100% easy single seam poncho :: a tutorial

 

In case you were wondering, yes, that's me in those pictures. I had an extremely kind, patient and talented photographer - my big girl M.!

With both of my girls having a poncho now (well almost - I'm about to finish little H's one) I couldn't stay behind, right? I've always had something with "wraps". I have several and especially like them at this time of the year. They're incredibly cozy, but not always handy, I admit - they tend to unwrap easily and get in the way. Not so with a poncho, I figured. 
Now, on several occasions I've seen women wearing this kind of poncho here which I really liked -  a very simple, minimalistic yet elegant interpretation of the classic poncho, with only one seam apparently. With three meters of knit fabric, I thought, I might as well give it a try. And I'm glad I did!
Barely a couple of days old,  it's already become a favorite! I wear it on top of a light sweater or long sleeved shirt,  with jeans and boots.  And it looks great, I must say.  Casual-chic. The perfect outfit for a nice autumn day (well, any day really).  Since I used a not too heavy knit fabric, there's a nice natural drape to it as well.

As it's really super easy to make I decided I wanted to share this project. If it weren't for the step-by-step photos I probably would have finished it in under half an hour!  Also, while making the poncho I figured out a new and very satisfactory way of finishing corners.  I'm probably reinventing the wheel here - if so, please, forgive me - but it worked out really nicely, so I definitely will use that technique again!

Ready to get started?


Instructions for an 100% easy single seam poncho:


What you'll need:


- 78cm of knitted fabric (150cm wide) or any other fabric with a nice drape
- matching thread
- pins and sewing needle
- sewing machine equipped with a ballpoint needle when using knit fabric
- iron

1. Fold your fabric as shown in the above diagram. 
2. Shoulder seam: Pin one of the open sides together as shown in the diagram, leaving a 30cm opening to start from the fabric fold, for the neck. Sew on the machine.
3. Corners and hem: At the wrong side of the fabric, fold in the corner as shown in pic. 4, so you get the acd triangle and use a pin to secure. Next, fold the end ab such that  a and d coincide, and do the same with the end bc to let c coincide with d as shown in pic 5-6. Secure with pins. You'll get a corner which looks as shown in pic 6. Continue to pin the hem all the way around. Next, sew on the machine. The two corners will look as shown in pic 8. With needle and thread close the little opening between b and acd, using a whip stitch (pic 9). The finished corners now should look as in pic 10 (wrong side of the poncho) and 11 (right side of the poncho).
4. Neck line: fold in the fabric at the neck line, pin with needles to secure and top stitch on the sewing machine (pic 12).
5. Press all seams flat and your poncho's ready to wear!

That's really all there is to this very simple poncho!

I'm planning on making a couple more of these when I come across the right fabric. One of the things I'd like to try is to make one in a light weight fabric, gauze cotton, or maybe silk, for summer.
I think that actually might look nice on top of a pair of jeans and a tank top, don't you think... ? To be continued, I'm sure...

And now I have to find something to make with the remaining 2m22 of fabric left...

Please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form.  Thanks for understanding!

If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Time for a new tutorial...

I found some spare time to finally write down the tutorial I promised last week. The bag has been used extensively lately, and I must say it's one of my favorites (didn't I say that of every single one of my bags?).

 It's sturdy, carries quite a bit and yet it still looks elegant, if I may say so myself. And it's so simple to make. Ready?!


Here is what you need:
- enough denim, canvas, or any other heavy-weight fabric you have at hand to cut two 54cm x 52cm pieces from - the given dimensions include seam allowances for side seams and bottom seam (note: since I wanted to make use of the denim's nice selvedge (Yes, Cindy, you got that right - that was of course on purpose!!), I cut two separate pieces.  You could of course take one long strand and fold the fabric in half - do not forget to adjust for the seam allowances in that case and to add some at the top as well.
- two 65cm x 6cm straps of leather
- an awl
- heavy duty thread and a ditto needle
- scissors
- large paper clips
- sewing machine
- iron



Instructions

1. Cut the fabric as shown in picture 2.
2. Bottom and side seams using the half French seam: on the sewing machine, sew the bottom seam closed on the right (!) side of the fabric, taking into account a 2cm (3/4'') seam allowance(picture 3).
Cut away half of the seam allowance on one of the pieces as shown in picture 4. Press the seam open. Fold the longer seam allowance over the shorter, tucking inside the shorter end and secure with pins (picture 5.). Now, sew into place ( picture 6). Repeat with both of the side seams.

