ThreadBanger - D.I.Y Fashion & Style

Weekly DIY Roundup: Knit and Crochet Blankets!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:19:30 EST

If I had any free knitting/crocheting time, I would definitely be making myself a new blanket this time of year! I love the gorgeous eye candy of these handmade blankets... Starting with the crochet designs - Sarah London made this beautiful Wool-eater blanket and shows us how to make the pieces:

You can make blankets from any kind of crocheted granny squares, so I won't get into many of those, with their endless possibilities, but I will show you this great Hexagon blanket how-to by Attic24:

I love this Circles to Squares Afghan, from Lion Brand:

The Ripple Afghan is a classic crochet blanket design - you can find the pattern by SusanB, and I love micheline's version on ravelry (michelinemus on flickr):

Another classic - Bella Dia has a how-to for this Vintage Vertical Stripe Crocheted Blanket:

Now on to the knit patterns - Loop Knits has the pattern for this pretty Wave Blanket:

Lion Brand gives the free pattern for this super simple Diagonal Comfort Blanket, which would look great with stripes:

Classic Elite Yarns offers the free downloadable pattern for this Lacy Chunky Throw, designed by Wenlan Chia:

BrooklynTweed shares the pattern/chart for this gorgeous Hemlock Ring Blanket:

Knitty.com has several great blanket patterns, like Lizard Ridge by Laura Aylor:

I love this simple but super cool looking OpArt blanket by Melissa Dominguez:

And Totally Autumn by Anne Hanson is a nice, lacy design:

Fibercrack'd offers a download of this Serenity blanket pattern, also available on ravelry:

Also available on ravelry is Frankie Brown's Ten Stitch Blanket - I love this scrap-busting version by shine:

For a simple, cabled design, Lion Brand gives us this Cable Comfort Throw:

Also on Lion Brand, this Tree of Life Afghan is much more complex but beautiful:

A couple more for download through ravelry - Alexis Layton designed this pretty Radiating Star Blanket:

And you can download a pdf of this Moderne Log Cabin Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting - this one was made by mookyelk:

Hope this helps you keep warm through the winter! As always, if you have a favorite knit or crochet blanket pattern, share it in the comments!

What I Wore, Mad Men

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:22:58 EST

I love the styles on Mad Men. Check out this show on how-to recreate a classic 60's look from our new sister network, Confashional.

Let me know what you think of the new show and of course the Mad Men style in the comments below.

YOUR Take on our Halloween Tutorials!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:09:08 EST

We had so many pictures sent to us from Thread Heads who made costumes based on our tutorials this year! Thanks everyone for sending in your pictures...you all did an amazing job!!! xoxo c (description from who made the costume is under their picture.)

Shelby Rude "so, as soon as i saw the tutorial for the mad hatter costume, i knew my photographer buddy, red williamson, would be absolutely STOKED on it, and want to do a photoshoot. so i pitched the idea to him and we spent about an hour planning it out. in the end, we decided since i was making a feminine version of the mad hatter, that we should have a boy in the shoot to be alice. so thats where my buddy nick came in. then i spent the next 5 days, and about 40 bucks making our costumes. i could not be more pleased with the quality and appearance of both of these outfits. this morning we all woke up early, headed out in some woods, and did a photoshoot for about an hour. we went absolutely crazy with this shoot. red williamson is an amazing photographer with the greatest energy and greatest ideas. anyone interested in getting some photos done in the northwest NEEDS to check this man out. www.newspinphoto.com"

Rachel Wase
"I made this costume and it turned out so awesome! thanks for the video. I couldn't have done it with out your video."

Chesire "After watching the awesome tutorial I had to try my hand at making some alice in wonderland costumes. Unfortunately my partner and I didnt have a glue gun or a sewing machine or poster board for that matter but we made do with lots of hand sewing and pva glue. Also this was our first time doing any sort of sewing or general diy stuff so the work was certainly dodgy and i doubt the costumes will stand the test of time but they made it through the night so mission accomplished."

Steve Czarnecki

Masquerade
"Mmmmk guys. So I'm not new to Threadbangers, but this is my first post evaar! I've been around for a while but I've been too afraid to post anything. But finally, my hour has come! I actually have something to post about! I'm going to a Halloween party tonight, and I am going as The Mad Hatter, from Tim Burton's new movie. And my twin sister is joining me as Alice. This is the first time I have made a costume pretty much out of stuff from the Goodwill."

"Hello! I only want to be thankful to them by the tutorial Mad Hatter Costume, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, it and Saturday 31 I was myself of cavern, it competes and it gains the first place. I am very contented and I already am fan of all videos. I add photos to them so that they see the results. Thanks again, from Tlaquepaque Jalisco, Mexico. David Israel."

Heather H "I actually won a prize at this costume party- thanks, Threadbanger!"

Clock Work Clown
"First poster here in forums, just in time for halloween! I got really inspired by the tutorial on the mad hatter costume, but didn't want to make it exactly like the movie version, I decided to make it in my own style."

by Jen15580 "Hey Threadbanger, My first real big project."

Lindsay Nelson "My mad hatter costume was a hot in DC. Though you can't see it, I repurposed a mini skirt and garter to sexy it up and feminize it. Thanks for the tutorial!"

by FlyGirl711

Trudy4Life "After seeing the mad hatter episode i decided that would be my chosen halloween costume, plus its my friends birthday with a fairytale theme so it was perfect. My friend Jen is going to be my March Hare so I made her matching ears and a tail. I put my own little spin on in, sexed it up a little. I hope you all like!! and Thanks Threadbanger for a wicked tutorial, I maight not be able to keep my head up all night, but at least my friends wont lose me!!!!"

Joy (Butterfly Demise on the forums)

by FashionistaCreep

Alice "Thank you Threadbanger for the ideas, and to GoodWill for the jacket and pants..."

Jinx
"hey guys just wanted to share the glove i made inspired off of the last episode."

"TY Threadbanger! I had a great time crafting this mask! Keep doing what you guys are doing! AmbicionEterna, Long Time Subscriber"

Nicole Kimball "Thanks for the YouTube video!"

"Used your tutorial to make the mask for my daughter's crow costume... Thanks! The daughter wants to make sure I tell you "you guys are awesome! I wanna do everything that you show us" ~Amber & Aislinn"

Kat Menicanin "I loved the mask video and attempted to replicate the process for Halloween. I made a mask for myself (I went as a valkyrie for halloween) and a helmet for my boyfriend (he went as Odin). I used the same plaster strips for the helmet but also put pocked paper towel over top paper mache style to give it a textured look of dimpled metal. the horns are made from scrunched up newspaper with a tinfoil core for molding. i covered it with tape then proceeded to wrap it up with twine I had laying around. then painted it gold for effect. For the mask i trimmed it after it had set to contour it to my face more so since this angles would be hard to achieve in the initial casting process. then after cutting up some bristle board and heading to the dollar store for jewels and feathers i painted it all up and went crazy with the glue gun. Thanks so much Threadbanger for your videos:)"

How-to Hem Pants via Craft

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:37:54 EST

CRAFTzine has a great vid on how-to hem pants. I am 5'1 and a half" (I am very proud of that half inch) and have so many pants that are way too long...this is going to help alot:)

Care Bears On Fire, "Barbie Eat a Sandwich"

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:35:32 EST

My good friend Daisy made this amazing music video for our sister network, $99 Music Videos. Care Bears On Fire are super talented and so young. Call me inspired. Tell us what you think in the comments.

