Quick Christmas Gift Idea: Chevron Cross Stitch

Need a quick inexpensive handmade gift? Why not this chevron framed cross stitch? It would make a perfect Christmas gift or housewarming present.

 

I was able to make this pattern in just a few minutes in excel. The numbers on the pattern are the thread colors associated with the pattern.

 



Cross Stitch: Home Sweet Home

After ages of wanting to learn how to cross stitch this weekend I finally found the time to hit up Michaels for supplies, and then head to YouTube for some trusty tips. I'd been seeing a ton of fun patterns on etsy, but considering I am brand new to cross stitch I thought it'd be best to start off small and simple.  On Pinterest I saw a cute "home sweet home" cross stitch and I thought it looked easy enough to recreate, but the problem was there was no pattern associated with the pin.

I thought to myself that there must be an easy enough way to figure out the pattern on my own.  The first thing I reached for was graph paper as the tiny squares on the paper are perfect for making a pattern.  To start I google searched free heart patterns; and copied down a small heart that was fitting for what I wanted.

 

 

Now that I had a portion of my pattern I decided it was time to prep my materials and try out cross stitch.

Materials Checklist:

14 Count Aida Fabric

Tapestry Needle

Wooden Hoop

Embroidery thread

 

Here's what I did:

1. I placed the hoop over/under the Aida fabric and tightened the tension

2. threaded the tapestry needle with 3 strands of embroidery thread (note: the thread comes in 6 strands)

3. Found the center of my fabric and pattern

4. Began sewing following the pattern (note: when threading the needle in for the first stitch make sure you leave a tail, do NOT make any knots)

 

 Now, for the second portion of the pattern I needed to create letters.  For this I was actually able to copy down the pattern by just looking at the picture I had for inspiration; to save you the work, the pattern is below:

 

 

Then, the only thing I had left to do was frame it! I cut the fabric to the size of the frame and that was it!

 

 

DIY: Embellished Sweatshirt

 

Over the weekend I teamed up with a few friends, one among them Ashley from Smashing Style, to bedazzle sweatshirts.  The entire process was beyond easy and inexpensive.   

I made mine out of a Hanes sweatshirt from Walmart and some gems from M and J Trimming.
I placed the gems out on the sweatshirt, then used fabric glue to glue each gem down.  From here I used a needle and thread to reinforce each gem. That simple!

 



 

Your Questions Answered: Crochet Open Shrug

I've been getting a few questions regarding this cozy Open Shrug I posted last year; I thought this week would be the perfect time to answer.

Reader Melinda writes "I absolutely love this but I feel very silly because I can't figure out how you actually put it on. Can you explain or show a picture? Feeling a bit daft"

Thanks for writing in and following Melinda, I hope the below GIF clears up any confusion you have! Also, don't feel bad, I made one for a friend and she was completely puzzled and didn't even know how to begin to put it on.

 

Also, regarding your second inquiry 

"Also, any suggestions on how to measure if I wanted to make this for a child or plus size adult? How did you decide on 29 in" 

 

Width can we calculated by measuring elbow to elbow with your arms straight out in a t position. Length can be calculated by measuring shoulder to waist and multiplying by 2.

 

Hope these tips help!

 

Happy Halloween!!

 

For the first time ever I decided to DIY my very own Halloween costume.  A group of friends and I decided to go as General Mills mascots: The Honey Nut Cheerios Honey Bee, The Hamburger Helper Hand, Betty Crocker, Trix Rabbit, The Lucky Charms Leprechaun, and of course the Green Giant. 

 

I immediately jumped at the Green Giant costume because I could visualize exactly how I was going to make it.

 

Materials List: 2 yards of green felt,

green zipper, fabric chalk, green thread, scissors, sewing machine; Green Long sleeve shirt, green tights

 

 

 

 

Turn Right Side Out

Using the fabric chalk, free hand draw a leaf onto felt, cut; then use this leaf as a pattern for all leaves (in total I cut 26 leaves)

Use fabric chalk to draw veins into each leaf

 

.

Pair with green tights and a green long sleeve shirt, and you have yourself a costume!