3. Boxed corners using a French seam: on the right side (!) of the bag,  fold the bag such that bottom seam and side seam align perfectly on top of each other. Pin and next sew together (on the right side!) (picture 7.). Press. Next turn the bag inside out, fold and tuck the first seam inside layers. Sew on machine making sure to use a slightly bigger seam allowance than in the previous step. The result should look as show in picture 9.

Note: for a good description of the different types of French seams and felled seams, check out Annekata's tutorial here.

4. Handles: I got the idea for the handles from the Japanese sewing book Making Leather Bags Lesson 1,2 by Umami Yoshimi Ezura - a gem really, that I recommend to anyone loving nice, simple and yet elegant bags.
At both ends of each strip of leather, make little wholes using an awl (picture 11), making sure the distance between wholes is equal and left and right on each side match perfectly. These wholes will help you sewing the handles to the bag more easily. If your leather is thin enough you could omit this step. Next, mark on your fabric where the handles should come (picture 12). Now, pinch your leather strip between the fabric, folding the leather strip in two (I ironed the fold of the leather handles - before you do this try on a little piece first to see how your leather responds to heat). Adjust such that the previously made wholes coincide perfectly. Secure with a large paper clip (picture 13). Sew into place with a heavy-duty needle and some heavy duty thread, using small stitches and going through the earlier made wholes. (I did every stitch twice to make sure the handles are tightly sewn to the bag.). And done!

As usually, if you have questions about this project just let me know! I'd be happy to help. Also, if you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Good luck!

As with all tutorials found on this blog, please note this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form without permission. Thanks for understanding!

Sewing with kids :: the easy tote bag revisited

It has been a creative summer, somehow. We haven't been home much, but when we were, we spent our time creatively. The girls rediscovered their sewing machine. This nice tote which M. made for one of her friends is only one of the results - it was a special request, actually, from her friend who loved the first bag so much she asked M. to make her one too. Doesn't it look fantastic?! The only difference with the first bag is that this one has only one strap. For the full tutorial click here. To finish it off I made her her own label with some twill tape and stamps.

A nice back-to-school surprise for one lucky friend if you ask me...

And yet another clothes hanger tutorial...

You might start wondering if all is well with me...
Another clothes hanger tutorial?! Really!?
What's so interesting about a clothes hanger, you'd want to decorate it anyways?


I know, I know! Just one more to add to the list and then I'll stop, I promise... (hmm - I'm no so sure about the last part...)
But to be honest - I like these wire clothes hangers. Because of what they are, because of their simplicity, the bareness, the fact they're reduced to the essential. And yet they have so much potential. To hold clothes for one thing. But it's also a perfect frame to work around and to play with.

A couple of nights ago, my hands were itching - I felt the need for something creative but something slow (it'd been an eventful day - I'll spare you the details, but eventful it was). How about some embroidery with that hand dyed wool floss I got myself, I thought. I've been fascinated by Sachiko embroidery lately (for a nice tutorial, check out this post at the Purl Bee). I like the contrast between the little stitches and the fabric, the combination of simple straight lines into stunning patterns. I just wanted to give it a try. The clothes hanger cover that I had still in the back of my head seemed perfectly adequate for that matter.

You've probably seen these clothes hanger covers before. They are easy to make and I think they are useful for hanging slippery shirts or dresses. So, that's what I have for you today. Turns out that I'm not the kind of person for large symmetric pattern embroidery, so my Sachiko embroidery experiment soon became an exercise in free style embroidery. But it still was fun and definitely asks for more.

What you'll need:

- wire coat hanger
- piece of cotton or linen
- embroidery floss + needle
- sewing machine
- iron
- pins, scissors, ...


