DIY Tutorials!

I know some of you have heard about the ongoing adventures of making things for my super awesome pregnant friend (she's into the whole handmade thing, I figured I HAD to make stuff).

I used this pattern and tutorial to make some bibs out of scraps laying around. The photo is kind of big, so click the cut to check them out!

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Hello! I'm relatively new to this community, but I'm hoping people out there might be able to help me with my problem.

( Sleeve problem ahead. )

A while back, this tutorial was posted here. I had some batik laying around and decided to buy some more and make my own version. It's on my mannequin (which is smaller than me) so it had to be pinned. I opted to use D rings with some ribbon to tie it together, but you get the idea. Pic is a bit big so I'm using a cut.

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I have a random question. We just moved into an apartment and the tile in the kitchen and bathroom is HIDEOUS. As in, this apartment was built in the 20's and I don't think the tile has been changed since. I'm not even sure if it was originally yellow, or if that's age discoloration... You get the picture. It's not really tile, more of a tile print on... linoleum? Something like that. We're broke and we don't want to spend too much money on an apartment we're not going to be in forever, so retiling is out of the question. I was wondering, has anyone ever painted their floor before? What kind of paint did you use? Should I sand the tile beforehand? How well did it stand up to foot traffic? What about cleaning? Did cleansers have a negative effect on it? We use the Swiffer wet jet, but I don't know if it would damage the paint.

Aside from that, does anyone have any better ideas of how to cover it up, aside from a rug? I'm honestly thinking about using contact paper as a second option - I'm that desperate to cover it up.

Any advice would be great, thanks!!

 Why does denim curl up at the bottom or want to fold right at the hem after being washed and dried?  Is there any way to correct this permanently?

A few weeks ago, I got inspired by this post on the Threadbangers blog to have a go at weaving and maybe make myself a scarf. I made a search for more tutorials on very simple home-made looms and weaving and I found lots of stuff, but not much helpful information (at least for me, a very beginner). After finding some instructions on making a loom out of cardboard (sorry, I can't find the link) I found myself making things up as I went on. Only three rows of weft later and I came to the conclusion that I was doing it wrong and gave up.
Today, I opend my Youtube page to see that the Make Magazine channel has posted a tutorial by Travis Meinolf on making a loom out of notecards and a how-to on weaving with it. The only thing that he doesn't explain, though, is what to do with the lose ends of the yarn when you run out and introduce a new one and also how to finish off your woven fabric. If anyone knows how to weave, please share what's missing with the rest of us in a comment :).
( two big pics of my failed cloth - but the vid is much more interesting )

http://wildonionstudio.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/tee-bags/

x-posted to t_shirt_surgery

Hi everybody! I have a pale yellow zip up Yellow Submarine hoodie that I have worn at least once a week for probably the last 3 years. The cuffs and sleeves got really stretched out, so yesterday I cut the cuffs off, sewed the sleeves in and put on new black cuffs. Now, I want to dye it to hide a lot of the stains that have popped up over the years. I'd like to dye it grey with Rit dye, does anyone have any experience using Rit dye and would like to share some tips? Do you think it will still turn out a true grey over a pale yellow? I wear this thing a lot so I don't want to have it turn out a nasty brown or something. Thanks ahead of time!

P.S. - I looked in previous tagged entries, and I guess my main question here which I didn't find an answer to is how the grey will look over pale yellow.

Bleach Stencil Placemat tutorial from Poopscape.

These are so beautiful!





Fairy Flower Lights made from egg cartons tutorial from Crafty Craft.

Oh.My.God!!! This is the cutest thing I have seen ever ever ever.




Ferret-Eating-Monster-Bed tutorial from Taboo Creations.

I'm new here! I love being crafty, and I also loooove to knit!