Weekly DIY Roundup: Crafted Scarves!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:20:15 EDT

It's starting to get chilly around here, and that means it's time to break out my many handmade scarves! I love making scarves, with their basic simplicity and endless creative possibility, and I've already done a roundup of knit+crochet scarves, as well as scarflets and cowls, so this set of scarves is all non-knit/crochet. Some sewn, some no-sew, some from recycled clothing, some reconstructions of store bought scarves... Starting with Rachel's super awesome T-Shirt Memory Scarf on Craft: blog!

This ruffly scarf on Ruffles & Stuff is also made from a recycled t-shirt (or you could make it from several for a multi-colored look!):

Craft: has a tutorial by Brookelynn for sewing this Ruffled Scarf from a recycled sweater:

Mary Ray on CraftStylish shows us how to make a spiral scarf:

And I love this CraftStylish tutorial by Diane Gilleland for a Recycled Necktie Scarf (you could try lining it with wool for a winter version):

Some Girls Wander blog made a pretty scarf from vintage doilies:

I love these Scrap Scarves, with a full tutorial on Javajem Knits blog:

Shawn Connally on Craft: talks about her favorite scarf, which is similar to the scrap scarf style, but with a couple of cool features:

And here's a totally different kind of scrap scarf, with tutorial by Mary Ray on CraftStylish:

Make and Takes has a how-to for this Easy Fringe Fleece Scarf:

I just contributed a tutorial to Dollar Store Crafts, for this no-sew buttoning scarflet, which uses a fringed fleece scarf from the dollar store:

And those fleece scarves are a huge inspiration to many a thrifty crafter! Check out Dollar Store Crafts' Fleece Scarf Gallery, featuring these awesome Hand-Printed Fleece Scarves from curbly:

I'll leave you with one more scarf I made, but with no tutorial - it's super simple though, just pieces of felted recycled sweater wool, sewn together to make a big, warm scarf! Get creative, since scarves can be any kind of cozy long rectangle you can create! Happy Autumn crafting!

Meg's Blood Spatter Effect How-to with ETSY!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:08:35 EDT

Here is the blood template!

Cutest Beret I Have Ever Seen.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:55:20 EDT

I have a love/undying appreciation for berets. My Great Grandma Mitchell used to wear one every day. I inherited a green one and a brown one and I love them soooo much. I just found some really cute ones on Etsy by Dadaya - Tiny Toad Stool. They are definitely fit for a pixie. I wish I knew how to make one...anyone know how???? xoxox c

It's National Cat Day!

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:24:05 EDT

picture via icanhascheezburger

Spend some extra time with your kitties today and show them how much you love them.

Threadbanger in the News!

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:54:55 EDT

This week has been Threadbangers biggest week ever! Today we're spotlighted on the front page of I-Tunes , this weekend on the front page of Youtube, and yesterday on MTV's Buzzworthy Blog. Check em out and thanks for all the support everyone!

Rob Czar

Weekly DIY Roundup: Halloween Crafting!

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:45:54 EDT

I can't resist another Halloween themed roundup, with so many great projects out there! Starting with roundups from other crafty websites - WhipUp has a couple of them (Halloween roundup pt.1 and pt.2). I love this project they featured by Betz White - Jack the Hoop-o-lantern!

And Dollar Store Crafts has a couple of Halloween roundups also - Halloween Crafting Ideas, and Halloween Decor, with projects like this Dead Fairy decoration by varifiresis on craftster:

Dollar Store Crafts also has a tutorial for these creepy Halloween birds, by Dot of Dabbled:

And speaking of Dabbled, Heather of Dollar Store Crafts did a tutorial over there for this Spooky Tree:

My Insanity blog explains how to make these Jack-o-lantern Jars:

Scatter Sunshine made this great Halloween candle holder with dollar store materials:

How about orange blog shows us how to make these spooky packing tape transfers:

Heidi Kenney on My Paper Crane made these Halloween window silhouettes from fabric, so they can be reused year after year:

I love this ultra creepy Halloween Wunderkammer by Poopscape Projects:

Craft: blog has a bunch of fun Halloween projects - like these Paper Bag Luminaries by Marie LeBaron:

Cathy Callahan shows us how to make adorable Halloween Popcorn Balls:

And also on Craft, Future Craft Collective has a how-to for Halloween T-Shirt Trick or Treat bags:

Lastly, don't miss my Pumpkin Carving roundup from last year, with all kinds of crazy ideas, like this blow fish pumpkin by Tippy on curbly:

Ok that's all I've got for you - if you come across any more awesome Halloween project tutorials, share them in the comments! Happy spooky crafting!

Ripple Crocheted Blanket Pattern

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:29:39 EDT

I want to make this blanket. Period.

I discovered this great blog, Attic24, which focuses on crocheting. It's great because not only because there are some awesome tutorials sprinkled throughout the posts, but also because Lucy loves bright colored yarn. And I dig her color sense.

One of the simplests projects she has listed is a ripple pattern for use in making a blanket. She has closeup photos of every step, which makes understanding the steps that much easier.

Don't you just love being inspired by a project you just stumble upon?

What projects are you really into right now?

Weekly DIY Roundup: Knit and Crochet Halloween Costumes!

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:29:00 EDT

Here at Threadbanger, we've done tons of Halloween related posts and episodes already, including my costume roundup from last year, but it's just such a crafty holiday, there's always more to show you! So this year I'm sticking to just knit/crochet patterns for something a little different this time. Starting with these freaking awesome Dr. Horrible Goggles designed swingkitty007 (ravelry designer link). If you love Dr. Horrible as much as I do, you might want to try her Penny Wristwarmers pattern too.

The same crochet designer has a free ravelry download for this fabulous Cthulhu Beard Hat!

Fans of the game Katamari Damacy (I've watched my guy playing it a few times - what a nutso game!!) check out this Prince of All the Cosmos earmuffs design! The pattern is by Nikol Lohr, on Shojo Beat, and the pictured example is by Mintyfresh on Pepperknit:

I love this Waldo costume by knitn2003 on flickr (ravelry link) - the sweater is a basic crew neck pullover with added stripes, and the hat is just a basic hat pattern with appropriate colors. Wiseneedle has a hat pattern specifically designed as a Where's Waldo hat!

I've never seen Doctor Who, but I sure am a fan of his scarf! There is a whole website dedicated to the scarf - doctorwhoscarf.com - with the exact stripe pattern. The fabulous pictured example is by Cuddlefish on Love*Craft:

This is a good time to mention, another roundup I did awhile back that you might want to check out for knit/crochet costume ideas is the Movie Costume and Accessory Projects - I don't like to have a lot of overlap in my roundups, so there are some good designs on that one that you won't find here... Another TV show costume design is this Brain Slug from Futurama, designed by NanoPants Dance:

One last roundup you might want to take a peek at is Ski Masks, which includes several possible costume ideas - and I am going to repeat the Jackyll & Hide mask here because it's such a great one for Halloween. The pattern is by SAS Knits it Again on Knitty, but the version pictured below is by Hello Yarn...

....and one more just because I love how it looks with the glasses and hat - this one is by Spinning Jenny. (If you want a full on Jack costume, swingkitty007 also has a crochet pattern on ravelry for Jack Skellington Inspired Wristwarmers.)

Another mask included in that mask roundup is Bokaclava from Things and Ideas, which is an excellent free pattern, by the same designer (ravelry link) who has a few totally amazing mask patterns for sale - Cthulhuclava (ravelry link):

Dracoclava (ravelry link):

And my personal favorite, both because of the major creepiness and the awesome name, Baalaclava:

Momwithahook on Instructables shows us how to crochet this Mustache Hat Costume:

The Little Cloud blog has a free pattern for this TMNT Mask - heroes in a half shell!!

