next to the other end. Make sure the cord is taut around the button and will keep the laptop from falling out.

12. Trim the cord to meet the taped-down end.

13. Re-tape cords down with the ends free. Place a dab of glue under the ends and press them into it.

13. Remove tape and glue the small square over the ends of the cords.

14. Remove laptop and lining from the material pouch, and machine-sew the square over the elastic cord ends, first sewing a square around the edge, then an "X" shape in the center.

Finishing

14. Spread glue on the inside of the outer pouch, close to the top edge. Turn down top edge about 3/8"; clamp until dry.

15. Slip the lining back inside the outer pouch, pushing the corners all the way in.

Stitch around upper edge of laptop sleeve to secure the lining to the outer material, using a needle for leather and upholstery thread.

Et voila!

Finally, a homemade FUNCTIONAL accessory that my husband will actually use! (And it's unisex, so can be a great gift for a man or woman!)

Happy DIY'ing and Happy Birthday, Hub!
xoxox
Carly

This will be my last post for the Threadbanger blog - I'll be going on vacation soon. In the meantime, I will still be updating my blog Chic Steals, and sharing many more tutorials there! Please check it out if you're interested! Thanks for reading, and Hasta La Vista Threadheads!

They had to end sometime...

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:17:32 EDT

Hi Threadheads! Just wanted to peek my head in here and let you know that my weekly roundups have come to an end. The bike roundup 2 weeks ago was my last, of 109 roundups I posted here every single week for the last 2+ years. I had a great time doing it, but was really starting to run out of things to round up - it was getting harder each week to gather up a list of something so I think the timing worked out well! If I kept it up for much longer, I might have had to start rounding up things like macrame projects or pantyhose crafts (hmm that might have been awesome actually...)

Anyway, you can find a list of every roundup, sorted into categories for you, over on my own blog... and a sort of pseudo 110th roundup of my favorite roundups in my farewell post. So, this blog is clearly going through a kind of transition period... but as long as you guys keep up your rad community of makers over in the forums, and send in your own tutorials and videos and stuff, hopefully Threadbanger will come out of this break and keep on inspiring!

And hey, I encourage you ambitious crafters to go ahead and start your own blogs! You could even take in guest posts from each other - I know there are so many great ideas happening in the forums and in your own creative spaces. Feel free to check out my blog and website (with lots of tutorials) now that you won't be seeing me here anymore, and I hope you keep on getting inspired by all the amazing things happening all over the online world, even when you're not getting your regular dose of Threadbanger! Craft on everyone!! *snip snip*

Regarding Post to Lee Meredith...

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:24:45 EDT

Hey Threadbangers - a few of you may have seen a post that I created for Lee Meredith yesterday - I had sent her a private email through the back-end system...one that ended up posting on this blog for all to see. It was truly a mistake and not meant to be public.

I was addessing an email that had been sent to me earlier with only a little information in it, so I was trying to clarify some issues about posting on the blog. Due to Corinne and Meg being in Haiti, I've been unable to get in touch with them - so was reaching out to Lee to get the story.

I certainly didn't mean to alarm anyone or start any rumors.

It's really wonderful to see that the community is so supportive of Threadbanger - and I too hope that Threadbanger will continue in all its glory forever! It's the only place like it on the web, and the entire community has made it the valuable resource that it is.

Again, I'm really sorry for posting that here - it wasn't my intention at all.

Sincerest apologies,

Carly

img from istockphoto.com

Weekly DIY Roundup: Bike Projects!

Fri, 28 May 2010 18:33:36 EDT

This cold pacific northwest Spring is no fun at all, but I am really looking forward to it eventually warming (and drying) up here, and planning on riding my bike a ton this year! I found a good variety of bike-related projects for you, starting with the fiber-crafty ones... Love this crocheted seat cover, with a free pattern offered on Carina's craftblog:

Teriyakimoto on craftster made this fabulous Owly Handlebar Bag - she gives us the owl chart, and the shape doesn't look too hard to improvise and make one for yourself:

Dutch Blue blog points us to this adorable bike-skirt from Dutch magazine Landleven - the pattern is available as a free pdf, but not in english...

Dutch Blue also put together this inspirational mosaic of bike fashion photos - click to find links to each of the photos on flickr:

And one last bit of crochet awesomeness - Lion Brand blog shares this New York sighting!

Becky Stern made a video how-to for Craft: blog showing us how to Sew a Drawstring Bike Seat Cover:

I've found that Instructables is a gold mine for bicycle projects! So I've gathered up some of my favorites, but you can head over to their bikes section to find many more... I love these Scraper Bike Wheels, by dan:

Kempton shows us how to make a Glowing button cycling jacket:

Learn how to make Bicycle Panniers from Canvas Military Surplus Map Bags with this instructable by dustinplatter:

Or if you prefer, MountainMommaC shows us how to make Bike Panniers from secondhand purses:

FriendOfHumanity made an instructable for this Bicycle Window Box for the transient gardener:

Use a plastic crate to make a second seat for your bike (for adult riders only, be safe!) - yaeliv shows us how:

Carry_it offers an instructable for this side shelf for a bike:

If you already have experience with electronics-y kinds of projects, use kc6qhp's instructable for this Kilo-Lumen bike headlight to make your own:

If you are hardcore into bike parties and want to take it to a new level of awesome, use dan's instructable for this Bike Party Sound System - Easy Rear Rack Style:

There are lots of tutorials for painting bikes out there - here is one by Dr.Paj on instructables - looks great:

Bongodrummer has an instructable for Leather Mountain Bike Grips - "Healthy hands, healthy bike fun":

One last project, over on Apartment Therapy, Home Hacks shows us how Michael constructed this bike rack using just a few basic Ikea parts, totaling about $40:

Right here on Threadbanger were a couple of bike posts about a year ago - Carlin pointed us to some DIY cyclist projects for bike week, and also linked to a few more when the Threadheads did an episode on bikes! Watch it now if you missed it last year! Happy riding!

Weekly DIY Roundup: Light Switch Plates!

Fri, 21 May 2010 16:59:36 EDT

Switch plates are so much fun! I designed this knit light-switch cover for my monthly club members and was so into it that I kept going and covered some more plates with various paper images... So then I started searching around the crafty web and found all kinds of great tutorials and ideas to inspire!

