fun with freezer paper

For a long time I've been meaning to try freezer paper stenciling after pinning this tutorial, and then when I saw this super cute JCrew heart sweater, I had to finally do it. It turns out freezer paper stencil projects are super easy, quick, and fun, and now I want to put big hearts on everything:

Four easy steps:

1. Gather supplies: old sweater, freezer paper (from grocery store), paint, fabric medium, paintbrush, x-acto knife.
2. Plan your design and cut it out with an x-acto knife.
3. Place stencil shiny side down on fabric and iron on high heat to adhere.
4. Paint and then peel off stencil.

A couple of tips: Make sure to put some cardboard between the sweater layers so you don't get any paint seeping through. The fabric medium turns any acrylic paint into fabric paint (iron to heat set it once the paint is dry, according to directions on the label), but it still turns out pretty stiff. The technique will be super for stiffer fabrics though - like a tote bag or canvas throw pillow cover - and the possibilities are endless!

{Sharing at The Pinterest Challenge!}

elastic waist skirt

I did it! I sewed my first wearable item, only 9.5 months after getting a sewing machine (well, I did make this bow t-shirt, but that was really just an embellishment). I've had an a-line skirt in the works for a while, but I'm kind of terrified of the zipper, so I decided to try an elastic waist one.

There are lots of tutorials out there, way better than this beginner could put together, so I won't attempt a full one. I followed this one from Freshly Picked, through the hem sewing step. I didn't want the elastic to show on my skirt though, and I thought a paperbag waist would be fancy - so I read a few more tutorials for ideas and after sewing the hem I switched to the waist/elastic steps from this tutorial at Adventures in Dressmaking. 

 in process

 the result

 

The results aren't exactly perfect, but it's one step on the way of learning to make myself a skirt... If you're a super beginner like me, a few tips from my experience:

• Remember that this is practice: Use inexpensive fabric for your first project (Joann's and Hobby Lobby have big sales and coupons; I got mine at Fabric.com for about $5 a yard and free shipping) to take the pressure off of making this perfect. It's okay if it doesn't turn out! You're practicing (I told this to myself a lot).
• Research: Read lots of tutorials - even if you're planning to follow a specific one, looking at a bunch will help clarify steps you might be unfamiliar with. I used the two above, plus this one from What Would a Nerd Wear and this one from Heart of Light.
• Don't get ahead of yourself: Keep the tutorial handy so you do the right steps in the right order. Even with the iPad handy for viewing the tutorials, I still sewed one side too early and had to improvise. Whoops.
• Be flexible: While wearable, the skirt was way too square to be flattering on me at all, so I used it as an opportunity to practice alterations... I've seen people take in too-big skirts and shirts by just sewing a new seam - so I folded it inside-out and pinned a line down from the waistband about an inch in. It meant I had to lose the pickets, but it's just practice, right? Then I cut off the extra material, and now I have a straighter and (at least slightly) more flattering skirt.

 

pompom trim scarf

Everybody's talking about Pinterest lately, and I've wholeheartedly joined this bandwagon (my pins here). I previously had a completely unwieldy online bookmark list of ideas, but now I can stick them on my virtual pinboards - it's much more convenient & fun to keep track of these things with pretty pictures!

Now I'm developing quite a visual collection of projects to do, so it's time to start doing some of them. First up, this adorable DIY pompom scarf I pinned from What I Wore.

Source: whatiwore.tumblr.com via Anne on Pinterest

I followed her tutorial to turn this fun & flowy clearance rack fabric into a scarf. As a bonus, I finally had an excuse to buy some of the adorable pompom trim that I always eye at Michaels...

I'm pretty pleased with my new summer scarf - though this was supposed to be a really quick project... and in my beginner sewer-ness I didn't really think about how this fabric wouldn't want to have a nice fold ironed into it. So it was a bit difficult to work with but still turned out cute as long as no one looks too closely. Plus with my clearance row fabric and coupon on the trim, it was slightly cheaper than buying a scarf PLUS gave me sewing practice (my new excuse for spending money at the craft store).