Who Needs Gauge?! blog has this ninja mask pattern, with stockinette stitch and garter stitch versions:

Stitch Diva Studios offers a free pdf pattern download for this Hairpin Lace Crochet Mask:

And for a more basic crocheted mask, Priscilla Hewitt designed this Masquerade Mask:

I'll end with a couple of patternless costume ideas - Skrillaknits (ravelry link) made this Björk costume, knit with fun fur and some leftovers for the head. Love it!

And this one isn't actually knit or crocheted, but it's definitely a costume for knitters/crocheters! Find Katerina's Big Ball of Yarn!

Threadbanger Guild October 2009 Spotlight Banger

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:00:25 EDT

Your TB name and Name of your Etsy shop as well as the link to it.

simply_hibiscus but i really like to go by thea
and my etsy shops name is Lucys Colorful Dreams (www.simplyhibiscus.etsy.com)

How did you hear about Threadbanger?

I heard about threadbanger through blogging and i'm so glad I did

How long have you been sewing/crafting?

Only a couple months with sewing and crafting since I was very young

What inspires your creations and creativity?

anything and everything

What have you made this month/or lately?

i've been making lots and lots of plushies and i've been getting more into my detailed little monsters.

What do you plan to accomplish in the future with your sewing/crafting skills? Or shop?

making more money, filling more homes with my critters, and making more people happy.

Is there anything you'd like to say to the fellow guild members and Thread Heads out there?

Everyone on threadbanger is awesome, keep up the great motivation to do your own thing and create your own style. We need more creative people in this world and to many people are getting lazy to do it themselves but thats why we're here! ^_^

What is your favorite aspect of the guild?

I love that I know just about everyone in it and talk to them frequently its a nice family feeling.

Here's a few of simply_hibiscus' favorite creations

Episode Almost Done !

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:26:45 EDT

This week we're running a bit behind making awesome costumes for you. hit us back up in a little while for this weeks Halloweeny How To , where we show you how to create one of this seasons biggest costumes...the mad hatter.

Weekly DIY Roundup: Trivets, Pot Holders, and Table Decor!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:35:00 EDT

Diane's genius trivet made from recycled wool yo-yos inspired me to do some searching and round up a bunch of trivets, pot holders, and other assorted table items for you! Starting, of course, with the Felted Sweater Trivet by Diane Gilleland of Craftypod:

There are many ways to make trivets from wine corks - Apartment Therapy shows us one method, which uses an adjustable metal pipe clamp:

And Still Dottie made this one by sewing the cork pieces together:

Design*Sponge has a tutorial for these stenciled trivets:

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories shows us how to make an awesome Computer Chip Trivet:

Moving on to pot holders... Jenny Ryan did a how-to on Craft for this Simple Quilted Potholder:

Etsy's blog offers a tutorial for Patchwork Style Pot Holders, from the book Patchwork Style by Suzuko Koseki:

Artsy-Crafty Babe shows us how to make Dishtowel Potholders:

Make and Takes has a how-to by Kelsey of Vanilla Joy for these clever Blue Jean Pot Holders:

No tutorial here, but I have to include this set of freaking fabulous crocheted pot holders by meekssandygirl on Craftster (click to see all 9 of them!):

I already included this tutorial in a weaving roundup awhile back, but I can't leave it out of this one - especially since I just scored a vintage metal loom just like this one, so now I'm super excited to use it with sock loops! DIY Sock Potholder on re-nest:

The Purl Bee has a detailed how-to for these colorful Woven Felt Placemats:

Vintage-craftiness expert Cathy Callahan posted on Craft about making Vintage-Inspired Tabletop Decor:

Also on Craft, Betz White shows us how to Sew a Table Runner:

And lastly, Chez Beeper Bebe spent the summer making 40 assorted cloth napkins, and offers a downloadable 5-part tutorial for all 5 styles: basic, rick rack, ruffled, appliqué, and embroidered!

For some reason, Autumn, and the feeling of impending Winter, makes me want to do home projects - reorganizing and decorating type stuff. So I'll definitely be playing around with some of these ideas! As always, if you have a favorite table decor project I didn't mention, let us all know in the comments!

Weekly DIY Roundup: Game-Related Knit+Crochet Projects!

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:43:31 EDT

I just released my first ebook last night, which is all about a concept of playing a game with your knitting to create a random design - I'm so excited that it's finally done and out in the world, this week I've rounded up a bunch of projects that somehow combine games and knit or crochet! I've already done a roundup of Nintendo knit and crochet projects and one of assorted crafted games so this one is just knit/crochet patterns that involve actual game playing in some way (not costumes of game characters, etc). Starting with this knit, felted Mancala game, designed by Wendy Wonnacott on Knitty:

Kpixie has a crochet pattern for this Mini Roll-Up Checkerboard:

And Lion Brand offers a pattern for a crocheted Felted Checkers Set:

And one more - Coats and Clark has a crochet pattern for a Checkers Board Game (pieces and all):

Momcrochets designed this Tic-Tac-Tote, with a tic-tac-toe grid on the front, so you can take the pieces out of your bag and play a game whenever you feel like it:

I could easily do an entire roundup of dice bag patterns (yay geek crafts!) so I'm just choosing a small assortment for you today, starting with Katydid Knits' Geek Chic Dice Pouch (in 3 sizes):

I like the look of this knit D4 Shaped Dicebag by Claire on Livejournal:

Bronwyn on Livejournal designed this Hogwarts House Colors Drawstring Bag (which could of course be knit in other colors too):

Jessie McKitrick's crochet Tapestry Dice Bags pattern is just available on ravelry, so sign up for a rav membership if you're not already a member!

Nina knits designed this super pretty Deep Sea Flower Dice Bag:

And lastly for the bags, Arcana Vitae offers the pattern for this Cthulhu Dice Bag... of Glory! Nerdy to the max, in the best way!

Now for some video game system cases - not as related to game-play as the other pattern types, but if video games are your games of choice, then a handcrafted case would be cool, right? Random Thoughts in Funky Fringe blog has a pattern for this Jayne Style DS Cozy (I love combinations of different nerdiness in one project!):

This is a Crayon Disaster! blog has a pattern for this DS Case with Game Pockets:

Fruppi on Instructables designed a croceted Nintendo DS case, but with a slideshow of photos so I can't show you here. And I really love Mimi Hill's Dapper Nintendo DS cosy case, available on ravelry:

ImperiestroMary posted this Zelda-Themed Game Boy Cozy knitting pattern on craftster:

This crocheted Magnetic Katamari pattern on Amy's Babies is video gamed themed, but it actually functions (so awesome!) so I'm including in here for you:

Now for some projects similar to my Game Knitting concept - I knew I wasn't the first to think of the idea of creating randomness in knitting (or crochet) by playing some kind of game, and I've found a few patterns out there that involve throwing dice to determine pattern randomness, like this Vegas Scarf:

Josie Mercier's Chaos sweater on Knitty uses a die to design this awesome looking random cables pattern:

I love this Freeform Crochet project that was a crochet-along for National Crochet Month last year - every day of the month members were given instructions (for example, March 12 instructions: Please measure the length of your hair in centimetres, and do that many back post trebles, in a new yarn.) so that at the end of the month they had a crazy, random crocheted piece, like the pictured one by Devasha on ravelry. You could totally play the game from the instructions for fun, even though the month is over!

Well I hope there are other fiber and game nerds like me out there who enjoyed this roundup! Add any other fun projects in the comments that incorporate yarny goodness and game playing together at last! I'll leave you with an item knit with my Game Knitting concept - you can check out details about the ebook on my blog. Now go play! (or knit! or crochet!)