Steps:

1. Trace your clothes hanger on a piece of paper and cut out (pic. 1.).
2. Transfer pattern to double folded fabric and cut fabric taking into account a 1-1.5 cm seam allowance (pic. 2-3).
3. Pin the bottom hem of both pieces (pic. 4.) and sew on sewing machine(pic. 5).
4. Pin the two pieces together and sew on your machine leaving an opening at the top (pic. 6-7). Make small cuts at the rounded parts, perpendicularly to the seam (pic. 8). Turn and press with iron (pic. 9)
5. Using some embroidery floss decorate the cover. Add a little button, if you like. And done.



You could of course decorate the cover in many different ways, embroider or applique names on it, have your kids draw on them with fabric markers or paint with fabric paint, tie dye, ... Or why not transfer one of your kid's drawings onto the cover and (have them) embroider the outlines. This could make a nice and easy, personalized gift for the holidays (holidays!? already?)...

I mentioned the new Flickr pool already a couple of times. If you made something with the help of a // Between the lines // tutorial or got inspired by something you found on this blog, don't be shy, and show us what you made! Check out this luxury version, for instance, of the clothes hanger covered with fabric strips, made by Cindy.Aren't these lovely/! And I think the hangers covered with Japanese masking tape are really clever! Thanks for adding these, girls!

Free style crochet and a wire coat hanger :: a tutorial

Some of you might remember my free style crochet experiment from earlier this year. If not, just head over to this post (but make sure to come back after!). At that time I already played with the idea of decorating a coat hanger that way. I even tried, but I wasn't patient enough at that time and it didn't work out too well, so I tore the whole thing down and put the idea and the hanger on hold. Until some of you mentioned their crochet-decorated coat hangers in the comments on my last tutorial, that is! As a matter of fact, I used to have one of those when I was a kid - with a red and blue pattern if remember well. So, you had me going again! Thank you so much! Only this time I wanted it to work out. And it did!
Sure, it took me a fair part of my Friday afternoon (the other part I took the kids to the local pool) but I do like the result a lot - and so do my girls "Can I have it mommy?".

What did I do different this time to make it work, you wonder? I guess I was less time-constrained (even though we went to the pool) and the tying of some string as a guide-line made a huge difference. And here is a - very - short description in case you want to give this a try as well.

What you'll need:

- a wire coat hanger
- yarn, string or... kitchen twine, aka butcher's twine. Since I couldn't find any yarn that I found suited for this project, I used the latter. It was the first thing that I could find that came close enough to yarn and its slightly rough texture with pieces sticking out here and there is just perfect for this project.
- crochet hook
- optional: buttons, ribbons, beads, colored thread



Steps:

1. Attach the end of the twine to the hanger and now start going criss cross with it, wrapping and tying as shown in picture II. This net will form the structure for your free style crochet. Don't over do it as you will need "space" to work around and add detail.
2. Stop knotting somewhere on the wire, make a loop, slip your crochet hook through it and start crocheting around the wire using a simple crochet stitch (picture III). You don't need to go all around the hanger at once - this project is a little wild and crazy. Consider it like a road trip where you take little side roads whenever you grow tired of using the high way. So, start to work around the net that you created inside the wire, using the different stitches you know (chain stitches, single crochet, double crochet, ...), and alternate by doing parts on the wire and on the inside of the hanger.
3. Optional: As you can see in picture IV (and the many other pictures below), I didn't cover all of the wire nor the entire net. I wanted to keep it "airy" and it left me some room to further adorn it with little treasures. I used little buttons - I intentionally didn't cut off the end of the twine but attached a mother of pearl button to it instead - a silk ribbon, a tag with my blog's name on it which I found lying around, a bead, some red thread... You could add many other things like pieces of wood or sticks, shells, dried flowers... I found this to be the fun and relaxing part.

I hope I made myself somewhat clear. If not, let me know.

I clearly couldn't get enough of my new clothes hanger as I kept on photographing it from different angles... So, here are some more pictures.

Note: Did you make something with the help of a // Between the lines // tutorial? Post your pictures here! I'd love to see your creations!