Pink Chalk Studio has an excellent how-to for fabric covered plates, using a facing to make the switch hole super neat - so clever! Above are two of Kathy's finished plates, and below are the backs:

Another fabric switch plate tutorial can be found on tiny Décor blog:

I love this 70's Tie-Upholstered plate from the first issue of Craft: magazine!

Atlascoughed on craftster made this vibrant fabric covered plate for her kitchen:

Ohdeedoh has a small roundup of covered switch plates, including these from Martha Stewart's site:

Martha also shows us how to make Candy-Wrapper Decoupage switch plates, fun!

Helloamber on craftster made a couple of cute felt plates - I like how the tree goes outside the border:

Chico on instructables made a detailed how-to for paper-covered Custom Switch Plates:

And over on StarWars.com you'll find a tutorial by Bonnie Burton for these Switch on Bounty Hunters:

Polymer clay is a great material for switch plate making - Katie Deedy made this awesome vulture plate with Super Sculpey and spray paint, with a tutorial on Time Out New York:

Kishcrafts on craftster made this cute gnome plate with polymer clay:

Clay Squared to Infinity shows us how to make switch plates (below) with "Silly Millies" which are pre-made polymer clay canes - so you could use the same concept to make your own custom plates with your own designs... I think some kind of simple cane design, like this, might look cool on a plate.

On craftster, HSG gives a step-by-step for a pretty mosaic switch plate:

I love these coffee can plates on shelterrific blog:

Use the same concept to make tin can plates, like this awesome one by Tin Can Sally:

In jess2nola's flickr stream you'll find a how-to for this cool looking framed switch wall art:

And lastly, if you know how to cast aluminum, you could try making something like Sean's awesome Autobot switch plate:

Whats Rob been up to?

Wed, 19 May 2010 13:37:44 EDT

Hey Threadbangers...Rob here. Wanted to drop a quick "whats up!!" to everyone.A bunch of you have been asking what I've been up to lately so I wanted to share a quick project I've been working on. Just a cool music video I directed for friend over on the 99dollarmusicvideo.com channel. Check it out and let me know what ya think. Will be hittin u guys back up soon with more updates and such on the ever evolving Threadbanger land.Stay Tuned.

Weekly DIY Roundup: Mac Projects!

Fri, 14 May 2010 18:09:15 EDT

I saw this iPod Fleece Blanket, made by 7th and 8th grade students, featured on Craft: blog recently, and was reminded of some other cool Mac-related craft projects I've seen around, so I did some searching and rounded up a bunch of them for you! Featured are a variety of crafty things to express Apple love, DIY items to use with Mac gadgets, and stuff crafted from old computer parts. Above is the 8th graders' side of the blanket, from Anne Karsten's Observations blog, and below is the 7th graders' side:

Daddy Types blog shows of this awesome knit iPhone, made by the blogger's mom:

iSandwich 4G offers a video how-to for this amazing iPhone sandwich!

These iPhone cupcakes by Danielle Bilton are fabulous!

Craftlog blog shows us this mac softie, crafted for a baby gift - great result from an improvised project, love it!

Tygir on craftster made an iMac Stuffie for her IT guy roommate - I really love this one because that's the computer I had all through college (same color even)!

Now on to projects that function with your Mac toys... Spiffyhink on craftster made cheap iPod skins from contact paper and magazine pages:

There are probably hundreds of iPod sleeve tutorials and patterns out there - I think this recycled denim one, by =SMART= on instructables, is great:

A ravelry search will bring up tons of knit and crochet iPod sleeve/case/cozy patterns - under dutch skies' Apple of My iPhone Pouch pattern really shows off your Apple pride:

Make: blog shows us this brilliant urban camouflage iPad case, made by Matt Silver using an old composition notebook cover and some non-slip rug padding:

TUAW blog has a photo slideshow of this duct tape and bubble wrap iPad sleeve:

Be sure the world knows it's an Apple laptop inside your case by knitting up this Detlef-13 felted sleeve by Wendi of Slumberland:

There are lots of DIY stand ideas out there, like this iPad stand, made from its own packaging! By Ian Collins, featured on Make:

On instructables, fungus amungus shows us how to make a Credit Card iPhone Stand:

Browsing instructables, you'll find many tutorials for making stands with binder clips, but not all allow the iPhone/iPod Touch to charge while in the stand, like this one by griffin29:

Instuctables has a whole category of Apple projects - one of my personal favorites is this real working iPod Costume (2 of them actually), by jtigermask13:

Another costume idea - jpmurph shows us how to make an iPad Helmet:

MizzMouse made a tutorial for this iPod hat - great for keeping your iPod in place when you don't have pockets:

And now for some projects that use old, broken Apple pieces - if your old computer died and you couldn't stand to toss it out, you may be able to turn it into something new! Macgeek800 on instructables shows us how to turn an Apple G4 Cube into a tissue box:

I absolutely love this bedside lamp that Little Miss Cleverpants made from an old iMac - clever indeed!

Old Macs can live happily now as pet homes, from Macquariums, to hamster cages, to cat beds:

I love this mailbox, photographed by digitaldust on flickr, seen in Te Atatu in Auckland:

And this last project doesn't really fit anywhere else - Allerian1 on YouTube shows us this iPad pixelator, made by simply gluing together the blocks from the game Don't Break the Ice. (It can be used with a regular computer/laptop screen too, not just an iPad.) Check out the video to see how it looks in action, so awesome! I know what game I'll be shopping for on my next Goodwill trip!

Weekly DIY Roundup: Mother's Day Corsages!