I will probably post some tutorials and ideas later on, but for now I have a question. I am a hoarder. I keep a lot of little, useless things and now I have too many of them! I looked through the memories but couldn't find anything about what I can make with empty orange prescription bottles (the ones with the child-safe tops). I know I could decorate them or store something in them, but that seems pretty obvious, and I have a lot of little altoids-type tins for that purpose. Any other ideas?

And I mean from STEP ZERO.
I bought my wife a sewing machine, she doesn't really use it.
I want to.
Suggestions?  Books, internet sites, etc?

Hi, I ordered a t-shirt online which is non-refundable and it fits nice, except the bottom is a little short. Is there any way I could stretch it out vertically? Help is appreciated, thanks.

Hi everyone. New memeber here. My landlord just informed me that he probably wouldn't allow me to paint my bedroom red. This makes me very upset, as I pretty much based my entire decorating scheme around being able to do this. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to make the walls red without painting or wallpapering them? Can I buy something like wallpaper and stick it on without it looking too DIY? If so, where would I find such a thing?

Thank you!

I'm a beginner at blackwork/counted cross-stitch, so I do most of my stuff by hand. I plan on making a baby blanket for a good friend of mine's son with a good deal of hand-stitched embroidery. I realize that most fabrics and threads aren't up to being used by a baby and the repeated washings it would probably need. Other than minor repairs on my clothing this will be the first time I've done anything that wasn't on aida cloth and I'm already overwhelmed. Please excuse the utter noob-ness of this D:.

I need to know a lot. Are there any really soft even-weave fabrics, if not, then what's the cleanest way to mark out a pattern? I know it's going to be backed in a nice flannel. Right now I'm planning on tracing it in charcoal or creating the holes before I start to sew. What is a good color-fast thread that's easy to work with? How can I properly anchor the embroidery so that it won't come loose?

A few months ago, I found some discarded road signs on campus. It looked like they might have been retrieved post-hurricane, but they were in good shape. They were from another county half way across the state. But anyways. I picked them up and they've been sitting flat in my trunk ever since.

I kind of wanted to make them into small tables somehow, but I'm looking for any ideas what to do with them. One of them is a "Park and ride" and the other was for "Bay County Sheriff's Wilderness Camp" or something along those lines.

Any ideas? I live in a condo and I think mounting them on the wall is out of the question, but I want to get them out of my trunk!

I have yet again found myself addicted to LJ and DA during downtime. I found some tutorials on DA geared toward textiles and sewing as a whole (no specifics, just like.. intro stuff) and figured I would share.

Basic stitches:
http://ashfantastic.deviantart.com/art/Some-Stitches-89359326

Appliques:
http://dark-zero-mousy.deviantart.com/art/Tutorial-Appliques-93864003

Making ruffles:
http://bijouscosplay.deviantart.com/art/How-to-make-ruffles-93221433

Iron-on transfers (pics are a little blurred but the text is just fine):
http://ashfantastic.deviantart.com/art/Iron-On-Transfer-Tutorial-83408149

Finger-weaving (I did this as a kid with the elastic bands that came in those potholder loom kits):
http://fadedoak-craft.deviantart.com/art/Fingerweaving-Tutorial-80418082

Cross-stitch, keeping the back neat:
http://crafty-manx.deviantart.com/art/CrossStitch-Neat-Back-Tutorial-88617016

Cross-stitch gridlines:
http://crafty-manx.deviantart.com/art/CrossStitch-Gridlines-Tutorial-87188932

Cross-stitch railroading:
http://crafty-manx.deviantart.com/art/CrossStitchRailroadingTutorial-87196295

First, let me say that this is an AWESOME community, and it's given me quite a long to-do list.

Anyway, I have all of these old Pokemon cards from when I was a young kid, and I thought since I wasn't using them, I could make something nifty out of them, probably a bag.

The only thing is I don't know how I would go about doing this. Could anyone help me, or maybe give me other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

I stumbled across this helpful article for sewing newbies (or those who don't know that much about the kinds of needles available/their uses).

Know Your (Hand-Sewing) Needles comes with some nice photos! Written by Diane Gilleland at CraftStylish.