DIY : colorful wire clothes hanger

We're still in summer mode here, though for K. today is the last day of his summer vacation, unfortunately. This year's summer vacation has been very relaxing - Carpe Diem (seize the day) has been our motto. We've been doing plenty of things but only because we wanted to. And today I really wanted to do something crafty! So I did. It took me a while before I came up with something, though. I made a big mess as I kept pulling things out. But then eventually pieces fell into place when I found a wire clothes hanger (check out this article if you'd like to find out more about the origin of the wire clothes hanger - the drawings are great!).

The result of my crafty afternoon is this enhanced, colorful wire clothes hanger... with a short description in 16 photographs. Again, it's an easy craft you could have your kids do or help you with on a rainy afternoon.


What you'll need:

- wire coat hanger (the ones you get at the dry cleaner's)
- bias tape, ribbon, or a piece of fabric
- a piece of (masking) tape
- white glue
- optional: ribbon, rivet punch + rivets




Steps:

1. If you don't have ribbon or bias tape at hand, make your own (pic. 4 & 5) by cutting a long strip from a piece of fabric. Don't bother about cutting in bias, we want the ribbon to fray! Yes, fray! Although I had only a small piece of fabric, I cut one long strip from it. This is how: start cutting a strip lengthwise from one side to the other, BUT WITHOUT CUTTING THROUGH TO THE VERY END! Repeat, alternating sides as shown in the diagram below.



2. Attach the ribbon to the wire coat hanger as shown in pic. 6 and wind the ribbon around a couple of times to hide the tape.

3. Next, start twisting the ribbon around the wire all the way around. Don't be afraid of the fabric fraying - we like the effect! To make sure the ribbon is everywhere tightly twisted around the wire, check once in a while and twist the ribbon between your fingers as you work your way back to where you stopped.

4. At the bottom of the hook twist the ribbon around both wires and work your way up the hook (pic. 9 & 10).

5. Cut off the ribbon leaving a 1 inch end. Put on some white glue and next continue twisting the ribbon, smearing the glue in and over the fabric and such way that the tip is completely covered and there are no loose ends left (pic. 11-13).

6. Optional: Decorate with a tag. I used stamps for this and the motto of our summer "Carpe diem". Make one for every family member and have their names on it, or if you plan for a summer party make one for every guest. The possibilities obviously are endless. Use the rivet punch to attach a rivet and tie to the hanger with a piece of ribbon. All done!

Announcement: a new Flickr pool

I've been thinking about this for a while and given the huge response on the last tutorial posted here, through your comments, e-mail, on other blogs, with pictures... (THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!) I decided why not - I made a special Flickr pool where YOU can post YOUR creations made with the help of a tutorial found here.

So, if you made something with the help of a // Between the lines // tutorial or if you got inspired by something you found on this blog, feel free to post your pictures at Made with // Between the lines //!

I'm really looking forward to seeing all of your creations!

Summer bracelets DIY

When M. came home from her camp with school, she showed me this yellow bracelet she made with 'scoubidoo' strings. One of her friends taught her how to make these and of course I wanted to have a go at it too. Instead of scoubidou string I used strips of fabric for one and leather - what did you think?!- shoelaces in offsetting colors for another one. I believe both resulting bracelets look really nice. The possibilities in terms of material to braid with are endless. How about tall beach grass or just hemp cord?

So, in case you 're in need of a fun summer project here's a how-to in 16 pictures with a short description below. I could probably have done with less photos - it's just that I had fun taking pictures...