Fri, 07 May 2010 17:15:27 EDT

I wanted to do something Mother's Day themed this week, and last year I did a Mother's Day Gifts roundup (which included this corsage by Jenny Ryan), so when I saw Craft: blog's Vintage Mother's Day Corsage by Jessica Wilson, I thought there's a perfect roundup for the week! There are a bunch of super cute and pretty handmade corsage tutorials out there! Here's Jessica's:

I love this bright and cheery corsage by Leigh Ann of Spincushion:

Made by Lex has a tutorial for this pretty corsage pin:

Grosgrain blog has a fantastic tutorial for this adorable Poppy Boutonniere:

Megan Reardon shows us how to make this bold and beautiful Felt Dahlia Flower Brooch on Holidash blog:

Craft: has a free pdf podcast download for this Crochet Corsage from Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts Lacy Crochet book:

On instructables, thatkidwithayoyo shows us how to make a Duct Tape Corsage and Flowers:

Also on instructables, outofthewoods made a tutorial for this pretty Paper Corsage:

And lastly, for a different kind of look, Design*Sponge has a great step-by-step for this Mother's Day Corsage Necklace:

Happy Mother's Day!

Have a DIY Mother's Day! Flowers n Jars Project Roundup

Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT

With Mother's Day just around the corner, probably the biggest question on everyone's mind is what to get for the mother in their lives. DIY a lovely gift for a Mom of any age - using fabric and glass, two of the best materials known to the modern gal. Here's an internet roundup of some great projects to create flowers that last forever, and beautiful jars to display them in or use as knicknacks around the house:

Happy Together makes a beautiful bouquet out of multilayered fabric flowers by tracing the shapes of store-bought flowers to make a pattern.

If you'd like some patterns for making fabric flowers without having to sacrifice store-bought blooms, I've shared a few patterns for a camellia, carnation, dahlia, and lush camellia on my site Chic Steals.

If you're looking for rose-making how-to's, here's (left to right, pictured above) a tutorial on DuhBe for a satin rose bloom, a Rolled Fabric Rose tutorial downloadable pdf from Portobello Pixie, and a Tattered Fabric Rose Tutorial from Everyday Chaos.

Hanky Panky Long Stem Lovin' Thong Bouquet

You can also buy small fabric gifts for Mom (decorative pouches, stockings, scarves, underwear * o * ...) and roll them up tightly to make your own rolled rose bouquet, adding straws, wrapped wire, or takeout chopsticks for stems. (Taking a leaf from Hanky Panky, seen above.)

Now as to what to put your lovely flowers in...

And if you want to go all-out and present in a beautiful vintage-style faux blue mason jar, Bridal Buzz has the how-to for ya.

To take a break from the "must give flowers for Mother's Day" mantra...what not think a little out of the ~~jar~~ box? If Mason jars are on your mind, maybe Mom would love this handcrafted terrarium that Craftzine can help you with?

The Home-Made Sun Jar from Instructables user cre8tor is another fabulous use of the jarred variety.

You could also make Freehand Etched Glass Votives, thanks to Instructables user Robyntheslug.

Or, you could make hand-poured candles in jars, courtesy of Centsational Girl.

Bath Salt Oatmeal Milk and Honey from terrasecrets' Etsy shop

Bath salts...bath fizzies..bath bombs...lotions...find every single recipe you could ever want for home-made bath & body products at Craftbits.com, and present in a beautiful jar.

(Nestle Toll House Oatmeal Chip Cookie Mix from VeryBestBaking.com)

Or even a jar of a homemade cookie mix, granola, or hot cocoa might work well for a mother with a sweet tooth. (Guilty!) See RazzleDazzleRecipes for a ton of great cookie-mix-in-a-jar recipes.

And isn't this ingenious? Cupcake in a Jar recipe, courtesy of MyCakies.

Hope that's planted some seeds for some great DIY ideas for Mom...and if your Mom isn't the type to swoon over flowers or decorate with jars and knicknacks...well, there's always a gift card to Amazon.com, right?

Have a Happy Mother's Day!
xoxox

Carly

top image from stockphotopro.com

Weekly DIY Roundup: Headboards!

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 22:28:43 EDT

I just moved and our new bedroom layout is in need of a headboard, so I've been checking out some crafty options to decide what I want to do for mine. Some super cool ideas out there! One of my favorites is this book headboard by jessyratfink on instructables:

I love this apartment-friendly colorful mosaic wall on The Swell Life:

The Storque shows us how to make this fabulous looking wallpaper headboard:

Little Purl of the Orient made this awesome granny squares headboard for her daughter's room - love it so much!

Design*Sponge offers a video for Grace's upholstered otami headboard - that Mexican otami fabric is so beautiful:

If you already have a plain headboard and want to embellish it up, check out Mark Montano's faux wood intarsia headboard, on Craft:

Three Men and a Lady blog has a tutorial for this upholstered headboard with "damn-it" tacks:

And casasugar shows the step-by-step for this similar upholstered nailhead trim headboard:

For a great looking kind of non-headboard option, I love grammardog's framed art - she did such a fantastic job on the Patricia Zapata inspired magazine flower pictures:

Apartment Therapy has a great roundup of headboard inspiration - I love the chalkboard!

And lastly, Ikea Hacker has a headboard roundup - Melissa's surreal headboard is so cool!

Peyote Stitch Tutorial

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:27:37 EDT

This week is all about jewelry and accessories so I wanted to post this video I found about how-to do a peyote stitch. ENJOY!

How to Make a Pair of Boot-Covers from a Leather Jacket

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT

After spotting this editorial in Lucky Magazine back in winter, I decided I wanted a foldover-style boot too! So chic - and it visually slims up your legs, working in both casual and more edgy ensembles. But since I always make instead of buying new unless I absolutely must, I'm not going to plonk down $199 on a boot...especially when I already have a whole bunch of shorter boots that will work perfectly as the base (see below).

Here's how to make your own version, using an old beat-up leather jacket**:

**There are many great options for old leather jackets - I found mine at a Goodwill Outlet store, so it probably cost about $4 total, and it had a huge rip in the back of the jacket (probably the reason why the owner discarded it in the first place!) Charity shops, garage sales, something in your guy's closet he no longer wears...if you can give an old, distressed piece of clothing a new life, I'm all for it! And if you prefer using vegan alternatives, you can also try this with manmade pleathers or vinyl, sold at many fabric or craft stores. The only issue with pleather vs. leather is that pleather doesn't breathe as well, and doesn't have a natural stretch to it as leather does, so trying to push it down over your boot when finished may cause more seam stress. You may have to cut your pleather slightly larger at the bottom to accommodate different boot shapes, and you will likely have to make a lining as manmade leathers usually have a very rough underside that is uncomfortable next to the skin. You could also try fabric, canvas, corderuoy, or denim for an entirely different look!

