Quick Beauties - Perfect Gifts! Full Tutorial

Have you seen the cool new button in my side bar? Yes, I will hopefully be contributing a couple ideas to the Crafty Christmas Club next week! I'm also posting my projects here, but you really should go check it out for all the other great ideas. It is not too late to hand-make some really special gifts.

My first contribution are these fabric necklaces. Yes I know, they aren't exactly a new idea... I made my first one of these about two years ago, and almost simultaneously similar ones kept popping up everywhere, so I didn't feel like sharing my obviously not very unique idea - yes, I was sulking! ;-)

However, I decided to show you my version anyway, since it is really quick and even has an upcycling factor to it.

The Diva Coat! Making-of #2

Welcome to Part 3 of my Diva-Coat Post Series!
This is about the coat I made for the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook, my name there, by the way, is ajtak7171.

THIS FIRST POST gives you an overview, initial sketches and an outline of how many days it took me and what I did on each day.


THIS SECOND POST gives you the detailed description of the changes I made from the original pattern, and details of days 1-4, with close-up photos of the sewing process and whatever bits of insight I can give.




AND HERE FOLLOW DAYS 5 - 8:


Half days = 2-4 hrs. of work

3/4 days = up to 6 hrs.

whole days = 8 - 10 hrs.

I always started the day with cutting out the pattern pieces that I would need for the next step. Which meant about an hour of cutting in the beginning of each day...

(click to read on!)

Winter Accessory Extravaganza! Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of my extravaganza!

Without much further ado, I will move on to the how-to of the remaining three accessories. First up:

THE GLAM-ME-UP WRIST WARMERS:

Winter Accessory Extravaganza! Part 1

As promised: A collection of winter accessories I made this year - ideas, how-to, inspiration....

Years ago I knitted accessories like wrist and leg warmers for myself and as gifts for my girlfriends. However, I got tired of it fast and never really considered making them again. As much as knit is hip at the moment, I somehow don't see knitted wrist and leg warmers as a fashion statement right now :-)  So I jumped on the wagon of leather bracelets, wrapped around the wrist several times, added some fabric and faux fur, and voilà, up-to-date winter accessories that are made within no time! These are super quick projects to glam up an outfit, to make a personal gift for a dear friend or just to give you a reason to like winter....

Read on for the making-of pictures and explanations!

Pet Purses! Recycling How-To

As promised, here is a super quick project you can make for almost no money. And aren't these Pet Purses and Top Boxes just super cute?

I can think of a million different uses for them.

• office supplies like rubber bands, an eraser, even a mini stapler for your day bag (paper clips in the top box!)
• a creative package option for wrapped chocolates and the like
• sanitary napkins and other ladies things
• sewing supplies for on the go... (top boxes for buttons and little hooks)
• small toiletries and make-up
• even a fresh pair of undies...?

This is a super quick project, 30min. to an hour.

I found this idea in the same little book as the home-made cookie cutters:

It comes in English and Spanish and you can order it HERE. There are also lots of upcycling videos on that site, so go have a look!

HOW-TO: 

Passport/Credit Card Wallet for Guys - Tutorial

Isn't it always so much harder to find presents for guys than for women? And if you want to hand-make something, it gets even more difficult, right?
Well, this one was a real winner - I made it for my husbands birthday a while ago and he loves it.

I had sewn him one out of fabric before, which was in constant use, and I decided it is time to make him one out of leather now. It was also a good project for me to gather more experience with leather, as I am still into my shoe-adventure and need to learn some basics with this material...

You can easily translate it to fabric, you will use bias tape at the edges, but otherwise it isn't really much different.

This project is definitely one of my longer "quick projects". I didn't time it, but I guess it was around 3 hours.

TUTORIAL / HOW-TO:

How-To: From Bland to Bling in one Hour!

A Shoe-Make-over Tutorial

Sewing a garment can be a lengthy process sometimes. Yet I am up for instant gratification very often, so a quick project it has to be...

I love shoes, and I would like to wear amazing high heels on a daily basis, yet I move around a lot and I like to walk fast, so all too often I grab this pair of dull, dreary, bland boots...
But wait! Do they have to be bland? No!

I turned them into "Bling" within one little hour. 

Look, it even has a little gemstone in the heel!

Here's how I did it:

Cookie Cutters - Tutorial!

Here comes one of my few non-sewing/non-illustration posts!

Especially around the holidays I start taking out my crafting supplies and tools, be it for presents or decorations. Yesterday, I made these cookie cutters:

Being able to make your own cookie cutters could be so cool - even if it's just numbers and letters, maybe for somebody's birthday, or an anniversary. But I'm sure you will come up with all kinds of ideas - instruments, logos, animals. All kinds of stuff that maybe you won't find in the store, or you just don't have the time to go looking for it.