This is what you'll need for an adult size leather bracelet. (You might have to adjust depending on the material you use, so make sure to do a try-out before cutting ends.):

- a 52cm long strip of fabric or leather shoe lace
- a second strip of fabric or leather shoe lace of approximately 95 cm
- a big-eyed  needle
- a cylindrical object to hold the loop so your project stays put while braiding (the neck of an Elmer's glue bottle works just fine; when out on the beach, the finger of a helper's hand might do the trick as well)



Steps:

1. Fold both strands in half and place the shorter one on top of the longer one as shown in picture 2.
2. Start braiding as shown in pictures 3 through 8, making sure to pull the strings evenly - I made my bracelet really tight but you could make a looser version by pulling less on the strings you braid with.
3. Continue like this until you reach the end of the strands you're braiding with.
4. Hide the loose ends in the braid as shown in pictures 10-11, using a big-eyed needle.
5. Tie a overhand knot in both remaining loose ends as shown in pictures 12-14 and here.
6. Put it around your wrist, pull one of the ends through the loop and  (have someone help you to) make a double knot and your bracelet is ready to wear!

This is the kind of craft you could easily do with kids - have them cut strips of fabric, no need to worry about the strips being straight and regular, and teach them how to braid. It's a good exercise for fine motor skills, and because it's repetitive it's very relaxing too. Use the resulting braid as a bracelet, anklet, key chain, headband... Once you've got the hang of it, or if you want to take this project to the next level, slip some beads on the longest one of your strings before you start and braid them in by slipping them down one by one as you go.

With special thanks to my little girl M. for teaching me how to make these...

Flowers? Stripes? Or both? :: DIY lace trimmed scarf

One of the fun things about cleaning up is that you come across hidden or lost treasures. In the mess I generated I discovered yet another old favorite shirt of mine - or actually it was a button down shirt dress, very long, flimsy, white and gray stripes, very summer-y and with side slits reaching up to the waist. Don't worry: it really was a decent dress - it came with a long white tank top under-dress. The under-dress has long gone, but not the shirt, which I'm really happy about. I cut it to pieces and paired it up with a gray flower printed flimsy fabric I bought not too long ago. I added some lace trim and there: a new scarf, combining old and new. Isn't it lovely?

And so easy to make too!

This is what you need:

- two rectangular pieces of fabric of equal size (mine were 110 cm by 38 cm or in inches: 43 by 15)
- lace trim equaling the sum of both short ends of the fabric (76 cm or 30 inch)
- pins, tread, sewing machine

Instructions




1. With the right sides facing pin the two rectangles together squeezing the lace trim in between layers (at the short ends only) and such that the lace trim faces inwards as shown in the above pictures - you don't want to see any of the trim sticking out! Also, to have neat corners , have the lace trim start in a little curve as shown in the picture - you don't want the lace trim to get caught in the side seams!

2. Sew everything together but leaving a small opening in one of the long sides for turning. Check if the trim got nicely caught in the seams everywhere - correct where needed.

3. Clip the corners.

4. Next, turn inside out through the opening. Shape and press with iron. Close the opening by hand or with the machine.

5. You can leave the scarf as is or for a slightly more distressed look, wash it and next, twist it until completely tangled up. Leave it to dry this way. Once dry, undo and you'll have a nice and nonchalantly wrinkled scarf...

Another old shirt project :: a tutorial

As already mentioned in my previous post I did take pictures of every step in the process of making my new little toiletry bag. Being only one step away from a tutorial, I decided to write down everything now that it's still fresh in my mind. So, that's what I have ready for you today: a new tutorial!

There are several reasons why I like this project. Most importantly, the way in which a much loved shirt was put to a new use and will start a new life. But also how all the little details of the shirt fitted in so nicely. The buttons and button holes make for a great alternative to the traditional zipper. The loops in the back, made from the button tab of this former roll up sleeve shirt, can be used either to hang the bag or simply to hold a small rolled up towel or washcloth. But it all started out with the pockets and the cuff screaming 'I would make a great pocket for your lipstick'... I hope this tutorial will be an inspiration to some of you to recycle that favorite shirt and save it from the bag with cleaning rags...

Needed:

- an old dress shirt
- 2 rectangular pieces of linen (or any other fabric), in my case 2 pieces of 24 by 37cm. This could be any size of course, depending on the size of the shirt.
- batting, same size as the 2 rectangular pieces of linen
- sewing machine, thread, pins and needles, ...
- iron

Step 1: Cutting up the shirt

The possibilities are unlimited. The idea was to use the nice features the shirt had like the cuffs, roll up sleeve button tabs, the placket, the yoke...
The picture below shows the parts used.


from left to right: the cuff and part of one sleeve, button tabs of both sleeves, the yoke (upper back part), shirt front. All parts were cut close to the top stitched edges or seams.