You Need:

*oversized leather jacket

*matching thread

*sewing machine needle for leathers (not pictured) (If you'd prefer not to sew, you can also try gluing the seam together)

*2 pieces flexible craft foam (about 12" x 18" each)

*tape

*Loctite Plastic, Fabric, and Vinyl Glue, Barge Cement, or other similar glue for leathers and varied, porous materials

*marking chalk

*shears or leather scissors

and...

*clothespins (optional)

*seam ripper (optional)

*Teflon machine foot (optional)

How-To:

Prep Time:

1. Cut off the sleeves of your jacket with the shears. (NEVER use fabric scissors for cutting leather - it will dull them permanently!)

2. Slide the sleeve (with lining still inside) over your calf, put on the boot you want to cover, and pull the sleeve over it (cuff part at your ankle).

Mark the sleeve with chalk at the bottom where the cuff part is widest in order to accommodate the boot and the amount you want to cover the heel. (We'll be turning about 1/2" under later so the cuff will be slightly bulky - make sure the circumference of the sleeve can accommodate this.)

3. Take off the sleeve and remove the linings from both sleeves. Draw the chalk line straight across the bottom of the sleeve you marked, and transfer the markings to the other sleeve as well. Cut at your lines.

Slit your sleeves down the seams (I used a seam ripper to salvage as much of the width of the sleeves as possible.)

4. Cut sleeves straight across at their sleeve caps. Cut the sides of the sleeves straight up from the cuff area to make two rectangles of salvaged leather.

Sew It!

5. Using a machine needle for leathers, sew the vertical seam in your boot-covers together, at about 3/8". (A Teflon or walking machine foot will help prevent the leather from sticking to the foot as you sew.)

6. Glue down each side of the seam allowance with leather glue, flattening as you go down the seam.

Secure with tape until dry.

7. Place the sleeve inside the sleeve lining, matching up the cuff areas, right sides together. Sew about 3/8" from the edge all the way around the cuff. (I was having a MAJOR sticking problem with the leather, so that's why I placed the silky poly lining on top of the leather to sew this.)

8. Turn boot-covers right-side out.

Stuff It!

9. I wanted to make a very stiff, faux boot cover that would create the illusion of a rigid calf-high boot, so since jacket leather is quite soft and pliable, I had to make an insert to create structure. I used a piece of craft foam, rolled up and inserted between the lining and the leather outside. Push the foam all the way down to the bottom of the boot-cover, making sure the cuff part doesn't reveal any lining on the outside. Once inserted all the way, put your hands inside and enlarge the foam roll so it conforms to the shape of the boot-cover. Also make sure that the foam roll seam overlap is at the back of your boot-covers, so no ugly ridge is seen down the front.

10. Trim top of foam down in order to accommodate folding the lining and leather over it.

11. Roll outside leather down slightly and out of the way. Pull lining up and glue edges around the top of the foam, completely covering the foam edge.

Secure with clothespins or tape to allow to dry.

12. When dry, roll leather outer back up, and fold under itself. Glue folded edge to foam inner, and secure with tape until dry.

These boots are now made for walkin'...the only question is whether to pair them with a cute dress or super-short shorts!

And check out my blog Chic Steals for more DIY tutorials and leather-working projects, like Sex In the City-style half-scoop gloves, and a fringed leather tote.:-) Don't worry about the leather from the body of the jacket...we'll be using that for a great project for Father's Day coming up soon!

And for other shoe-cover tutorials, try ...love, Maegan's thigh-high spats made from an old leather skirt, or Threadbanger's own DIY Spats Project!

Thanks for reading - and if you have any questions, ask them in the Comments section below and I'll do my best to help you out!

xoxox
Carly J. Cais

Weekly DIY Roundup: Knit Triangle Shawls!

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EDT

I know triangle shawls have been a big knitting trend for awhile, but I've still never made one - they seem like such a perfect Spring accessory, I'm feeling the urge to make my first one! But which do I choose? There are so many fabulous patterns! I've rounded up an assortment of different styles, ranging from very simple to extreme lace, narrowing down the list by sticking with the smaller, more Spring-y designs.

This first one is a pattern called Baktus, offered for free on Strikkelise's flickr stream - a super basic design that can have all different kinds of looks depending on yarn choice, as you can see by checking out all the versions on the ravelry page. I absolutely love verylisa's version, which uses my Game Knitting concept to get the random short rows striping:

Another basic design, knit in the other direction, Boneyard Shawl is a free pattern by Stephen West:

Star Athena designed this pretty Prairie House Shawl, speckled with peaks and valleys, and inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which is for sale on her blog:

A "recipe" for this beautiful textured shawl is in the form of a free ravelry download, by orlane:

Also offered for free on ravelry, Hannah Ingalls designed this Floe shawl - a simple piece with a fun, frilly edge:

Simple Things is a great, basic design by Mary-Heather Cogar (for sale on her website) that looks fabulous in a handpainted yarn, as so many of them do (also pictured at the top):

Galia Lael designed this woven-looking knit shawl, called Baana Scarf, with its pretty edging, and offers it as a free ravelry download:

I really like Akimbo, by Stephen West, with the cool striping chevron spikes - the pattern is for sale on ravelry:

Kelbourne Woolens has a free download for this Springtime Bandit shawl, with some pretty lace:

I love the yarn color and the wavy lace in Liz Abinante's Traveling Woman design, offered for free on her website:

Lavalette is a pretty, lacy shawl designed by Kirsten Kapur - it's offered for free on her website, but with a suggested donation to Alzheimer's and dementia research:

Lankakomero on ravelry designed this Eliina Shawl, with its nice looking crocheted edging, which you can download for free:

Purl Bumps blog offers a free download for this lacy Calais Shawl, beautiful:

This Aestlight Shawl by Gudrun Johnston is just gorgeous; the pattern is for sale on ravelry:

Wast Side Shawl is also by Gudrun Johnson, also beautiful, and also for sale on ravelry:

For more lace, check out Haruni, which designer Emily Ross has as a free ravelry download:

And I really love the lace pattern in Ashley Knowlton's Butterfly Forest Shawl, for sale on ravelry:

I'll leave you with one last free pattern - the beautiful Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark, originally in Interweave Knits, and now offered as a free download:

If you want to explore further the world of knit triangle shawls, do a ravelry search to browse many more designs... Now I still don't know which one I want to knit most...