Heya, there's a new needlework pattern up in PDF form on my blog for anyone that's interested :)

Free Twirly Bird Pattern

You can also see all of the sewing and craft tutorials here, there's a sewing machine cover pattern, some quilting tutorials, a needle roll and a crochet and beading tutorial as well :D

Enjoy!

first time poster...


i have a issue on my hands...

i have tons of (like 30+) t-shirts in my closet that i don't wear anymore (i went working a "mall" job to a "professional" office job) but i would like to do things to/with but since i don't have a sewing machine, it makes it tough/ long to do a project of any kind. does anyone have any ideas for easy hand sewing re-con ideas? i don't want to trash these shirts but putting them up on craigslist or ebay might be the end route.


thanks a bunch.


x-posted

sorry i don't have any pictures, but this is a really cool craft idea.

so you take some flattened marbles (you know like the ones you use to play mancala) and you glue magazine clippings on the back. then you glue magnets on the back of that. makes pretty cool magnets for your fridge because the marbles blow up the image. just an idea that i really like. here's a link for where i found it.

http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets/

5-Minute Skirt tutorial from Angry Chicken.

So cute!



Fairy Dress-Up dress from Wee Wonderfuls

So my goal for July was to learn something new each day.  I've been pretty good about it, but the July 4th holiday threw an early wrench into things--family and learning don't necessarily mix! :-)  I'm sure you've seen some of these sites, but they've been incredibly helpful in my learning quest: www.sutree.com and www.monkeysee.com.  SuTree aggregates user-generated material, but it's generally pretty good.  MonkeySee, which I think just launched recently, has really high quality videos, and the thing that I like is that they actually give the credentials of the experts, so I can click through and visit their site.  This is helpful especially for getting in touch with additional resources & groups, like the mountain biking group I came across.

Anyway, I don't know if anyone else has come across similar sites, or has any more ambitious goals than one month?  Do I hear learning something a day for a year?  :-)

I know this might not be the best place to post this but I'm totally desperate...


I have a dresser that smells like animal urine on the bottom legs.  I've tried just about everything to get rid of the smell.  I was wondering if anyone has had this issue before??  My last resort is to paint it and hope that takes care of it.  Any ideas?  I'm also searching for color ideas (if that's what it comes to).  My bedroom is a light pastel purple and I have bamboo shades over my windows... If I have to paint it I was wondering what color scheme would look good/funky/different. 

If this is inappropriate for this comm please let me know and I'll remove it. 

Thanks!

since I've just written up a stamp carving tutorial for two lovely ladies over at swap-bot.com I thought I would share it with the rest of my lovelies over here!

I hope you enjoyed learning about how I carve my stamps! I’d love to see pictures of any stamps you make, or answer any questions you have about my tute or stamp-carving in general, so please don't be shy!

I've had lots of requests for more on how I create (both literally and the creative process). I don't really have a very creative "creative process" but I thought I would do this mini "you might not actually want to follow this" tutorial on how I made this shirt for one of my plushies.

(This is how I make clothes but I really would recommend you take a class or read a book or learn from a professional! I'm just lucky mine turn out alright in the end.)

Im in love with this style of top/dress but so far havent been able to find a tutorial anywhere

http://img.torrid.com/is/image/HotTopic/572413_hi?$product$

I can basically suss out the general dress shape and band at the bottom its the wonderful kangaroo pockety bit thats eluding
any help? this style was nowhere and within the week its in most stores and being worn everywhere taunting me

Simple Summer Tote tutorial from Sew Mama Sew.

I love this tutorial. I may have actually posted it before- but it's so simple, yet functional and I just think it's so fantastic.

Alli Coate's Lace Jars tutorial over at Design Sponge.



