Fourth of July Shirt

Hey, it's the 4th of July (well almost) let's make a shirt!

So in full disclosure, I did not go in to making this shirt with the intentions of it being a Fourth of July shirt, but it happened that way, so we're going with it.

 

(I apologize in advance for the blueness of all these pics, wasn't paying attention to the fact that the carpet is also blue in the sewing room)

What You Need:

1) A Shirt (One that is a little big on you will work best)

2) Ruler

3) Chalk

4) Scissors/Exacto knife

5) Studs (I actually am using star shaped brads)

 

First, using a ruler draw a straight line with the chalk across the front of the shirt. I made mine right where the V on the neckline exists.

 

Then, also using a ruler, draw vertical lines from the shoulder seam, down to the horizontal line you drew. I made 10 lines. I wanted 8 strips, so 10 lines.

Cut down all of the vertical lines you just drew. DO NOT yet cut the horizontal line. I used an Exacto for this as it is easier, for me personally, to do that than cut in with scissors. But that is up to you. If you do use an Exacto, make sure to have a cutting mat below, and PLEASE BE CAREFUL. I have seen (and experienced) too many Exacto accidents to not stress that.

Use the Brads, or studs, to connect every other strip you just made. Once you can see which strips you will actually be using, cut out the ones you don't. This part is a little hard to explain, but basically in the end you will only keep every other strip.

 

Use as many Brads as you like, and connect the strips in whatever pattern you feel like.

 

Finally cut a slit in the bottom of the shirt along the side. And tie the slit on the side.

 

That's it! I may pair this with a red tank underneath just to make it extra patriotic.

~Jessica

 

 

 

 

Lace Shorts

It's summer! Yay! Hence a lot of not posting here on the blog. Oh well, you should be outside enjoying the weather anyway.

But since it's summer (or tomorrow is, but let's not get picky), that means it's shorts season. I actually am not a huge fan of shorts and tend to lean more towards the skirt/dress option. But if I do decide to wear them, I dont want them riding up and pinching my legs and being super uncomfortable. So one solution I recently found to fix shorts that are a little too snug in the thigh region, is to add a bit of lace to them.

 

Here's what you need:

A pair of shorts (mine are actually cutoffs as well, but any pair of shorts is fine)

Scissors

Lace (2 pieces, about 6 inches wide and 8 inches long)

Pins
A sewing machine (you could hand sew this if you do not have a sewing machine, but the machine is easier)

 

First, cut a triangular piece of fabric off the outside part of your shorts. Do for both legs.

Then measure out how much lace you need to fill the gap in your shorts with the lace.

 

Place the lace on the inside of the shorts and pin in place. Then simply sew the lace in place. When you are done you can trim any excess lace from the inside or hanging off the bottom.

 

That's it! Pretty easy and pretty cute, better fitting shorts in the end.

~Jessica

 

 

 

Embroidery for Beginners

Check out this pillow I made.

I used the book Sublime Stitching Embroidered Effects Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching by Jenny Hart. That 's a lot of title right there. Her tutorials are amazingly super easy. I had never stitched before this. The book comes with iron-on transfers.

Peacock Pillow!

http://joyreactor.com/tag/embroidery

Love,
Kelly

DIY Jewelry Holder

I was strolling through Home Depot and saw these awesome peg boards for tools. The brand is Everbilt. I have been needing a jewelry holder for a while now. These came with all different types of hooks and there was also a basket pack with three sizes. I hate jewelry holders that take up dresser space, so a wall option is best for me. These were originally black, but per usual, I spray painted them. I used the colors leftover from my folding chair project. The spray paint dried really fast when left outside in the freezing cold. BTW this looks fucking cute. >^^<

Love, 

Kelly

Create Your Own Ornaments

Well Thanksgiving is over so on to Christmas! I love decorating for Christmas, it's one of my favorite things to do. But sometimes buying decorations can be pricey, so I enjoy making my own. Plus it is a great way to add a personal touch to your holiday decor. So I thought I would share some quick and easy ways to make your own ornaments.