Step 2: Front pockets of the bag

2.1. Take one piece of linen and place it on top of one piece of batting

2.3. Make a pocket from the cuff by folding the cuff as shown in pictures 1 and 2 below. Press with iron. Next pin into place onto the front piece of linen plus batting -picture 6.

2.4. Fold the other sleeve part such that the split faces up - it will figure as the pocket opening. Now cut the piece to size (rectangle or square)- picture 3. Right sides facing, stitch the bottom and side seams closed. Turn inside out, shape and fold in bottom corners as shown in picture 4 and 5. Press with iron. Pin into place onto the linen plus batting - picture 7.

2.5. Now stitch both pockets into place on your sewing machine - picture 9. Press with iron and put aside.





Step 3: The back of the bag - loops

This is an optional step. If you don't have any button tabs on your shirt, you can either make some loops from the left over fabric of the shirt or you can just omit. I added this detail because I liked the finishing of the button tab and button on my shirt and because I find it a handy feature to be able to hang my toiletry bag.

3.1. Take the other set of linen and batting and place them on top of each other.
3.2. Take both sets of button tab and button and place them on top of the linen at equal distances from the sides - as shown in picture 1, making sure the tab points downwards.
3.3. Top stitch into place - picture 2.
3.4. Fold upward the tab and pin into place - picture 3. Top stitch. The result should look as shown in 4.




Step 4: Assembling the bag

4.1. Place front and back on top of each other, right sides facing and stitch the side seams and bottom seam - picture 1.
4.2. Box the corners by folding the bottom corners as shown - picture 2. Sew into place.
4.3. When finished turn inside out again; the bag should look as shown in pictures 3 and 4.



Step 5: The bag lining

This is probably the hardest part of the bag. The idea is to use the button closure of the shirt as the closure for the bag. If you haven't done so yet, cut the front of the body of the shirt to size.

5.1. Only if you have a printed shirt, or the fabric has a selvage: fold the button pad in, i.e. towards the wrong side of the fabric (the inside of the shirt) and top stitch into place - picture 1. The reason you do this is because you want the right sides of the fabric to face inside your bag.
5.2. inner pocket: cut the yoke to size taking into account seam allowance - picture 2. As the yoke was nicely top stitched in my case, I used that side as the top for the inner pocket. If this isn't the case on your shirt, however, take some extra seam allowance and finish off the top seam first, before continuing.
5.3. Fold in side seams and bottom seam of the pocket to be. Press with iron - picture 3. Next, pin the pocket into place and then top stitch onto the lining - picture 4 and 5.
5.4. Put both pieces of lining with the wrong sides up in front of you and close the buttons. At either end, you stitch the button and buttonhole part together with a couple of stitches to secure - picture 6.
5.5. Now fold the lining right sides facing and the buttons facing upward. Pin the side seams and bottom seam to make a bag. Next, stitch together, however, on both side seams, staying clear from the top edge (button closure) for about half the full width of the placket (button hole pad) - picture 7.
5.6. In order to box the top corners, fold the corners as shown in the picture 8. Do so for both top corners. Secure.
5.7. Box the bottom corners to the same size as you did for the outer shell of your bag (linen). With the right sides of the lining still on the inside, and hence the wrong side of the fabric facing you, you should obtain a boxed bag with two outward pointing "wings" at the top.
5.8. Now, pin the top corners (the wings) to the outside of the bag as shown in picture 9 and 10 and secure with a couple of stitches.
5.9. Place lining inside bag - the corners will fold in as shown in picture 11.
5.10. Pin the lining to the bag as shown in picture 12. Top stitch the bag and lining together. Done!
(Note: to avoid too thick a layer to sew through, trim the batting a little, and fold your outer fabric over the batting before starting to pin the lining to the bag.)



I hope I made myself clear enough, if not just drop me a line.
Good luck and happy re-purposing!

