Old Tights = New Flowers

Wow! Just look how happy this project made me.
Ingredients: 

 Old panty hose or even kid's tights.

(Make sure they are clean, who wants to wear dirty panty hose their head)
Glue and/or Sewing Machine with coordinating thread

Scrap Fabric/Felt/Interfacing
Alligator Clips/Brooch Pins

Take the tights and cut one leg into two long tubes. (Each pair of tights will make two flowers) Fold both tubes in half and take a gathering stitch on the fold.  If you don't have a machine just improvise with hot glue.  When finished you should have two pieces that look something like...

Take one piece and shape it into a donut, gluing it in place like so...

Using a piece of scrap felt/fabric/interfacing cut a circle and glue to the bottom of your donut.

Now take your remaining piece of tights and fill in the middle of your donut attaching with hot glue.  (Sorry no picture!) You can add an embellishment to the center if you like.  Additionally, glue an alligator clip and a brooch pin to the back.

Clip it in your hair or pin onto your shirt.

Book Bag

Another Mother's Day Idea

Materials:  Table Runner (Clearance at Target), 2 Fabric Napkins or Coordinating Fabric, Thread, Heat & Bond, and about 2 hours.

Step 1.  Cut up a napkin into several equal strips.

Step 2:  Sew them all together.

Step 3:  Fold this long tube in half, right sides together and sew down the side to create an extra long tube of fabric. After sewing turn right side out.  It should look something like the picture below. Well, except maybe not heart shaped.

Step 4:  This long tube of fabric will be your handle.  Lay your table runner right side up and fold one end  about 2/3 the way up the fabric. Then sew along sides.

Step 5:  Attach handle by pinning along the side of the table runner like so, and then sew to attach.

Step 6:   Turn the table runner right side out.  The top will poke out a little bit because of the handles.  Glue them or sew them to get the fabric to lay flat.

Step 7:  Using the other napkin cut out a strip of fabric 6 x 12 inches and a strip of Heat & Bond the same size.

Step 8:  Iron the fabric onto the Heat & Bond

Step 9:  If you do not have a Cricut, write your letters on the back or the paper side of the Heat & Bond and then cut them out with scissors.  If you have a Cricut, with paper still attached to fabric, use a Popsicle stick to thoroughly adhere the fabric, paper side down to the Cricut cutting board and cut out your letters. When finished line up your letters on the flap of the bag like so...

Step 10:  Iron-on and you are finished. 

Note:  I would suggest using a darker colored fabric than I used for the letters. The white washed out after ironing and made the letters hard to read. 

Pearl Ribbon Necklace

Mother's Day Idea

I made this necklace for a friend's birthday this past weekend, but I was thinking that it would also make a great Mother's Day gift. 

Unfortunately, the pictures I took while making this necklace, the same pictures that would be most helpful in explaining the process are HORRIBLE!  Therefore, I will attempt to use words alone to describe the process. Good luck!

1. Cut an extra long strip of ribbon. I would "guesstimate" that the ribbon should be twice as long as your desired necklace length.  Note:  my ribbon was really fat so I folded it in half.

2.  Burn the ends of the ribbon to avoid fraying.

3.  Using an especially long piece of thread, thread your needle and make a knot in the end.

4.  Starting about 1/4 of the way down your ribbon, pull your thread through from the back until the knot catches.  Now thread a pearl onto the string.

5.  Pinch your ribbon to make a fold and thread your needle through the fold and then onto another pearl. 

6. Repeat until you are satisfied. 

7. When you get to the last pearl, instead of pinching and folding just string your thread to the back, tie a knot, and cut. 

Now that you are sufficiently confused.  Here is a pretty similar tutorial, but guess what,  she actually has pictures!

 

Baby Legs with Flair!

Okay, I know I have said it before, but I really do LOVE me some baby legs.  I recently saw some at the store with an adorable tulle accent.  I couldn't resist making some for Belle

Materials: A pair of women's knee high socks or little girl's over the knee socks, six- 2 by 10 inch strips of tulle, and coordinating thread.
(By the way, I bought the knee socks at Target.  They are on clearance for $1.  The tulle is from a tutu that no longer fits Belle)

Step 1:  Cut the heel and the toe from the socks. You will then have 4 strips, 2 long & 2 short.

Step 2:  Using three of the tulle strips, lie them on top of each other and take a gathering stitch along the top of the tulle.

Step 3:  Turn the long sock strips inside out and fold the small strips inside of each other right sides out.

Step 4:  Sew the tulle onto the small tube.

(sorry the colors keep changing, I was making two sets while taking photos)

Step 5: Stuff the small tube with the tulle attached into the large tube.

Step 6:  Sew the small tube to the long tube.

Step 6:  Turn  right side out and put them on some cute baby's legs.

5-Minute Ruffle Scarf

Since starting this blog I have begun looking at fabric much differently.  Before, when I thought about fabric I immediately thought of the bolts you find at Joann's.  Now I see fabric everywhere, especially in old clothes, sheets, blankets, etc.  I love to purge my closet of things I no longer wear, but now I take a second look before donating.  You never know what you can create out of a stained or no longer wanted article of clothing. The above pictured scarf is no exception. I made this scarf from an old maternity t-shirt in less than five minutes. 

Here are the instructions:

First, trim the hem off of the t-shirt.

Next, cut 2 or possibly 3 (depending on the width of your t-shirt) 6 inch strips from the bottom of your shirt.

Now you have 2 or 3 tubes of t-shirt fabric.  Make a cut up the side of each tube so that the tubes are no longer tubular :0)!  Now you should have 2 or 3 long strips that need to be sewn together to create a longer strip.  Place right sides together and stitch across the top of one end. Once sewn the strip will seem extremely long, but it will only be about half the size when complete.

Finally, you are going to make a stitch down the center using elastic thread.  You can find elastic thread HERE or at any fabric store.  Note, it is usually with the elastic not with the thread. When using elastic thread you will need to manually wind your bobbin.  Don't wind too tightly or the elastic will break while sewing.  You should use regular sewing thread in a coordinating color on top of your machine.

Voila! Now you have a pretty, light-weight Spring scarf.

Leather Purse Bracelet

I must have been inspired to keep this old purse that was stained from spilled milk like four years ago. 

First, cut off the straps.

Measure your wrist and cut the straps accordingly.  Remember, the bracelet will need to slide on and off of your wrist.

Glue the ends of both straps together forming two circles.

Start cutting up your purse into salvageable leather pieces.

Make one circle, 8 large petals, 8 medium petals, and 6 small petals with the leather.

Begin gluing the large petals to the circle as pictured above and then layer the additional petals on top.

My purse happened to have brass studs. I cut one out and glued it to the center of my flower. 

Cut a rectangle from the leather. It should be long enough to wrap snugly around your bracelets.

Glue rectangle in place using a generous amount of glue.

Glue leather flower on top!