 

Here's what you'll need:

1. Clear glass ornaments

2. Glitter (I used fine glitter, but you could use the bigger kind if you so desire)

3. Ribbon

4. Fake berries (like what you would put in a fake bouquet)

5. Pledge

6. Wire cutters or scissors

First off, take the metal top off of your ornament as you will be putting things inside it. Just set it aside for the time being.

 

We will be making two different ornaments. The first one being a glitter ornament. For this one, take the Pledge and spray it on the inside of the ornament. Try not to spray TOO much, but coat the inside. I actually ended up using a napkin and a pen to fully coat the inside. Then pour a decent amount of glitter into the ornament and swish it around...dump out the excess glitter. The Pledge will help the glitter stick to the sides of the ornament. That's pretty much it for this one, set it aside for the moment.

 

 For the second ornament you will need the berries and wire cutters.

 

Snip the berries off of the stems with the wire cutters. You can use scissors for this as well, but if you have wire cutters, I recommend using them as it is much easier. Just be careful as the berries may fly across the room, and then your cat will chase after them and shove them under the china cabinet (or at least that's what happened to me...but I digress)

 

Put the berries inside the second ornament.

Please note that since glitter is the herpes of the craft world, I ended up with glitter in both ornaments, even though that was not my intent. And the same may happen to you. But I think it worked out anyway.

Put the top of the ornaments back on them. Cut two pieces of ribbon off and tie them around the top of the ornaments.

 

That's it! Your very own ornaments. You could obviously substitute many different things on these and even add to them. I thought about doing one with fake snow on the inside and going from there. So feel free to play around with these. I'd love to see what you come up with!

~Jessica

Cardigan DIY

With the weather now seemingly permanently chilly, I am constantly cold. Therefore feel the need to stock up on sweaters and the like and in the process rid myself on old sweaters that no longer fit. If you're like me, you may have a few of these lying around but just don't want to give them up. Here is an idea for a way to recycle an old sweater, or even long sleeve shirt.

Sweater to Cardigan:

 

What you'll need:

1. A sweater 

2. Hem tape (I used Stitch Witchery and it worked great)

3. Scissors

4. An iron

5. A button and thread (optional)

And here we go! First, lay the sweater flat and cut down the middle of the front of the sweater (this is the opening of the cardigan)

 

Next fold over where you have cut and determine how much of a seam you will want. I folded it over about and inch. Place the hem tape on the inside part of the sweater's hem. Fold the remaining fabric over on top of the tape and follow the instructions on your hem tape.

 

My instructions say to put a damp cloth over fabric and iron taped area. It is important to not drag the iron, rather press bit by bit.

 

Find a button of your choosing and sew it on wherever you like. I made mine just for show, but if you're real ambitious you could add a hole on the other side and make the button functional.

 Thats it! You're done, now go wear your "new" cardigan and try to stay warm this winter!

 

~Jessica

Dr. Crane

Using this great video tutorial, I was able to make an origami crane the first time I tried. No experience, except for a brief encounter as an adolescent which I owe to my 7th grade social studies teacher's strange affinity for the Japanese culture. She insisted we refer to her as sensei...

You can buy origami paper at your local craft store. The rice paper was soft and flexible, but actually ended up keeping its' form a lot better than the regular paper. I also used a bone folder (around $6.00) which helps to prevent stress on the hands.

I recommend small, carnie-esque hands and nimble fingers.

Here, I wove a small cotton piping through a needle with a very large eye. 

Loop the piping through once more to secure the bird's location on the "wire"...

Donezo!

I would actually recommend lacing the piping through the front, rather than the side of the crane's back for a better look. I really loved doing this craft. It takes less than a few minutes once you get the "hang" of it. Oh, the fun of puns.. I want to try a more minimalist color palette next :o)

Kelly!
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