Flower Hair Accessory Becomes Pump Shoe Decoration
How to embellish shoes My aim with this blog is to share what I consider easy ways to spruce up existing clothes or accessories. Or to show items I have made that don't require much skill. There are wonderful crafting websites with some astounding ideas. But I have to...
Rick Rack Trim on Coat for Chanel Inspired Coat
DIY Chanel inspired coat Following on from yesterday's post. Here is one of my own versions of adding a trim to perk up a jacket or coat. The inspiration for this was Chanel. A few years back they had trench coats with this particular type of trim. I saw Madonna in...
Trim on Sleeves and Collar to Make a Preppy Jacket
How to sew trim to a jacket I did not make this jacket. So why did I include it? The jacket was the inspiration for adding more trimmings. The colour contrast on this jacket made it most suitable for a picture. I prepped up a few of my jackets with a similar...
Wrist Cuff Embroidered with Moonstone Chips
Make a Moonstone cuff In this picture is a wrist cuff made from black denim with moonstone chips sewn onto it. I have said in previous posts that I adore semi precious stones. Moonstones are one of my favourites. At the bead merchant they sell strings of these chips....
Givenchy Style Layered Chain Necklace
Knotted chain necklace Back to necklaces with this post. This was a take on the Givenchy necklace that was a hit a season or two back. Madonna stepped out in a similar necklace. I bought quite a lot of fine chain. I laid it out and untwisted it so it lay nice...
How to wear a vintage skinny scarf
Here is the final idea for wearing these skinny scarves. This is the original vintage scarf I bought a good while back. One benefit of a skinny scarf is that it if you wear it long as in the picture, it creates a vertical line which lengthens the upper torso....
Skinny Scarf as a Waist Tie with Shift Dress and Malachite Beads
Fabric waist tie Here is another way to wear these skinny scarves. In the picture is a shift dress I made for hot summer evenings. I made the pattern too but I wouldn't recommend making your own patterns if you have limited sewing skills. I did it because I couldn't...
Skinny Scarf as a Turban or Bohemian Head Scarf
Skinny scarf headband Here is one way to wear these skinny scarves. It's a nod to the Bohemian look that's been around for a while now. It's also great for a hard session at the gym and looks a lot better than a headband. It won't work if, like me, you ride a scooter....
Skinny Scarves, How to Make
Skinny scarf tutorial In the picture are three long, oval shaped scarves. They are double sided. To make - cut two identical shapes, stitch shapes together, leave a small bit open to turn inside out, nip to the seams, turn scarf inside out, and iron flat. I have...
Harem Pants or Turkish Pants and Bubble Skirt Using Elastic in Hem
Elasticated harem pants In the picture is a much easier way to get the gathered effect of these Harem or Turkish pants. Unpick the hem of your trousers slightly and slip in a piece of un-bendable elastic. Make sure you measure the width of your elastic and allow a...
Turn Leggings into Turkish or Harem Pants Using Rib Trim, How to
Rib trim cuff pants Following on from yesterday's Harem or Turkish pants. Click here to see. In the picture to the left you can see how to cut and stitch the rib trim. At the top you can see the leggings and how the rib trim is folded in half and then attached to the...
Harem Pants from Baggy or Pajama Pants Using Rib Trim at Bottom
Harem pants tutorial Harem pants or Turkish pants have been the business for a season or two now. One never knows which trends are going to linger and which will pass quickly. My preference is to try a trend in a classic or restrained sort of way. And of course if I...
Brooches and Rings Using FIMO Shapes
Cookie cutter brooches In the picture are the FIMO brooches up close. You can see the pin which I glued to the back of the brooch. Apart from the wide range of possibilities in size, colour and shape with these brooches, one can also decorate the front. I considered...
FIMO Heart Brooch
Working with FIMO In the picture is a heart shaped brooch I made from FIMO. FIMO is available in most craft shops and really easy to work with. FIMO comes in a range of colours. This particular one had a sparkly seashell like luminescent quality to it. How could I not...
Lagerfeld Inspired Vintage Gloves
Upcycle gloves My mother was doing some volunteer time at a charity shop and she bought these gloves for me. In a Karl Lagerfeld moment I removed the trim at the wrist and added a piece of chain. These gloves are butter soft and since I zip about the city on a...