DIY Organic Breakfast

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:25:09 EDT

Whether you make your own clothes and decorations because it’s fun, cheap, sustainable or all three, you know you’re helping your wallet - and the planet. Another great way to be sustainable, creative and cheap is by cooking using local and seasonal food. Enter Working Class Foodies, one of the shows on our new sister channel Hungry Nation. Siblings Max and Rebecca Lando can help you tap into another creative side of yourself by showing how to cook delicious meals for less than $8 a person using only local and seasonal foods.

On the recent episode, “Eggless Breakfast” Max and Rebecca wake up to realize they’re out of eggs and must come up with a delicious, cheap breakfast using what's at home and at the local fruit stand. They show off their resourceful side to create granola with compote using only oats, maple syrup and fruit for just over $4 a person. They were even able to save some for another day without eggs.

Check out the new show below, and leave a comment. Make sure to go to Hungry Nation to find more episodes and subscribe to Working Class Foodies if you like what you see.

Weekly DIY Roundup: Photo Projects from Photojojo!

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:00:18 EDT

Have you heard about Photojojo's new book? It's amazing! I wrote a short review on my blog (where I also geeked out about how excited I am to have contributed), and I also wrote about the Photojojo website awhile ago here on Threadbanger. So to celebrate the book's release, I've rounded up some of my favorite DIY photo projects from the website - there are so many different kinds of projects, I've limited this list to ones that use printed photos, but click around the site to find projects you can do with cameras, photography shooting projects, and lots more!

First, a bunch of fun frame ideas - I love these Cardboard Hipster Frames!

Check out how awesome DIY Cardboard Ring Frames look - genius!

This Amoeba-Shaped Cork Board Photo Frame is cool looking and practical:

I love board games, so I'm totally into these Scrabble (and more) Board Picture Frames:

This one is simple, recycley, and oh-so-clever - Glass Jar Frames:

As the post says, gaze into your wine glass and see someone gazing right back at you with these Wine Glass Photo Frames:

Here's a great one for a few weeks from now - make a Pumpkin Photo Holder:

I love lenticular images, learn to make an old fashioned one in 4 easy steps:

I'm definitely going to try this one: DIY Photo Pop-Outs, fun!

Make a Magnetic Photo Bookmark - so cool looking!

I am a huge fan of photo murals, and have made several over the years, but I never thought to put one on the ceiling!

These last 2 are also in the book! Make your own Photo Snow Globes:

These Photo Ornaments are so cool, I want to hang them around my home year-round!

So check out the book for many more amazing projects, I can't recommend it highly enough!!

Forums down for a bit....sorry

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:02:51 EDT

hey threadheads and threadbangers alike...we're experiencing some technically difficulties on our end over on the forums. But dont fret, we're takin care of it and will have the problems corrected soon. So if your having problems logging in, chill, go make something cool and log back in, in a little bit. thanks yo !

-Rob Czar

Weekly DIY Roundup: Notebooks!

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:21:22 EDT

Last year around this time of year I did back to school roundups of backpacks & messenger bags and pens, pencils, & cases, so for this year's schooly time of year I decided to bring you a collection of fun notebook projects. I love notebooks - I have one I carry with me everywhere, for keeping track of ideas, designs, addresses, quotes, anything I want to remember, then I have several more around the house for specific purposes. So I'm always excited about cool projects to dress up the notebooks I already have, or make more from scratch, since I can never have too many! I love these little notebooks made with playing cards for covers - Diane of Craftypod gives a full tutorial:

Su of Tangle Crafts did a tutorial for Craft Leftovers for these cute PaintChip Notebooks:

Those use the same basic idea as (or similar to) these Matchbook Notepads on Design*Sponge - I love the idea of making separate tiny notebooks for reminders of books, music, and movies you want to check out!

Paper and Stitch gives a tutorial for making notebooks with recycled papers and memory game cards:

I love these colorful sticky note clipboards by Next to Heaven (via Dollar Store Crafts):

I also like this sticky note project - Greetingarts' Sticky Notes Books:

This Crazy Postcard Notebook by Kiko on Cut Out + Keep uses up junk mail postcards and scrap paper:

Heather Bailey offers a free downloadable tutorial for this cute Mini Notebook:

I like these simple Creative Notepads on esprit cabane:

Les Plus Beauxx give a tutorial for this easy 5 Minute Notebook, which uses a paint swatch for a colorful decoration:

Skip to My Lou shows us how to make a Notepad using silicone sealant to hold the pages together, and also offers the downloadable to-do list that you can print out and use:

If I make that type of notebook, I'll be using Vale Design's The Freakin Never Ending To Do List, and maybe I'll make a Threadbanger roundup version as well, with The Dreamy Blog Topics To Post List!

I did a tutorial on CraftStylish for making an All-Recycled Sketchbook, using an old book cover and recycled papers:

Also on CraftStylish, Diane Gilleland did a couple of notebook tutorials - first, this Woven Scrap Journal, which uses leftover cardboard, yarn, fabric, and paper:

And she shows us how to make these spiral notebook felt covers, which you can embellish with buttons as she did, or you could use appliqué, embroidery, weaving, or the craft of your choice to personalize your cover!

Speaking of personalization, Red Velvet Art sells amazing kits to make your own customized 2010 planners, but you could also get tons of inspiration for crafting your own creations within their planner instructions blog post. I LOVE all the colors and patterns, and the addition of a mini sewing kit in the back of the planner, and the yarn embroidered tree on the cover!

Up at the top you can see some notebooks I put together for my leethal Quick Knits Club, using basic dollar store notebooks, glued-on recycled cardboard covers, and hand-carved stamps. Now collect some scrap paper, get inspired, and make some awesome books to hold your ideas, lists, and everything else that needs remembering! If I missed any good projects, add them in the comments!

Threadbanger Guild September 2009 Spotlight Banger

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EDT

Your TB name and Name of your Etsy shop as well as the link to it.

tb name: maniacalmickey
etsy shop: whoabot:vestures (whoabotvestures.etsy.com)

How did you hear about Threadbanger?
I first heard about Threadbanger when Yahoo! made a featured article about them.

How long have you been sewing/crafting?
I've been sewing and designing since December of 2006.

What inspires your creations and creativity?
The majority of my inspiration comes from the nature I observe around me, as well as random pieces of art or music that I come across. I'm also very much inspired by random people's personalities, and the embodiment of a single color.

What have you made this month/or lately?
(What kind of style or item are you making lately?)
Well lately I've put all of my focus on producing my line of whoabot shirts, but as for sewing I'm working on my Fall line which includes a piece inspired by my late cat and also a few inspired by a fascination with nature.

What do you plan to accomplish in the future with your sewing/crafting skills? Or shop?
I plan to establish and manage a few branches of environmentally-friendly whoabot stores as well as design textiles and patterns. I also hope to raise money for a few charities of interest and help spread "eco-awareness" through some DIY techniques.

What is the meaning of life to you?
If I can quote comedian Demetri Martin who quoted Socrates in his 2004 show "If I": "The unexamined life is not worth living, man."

Is there anything you'd like to say to the fellow guild members and Thread Heads out there?
Hey errybody, you guys make me proud to be a part of threadbanger. I'm constantly amazed and impressed by new and old works introduced to the forums. Keep it up. snipsnipsnip.

What is your favorite aspect of the guild?
My favorite aspect of the guild is how much the guild promotes supporting our fellow guild members. It is vital for any guild to support it's members through their endeavors, and it's great to work together with awesome people who share a similar passion as you do.

Here are a few of maniacalmickey's Favorite Creations

Kara Janx Flower Pattern

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:38:32 EDT

Download the PDF.

Weekly DIY Roundup: Craft Space Organization and Inspiration!