------

On an un-related note, I just wanted to address the confusion that some people have had about the tutorials that I've been posting lately. They are not mine! Most of what I post are tutorials that have been made by other wonderful people, thus the reason why I always provide links and credit the original website/author. You are all welcome to do this as well! I work full time and run a small business out of my home, so unfortunately- even though I wish I had time to make wonderful tutorials all the time, I really don't!

Also- I have had a lot of people asking to be LJ friends, because of my frequent posting here. I don't mean any offense by not adding anyone- but my personal LJ is just that- personal and I generally don't befriend people who I don't know. Please don't take any offense!

♥♥♥

Hey all,
I work in an office and seem to just live in plain white shirts; I'd love to escape from the crowd abit!
I'm not the best person with a sewing machine... [I can do basic!] but I'd like to have a go at something a little more adventurous perhaps!
Where the weathers finally warmed up, I'm feeling creative XD
Does anyone have any ideas for making a basic white work shirt more unique, even with just the simplest of things?
I'd appreciate *any* suggestions, thankyou :)


EDIT:

Thank-you all for your kind suggestions :) it's really helped!
I'll post pics if something comes out really well~~~

My work gives away a lot of tshirts, but they're all for men - so a little too big in some parts, a little too small in others.

Does anyone know of a good tutorial for converting a normal tshirt into a women's shirt? Or can it even be done?!

Last thing I want to post, I promise! Some of you may have seen this over in t_shirt_surgery, but I used one of the tutorials posted here a while back to make keyholes. Old entry with tutorial.

( They're kind of big pictures )

Moving towards more green behavior and habits has been a major trend for me in the last few years. I'm currently living in a condo where we have no recycling set up (it's hard enough trying to keep up with trash disposal). I'm not sure if recycling is even set up for this area. Bummer, I know. Here are some ideas (successfully used in some cases, only ideas in other cases) for more environmentally friendly shipping, mailing, etc. habits.

* Reuse boxes from previous mail arrivals or purchased products
* 12 can soda packs stuffed with crinkled up paper inside of another box was a safe way of getting a narrow glass platter in the mail.
* Shred junk mail and fliers to use in place of packing peanuts
* Unsalted, unbuttered popcorn makes for good packing material (you could feed ducks afterwards or something)
* During a friend's recent move (it was a short distance where movers weren't hired), we wrapped all of her glasses, bowls, and plates in a few layers of old plastic bags she had laying around. She's going to recycle them once they're all unpacked.
* You could also use dish towels/kitchen rags as cushioning for dishes
* On moving again - hit up the grocery store and other retail locations. Sometimes they have intact boxes you can take home to pack (saving money AND landfill space)
* I worked retail where we received boxes filled with packing peanuts all the time. We filled garbage bags FULL of them and dropped them off at a Pak Mail around the corner (or some other mailing place) and they reused them instead of us throwing them away.

Any other creative ways to mail, pack, and move?

I stumbled across this while looking for something else. Check her tutorial out!

Side note: I love how active this community has become. Thanks everyone for posting your own tutorials and links to those you've stumbled upon! Please feel free to add tags (listed on the right side of the entries here) to your post so other members can find your entries easier. We add new tags as needed.

Hey all, I just found this community and am delighted to say the least. After digging through and having been inspired (and added a bunch of projects to my to-do list), I wanted to share a tutorial of my own. I posted it on Threadbanger from a request, so here's the link: http://forum.threadbanger.com/showthread.php?t=5727

Completed hoodie:

Like it? Find it useful? Do tell! :)

Made this little fairy notebook/folder out of scrap materials in the house. :)

http://whatnow73.livejournal.com/81397.html

Sewing the paper in was pretty simple - just went up down, up down at regular intervals.

First time posting here but I can't help but to have a question:

I'm needing to make a fabric wall to separate a kitchen space from a studio apartment in order to try and cut down on smells (so it would adsorb/block as much as possible). I've already figured I could make a PVC pipe stand for the panels (not allowed to drill into the walls), but I'm at a loss as to what I can do for the fabric choice. Is there any fabrics out there that may be better at this than others at doing this job?