How to Make a Ruffled Top from a Men's Shirt

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:59:56 EDT

Tomorrow being Administrative Professionals' Day I wanted to create something that's fashionable yet doesn't scream "look at me!" (and is totally appropo for the office!). With Earth Day just around the corner as well, what could be more eco than upcycling? Steal a button-down from your guy's closet and give it a feminine makeover...that will make it a mainstay in yours.

You Need:

*1 man's button-down shirt (sized larger than you are; doesn't matter what size)

*thread matching topstitching in shirt

*7" invisible zipper in color matching shirt (optional)

and...

*fabric scissors

*seam ripper

*pins

*marking chalk

*sewing machine

*needle for wovens

*iron and ironing board

*hand-sewing needle (optional)

How To:

Prep Time:

1. Put shirt on. Button 3rd and fourth buttons on shirt. Place one hand underneath your armpit; mark where armscye depth should be on the front of your shirt, as close to the side seam as possible. (I used a pin.) Take off the shirt and also mark the armscye depth for the other arm.

2. Lay your shirt on a flat surface and cut off the sleeves. Cut off the cuffs and discard; slit the sleeves down their side seams (as close to the seams as possible without going through any lapped seam detail). Remove the pocket with a seam ripper and discard.

3. Cut off the center button placard and buttonhole placard, below the fourth button, leaving enough allowance at the sides of each placard to fold under about 1/4". (If your placard is finished and bound, you won't need the folding allowance, but mine wasn't, so I have the extra step of finishing it below.) Cut the collar from the front of the shirt (as close to the collar underpiece as possible without going through it), and cut about 1" along the underpiece into the back of the shirt. (You won't remove the collar enitrely; you'll just be freeing it from the front of the shirt.)

4. Turn shirt inside out and button remaining buttons on the shirt.

Sew Front Center Seam

5. Sew front together, down buttoned placard, so no seams show in the center front.

6. Trim buttoned placard off on the inside.

Adjust Fit

7. Take shirt off and lay it flat. Pin down sides, straight down from the pins you added at the armscye depth.

8. Turn shirt right-side-out and try it on. Adjust pins as necessary for a more tapered fit at the waist, and a freer fit at the hip. Make sure the armscye depth is still correct, and that you can get the shirt over your head. (If not, you'll have to add an invisible zipper later at the side seam.)

9. Take shirt off, turn inside out, and trace a "best-fit" line between your pins at the sides. Remove pins. Add 1" to the outside of the lines, and retrace the shape of the sides.

10. Cut shirt front from shirt back at the sides, cutting along the outside lines you drew in the previous step.

11. Trace shirt front onto shirt back. Draw lines on back about 3/8" to the inside of the lines you just draw. Cut shirt back on these lines.

12. Pin shirt front to shirt back. (Your shirt front should now be about 3/4" larger than the back.)

Sew the Sides

13. Sew shirt sides together. (If you couldn't get the shirt over your head back in Step 8), do not sew the left side. This is where your side zipper will go. [And if you're left-handed and prefer your side zipper to be on the right, leave that side unsewn instead.])

14. Iron shirt and sleeves flat, paying special attention to the button placard still attached to the collar. (Optional: also iron zipper tape flat if you are using it.)

15. (Optional) Insert side zipper according to package directions, (If you are unsure of how to insert an invisible zipper, there is a great tutorial here.)

Make the Ruffles

16. Lay your sleeves flat and cut two pieces from the sleeves, next to the angled sleeve seams. (These pieces will be your angled ruffles.) Cut on the grain, cutting a piece about 1.5" wide at its smaller end and 5.5" wide at the widest end. Trim any raw edges near the bound edge off.

17. Cut 2 long rectangles from each sleeve about 3" wide by the length of your sleeve. Square off the ends. These pieces will be your long ruffles.

18. Sew 2 long rectangles together, short end to short end. Repeat for the other 2 pieces.

19. Fold over the long edge of one of the pieces from the previous step about 1/4"; sew a scant 1/16" from the edge. Trim the raw edge next to your line of stitching. Fold over the stitched edges about 1/4" again; topstitch close to the edge to create a bound seam. Do the same for the other connected long rectangle piece.

20. Using either a hand-sewing needle or a long basting stitch on your machine (or a gathering foot if you have it!), stitch long, basting stitches along the long raw edge of each long rectangle, and along the unbound raw edges of the angled ruffles. Pull the thread to gather the pieces into ruffles.

Finish the Collar

20. Pin one long ruffled rectangle under the button placket of your collar piece, matching the length by pulling on the basting thread.

Pin the angled ruffled piece underneath - the piece will only go down about 3/4 of the way of the placket. Fold the bottom of the placket under the long rectangle ruffle end about 1/4".

21. Topstitch the edge of the placket, through all layers to secure. (I chose to connect the top of the rectangle ruffle under my collar piece, but leave the top of the angled ruffle free, like "wings.")

22. Repeat for the other side and the buttonhole placket.

23. We need to re-connect the collar to the shirt now - so start with the button placket side, and pin down overlapping the open hole in the front of the shirt. (Make sure the buttons are centered over the center front seam!) Pin the placket to the shirt, going straight upwards all the way to the collar area.

Pin the collar to the back of the shirt, overlapping the back of the shirt as much as you can by angling the collar downward. Between the top of the placket and the shoulder seam of the shirt, you're going to have excess fabric, so gather it and pin the collar over it.

24. Topstitch the button placket to the shirt. (I had to zigzag over the collar underpiece connection at the back of the shirt - there was a small gap that no amount of angling the collar was going to fix.)

25. Place buttonhole placket end over end of button placket, and do up the bottom button.

Topstitch end down, through all layers, and reinforce stitching.

26. Un-button bottom button, and pin buttonhole placket to front of shirt in the same manner as you did the button placket. Topstitch through all layers.

Finish the Armscyes

27. Try on the shirt and draw the shape of the shoulder how you want it.

28. Take off the shirt, and cut the armscye shape about 1/2" on the outside of your markings. Trace the shape onto the other shoulder, and cut it out too.