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:31:00 EDT

I am currently working on a major studio reorganization project, figuring out the best ways to keep my abundance of craft materials in order and looking nice, so I've been looking for ideas online. Wow, there are some amazing craft rooms out there! So I've rounded up a collection of organization ideas, rooms, and resources, for ultimate organization motivation!

The above two photos are from my studio (back when I first moved in and things were neater), to show you a couple of my ideas. At the top, I nailed thin nails into a scrap of wood, diagonally (pointing upwards) for a thread holder, and I covered a basic cork board with a piece of vintage fabric for a crafty inspiration board. And then above, I got a bunch of cheap closet organizers from Ikea to hold a closet full of yarn and other materials. Below, you can see how I've wrapped fabric around pieces of recycled cardboard for neat boxes of fabric.

Now for some cool DIY organization ideas, starting with Craftynest's craft/tool station made from a bunch of different found objects and cheap parts, like pocket planters, spice racks, and hooks:

This modular water jug storage bins project by randofo on instructables makes me want to start drinking water from jugs, so I can reuse them this way!

Laughing purple goldfish designs shows us that magazine holders make for great yarn storage:

Hipgirl has an instructable for this box storage system, which you could totally make with recycled boxes, of course:

I love this idea on Apartment Therapy of storing books in the rafters!

This art supply shelf on Curbly was made by putting holes into a basic shelf, then slipping cups into the holes:

I love Teresa Franco's idea for storing zippers with safety pins and push pins, which could be used for ribbons or other supplies too:

And on to some bigger concepts - Jannypie built an amazing craft desk with some cubicle storage units, MDF, boards, table legs, basic building supplies, and paint:

Brookelynn at Craft: blog posted about her craft room on a cart, perfect for crafters with super limited space:

Now for my favorite part, craft room inspiration! There are so many fabulous rooms out there! Craft: did a small roundup of some great ones, like Soule Mama's colorful room:

Modish has a craft room roundup too, which includes this space belonging to Lainey:

Possibly my favorite of all the craft rooms I've been peeking into today is Amber's on my aim is true - all that great color! Love!!

Modish highlights the space of Miss Alison, which has some excellent organization going on:

I love seeing before and after room glimpses, and Paula's studio on Design*Sponge is a great makeover:

Apartment Therapy Unplggd shows us Megan's craft room, which does a fabulous job of looking clean and neat with all those small supplies:

A great resource for DIY home ideas is Design*Sponge's diy projects archive - I like this shelf made from a wooden magazine holder:

And I am a total Ikea addict when it comes to home decor and organization, so I love looking to Ikea Hacker blog for ideas; there's even a craft category, with ideas like using plastic bag holders for yarn storage!

And don't forget that you can find tons of great organization ideas right here on Threadbanger - like the Decor it Yourself episode about adding cork board, chalkboard paint, and velcro to a cabinet in your work space! Just search "organize" for lots more! And share your favorite ideas with us in the comments!

Celebrity DIY Style: The One Shoulder Look

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:39:49 EDT

When you flip through as many 'fashion' and 'celebrity' websites and magazines as what I do, you'll notice that many of the dresses and tops that people wear start looking alike - it's really just a few twists on some basic styles. However, every once in awhile, I come across a dress that grabs my attention. Today, it's the one-shouldered design. Apparently, I really love this style because as I was writing this entry, I discovered that I had already talked about this a year ago on Threadbanger! So is there any new patterns out there to help you create this look for yourself? Sadly, no - but only if you're looking for a commercial pattern (be sure to check out 'vintage' and out-of-print patterns on auction sites for some great one-shoulder looks). However, the interent is such a vast resource of creativity and talent, that there are several great tutorials to sew up an off the shoulder look: This set of video tutorials on Instructables will show you how to created a One Ruffle Shirt, while this video on YouTube deomonstrates how to make an one-shoulder design with sleeves, and be sure to watch this video on YouTube will show you a quick t-shirt recon. If none of these styles seem to pique your interest, then learn how to alter your pattern for the one-shoulder look. I think I'll be playing with this technique soon - clearly I need one of these designs!

Weekly DIY Roundup: Knit and Crochet Vests!

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:17:39 EDT

Being the first week in September, I thought now would be a good time to roundup some great Autumn weather vests! There are so many fabulous patterns out there, this list is narrowed down to just my personal favorites out of free patterns available online - do a ravelry search to find many more! (Not nearly as many crochet as knit, you'll find my crochet picks at the bottom.) I'll start with a simple-ish one, made unique by the neck/strap construction and the buttoning pockets - Vestish, designed by Robin Dodge on Metapostmodernknitting:

There are a ton of argyle vest designs out there, which I love! I would totally wear this Mangyle vest, by Sarah Sumner-Eisenbraun on Knitty:

Unicorn website offers a pattern for this basic Argyle Vest designed by Amanda Berka:

Craft: blog has a free podcast download of this Geek Chic Argyle Vest from the book Picture Perfect Knits by Laura Birek:

If you want a sillier version of the classic vest look, try Holli Yeoh's Drunken Argyle pattern on Knitty:

As for other colorwork designs, knitting4today blog has a Houndstooth Vest pattern:

I love this gorgeous Ultimate Stashbuster Vest on Exercise Before Knitting:

And Sivert Knits' Thistle Vest is amazing! (Only available as a Ravelry download, but if you don't already have an account, you should sign up!)

Moving on to some lace designs... I like the simplicity of this Eyelet Vest by Creativeyarn:

And I'm into the neck shape of this Fishtail Vest by Today I Made...:

I would like it longer, personally, but I like the stitch pattern in Fence by Maria Leigh:

Now some cables! Starting simple, with Boogie by Amy King on Knitty:

I love it when knit designs throw things off the norm, with things like sideways cables, like this Lyceum Vest by Ann S, which also features an optional belt (ravelry download only):

Honeycomb by Sarah Castor on Knitty uses a repeating cabled texture pattern:

I love hoods, so I'm super into JoyVest on Joy of Knitting!

Which brings me to the awesome hooded Lizard Vest, by gnaptorknits!

And check out this vintage design from 1962 - Hooded Poncho from Spinnerin Bulky Classics:

Next up, open-front designs, starting with zippers... The Purl Bee has a great detailed pattern for this Autumn Equinox Vest:

And Knit Picks offers the pattern for their Slipped Cable Vest - I love this version of it, knit by kayray on flickr:

SweaterBabe on Knitty designed this buttoning Talia vest:

Robin Dodge designed this uniquely belted Self Belt Vest for Metapostmodernknitting:

Drops Design offers the pattern for this tying Vest in Paris:

I super-love the weirdness of Hanne by Lia Moya on Knitty!

Now finally to the crochet - not too many good free crochet vest patterns out there, but I do love this Stash Buster Cardigan Vest by Chloe Nightingale on Crochet Me:

Crochet Me also has this cable-tastic Adventuring Sage Cable Vest by Even Howard:

Drops Design offers this Crochet Sleeveless Cardigan pattern:

Lion Brand has this Squares Vest pattern - and I bet it would be pretty simple to create other vest designs from granny squares!

As a bonus to non-knitters or crochets, or any lovers of clothing reconstruction, I'll include this tutorial I did on CraftStylish for turning pullover sweaters into vests:

I don't know about you, but I'm excited for some cooler weather so I can start wearing more layers, and vests are the perfect Autumn layer! Add any of your favorite designs that I missed in the comments!