Quick fix grocery bag :: a tutorial

We had grapes this weekend. So? They were really good. Seedless white grapes and they came in one of those plastic bags, with cuts all over to make it stretchy. Hours after we had the grapes, while in the kitchen, my eye fell upon the plastic bag again. It was just a glimpse, but enough for me to hear it scream: please, make me!
I didn't pay too much attention to it until yesterday morning. I was working on something else when all of a sudden I remembered the bag. It didn't take me too long to think it through. All that I needed was a shirt.

I found a shirt - an old favorite but hopelessly stained one (bleach* near the bottom hem). And after some cutting, sewing and some more cutting I ended up with this bag.
It's probably one of the fastest and easiest bags I ever made, but I do like it a lot!



In case you want to give this super fast and easy grocery bag a try as well, keep on reading as I wrote down some instructions for you.

What you need:

- an old T-shirt
- scissors
- matching thread
- a button
- a piece of ribbon
- sewing machine



Instructions:


1. Take an ironed adult size T-shirt, right side out. (You could use a kid's T-shirt for a smaller sized bag).

2. Fold it in half as shown in picture 2.

3. Cut off the sleeves as shown in picture 3 and put them aside as you'll need them later to make a little pouch.

4. Cut around the neck-line as shown in picture 4.

5. Sew the bottom of the shirt closed using a French seam. If you're not familiar with the French seam check out this post. (Basically, you sew the hem closed on the right side, turn the bag inside out and sew another seam, sandwiching the first seam inside). Next, sew boxed corners, as explained here, in step 1. You could iron everything flat now, if you like.

6. Place the bag in front of you on a flat surface. Starting from the bottom, fold over the bag as shown in picture 6, about 2 1/2 inch, that is.

7. Now, starting about 3 inches from the side, with your scissors make 1/2 an inch to 3/4 of an inch cuts through all layers, leaving about 1 1/8 inch between every cut. Continue like this all the way to the other side and stop about 3 inches from the side seam.

8. Next, fold it over some more (an additional 2 to 2 1/2 inch) and repeat the cutting, but now right in between two cuts from the previous line, as shown in picture 8.

9. Go on like this a couple more times, depending on the size of your bag - I did 5 rows in total.

10. Optional - Pouch:



Take one sleeve and cut to size, such that the folded bag fits inside the sleeve (make sure to add seam allowance). The hem of the sleeve will be the top of the pouch (if its a tunnel, i.e. tubular all the way around so you could pass a ribbon through)- if not, sew a tunnel). Sew the cut-off sleeve closed at the other end using a French seam again - you can box the corners if you like. At the top: make two small incisions (front only) at the center of the hem. With a safety pin slide the ribbon through the tunnel, and pull the ribbon ends through the button. Make knots in both ribbon ends. To close the pouch just pull the button all the way up and vice versa to open.


As with all of my tutorials, please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form without permission. Thanks for understanding!


* the bleach stains ended up the in hem and one of the boxed corners!!

A quick fix leather bracelet

I mentioned it yesterday, that I actually had time for two crafts while the girls were playing. So, here's number two - a quick fix leather bracelet. And while I was at it I wrote down some instructions for this quick fix.

Leather and leather jewelry seem to be everywhere lately, but that's not where I got my inspiration exclusively. While I was going through my reader, I came across these absolutely gorgeous booties (with free pattern - found through CraftGossip). Too bad my girls are too big for these now. The part I like best about these booties is the strap with button. They remind me of the strap and button on my wedding shoes... Well and the rest you can see here...











You'll need:

- a piece of leather; mine measured 22 by 3cm, for a loose fit. Measure your wrist and adjust accordingly, taking into account whether you prefer a loose or tight fit as well.
- a button
- scissors or a rotary cutter (I should get me one of those...)
- (heavy duty) thread
- a leather sewing needle
- pen and ruler


Instructions:

Use the template below. Mark the cutting lines on the back with a pen. I made three incisions length wise, 0.5cm apart, and about 17cm long. And one small vertical incision, the size of the button, for the button hole. To make sure the button passes, rather than making the button hole longer (and hence too long to hold the button still), cut a small "v" at each end of the incision.