29. Turn under 1/2" of an inch, and stitch about 3/8" from the edge to finish, notching as you go. (If you want a more finished look, cut the armscye 3/4" outside of your markings, turn once and topstitch; turn again and topstitch to create a bound seam. I find this very difficult along a curve, as often the armscye becomes tighter and smaller the more times you turn the edge, and notching the inside on such a small seam allowance is quite difficult. If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them!)

Hem and You're Done!

30. Try on the shirt and mark where you want the hem to be.

Cut about 1/2" below this line, fold under, and stitch at a 3/8" hem on your machine.

Phew! A super-ruffly, super-feminine piece for the office. (As you can see, I also added 2 bust darts to make the feminine fit even better.)

Thank goodness there's someone around to redo all these stuffy men's shirts and breathe some girly life into them!

And check out my blog Chic Steals for more DIY tutorials and remakes of men's shirts! (There's a bunch of 'em.:-)

Thanks for reading - and if you have any questions, ask them in the Comments section below and I'll do my best to help you out!

xoxox
Carly J. Cais

Kirigami Flower Template

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:07:49 EDT

Here is the template for making a kirigami flower out of an 8 1/2" X 11" piece of paper.Even with a template, each one can vary a little bit. Just play around until you get the hang of it, and then start working with different designs and cuts. Enjoy!

Even people who have careers dependant on the internet have it go out on them for days. (ARGH!) That was us before we left town for the MS Walk this weekend. We finally got it working yesterday, thus, the template delay. Thank you for your patience.

Get Your Wing Template Here!

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:08:24 EDT

Here is a PDF of the wing pattern I used in the FLYing Shoes episode. Enjoy!

Weekly DIY Roundup: Paper Quilling!

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:28:33 EDT

I came across this Craft: blog post about Nava Lubelsky's quilled paper artwork yesterday, which inspired me to look further into quilling! Above is Nava's work made from her 1998 tax file, and below is a detail shot of her piece made from cut and shredded rejection letters:

So, if you want to get started trying quilling for yourself, Craft: has a 101 article by Ann Martin, that takes you through the basics, and then gives tutorials for a couple of specific projects. All you really need to try out this craft are quilling paper (but I'd imagine most any paper will work, shredded or cut into thin strips), some standard craft supplies, and this quilling tool:

Ann Martin is a quite prolific quiller - you can see video of her on the HGTV show That's Clever, helpful if you learn crafts best with visual help, and she gives a how-to for the show project on that blog post. Also on her blog, All Things Paper, she shows us this amazing Ring of Keys piece she made with quilled paper:

Martin did another quilling how-to for Craft: during their yarn month - I love the yarn flowers with the quilled paper leaves on this place card:

Also on Craft: is a free pdf download excerpt from the book Twirled Paper - it shows you how to make this octopus and angel fish, as well as several different quilled shapes, to be used in different designs:

Kristin at Craft Leftovers has a great quilling how-to - she uses recycled junkmail for her leaves, awesome!

Over on Instructables, you'll find a quilled butterfly tutorial by SugarTeen52:

Reshmi Nair tells us in detail how she made this super cute quilled bunny with flowers:

Those are all the tutorials I've found, but in my searching I found a bunch more amazing eye candy quilled artwork! I'm totally blown away by Yulia Brodskaya's incredible work, found on Curbly (click to see it bigger):

Skull-A-Day posted this awesome quilled paper skull:

I am absolutely loving these quilled butterflies by Claire of Claire Art - click the link to see them all, and see them bigger (there a ton of them!):

There's a great quilling flickr group with lots of inspiration, like these flower pieces by martinaquill:

And I'll leave you with this vintage goodness, Hazel's New Designs for Quilling from 1974, on Cathy of California's blog:

Vote for us for a Webby!

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:00:23 EDT

Hello everyone!!

We are really excited to announce that we were nominated for the 2010 Webby Awards! Our Catergory is How-to and DIY in the Online Film and Video section.

The voting for the People's Choice Webby began today, so get over there and give us some love. We are up against our friends over at Indy Mogul so there will be a lot of fun competition between us...stay tuned.

How To Make a Knotted Cord Belt

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Summer is almost upon is, and style inspired by the African continent is in! Bold prints, bright colors, beads, and lacing: we're seeing it on the runways and on fashionable girls on the street. Create this knotted belt out of satin cord and add jewelry findings for a fashion-forward Moroccan infusion of style! (The lacing may look tricky, but once you get the hang of that, it's a piece of cake!)

You Need:

*5 yd of satin cord (about 2.5 - 3 mm thick)

*small amount of scrap fabric

*14 large crimp coil necklace ends (silver-tone)

*4 large silver-tone necklace end connectors

*1.5" wide black elastic, cut to your waist circumference (we'll be cutting it shorter below)

*2 snap fasteners

and...

*tape

*scissors

*wire-cutting pliers

*sewing machine

*regular to heavy-duty needle

*thread matching belt color

*snap-setting pliers or die & hammer

*iron & ironing board

How To:

Prep Your Parts

1. Cut satin cord into the following pieces:

*FOUR pieces 14" long (to make outer loop)

*FOUR pieces 18" long (to make center knot)

2. Use pliers to press down the end coils of the crimp ends. Cut off the hangloops of the end connectors.

3. Cut 4 pieces from your fabric, measuring 4.25" wide by 3" high.

Start Weaving: Outer Loop First

4. Thread 2 crimp ends onto a 14" piece of cord. Loop it over and tape down the ends.

5. Tape down another 14" piece of cord. Thread it through the crimp coil from the previous piece of cord...and add a crimp coil onto the cord.

6. Add another crimp coil, and loop it around.

7. Thread it back through the remaining crimp coil on the first cord. Tape down the end.

8. Secure the loop you just made with a piece of tape.

Keep Going: Inner Loop-and-Knot

9. Put a crimp coil on one of the 18" cord pieces and tape down the end, placing it in the center and directly below the cord from the previous step.

10. Thread it through the crimp coil on the adjacent cord and loop it around to the right, then back under the first two cords, headcing downwards.

