Friday 30 March 2012

Duct Tape Sewing Form - What not to do

Hello Crafty People!

For crafters on a budget, like myself, the idea of shelling out hundreds of dollars on a sewing form, especially one that is adjustable, can seem pretty daunting. But it's hard to make well fitting or well-constructed dresses or top without one. Luckily, we're in luck! Turns out you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars, 15$-20$, a couple hours and a helpful helper is all you need.

Like a lot of the stuff I do this whole thing was not my idea, it was hers. You can buy a little instruction booklet from her site. Hubby and I just sort of winged it...which proved a little headstrong as we are going to have to give it another shot.

Here is my form in it's current incarnation:


It works fine for loose fitting refashions, which is most of mine as I have fibromyalgia and loose clothes hurt less, but it's pretty useless for anything fitted, which is probably my fault. Not sure how it happened, I must have been standing funny while hubby was mummifying me because, although the measurements are perfect, the hips are really narrow and the belly is super poochy, which is the opposite of how the measurements work out on my body. I still don't fully understand how that happened since there is no position in which my hip bones contract...anyway, we got some more duct tape and will be giving this project another try in the next few days. Wish us luck!

Thursday 29 March 2012

Crochet Earrings!

YAY! I have a new computer and I've finally figured out how to use it. When my computer died earlier this week I really thought I would be able to go a little while without it.48 hours was enough to have me nearly pulling my hair out, and lets face it, I don't really have enough hair to be pulling it out. SO, Sweet Talker (hubby) and I got down to the lovely people at Memory Express in Richmond and got ourselves the new Transformer Prime. Aside a from a very curved learning curve as I've been using Microsoft all my life it's working out pretty well. I have been bent shouldered and red eyes for days trying to figure out how the damn thing works so I haven't been very crafty. I thought I would throw up some of my old favourites.

So, without further ado I give you Crocheted Earrings:


Materials:
Yarn
Crochet hook
Bangle
Earrings hooks

How to:


This is a pretty easy and super quick project if you already know single crochet. If you don't I would suggest checking out a couple youtube videos on the subject. That's how I learned.


Step one:


Choose a bangle or ring of your desired size. I know mine is pretty huge. I made a pair of these for my sister and SIL with small rubber rings I found at a craft store.


Step two:


Crochet the magic circle. Sc 2 or 3 depending on how thick your yarn is. Then sc in the first stitch and start crocheting in the round. Continue to crochet in the round until your circle is about the size of the bangle or ring, just a tiny bit smaller.


Step three


Sc over the ring or circle all the way around. While you're doing this the circle may begin to look a little warped but it should even out once you've made your way around.


Step four


Attach the earring hook by the yarn and wear your super cool new earrings!


Thanks for stopping by crafty people!!!


Saturday 24 March 2012

Amazing weekend craftiness scores!!!
Friday I went down to Farbicana with my lovely sister + SIL. We all found some excitingness but I'm particularly excited about these amazing fabrics that (as soon as my Kwik Sew pattern arrives) are going to become the COOLEST. PANTS. EVER.
Metallica:
Okay, I didn't come up with that name. This series of fabrics is actually called Metallica. This one in particular is called Pewter. I was really eyeing the really bright chrome silvers that looked like liquid metal. It would have been like having the second generation terminator on pants form. Sadly, I didn't quite have the balls to go all out spangly silver. This Pewter is a little more subdued (really, it is). It's my gateway silver.
Black on black:
And my subtle pants. From far away they just look like blck but I loved the subtle circly print (makes me think of Cptn. Jack Sparrow's tattoos). These are way more subtle than I was planning to go.

Crochet Hooded Infiniti Scarf Tutorial

Hello everyone and happy Saturday!

I'm going to start of my weekend by sharing a new project with you. I made one of these a few months back and loved it! I wear it every chance I get. Then, my sister saw it and loved it too. I figured since I was working on a new one I should put a little tutorial up here for you lovely people. This design is not from a pattern at all. I'm just kind of winging it but it's super simple.

I got the idea when I went into a Lululemon. I had never been in one before as I don't like to spend exorbitant amounts of money on stuff that's going to get uber sweaty (unless it's getting sweaty from another kind of work out). They had these beautiful, chunky knit hooded infinity scarves and they were charging nearly 100$ and, well, that's ridiculous.

Project #2 Hooded Infiniti Scarf in Pink

Inspired by: Lululemon

Yarn: Patons in pink (sorry, Sweet Talker, aka my hubby, threw out the label)

Hook size: L

Cost: All in, about 20$

What is it?

It's a pretty basic pattern, Just a hood, and a long scarf that's attached at the front. The scarf wraps around my neck three times to keep me toasty warm. I attatched it with one twist (the thing that makes it "infiniti" so that it's a mobius strip (#nerd)

This is what it looks like when all is said and done:


How to make your own:

The hood:

The hood is just two rectangles crocheted together at the top and back.

Stitch: double crochet

Mesurements: 10" x 15" (but it's way too big

I made the hood first and it turned out way too big but haven't bothered to fix it as I can just pull it back a bit but it has proven a little unnerving when it slumps forward and kills my peripheral vision when I'm crossing the street. I would suggest making it to fit your head specifically. I'm working on a second one now (see my next post for details) and I've been measuring it from the back of my skull to where I want the hood to end. Then just holding it up to my head as I go until it's long enough. Like, I said there's no real pattern here.

The scarf:

Stitch:double crochet

Measurements: 66"x 4"

The scarf is very thin, this is so that it doesn't feel too bulky when I triple wrap it over the hood. It's a little more comfortable that way plus I like that bunched up fabric look. You can't really see it here but I put one twist in the scarf before connecting it to the hood. I quite liked the look of it. A triple wrapped length worked for this project because the double crochet is quiet an open weave but check out my next post to see a hooded infiniti scar with in moss stitch (super thick) that only wraps twice.

Stitch used for this pattern: double crochet

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Make Your Own Journal

Hello everyone, thank you so much for checking out my new blog. My intention with this blog is to share my own little sparks of cretivity, or the things I have learned from other talented DIYers online, obviously with my own touches added.

My main interests, as far as DIY goes are refashioning, upcycling and book making. I also harbour a fascination for corsetry and waist training but as a result of extenuating circumstances it may be a few years before I get to make my own corset and start cinching.

This blog will be full of tutorials with pictures and occasionally videos so that you, too, can get crafty and creative. If you create something based on a tutorial you find here I would love to see your creation and see all the personal touches you added to it.

Although many of these designs will be original I hold no copyrights. Most of my work is inspired by others. I'm not here to make money but to celebrate everyone's individual creativity and style.

For my first tutorial I will direct you to an article I wrote for a website called Hubpages. My name is different over there, I use my pen name (I'm a proffessional writer) which is A. R. Colton, so don't be confused. The pictures you see there are of my own work. I hope you enjoy it!

Project #1: Upcycled Journal

Make Your Own Journal on Hubpages

The tutorial has step by step instructions with pictures on how to bind and decorate your upcycled journal.