Win Domino's Book of Decorating

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:24:53 EDT

This week's episode of Decor It Yourself shows us how to make clocks out of vintage tins, post cards, or anything else we have to recycle into something new and cool. We also learn that one lucky Threadbanger is going to win a copy of the Domino Book of Decorating! Simply send in your photos or videos of your coolest, most inspired DIY projects to Threadbanger by September 15th, Gracie's birthday. Where should you upload them you ask? RIGHT HERE!! I can't wait to see what you have been creating in your home, so hurry up and get thse videos and pictures in!

I have had the pleasure of looking through a copy, and this book is so incredibly beautiful and inspiring. There are endless design ideas and decor solutions in here, it is like a guide to lovely living. Don't miss this chance to win a copy!

Tie Pattern

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:57:34 EDT

Hey ya'll so here is the tie pattern in pdf form. It is not broken up so you can print it out with the average home printer but if you have a photo editing software like photoshop you can cut it up into 8 inch x10 inch pieces, save each as an individual layer, and print each layer separately. If you don't have a photo editing software, you can take it to kinkos and print it out. If you don't want to do either of those things, you can wait till we get back from burning man (whoo!) and I finish the one I started to cut up in photoshop.

Sorry again that it has taken so long. I should have just up loaded the full version right away so you could have a go at it but I thought I would be able to finish the one I was doing...but alas, there are only 24 hours in a day and only so much I could do (haven't slept for the last 2 days). On the bright side, we got press passes for Burning Man so we are going to have some awesome footage to share with you. I made a pretty awesome spider costume if I do say so myself:) Ok, enough of my blathering. Here's the pattern: Download Tie Pattern Zip

Thank you everyone for being so patient.

Much Love,

Weekly DIY Roundup: Earrings!

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:38:32 EDT

I did a tutorial a few days ago on my blog about making jewelry with recycled sweater wool, with a bit of a focus on earrings because they're my favorite to make, so today I'm rounding up a ton of earring-making projects I've found! In my post, I have examples of simple shapes like the hoop above, and embellished pieces like these embroidered ones:

I'll start with CraftStylish posts, because Susan Beal, author of Bead Simple, did some good intro-to-jewelry-making kind of tutorials over there. She links to a video on making simple drop earrings, and she wrote about how to make swingy, sparkly New Year's Eve earrings:

I did a how-to on CraftStylish for these easy two-bead earrings:

Jennifer Worick has a tutorial for beach glass earrings:

And Kayte Terry shows us how to make these cool dangly earrings with magazine pages:

Craft: blog has some great earring projects - like Nancy Minsky's DIY Eco-Hip accessories, featuring these Candy-Striped Rubber Drop earrings:

Sara K. Woll has a great tutorial for these awesome Super Fly Feather Earrings!

You can download a pdf tutorial for these Radial Raindrop Earrings, from the book Kilobyte Couture, which use resistors and capacitors!

And Stitch Diva Studios contributed a downloadable Craft: Pattern Podcast for these hairpin chandelier earrings:

Moving on to other blog/website tutorials (most of them found via Craft: blog), Lindsey Marcella shows us how to make Cascading Crystal Earrings:

Cut Out + Keep has a how-to by Cat Morley for these rad Sim Card Earrings:

Kaleesi on craftster wrote up a tutorial for these earrings using pictures printed out on photo paper:

And for an awesome photo earrings look, try using shrinkable plasic, like Photojojo explains here!

Crafty Ginger shows us how to make these tree branch earrings:

Zoxx on Instructables made these cool earrings from floppy disk parts!

Also on Instructables, mknowles shows how to make these Lego Earrings:

And davisjan has an instructable for Moebius strip earrings:

Dollar Store Crafts, a great resource always, has a tutorial for these earrings made from floral wire, by reader Jeri:

And Heather of Dollar Store Crafts pointed out a couple high-fashion-inspired earring projects - No Hassle Tassles by Carbon Couture...

...And Prada Resort Earrings by Fashionista:

Let's not forget ThreadHeads' own bottle cap earrings how-to podcast episode!

And I'll leave you with a few cool earrings without tutorials, just for some extra inspiration! I love these ruffled earrings that Brookelynn posted about on Craft: blog, which are by artist CJ:

Craft: also posted about these awesome looking vintage resistor earrings, by earrings101 on etsy:

Sloober on flickr made these cool PowerBook power button earrings - love them!

I hope this inspires any of you who've maybe thought about making earrings but not tried it yet - it's a lot easier than you might think, and so fun! I was making a lot of them last summer (a better hot-weather craft than knitting, for sure!) but I haven't done much lately, so I've inspired myself to break out my supplies and get crafting!

Tiki Cocktail Recipes

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:26:10 EDT

In this week's episode of Decor It Yourself, we transformed a backyard into a beach-themed tiki party. You can do the same with the help of these yummy cocktail recipes! BUT ONLY IF YOU ARE 21 AND NOT DRIVING:) If you are under-age, try the last recipe, the virgin pina colada. They are delicious, and my personal fav!

For the Blue Hawaiian you saw Anthony making....

Blue Hawaiian:

1 ounce light rum
1 ounce of blue Curacao
2 ounces of pineapple juice
2 ounces of coconut juice
1 pineapple slice & garnish with a cherry

And the other tiki drink options Anthony mentioned....

Zombie:

1 1/4 oz lemon juice
1 oz dark rum
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz cherry brandy
1/2 oz light rum
1/2 oz high-proof dark rum
2 dashes grenadine

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai:

1 ounce Dark Rum
1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Orange Curacao
2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
Dash Orgeat
Dash Simple Bar Syrup

Scorpian:

1 part Brandy
1 part dark rum
1 part fresh lime juice
1 part orange juice
1 part orgeat syrup
2 dashes of sugar syrup

Virgin Pina Colada:

1 cup crushed ice
7 ounces of pineapple juice
2 ounces of coconut cream

Drink responsibly and enjoy!

Dollar Store Crafts: Back-to-School Scarves

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:11:44 EDT

You probably have your back-to-school wardrobe covered already, but don't forget about accessories, especially lightweight scarves that can bring you through the end of summer and into fall! Here are some budget-friendly ideas for DIY scarves. You probably have some old clothes in your drawers that are ready to be transformed right now, and you can do any of these in about an hour or less.

Ruffly T-shirt Scarf: Make for FREE

Disney from the Ruffles and Stuff blog made this awesome ruffly scarf from a pair of jersey pants, but you can use any old t-shirt (or maybe last year's jersey sheets?) to make this pretty lightweight scarf.

Braided T-shirt Scarf: Make for FREE

Pickles designed a series of three braided scarves made out of jersey: braid in large, medium, or many small braids (shown). Another great use for a t-shirt past its prime.

Romantic Doily Scarf: Make for about $10

Emily from The Black Apple has a fun fashion blog called Some Girls Wander where she shared this scarf DIY project made from old doilies - so pretty! You can either raid the linen closet or check out your local thrift store to find a collection of doilies to stitch together.

And, bonus idea that's not a scarf but still sort of in the same category:

Jewelry For Your Shirt: Make for about $5

Craftster user lishshop made this jewelry to adorn her shirt using a kilt pin and some costume jewelry. You can customize this any way you want, and since the pins are removable, this is a versatile piece of jewelry that won't permanently change your basic tank or tee.

Visit Dollar Store Crafts for more cheap ideas for back-to-school.

Weekly DIY Roundup: Knit and Crochet Head Kerchiefs!