11. Thread it over itself, then downwards under the first two cords again.

12. Loop it to the right, back over the first two cords, and then to the left under itself again.

13. Thread it back through the crimp coil on the adjacent cord.

14. Add another crimp coil, and tack down the end with tape.

15. Time for the final cord! Tape down the end of another 18" piece of cord, and thread it to the right and through thr crimp coil on the adjacent cord.

16. Add a crimp coil, and weave the cord around the center loop in the same manner as the previous piece. (It will be to the outside of the previous cord. Go under the previous piece, to the right, over the taped-down outer loop, up and around, under the outer loop cords, over the center loop cords and down...)

17. Keep following the center loop of the previous cord. (Around and to the right, over the taped-down center loop, back to the left, under itself...) And finally, thread it back into the crimp coil you added to it in Step 15).

18. Then tape its end down.

19. Shift the ends of all your cords together, re-tape, and push the crimp coils further to the right, closer to your center loop-and-knot.

20. Use pliers to add an end connector to the center cords just to the left of the taped-down loop. Smooth out your cords - and congratulate yourself on a job well done!

Other Side & Finish Lacing

21. Make one more group of looped cords in exactly the same manner. (See Steps 4) - 20)]

22. Place the two groups of cord side-by-side, matching up the centers. Add 2 more end connectors to the center loops to connect one side to the other. Now you're finished with all that lacing - which probably feels fabulous!

Make the Belt

23. Tape both ends of the cord group on top of the ends of your piece of elastic. Make sure your cords are centered and each side overlaps the elastic the same amount.

24. Fold the elastic under itself, about 3/8", and stitch the cords down on top. (I went over the same area twice with a straight stitch, then zigzagged down it for strength.) Stitch down both sides to the elastic.

25. Trim off the cord ends on the other side of your stitching.

26. Cut your elastic piece in half.

27. Place 2 fabric pieces right sides together, on top of where you've stitched the cords to the elastic. Trace the width of the elastic, and mark the width of the cords. Then draw a "D" shape between the elastic piece, about 2" long.

28. Do the same for the other 2 pieces of fabric.

29. Sew around the "D" on each pair of fabric pieces, just outside you markings. Leave a small area unsewn on the flat side in order to turn them right-side-out.

30. Trim fabric around the sewing at about 1/4".

Notch, then turn the pieces right side out. Tuck the unsewn areas' raw edges to the inside. Press both pieces with an iron to flatten.

31. Place one D piece over where the cords are sewn to the elastic, in order to cover them. (Rounded edge of D needs to cover the cords but hang off the edge of the elastic.) Topstitch around edge of D, about 1/8" from edge, to secure it to the elastic and the cords.

32. Try on belt, and center the knotted cord at your center front. Mark where the elastic meets at your center back. Cut elastic at that measurement.

33. Fold each end of elastic under about 3/4". Sew down about 1/2" from edge.

34. Set two sets of snaps in the elastic ends according to the instructions on your snap-setting pliers or die set.

Ta da! This tutorial looks complex, but doing it is incredibly rewarding - and the whole process is a lot faster than it looks! Tip: If you want to make more of a statement piece, use thicker cord or rope, and thread it through large-hole beads instead of jewelry findings. You could even wrap strips of embossing metal around the cords instead of threading them through beads at all!

Have fun and go tribal:-)

It also doubles as a cute necklace at this size!

And check out my blog Chic Steals for more DIY tutorials and belt-making projects!

Thanks for reading - and if you have any questions, ask them in the Comments section below and I'll do my best to help you out:-)

xoxox
Carly J. Cais

Weekly DIY Roundup: Spring Sewing Projects!

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:37:47 EDT

I decided to plan a 24 hour Make-a-Long for tomorrow (Saturday), and while participants can spend their time making anything they want, I'll be focusing on mostly clothing/sewing projects, since that's a crafty area that gets often neglected by me... I've done tons of sewing project roundups in the past (including Springy stuff like: skirts, more skirts, shirt projects, and t-shirt tank tops) but there are always so many great tutorials popping up, so today I'm rounding up assorted sewing projects that make me excited about Spring! Starting with this cute dress, made from a men's shirt, with how-to on Cubic Dreams:

I love this Anthropologie-inspired Winding Road tank top, with tutorial by Suzannah on One Pearl Button:

The same Suzannah did a how-to on her own blog, Adventures in Dressmaking (where there are lots of other great sewing tutorials!), for this crazy braided tee refashion:

I love this "felt and fabulous" embellished shirt, with how-to on blue-eyed freckle:

Jessica on Happy Together blog shows us how she made this cute Cardigan with a Twist, from an old shirt:

This 20-minute Spring Sweater Redo on tatertots & jello is supercute:

Alisa Burke wrote a fabulous tutorial for this Petticoat - love it!

If you're into shorts, turn a pair a pants into this adorable piece with Lily's instructions on The House of Mirth:

For adding some extra cuteness to a dress or shirt you already have, this tutorial on the secret to perfect patch pockets on Casey's Elegant Musings might come in handy!

Craftastical's detailed how-to on Smocking: The Whole Story makes me want to figure out a project that involves smocking!

This is an ultimate Spring sewing project - Tattered Garden flowers, with step-by-step tutorial on sew4home:

I like this pretty ruffled vase a lot, with tutorial on a lemon squeezy home:

Not specifically a Spring project, but the crisp white bag with fruit inside totally makes me think Spring! Make this simple but awesome quick fix grocery bag with the tutorial on Between the lines:

I found a lot of these tutorials through Whip Up and One Pretty Thing, both fabulous resources for sewing (and other crafty) tutorials, so check those out if you want more!! Happy Spring sewing!

String Art Patterns

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:47:45 EDT

In today's episode of Decor It Yourself, 1970's String Art, I showed you a few different designs of retro wall art. You can download patterns of several of these designs for *FREE* from String Art Fun.