Linking here

bow projects

I'm kind of in love with my bow tee right now... If you like big bows too, here's a round up of projects for you:

Wearable:
A while ago I made this jaunty bow necklace out of a piece of leather and a chain.

Momtastic sewed this cute fabric bow belt.

I Still Love You has a tutorial for a fun leather bow cuff.

And of course there are lots of ways to make a bow headband - here's a simple ribbon bow headband from M&J Trimming plus a genius bow headband from ripped tights idea from Megan Nielsen.

For the home:
Say Yes to Hoboken made this adorable bow pillow; the bow is a modification of the tutorials I followed on the tee - i.e. it's achievable for beginner sewers! (Also, while we're on the subject of bow pillows, you have to check out this adorable one on Etsy.)

 How easy and fun is this bow napkin from Martha Stewart?!

 [all photos from source listed above them]

t-shirt refashions

Since I'm kind of into shirt refashions/embellishments lately, here is a roundup of some great ones I've seen, for those unused tees, tanks, and cardigans you have around.

1. Pleated tee (Anthropologie inspired) from Welcome to the Good Life
2. Sequin striped boatneck (J. Crew inspired) from Welcome to the Good Life
3. Striped bow tee (Anthropologie inspired) from Welcome to the Good Life
4. Ruffled bib tank (Ann Taylor Loft inspired) from Ruffles and Stuff
5. Bow tee from I Still Love You
6. Lace strip tee from iCandy Handmade
7. Ruffle flowered top from Welcome to the Good Life
8. Embellished tees (corsage tee, ribbon necklace tee) from Academichic
9. Tank dress (adding a skirt to a tank) from Academichic
10. XXL tee skirt (simple skirt from a men's tee) from I Still Love You
    

Store offerings seem to be great places to get inspirations - here are some currently available DIY-able items I came across:

1. Neck/pocket trim tee from J. Crew - I saw this one in the store (couldn't find online) and thought it would be easy to mimic by sewing ribbon on a tee.
2. Wrapped up top from ModCloth - add some lace trim and a bow to a scoopneck tee
3. Gris sur gris top from ModCloth - make a ruffle (see how here) and sew it onto a similar hued tee.
4. Girls' sequin necklace tee from J. Crew - fabric glue plus sequin trim/ribbon on a stripey tee.
   

striped bow tee

Recently I saw this adorable striped bow top from Spool No. 72 via The Daybook.
Then I saw this tee on sale for $5 at Old Navy and this bow tee tutorial on I Still Love You in close succession.

Clearly this was DIY destiny.I followed the tutorial from I Still Love You along with this one at Blue-Eyed Freckle (because I'm a beginner sewer and need all the help I can get!) to make a bow out of a second (identical) t-shirt and attach it to the unadorned $5 striped tee. And now I have this fun knockoff!


 linking here.

sequin stripe tee

J.Crew (among other places) has quite the selection of sequined clothing items right now. But did you know you can make your own with some sequin trim (it comes on a roll, like ribbon!), an under-used tee shirt, and some fabric glue?

Welcome to the Good Life made her own shirts and added sequins, but I had this white t-shirt that gets very little use (because I prefer its v-neck sister), so I did a little revamp instead.

J.Crew sampling: left, middle, right

Supplies:

• T-shirt
• Sequin trim (saw it at both Michael's & JoAnn's)
• Fabric glue (that can go through the wash)
• Scissors
• Cardboard
• Ruler

First put the cardboard between the layers of the shirt so the glue doesn't soak through. Then use another piece of cardboard as a straight edge to apply a line of glue. Press down trim over the glue and repeat (I wanted thicker stripes, so I put two rows right next to each other). Measure desired width between stripes and apply glue for the next one, and so on.
I left a little extra when I snipped the trim at the ends of the rows so that I could apply some extra glue (or fray check stuff) to secure the ends, and then tidied up and cut them straight.

Follow the directions on your glue bottle for dry times (and wash instructions), and then voila, you can wear an $8 kinda knock-off version of a sequin stripe tee.

And here it is on (sort of awkward self-portrait, but I was home alone at the time...)