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:00:32 EDT

In the summer I normally wear a ponytail most days, but sometimes I like to mix it up and pull my hair back with a kerchief! There are a bunch of great summery knit and crochet patterns out there, like this one on the Purl Bee:

I like this simple-ish design too - Rosie the Riveter Kerchief on AmyBsKnititYourself:

And this basic Girl's Kerchief on knitting-and.com:

Moving on to more elaborate knit designs - this "Whimsy" Zig-Zag Mesh Kerchief is by Durandir on livejournal:

Mind's Eye Yarns has a pattern for the Lace Hair Kerchief - this one was knit by vocalizard on flickr:

I really like this Leaf Lace Kerchief on Knit Wiki:

This Ostrich Feather Lace Kerchief on The Twice Sheared Sheep Blog is gorgeous:

And this Franz Kerchief by Running Jack Knits is color-tastic:

I love Kristin LeMoine's Kri-Kerchief, which is available as a ravelry download, or direct pdf download:

Now for the crochet - Around the Crochet Table has a super simple pattern:

Classic Elite Yarns has a pattern for this beautiful Lacy Crochet Kerchief:

This pretty Winged Hair Kerchief is from Wrapped in Fiber:

And lastly, this Babushka is by Naida's Crochet:

So now you have some knit or crochet projects that you can both make and wear while it's still warm! This roundup idea was given to me by a twitter follower - as I've been doing roundups for about a year and a half now, it's getting harder for me to think of ideas each week, so let me know what you want to see! Follow me on twitter and you can give me your suggestions!

Celebrity DIY Style: Kate Gosselin Cowl Neck

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:52:12 EDT

It's not very often that I plan for a project and then find celebrity inspiration, but that's exactly what happened this weekend as I was surfing the web. Two weeks ago, Hot Patterns released two new designs including a fun, drapy top called the 3 Graces T-Shirts. I immediately snagged it up along with several yards of purple designer jersey from the Vera Lavendar collection. Little did I know that Kate Gosselin (of Jon & Kate Plus 8 fame) would show up in the exact top I was intending to make. If you're looking for a pattern that you can pick up at your local brick and mortar store, similar patterns include Vogue 9771 and Butterick 4132.

Call For Designers: Williamsburg Indie Designer Soiree is August 22nd!

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:25:02 EDT

If you are a designer in the NYC area and are looking for a great place to sell your wares, contact Bob Bland about participating in the Williamsburg Indie Designer Soiree this weekend. Not only is Bob the designer behind Brooklyn Royalty but she also curates awesome events like this and provides a great place for Brooklynites to get their indie on called the Arsenal.

For more info visit their website and look for a future video featuring Bob and BR! and if you are in Brooklyn this weekend stop by the Arsenal and do some shopping for indie goods.

Williamsburg Indie Designer Soiree
Saturday August 22nd, 2009
12AM to 7PM (Setup starts at 10am)
The Arsenal
153 Roebling Street
4th Floor, Studio 4B
(between Hope & Metropolitan Ave.)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Nearest Subway: Bedford L Train
Details: {Affordable} Handmade clothing, accessories and jewelry by local designers, music throughout the day, yummy 2 for 1 mimosas, and DIY bloody mary & beer specials.
Cost: Free!!

xoxox c

Dorm Decor Round-Up

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:20:56 EDT

A big congratulations to all of you heading off to college! It is an exciting time for many reasons, one being that this is your first chance to nurture your very own nest. Even if you are just starting off in a dorm room, you can make that space your own with a few helpful hints. In Decor It Yourself's back-to-school episode from last year, we show you how to decoupage your own college or art piece. You can do this to a piece of wood that is the same measurements as the top of your desk. Then place the new decoupaged wood piece on top to give your work space your own look and style. You can decoupage photos of friends and family from home, or a cool college from magazines. Click here to view it!

Click here to watch the episode where we show you the full tutorial on wall decals. And here is a blog post I did to give you more info and inspiration in the decal arena.

Here is the template for the bird decal I made on the show. Mine measured 10" from the tip of the dove's beak to the tip of her tail. make yours whatever size you want!

Design Sponge suggests this lovely vintage window message board. You can use a found object and create a unique way to leave messages for your roommate or friends.

Or take a vintage mirror with a cool, ornate frame. Remove the mirror, or salvage on that has the mirror broken, and paint that back part with chalkboard paper. re-vamp the frame, and you have an awesome area to write out your homework assignments and big deadlines.

They also suggest lining your desk or dresser drawers with bright and bold wrapping paper to add a touch of color and personality to the room.

Just because you live in a dorm doesn't mean you should have to suffer from lack-of-art! Nails or no nails, take a cue from this vintage Knol photograph. Line any shelf, desk, door frame with framed art to give your small space a gallery feel. Apartment Therapy gives this example of one shelf displaying an array of art.

I suggest giving yourself some privacy in a room you share with your new roomie. If you have bunk beds, you can simply drape, tuck or tack up a bold and beautiful curtain around your bed to give yourself a secret little spot.

If you need some space, curl up behind your curtain with a good book or your ipod, and escape the hustle and bustle of the start of a new school year. You can find this lovely Marimekko fabric at Always Mod.

Here is an article on helpful organizational tips for your dorm room. Like adding cement blocks under your bed to add a little more storage room from Rental Decorating.
And lastly, even CBS has a segment on dorm decor with style right here. Christy Ferer gives kids and their parents a lesson on cool dorm decor and helpful organization. I hope these get you off on the right foot for the new year. Congrats, good luck, and let us know how YOU are nurturing your nest while away at school in a comment below.

TBGuild: August Spotlight Banger: DazeoftheWeek

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:02:44 EDT

We are super excited to announce this month's Spotlight Banger:

Todd, known as Madonnaontherocks on the forums, makes the most spectacular jewelry ever, blending classic styles and antique pieces with modern influences. We're proud to have such talent on the guild. Read on below for an interview & lovely photos of his work!

1) Your TB name and Name of your Etsy shop as well as the link to it.

My name is Madonnaontherocks, and my etsy shop is Dazeoftheweek, at www.dazeoftheweek.etsy.com.

2) How did you hear about Threadbanger?

I first found it on youtube, it was during the summer and i think it was on the front page? Anyway, I remember it was the episode where they showed how to make a T-shirt quilt! And I've been here ever since... ^_^

3) How long have you been sewing/crafting?

I've been crafting... forr... Well, I guess I've been creating something all my life! But i've been making jewelry for a couple years now, and its a constant improvement for me.

4) What inspires your creations and creativity?

So many things! From jewelry on the runway, to old photos of women, clad with costume jewelry. I think everyone is inspired by nature, as well, one way or another. I like including bits of nature into some of my pieces, wether by using wood beads, or including a piece of coral in a cluster
I also like to put part of my inspiration into names for my items, sometimes.

5) What have you made this month/or lately?
(What kind of style or item are you making lately?)

I want to make larger, more glamourous pieces of jewelry. I have urges to make everything multi-stranded, chunkier, junkier, funkier, and make handmade more popular!
I'd say I'm making more jewelry that speaks to my soul.

6) What do you plan to accomplish in the future with your sewing/crafting skills? Or shop?

I just want people to wear Dazeoftheweek Jewelry, and be happy in it! I want to be able to sell at a craft show, but that'll take quite a while for Mr.Procrastination, here, to build up an inventory...

7) What is the meaning of life to you?

Life is how you live it. Make the most of what you have .

Also, 42.

8) Is there anything you'd like to say to the fellow guild members and Thread Heads out there?

Keep your awesome work up! And make sure to show your guild pride!

9) What is your favorite aspect of the guild?

The unity, where even though we all have such different styles, tastes, skills, ascetics, etc... we all are bound by the two factors, threadbanger and etsy! I think its a wonderful thing.

Here are a few of Madonnaontherocks' favorite items!

Be sure to click on any of these photos or the banner to visit Todd's shop!

