Week 2: -Redo your shirts: A little something

I love, love, love Kohl's, especially their sales. So when these babies went on sale for $3.99, STOCK UP!!
                                                      

They also had some nice crew-neck tees that I grabbed, but they were so basic and, well, blah. So, inspiration hit while looking for a button - I can do a button design! I decided on a heart just because it was simple.

 You'll want to gather up a good number of buttons, deciding on how big you want your design. You can keep them matchy, or mix it up.

Lay out you design on your shirt.

Tape down the buttons to keep them in place while you sew them.

Sew the buttons down, knotting tightly as you sew (you don't want them to fall off in the wash!). As you sew, cut the thread after each button. You could "chain sew" and not cut the thread, but it gathers the fabric. As you sew the buttons, peel back the tape. Once you're done, admire!

I really like the eclectic vintage look. The design's really simple, and it's an easy way to practice your button sewing.

Keep crafting,

K 

Linked to:

http://www.iheartnaptime.net/sundae-scoop-link-party-33/ 

Redo your Shirts- Week 1: T-shirt re-size

We ALL have those shirts that you love the design, but is WAY to big. Been there. My beloved Reese's shirt - the last one on the rack- is a men's large. I'm a woman's 6. Let's just leave it at that. So, once I pulled out the rest of my over-sized shirts (yes, there's more), I had a craft project on my hands.

This project's quite simple. You just need an over-sized shirt, a good-fitting shirt, pins, and your lovely sewing machine.

So, the first thing you want to do is place your good-fitting shirt on your over-sized shirt.

Next, follow along the outside of your shirt, pinning along.

Continue pinning along onto the sleeves.

Next, pin on the other side. Sew up on the outside of the pins. This is great if you have a serger. For the rest of us, use a tight zig-zag stitch, or your the knit stitch on your machine, if it has it.

Try on the shirt to check the fit, and if it's good, trim the excess.

                                          

And there you go! A shirt that will no longer sit in the bottom of your dresser.

A note on the title- This month, I'll have a project each week on redoing or restyling tee shirts.

One last thing - I'd like to welcome the newest member of the family - my new sewing machine.

She's basic, but gets the job done. The old machine I was using had a timing issue, so I broke out an old one from the early 70s that, according to my brother, sounded like a diesel motor that couldn't start. It was LOUD!!! This new one is oh so quiet, and I'm enjoying it oh so much.

Keep Crafting,
K

Embroidery Starter

A heads up to my readers - My main computer is down, and I can't upload pics to the one I'm using. You're gonna have to be patient for a little while. Sorry!
Also,  "Like on facebook" "pin it" and "pinterest" buttons are now located in my footer. The pinterest button allows you to follow me on pinterest. Pretty cool!

Anyway, while on spring break, I was browsing Pintrest for HOURS on end, and in an EXTREMELY crafty mood. However, there was no sewing machine anywhere that I could use. So, a trip to Joann's did the trick. I was able to find a simple starter embroidery project that included a frame. Cool beans! The stitches were simple,  and only took a few hours to do. You KNOW a project's easy when you can do it in a car (yes, that's where I finished it). You can find the kit here.

However, there was one issue. No embroidery hoop. Not a prob. Cut off the rim of a plastic cup, and secure fabric down with a rubber band or hair band.
Anyway, I' m hoping to do some more embroidery. Personalized gifts, a little something extra on shirts... Feel free to comment on any ideas!
Keep Crafting
-K

And Now for a Word From Our Sponsor...On the Importance of Ironing

So, to most crafters, ironing is a given. But to others, it's a hassle. Yes, I was one of those people who fell in the second category. Let's face it. It's a hassle to lug out the board, find an open outlet, wait for the iron to heat up, and then do about 10 seconds of ironing. But trust me - it's worth it. Here's a few pics from some headbands I was working on.

As you can see, the strips are poofy and wrinkly. Yes, it would be okay to sew them, but it wouldn't turn out NEARLY as well.

And here's your "after" pictures. Yes, the lighting's bad (sorry), but look a LOT better. Flat and smooth, making your craft look MUCH more professional. I'll take the outcome over hassle.

Keep Craftin',

-K

Shoe Dying

* This project is based on a blog from Sweet Verbena. All credit to original poster*

At Walmart, I found these sweet babies for $5. Ugly now, yes. Old lady shoes, yes .But just wait.

So...here's what you'll need:

• pair of shoes (little obvious :)
• fabric dye (My first time with Rit - SO HOOKED!!!)
• dying container ( I used a roasting pan. Something a little smaller would work better.)
• scrap fabric (we'll get to that later)

First, you'll want to remove the laces. Bit of an improvement already :).

Next, you'll want to prepare your shoes for dying. Run them under hot water - it's fine in the sink. After rinsing, take out the insoles. We're gonna have a little fun with these later.

Then, get your dye ready. I used Rit liquid dye in yellow. I really don't think there's a difference between liquid and powder, except price. If I could have found yellow in powder, I would have used it.

Anyway, I used a roasting pan, as I said earlier. I used 7 quarts of water ( 1 3/4 gallons) and almost the entire container of Rit dye. If you want to make the color lighter or brighter, go ahead. To test my shade, I used strips of paper towels - just keep in mind that the real color will be several shades darker.

Now it's dying time! Simply place your shoes into the dye, and make sure they're completely submerged. The sides of the shoes kept poking up, so I put a small plastic bin on top.

Meanwhile, check if your insoles are dry. If so, time for a redesign!! Find some scrap fabric that can cover both insoles. Trace your insoles on the fabric. The making shows up better on the wrong (non-printed) side of the fabric.

Now cut out your fabric and lay it on top of the insoles. Don't worry if it doesn't line up perfectly. No one's going to look inside your shoes and comment. Glue down the fabric. Spray adhesive would work best, but if you don't have any, you can just use glue around the edges.

Now hold onto you're insoles until your shoes are done. 

And now it's time to get back to your shoes. I let them dye for 30 minutes, but you can dye them longer or shorter. When your shoes are done dying, rinse them out. This is where the hose on the side of the house comes in handy. Rinse until water runs clear. Next, run them through the washing machine. I did a rinse and spin setting on a small load. Now, you can let the shoes air-dry, or you can throw them in the washer.

When your shoes are done drying, slip in your insoles. you can spray adhesive them down if you want, but they'll stay put just fine if you don't.

Finally, just re-lace your shoes and admire your new beauties, along with your friends saying "you dyed SHOES?!?!?!

The bias didn't take, creating a nice contrast.

Yep, I'm in love.

Keep Craftin',
-K

Linked to:
http://diyshowoff.com/category/other/diy-project-parade/