Sew on the button.

To get the twisted look, pull one end of the bracelet through the incisions a couple of times, while holding on to the other end. There's no order or limit in doing so, just play around with it until you get a nice twist and are satisfied with the way it looks...

I'm definitely satisfied with how mine looks, and I can totally picture myself wearing this bracelet with a simple white outfit, a nice leather belt, cute strapped sandals, on a bright sunny day...

Oh, why can't spring just begin and then summer would be next...

Valentine's Day :: DIY wire wrapped photo holder

Only four more days to go for Valentine's Day!
Here's another craft I whipped together yesterday. A simple wire wrapped photo holder. Time needed? 15 minutes approximately!

And here are the step by step instructions, just in case:



1. Needed: two ends of metal wire (25cm, but could be of any size really, depending on how tall you want the photo holder to be), rounded nosed pliers, flat nosed pliers, cutting pliers, clay

2. Take a piece of clay and shape as shown in the picture

3. - 6. Bend the wire to form a heart - secure as shown in pic. 5. Repeat with the second end.

7. Twist the two stems around each other

8. Cut one end off about 10cm measured from the bottom

9. Push the longer end through the clay, until the shorter end meets the clay.

10. With pliers bend the end to form a loop and cut off excess. Push the loop into the clay.

11. Smoothen the clay where needed (wet your fingers if necessary). Shape the hearts where needed so a picture, photograph or greeting card will stay put between the two hearts. Let air dry. And done!

Note: If you don't have clay, a large potato might do, or a cork (for tiny holders, that is), a rock (in that case you wrap the wire around the rock, instead of going through the rock), ... Also, because of the tools needed and the potentially sharp ends of the wire, this craft (or at least the part where you work the metal wire) is not recommended to be done by kids. Once assembled though, let your kids paint the clay once dried and further decorate the holder!

Good luck!

Valentine's day :: another how-to

Still in need of a Valentine's Day surprise or just another fancy way to wrap that present? Then keep on reading as I might have something for you.

I still had a crocheted heart left I wanted to use. I decided to make a little drawstring bag - very simple with a couple of details added to give it a sweet little touch. This what it ended up looking like.



The good news is - if you like this little bag, that is - that I have some instructions ready for you, so you can make one of your own.

What you need:

- red yarn enough for crocheting a drawstring, a big heart, and two tiny ones
- a crochet hook
- an embroidery needle
- embroidery floss
- an old white sheet or any other piece of fabric for the bag
- sewing machine


Instructions:

1. Cut a rectangular piece of fabric corresponding to the size you want the bag to be (don't forget to add seam allowances on the sides and at the top). Cut the fabric such that you'll have the fold of the fabric at the bottom of the bag - I used a 35cm by 90cm piece.

2. Position and pin the heart, for which you can find the instructions here, onto the front of the bag. Stitch into place either by hand or with the sewing machine.

3. Close the side seams using the French seam as explained here.
Note: close the side seams all the way up to the top.

3. Button holes for the drawstring: at the front of the bag, mark where the two button holes will come (you'll need two, 1cm high and about 1cm from either side of the center and 7cm from the top). Make the button holes with the sewing machine and cut open. Here's an "astuce" - a hint - for cutting open button holes. If you put a pin at the other inner end of the button hole that pin will keep you from cutting too far and hence cutting the stitches as well.


4. Fold the fabric over, on the wrong side, to make a tunnel of about 2.5 cm wide for the drawstring (the button holes nicely centered in the middle of the tunnel) and sew on the machine.



5. With the red yarn, crochet a drawstring in chain stitch. Put a safety pin through one end and pull the drawstring through the tunnel.

6. Crochet two tiny hearts (found through Whip Up here) and attach to each end of the drawstring.

7. Now you can further decorate the bag with some embroidery. You might prefer to do this before you start sewing, but I prefer to do this in the end because it's easier for me to visualize the end result.

And that's it!



You could use these bags for about anything, from wrapping presents to protecting the finest lingerie...