Weekly DIY Roundup: Small Crochet Projects!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:27:42 EDT

Earlier this week, on my own blog, I reviewed Linda Permann's new book - Crochet Adorned - and then last night I got to go meet Linda and see the projects in person; all the great crochet embellishment and small crochet projects in this book have inspired me to round-up similar projects I've found around the web! Starting with a few by Linda herself, I love this Button-Bedecked headband!

Also on Craftstylish, Linda did a 2-part how-to for embellished crochet flowers, which can then be used to embellish clothing, bags, etc - part 1 on crocheting the flowers, and part 2 on embellishing them:

A great way to add some craftiness to a plain coat - Linda shows us how to crochet buttons:

And a good summer project by Linda - how to embellish flip-flops with crochet:

Creativeyarn has a ton of free crochet patterns for small accessories, like this pretty Lotus Flower Cuff...

And I love this flower headband:

Kootoyoo offers a slideshow how-to for this cute granny square necklace:

I've found a couple fun accessory projects which use plastic rings, like this supercool crocheted ring bracelet by Diane Gilleland on Craftstylish:

And Vickie Howell did a how-to on Craft: blog for this Tarina O-Ring Necklace:

Stitch Diva offers a free download for this Statement Necklace crochet pattern:

In the same spirit as the clothing projects in Crochet Adorned, Dolin O'Shea shows us how to crochet embellish a tank top on Craft:

House wares can be great small crochet projects too, like this Tribble Trivet by Kristin Roach of Craft Leftovers:

My Amphetamines & My Purls blog shows us how to make a bottle cap trivet with crochet:

This project is a little different from the theme, but I love it - use crochet to fill in a big hole on a sweater! Or, if you have a small hole, make it bigger so you can use this idea! By Andrea Dunlap on Craft:

A whole category of crochet patterns you can use as embellishment, or put together to make objects, are granny squares - I did a granny square roundup awhile back, so you can check that out for some patterns and project ideas. And I'll include one granny square pattern here as an example, because I just found it and love it - Granny Spiral by shortmom on crochetme:

For some more small crochet projects (and some larger ones too), I did a crochet kitchen stuff roundup back in March, and there's my quick knit and crochet patterns roundup from a few weeks ago. There are so many out there, but I just love the stuff in Linda's book, so these were kind of inspired by those projects... Share your favorite small crochet projects in the comments!

Bus Ride Fail

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:52:49 EDT

To all our Threadbangers who are going back to school, be safe and be yourself. We have a whole week of back to school episodes coming to you next week!!

Men's Shirt into Cute Summer Dress

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:46:17 EDT

Carly sent in a link to her blog "Chic Steals" where she posted this adorable dress she made out of a men's shirt. It is still pretty darn hot outside so give this little number a try and be sure to send in some pictures!

Weekly DIY Roundup: Sock Knitting!

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:10:11 EDT

If you're a knitter you probably are well aware that this weekend is Sock Summit - "the greatest sock show on earth... taking sock knitting almost too far"! I am one of the lucky ones, living in Portland, Oregon, a few miles away from the event (in fact, I'll be heading over there as soon as I post this!) but for most of you threadheads, not at the summit, and maybe not even knowing the first thing about knitting socks, I'm rounding up a wide variety of sock knitting projects so you can learn what it's all about, and admire some gorgeous designs...

I'll start with something simple - I think a great way to learn is to try knitting some mini-socks, or peds, like these Pom Pom Peds by The Purl Bee, with some great step-by-step photos for beginners.

Another good first sock design is Super Simple Short Sock by Radiant Twist:

There are all kinds of sock knitting tutorials (differing from patterns) out there, for different ways of constructing and knitting socks - a tutorial for the basic way of making one sock at a time on double pointed needles can be found by Silver here.

On knitty.com you can find the Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula, to learn how the construction works and then you can get creative with pattern specifics:

And then there's the method of knitting two toe-up socks at the same time on a circular needle, which you can find directions for by Silver, and also on Knit Picks.

So now I'll move on to the patterns! Knitty is a fantastic source of free sock patterns - check out this list of them all! One of the most popular patterns of them all is Cookie A's Monkey:

Spring Forward by Linda Welch is a pretty lace design:

For a simple, unisex pattern, there's Bobby Ziegler's Thuja:

And I love Star Athena's Halloween-themed Frankensocks!

Another free pattern source is Knotions, which just released this Tufted Diamonds pattern by Jody Pirrello, and will be posting 2 more socks in the next two days, to celebrate Sock Summit!

Moving on to independently published patterns, I love asymmetrical design, so I'm totally drawn to these Mojo socks on Some Knitting Required:

One of the all-around most popular sock patterns out there is Jaywalker by Grumperina, available as a ravelry download, or a toe-up version can be found here. I love this pair knit by indychick_uk on flickr:

Anne Campbell has an assortment of patterns downloadable on her site - I love the Circle Socks (this pair was knit by weeblet2001 on flickr):

Wendy Knits offers a huge collection of free sock patterns, like this one called Rivulets Socks:

Knitzi offers this beautiful Nutkin Sock pattern:

Cat Bordhi designed these fancy Houdini Socks, free through Twist Collective:

And if you're into colorwork, check out these gorgeous Tulip Socks on the Purl Bee:

And while every sock pattern above is offered for free, I urge you to explore for-sale patterns out there and support independent designers when you find a pattern you love! The only way designers are able to give us the free patterns is by selling some... One of my personal favorites is Tron Socks, designed by Star Athena - inspired by the 80's movie and video game!

This was a tough roundup because there are hundreds of sock patterns available on the internet, so I tried to choose a variety of different types of patterns for you. If you are looking for a particular kind of sock (lace, colorwork, cables...), do a ravelry search and get more specific to narrow down the results. By the way, I am not a sock knitter myself, but I'm just starting to get interested in socks, thanks to Sock Summit (that's the beginning of my first ever knit sock up at the top), and I'm having fun with it! Hope I've inspired you to try it out too!

The best places to find fabric

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EDT

I'm not easily inspired walking through the walls of fabric bolts at JoAnns, but when I see great prints in the forums and on Etsy, I begin to wonder, where are the best places to find fabric? Here are some great resources for finding interesting goods:

ReproDepot offers a wide selection of fabrics that are either replicated or inspired by vintage fabric. Here are some of my favorites from their very large selection:

Warm Biscuit also has an array of vintage inspired fabrics available online. My favorites include:

If you don't want reproductions, but the real genuine fabric from back in the day, try out Sharon's Antiques. She has plenty of fabrics from different eras for sale, and she guarantees they're not replications. Try these:

There are also plenty of Etsy sellers with fabric in there stores. Some of them have a yard or two - something they found in their grandma's basement perhaps - while others carry yards and yards and yards, like FabricSupplies, a seller that carries 30,00 sales. A small sampling of their very, very large offerings:

Where do you find fabric that inspires new projects? How do chain craft stores compare?

Etsy Handmade Moment Contest...Here are the Judges!

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:52:27 EDT

I am proud to say that I was picked to be one of the judges for Etsy's Handmade Moment video contest! I feel super honored to be a part of such a rockin panel of people. There is $10,000 in prizes to be given away, so if you haven't already, make a video and send it in to them! xoxox c

"On June 1, 2009, we invited all artists and other creative members of the Etsy community to create :15 and :30 (second) videos promoting Etsy and the handmade movement. And if your love of Etsy isn't enough, we threw $10,000 of prizes in as well! We call it the Handmade Moment Contest.

We have over 80 entries so far, and they keep pouring in. Remember, we are accepting submissions through August 31, 2009 (be sure to read the FAQ and Rules). The Handmade Moment contest will have 10 finalists who will get slices of the $10,000 pie, from whom we'll pick the winners, and whose winning submissions will be used in our marketing efforts!" - courtesy etsy.com