Painted Canvas Shoes

I'm a photographer. However, since I'm so new to "the biz" I'm also an underpaid photographer. To supplement my income I work at shoe store. It's perfect really because I'm obsessed with shoes. I think "obsessed" may be an understatement. What's worse than obsessed? Possessed? Nah.

Anyway, my store sells these white canvas shoes. They're comfortable & all, but man are they boring! See for yourself:

Bor-ing!

So I had a friend help me out. She has the awesome precision cutter. It's so awesome I can't remember the name of it. Yep, it's awesome.
     ...Anyway, her & her awesome precision cutter made me a cut out of some branches with birds on them.

Besides the cut-out, these were my supplies:

 I used fabric markers because it was easier to stay within the cut-out and also aren't as messy as paints.

Awesome precision cutter. Awesome friend. Awesome shoes. Awesome.

Nursing Cover

My friend that recently had a baby decided to breast feed. It's almost time for her to start venturing back into the real world (church, school, etc) and doesn't like carrying around a huge blanket to fight with while she nurses. I decided to make her a Hooter Hider! --a nursing cover. It's actually much simpler than I expected.

I got help from Sew Much Ado, but changed some of her directions. My friend is about my height (read: short) and the directions she had would have been way too...everything. Keep in mind I'm 5'3 and this left plenty of length. Mine also isn't as wide as hers. It kind of felt like a backwards cape when it was wide. If you want it wider, make it that way by all means.

You'll need about a yard of material. I used regular cotton fabric although she recommended home decor fabric. The cotton worked just fine. Also grab 2 D-rings, 18 inches of boning with fabric casing, and some matching thread. I was able to find boning at a local craft store. You'll probably have to ask for it. Not many people use it so sometimes it's hidden.

 Cut the fabric into 3 pieces: 4.5"x30", 4.5"x10", and 30"x30".

Sew the two 4.5" wide pieces with right sides facing each other. The 10" should look like a tube. The 30" piece should be open on one end. On the other end, curve it slightly so that it comes to a point. These will become the neck pieces.

Trim off the extra fabric from around the curved end.

Turn the neck pieces right side out. Press flat and sew a 1/4" seam on both sides of each piece. (This is just help it look nice as well as make it easier to attach & use the D-rings.)

If anyone has any tips on how to turn the pieces right side out,
please share them! I struggle every time!

Take the 10" tube and match raw edges together. Put D-rings near fold & sew to encase.

Press a 1/2" seam at the top of the 30x30 piece (we'll call this "the body" of the piece). If you're using patterned fabric make sure you know where the top is. If you're like me and don't normally press when sewing, don't be tempted to skip this step as well as the next one. They will come in handy later!

Fold another 1/2" and press again.

Open the last fold & place the boning in the center. You should have about 5 inches of extra fabric on either side. Make sure the boning is positioned so that it's curving towards you. Pin that bad boy in place.

 On the casing for the boning, there will be a little extra fabric on one side, sew along this edge.

I just positioned it so that the foot was resting right on the
boning. At times it slipped off, but I just re-positioned.
It may take some patience, but you'll be fine.

Place the raw edges of the neck pieces at either end of the boning. Let the edge fold at the second pressing, pin, then sew along bottom edge of crease. This will make the boning curve away from you.

Flip the neck pieces so they are going away from the body & sew them into position. 

Do this for both neck pieces.

Press a 1/2" seam on the other 3 sides of the body, then press a second 1/2" seam. Sew all around the body to finish.

If you're unsure of the use of D-rings, it's pretty easy. Take the long neck piece and put through both rings. Then pull it back out again through only one.

Resist Dyed Shirt

I think everyone in some art class did the dye job where you use wax to make a design then dye the fabric. Once the fabric is dyed & dries, you stick the fabric between pieces of newspaper & iron the wax out. It's called resist dying and the results are similar to this:

Source

There are several techniques out there that do not require the use of wax. You can also use glue to create the resist. You'll need a shirt, some dye, and gel glue. I repeated this same technique using liquid dye instead of the powder. The powder created some light & dark areas, as well as some splotches where the powder didn't dissolve. The liquid created a more uniform dye job. It depends on the look you're going after as to which one you should use.

Wet the cloth with cold water. Place a water-proof barrier between the two layers. I used the lid to my laundry basket.

Use the glue to draw pictures or write a quote. I didn't bother taking a picture of this because the glue was clear and you couldn't see where I had written anyway. Let the glue dry then fix your dye bath. If you're using powder, use cold water. If you're using the liquid, use hot. Just read the directions on the package. Remember that the fabric will turn out a couple shades lighter than what the dye bath is.

Once dyed, rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.

Obviously not clear yet.

Wash & dry as normal. I wash & dry it by itself just in case some more of the dye comes out during the process.

The quote is a "modified" one from Audrey Hepburn. It says, "I believe in manicures. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest. I believe in kissing...alot. I believe in miracles."

Reverse Applique

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas! I know I enjoyed mine. It was quiet, but sometimes that's a good thing :)

I recently saw this while doing some shopping for Christmas presents. I really like the look of it, but want to replicate that into something I could wear. The last time I checked, I outgrew onesies a long time ago.

The first thing you want to do is find something worth putting onto a shirt. I found this butterfly from Graphics Fairy. Don't worry if you don't like butterflies, she has a TON of stuff you can choose from! You definitely want something simple though. Don't worry about the color or details because all you want is the outline. I copied & pasted it onto a Word document so I could size it to what I needed it to be, printed it, then cut it out of fabric.

Recognize this? It's the same fabric I used to cover my frame!

Place the cut out on the inside of the shirt with the wrong side up.

Sew along the edge of the cut out.

This is what the outside of the shirt will look like after sewing.

Snip a small hole in the shirt within the outline of the shape.

Cut all the way around the outline so the new fabric shows through.

No-Sew T-Shirt Scarf

I recently lost 30 pounds (whoohoo!) so I have lots of clothes that don't fit anymore. I've taken a bunch to the local thrift store, but there are some left over that have stains or bleach spots or are misshapen or whatever. I know there are people in need, but I still wouldn't give them sub-par clothes. When I saw the scarf Cut Out and Keep did, I knew I had to give it a try. After all, it requires no sewing or buying of material on my part!

Needed:
old t-shirts
scissors

First you want to gather shirts that somewhat coordinate. I have loads of pink shirts (it's a weakness) and some white ones too.

Cut off the hem on all the shirts & set them aside, you'll need them later.

Cut the shirts into strips about an inch wide.

Give the loops a big stretch & wrap the loops around your hands to form a ringlet.

If you'd like, keep them separated by color.

Take the shirt hems and cut them into 5 inch sections.

Use the hem sections to tie together the shirt ringlets.

Keep going until the end.

As an added bonus, anyone who follows my blog is in the running to receive this scarf's twin! I had so much material left over, I was able to make a second scarf. As long as you follow this blog by December 8th, you're in the running. I will draw the winner on the 9th so I can have it shipped in time for Christmas! Who loves ya baby?