Here is the pattern for the diamond-shaped piece string art. You can also just ake it with a ruler, but the patterns will be helpful for the more complex designs. Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

How To Make a Button-Embellished Top

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:12:00 EDT

Inspiration photos from MaisonMartinMargiela.com

Inspired by the original DIY'er, Martin Margiela, I've dipped into my overflowing stash of mismatched buttons to craft a fabulously avant-garde-style t-shirt. The shirt I used was actually one of my husband's that he discarded due to a couple tiny stains on the front. But that's what DIY's for! Cover up stains, patching, pilling, or a design you don't like...or add interest to an otherwsie boring piece. There's a ton of great art and photos out on the internet - or you can create your own image and use it as a template for button placement. I chose monochromatic buttons so that the image would appear "pixellated" when standing from afar - and though I chose to make an eye (in my own homage to Salvador Dali), you could make anything your heart desires.

You Need:

*t-shirt

*large number of buttons in various sizes and shapes (preferably in shades of black, white, and gray)

*Jewel-It Embellishing Glue (or other glue for affizing plastic embellishments to fabric)

*piece of cardboard or t-shirt board

Optional:

*printout, drawing, or photo

*tape

*sewing machine & needle for knits

*hand-sewing needle

*thread matching buttons

How To:

Prep Time

1. Pre-wash t-shirt if it hasn't been washed already. Place cardboard or t-shirt board inside t-shirt to flatten front.

2. (Optional) If you are using a piece of artwork as a template, slide it inside your tee, just on top of the board. Secure with tape.

Decorate

3. Now's the time to channel your inner artiste! Place tee on a flat surface and start covering it with buttons. Start with the black outlines, then place the brightest white buttons on the brightest white parts of the eye. (You'll probably spend a lot of time squinting at your picture.) Stand back every few minutes to see if you like the effect, and adjust your placement as necessary.

Make it Permanent

4. When you're pleased with your button artwork, now you need to take each button off and affix it to the t-shirt. For the larger buttons add a daub of glue to its back; for the smaller dot glue onto the shirt itself. If you plan to go back and sew your buttons for more security - be careful you don't get any glue in the buttonholes. (If you are using shanked buttons, you'll have to hand-sew them on to the shirt.)

5. After you've glued all your buttons down, allow the glue to dry per the instructions.

6. (Optional) Remove board from tee, and proceed to sew all the buttons down to the front of your shirt. (Drop the sewing machine's feed dogs, and zigzag into 2 holes of each button - which should be secure to hold it on and allow you to machine-wash your shirt.)

7. Wear and enjoy all the extra attention. (If you have chosen not to sew your buttons down, follow the washing instructions on the glue. Some glues are not fast when put in the wash, so be careful when choosing!)

Pair with black and white pieces to make your monochromatic look. Here's looking at you, kid!

And check out my blog Chic Steals for more DIY tutorials and fun embellishing projects!

Thanks for reading - and if you have any questions, ask them in the Comments section below and I'll do my best to help you out!

xoxox
Carly J. Cais

Weekly DIY Roundup: Eggs and Bunnies!

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:33:00 EDT

I did an egg decorating roundup last year, but with all the new tutorials that have been popping up this year, another Easter roundup is called for - so this year I bring you egg and bunny projects! Heather at Croq Zine has done some beautiful egg crafts, like these, dyed with natural materials:

I love this egg Seedling Sprouter, from the book Easter Eggs by Matthew Mead, with the how-to offered free on the Chronicle Books blog:

Pam at Gingerbread Snowflakes tried coloring Easter eggs with Kool-Aid, and got some bright, fun results...

...And then she made a decorative mosaic egg with the Kool-Aid dyed shells!

Indie Fixx dyed up some super cool stripey eggs, based on a Martha Stewart technique:

Speaking of Martha Stewart, her website offers up a ton of egg decorating ideas and how-tos; a few of my favorites include these Botanical Eggs...

...Dyed Eggs with Grass Appliques...

...and these super cool Stenciled Eggs below. Browse through all 62 Martha Stewart egg projects here.

Jessica Wilson on Craft: blog shows us how to make a fun Easter Egg Surprise Ball:

Khali did a tutorial on BloesemKids for these adorable Bunny Rabbit egg cozies:

Make an awesome Sock Bunny with Heidi Kenney's how-to on My Paper Crane:

Elsie Marley offers up this quick little bunny tutorial, which uses a baby sock:

I love this Peepshi (Peeps Sushi!) - make your own using the tutorial on Serious Eats:

And I'll leave you with something to make you laugh - Cake Wrecks, as always, has some greatness to show us for the season... yeah, these are supposed to be bunnies:

Got any favorite Easter craft projects? Share them in the comments!

Gourd Lamps from Make Magazine

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:41:33 EDT

Since Meg has been all about lighting for the past couple of weeks, I thought I would share this video from Make Magazine that I just found on Youtube. I love Kip!

DIY Lighting Round-Up

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:23:25 EDT

I must say, I am really loving how the Structured Blossom Lamps turned out! You can play around with changing the color of the base to go with the new shade, and use different colors of felt to liven it up even more.

This is just one of the many DIY lighting projects there are out there. In the last two episodes of Decor It Yourself, I tried to give you several to choose from. Here are a few more I thought would be fun to try. First off, check out Decor It Yourself's previous shows on lighting like our Lace Lampshade episode, and one of my very first old school episodes, (don't judge!) DIY Lighting.

Last year's Earth Day special was also focused on creating a DIY lighting source, in our Up-Cycled Pendant Lamp episode.

Christiane Hoegners made this preppy and fun Tennis Skirt Lamp.

I found a How-To for a Flowerpot pendant lantern in

One DIY lighting mecca that I recently shared on the DIY Facebook Fanpage, called Das-Rote-Paket featured this Lampe Wollknauel by Michele Hofmann, and the below doiley pendant Lampe Tortenspitzen by Monika Mehlitz.

Um, I think this lamp needs you!

This is a Bird's Nest Lamp from Hermon Hermon. Do you think we could DIY our own version? I think we might have to!

The EASIEST way to re-do lampage you already have? Simply give it a good coat of bright and bold spray paint.

Or embrace your inner nerdom by making your own Dino Lamp from Think Geek.

On the facebook Fanpage I also created a photo album "Lighting". In it is a collection of iconic lamps and lights through the decades of design. Use this to educate yourself on choice pieces that you love, so you can spot a killer deal when you find one in your search for lovely pieces for your home.

There are SO MANY MORE! Look around and see what floats your boat and share with us in a comment below. I hope this helps on your quest for The Perfect Lighting Scheme!