DIY Sew: Decorative Couch Pillow

This week's tutorial continues on last week's theme, revamping small elements in your apartment/home easily and on the cheap.

What better way to add some warmth to a room than to make colorful decorative pillows.

 

Here's what you'll need:

12 oz poly fil

fabric

12'' zipper

matching thread

seam ripper

scissors

sewing machine (optional)

 

 

 

 

sew zipper onto the seam (use zipper foot if you're using a sewing machine)

 

 

 

DIY Blanket Headboard

Recently I decided it was time to make some changes in my bedroom.  I wanted to create a focal point in the room and thought that a head board would be just the element I needed.  Wanting to create something that wasn't bulky or expensive I thought draping a throw blanket over a curtain rod would work perfectly.

 

Here's what you'll need to recreate your own:

Throw Blanket

Curtain Rod

Curtain rod brackets

Hammer

Nails

level

 

Step 1: Decide on placement of your curtain rod

Step 2: Nail in brackets

Step 3: Drape blanket over the curtain rod

Done!

 

 

 



DIY Sew: Neon Mesh Skirt

I know I'm months, even seasons behind on the neon trend; but hey style is personal right? I can wear what I want when I want.  A few weeks ago I set out to my favorite fabric store GEM and to my sad surprise the store was closing, the silver lining was the closeout sale.  I came across some neon mesh fabric, I think it was $2 a yard, I figured it was a bit unconventional but it would do the trick for the neon skirt I've been wanting to make.  Of course there are challenges with mesh... it's see through, ahh! I quickly realized it'd be easy to double up on the fabric and I could either create a lining, wear a slip, or in the case above slip on over a bodycon dress.

Here's how I made it:

 

 

 for more details on how to insert darts, see tutorial here

 

sew in zipper, then unzip zipper, use seam ripper to rip open seam under zipper

 

 

Hem (optional)

Ombre Nails

I wish I could say that I painted my nails myself, or that I have a great DIY ombre nails tutorial for you, but unfortunately I cheated and got these done at a salon.  If you're in nyc and want to try it out, I went to Valley Nails;  however, if you are feeling crafty and want to try the ombre look yourself, check out these tutorials:

Glamour Tutorial

Wink and Blush Tutorial

 

 

DIY Sew: 1/2 Circle Skirt

 

I was over on WhoWhatWear.com the other day and came across an article about 10 Must Try Outfit Ideas. My favorite outfit idea and also the one I was most excited to try to DIY was this one below: Thin Wool Sweater and Circle Skirt.  This is totally DIYable right? Well I was aching to find out, so, as usual I began to do some construction research.

 

As you can see from the first picture I decided to make my circle skirt a mini. 
See below for tutorial & materials list:

 

Here's what you need to get started:

Pattern

1.5 to 2 yards of knit fabric

matching thread

sewing machine

scissors

fabric chalk

 Cut pattern pieces out

You'll notice after cutting that you'll need to sew up one side of the skirt

DONE!
 

How to: Draft a 1/2 Circle Skirt Pattern

I've been dying to make myself a circle skirt lately, I love the relaxed flowy look, and think it would be a perfect addition to my fall wardrobe.  There's only one minor thing that's standing in my way of sewing the actual skirt..... the pattern...I don't have one, but surely I can figure out how to draft one myself. 

Here's how it all went down:

First I gathered my materials:

Craft paper

measuring tape

pen

scrap paper and calculator

 

Calculate the radius of your waist.  This is achieved with the following formula:

radius= waist/3.14/2
**when sewing with knits you'll have to subtract 3'' from your waist before plugging the waist number into the above formula.  Use the below formula for knits only.
radius(for knits)= (waist-3)/3.14/2

In the below formula 2r-.5'', r= radius; note 18'' below represents how long your skirt will be minus 1 inch (the extra inch is accounting for the hem), if you'd like your skirt shorter or longer, adjust this number.

 

Lines A to B, and A to D should be the same length, each line =2(radius)-.5''

Lines B to C and D to E each measure 18''

 

 

 

 

Cut out the waistband and skirt pattern pieces and now you're ready to create your skirt!

Check back tomorrow for a picture tutorial of my version!