Unlined Curtains with Clip on Pegs
Easy unlined curtains Yesterday I started with instruction for this project. Find the instructions - here. Here are the balance of the instructions for the curtains. As you can see I used clip-on tabs which hook into the curtain rings. The curtain rod was placed at a...
The Easiest Curtains Ever
Curtain tutorial This is not an item that can be worn but these curtains were dead easy to make. I measured the window area and determined the drop or length the curtains had to be. Then I took the width and since I wanted two curtains, divided the width in half. For...
Chanel inspired Coin and Chain Necklace or Bracelet
Coin jewelry I was having a Chanel moment with this necklace and wrist chain. They had bags of these coins for sale at our local craft supply store. I attached them to an existing wrist chain and then bought a long strand of thinner chain to make the necklace. I used...
Slouchy Fabric Green Sling Bag
Cloth bag sewing tutorial The instructions for this bag are - here - and also - here. I've made it a good few times. My favourite sling bag in a different green. It's probably a bit obvious by now that I do like green. Hopefully you can see from the...
How to Make Cream Denim Sling Bag
Denim bag tutorial Sometimes these items are so much harder to explain than they are to make. Here are the instructions for yesterday's sling bag. It consists of two rectangles of firm fabric about 80centimetres by 40centimetres. I have hand stitched in big black...
Khaki Slouchy Fabric Bag
Fabric bag tutorial This sling bag is yet another easy item to make. It consists of two rectangles of fabric. I will show the pattern pieces and how to stitch them together tomorrow. The one thing that is so rewarding about making your own clothes is that you can make...
Patricia Field and a Hair Flower as a Corsage
Hair flower corsage This is a take on Sarah Jessica Parker's Sex and the City corsage. Her stylist - Patricia Field - is brilliant at mixing designer and vintage pieces in quirky but always classy ways. This was a hair ornament but a bit big for my head. I cut off the...
Charm Necklace and Heart Charm Bracelet
Charm necklace tutorial Charm necklaces Here is a similar idea to the mantra bracelet a few posts back. It's a charm necklace. The charm necklaces in the shops were plastic and not very nice looking. So I made my own. It comprises a length of chain, a large O-Ring for...
Greeting Cards from Fabric Scraps with Fancy Stitching
Greeting card tutorial Today's item is not exactly something one can wear. But it does require sewing. In the picture are cards that I make out of offcuts of ribbon, tape, paper and fabric. Anything really. I use plain white A4 paper and fold it in half and fold it...
Chandelier Earrings from Wire and Semi Precious Stones
Semi precious stones in jewelry Following on from yesterday's earrings. This is the bold chandelier earring made in semi-precious stones. The earring consists of three parts. The hook - the top part - and the strings of stones. The hook part is easy. You buy hooks....
Drop Earrings from Semi Precious Stones and Chain
Make jewelry from semi precious stones I love, love semi-precious stones and crystals. I am particularly enamoured by their magical, mystical qualities. Most jewellers have limited stock of items in these stones as the value is not high enough for them to make good...
White Waistcoat Dyed Lime Green
Dyeing clothes I really wanted a bright coloured waistcoat. My wardrobe basics are in black and white. Wearing an intense colour by contrast can make the particular clothing item really pop out. In my wardrobe was a white denim waistcoat that I decided to have dyed...
No Sew Scarf
Scarf tutorial The scarf bug bit me and this time I wanted one in a lime or light apple green. No problem at the fabric shop. This version is in chiffon which drapes and falls beautifully. As with yesterday's instructions, you cut a length exactly as long as you...
No Sew Scarf, White Denim Box Jacket with Green Satin Shift Dress
DIY fashion outfit You cannot possibly get an easier item than this to make. I wanted an aqua come mint green scarf to go with a jacket I have. I could not find one. So I decided to make my own. There is no sewing or hemming involved. There is nothing to do other than...
Tote Bag, Gym Bag, Travel Bag, Instructions
Making a Tote bag Following on from yesterday - how to make a tote bag part 1- here are more instructions for the tote bag. Next up stitch the edges of the bag and the edges of the facing. That is the side seams and the lower seam of the bag. Now assemble...