I have recently become somewhat obsessed with recycling instead of always buying and buying and throwing things away... and I was thrilled to find this book a while ago:

It comes in English and Spanish and you can order it HERE. There are also lots of upcycling videos on that site, so go have a look!

I will try out some of their projects and post them here, but that will only scratch the surface. It's definitely an inspiring book and worth the money. I paid only 5 Euros and was told that the money goes towards making this a bigger, nicer book, maybe with better pictures... (hint***hint***).

So anyway, it's not my own idea, but it is a "creative commons" project, which I am allowed to share as long as I mention the source.

The Diva Coat! Making-of #1

As promised, after giving you a first overview of my coat making-of in THIS POST, I will show and tell some more details in about 3 more posts. Today, I will cover what I accomplished on my first four out of a total of 12 work days for this coat.

This coat was my contribution to the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook.

Topturned Pants - Upcycling how-to!

Would you guess that this top:

...had a former life as pants?

Quite a transformation, right? I'll show you some close-ups and then give you a full how-to!

The Diva Coat!

My Contribution to the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook:

No really, I couldn't say that I often sit at home sulking about the fact that I can't go to a cool party. In fact, I often choose staying at home (and doing something creative) OVER being at a cool party. But today is different. Today is the official launch party for the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook, to which all the contributors were invited. How I would LOVE to be there in New York! I've lived in New York for five years and often dream about going back - today more than ever.

*** HAVE FUN AT THE PARTY! ***

*sigh*

I'm definitely counting on you fellow bloggers and BurdaStyle to take pictures and blog about it sometime soon! Please?

We were asked to keep quiet about it for such a long time now that it actually feels strange to finally show and tell.

I will divide this story up into three or four posts, so that I can share a lot of photos and information about how this coat came to life. Today is just a first overview.

A Blazer for Mom

My mom has always been the biggest promoter, sponsor and motivator of my creative undertakings, no matter what field they happened to be in. So it is no surprise she also gave me a little push onto the next level in sewing: making a tailored garment for someone other than myself... She also insisted on being my first "real" customer, wanting to pay for it. At this point Mom, I apologize for how long you had to wait for this!
She expressed her wish for a blazer in Spring, and I only now got done with it... But then again, we live 800 kilometers apart from each other...

I knew this project was going to stretch my abilities a bit, a blazer is a difficult garment to begin with, and to fit it perfectly, there have to be several fittings... First, we decided on a general shape and pattern to base the blazer on. I didn't want to have to make the pattern from scratch, as that would have probably taken me an extra 5 years...

We took the 50's blazer that some of you already know from my 1950's Travel Set as a first guideline:

There were plenty of adjustments to be made. I made a muslin for a first fitting, which went surprisingly well and we actually only needed one additional fitting after that.
We changed the sleeves from 3/4 to full length and I added a sleeve vent to it - which was a first for me and I struggled a bit with making the pattern for it...

Panda Bear Hug Cape

We all know how clothes can be used to express personality, right? But they can really set the mood for a whole day, too.

While in this picture I am trying to present this cape all cool, edgy and hip, I have to admit it makes me feel really warm, soft and lovable. Not only does it feel as if a Panda bear is giving me a hug all day long but I also want to give hugs to everybody. I work in the theater, and we are all pretty touchy-feely there, so I actually did hug a couple people and I definitely felt that they didn't want to let me go anymore. There were strokes over my back, hands lingering on my upper arm, cuddly leanings on my shoulder. What a day! And all caused by a simple cape.

The pattern is actually really cool, practically only one piece, except for the facing. And the best part is: it's free! It's called Elena and you can get it HERE. I'm not sure it comes in English, but if you have the paper pattern, it's really simple to sew together. I used Fleece instead of Jersey, which explains the Panda bear effect a little... It also goes extremely well with the tulip skirt called Minu from the same site. Not for free, but 3,90 Euros for the download really isn't very much. You can find that one HERE. It's a VERY quick project to sew!

This is the skirt minu from the same site as the cape elena...

It goes just as well with more elegant things as with casual, sportive outfits, and works zipped, half-zipped or even unzipped. I got lots of compliments for this piece, which further improved my days. If you make it out of fleece like me, it is super cozy and warm.

A Fashionable New Fall Favorite!

ME MADE MITTWOCH #18

Deutsch: Grauer Text

English: Blue text blocks

Voilá, heute kann ich wieder ein neues Stück präsentieren für den Me-Made-Mittwoch. Diesen wunderbaren Double-Face Stoff hatte ich schon lange bei mir und wusste nicht so recht, was ich daraus machen kann, damit der Wende-Aspekt so richtig Sinn macht. Bis ich endlich drauf kam, dass es ein ganz simpler Schnitt sein muss. Das Schnittmuster habe ich dann abgekupfert von meinem absolut liebsten Sommer-Teil, welches aus ganz leichter, weisser Baumwolle ist - ich trage es gerne über ärmellose Shirts und überhaupt über alles und täglich. Nun habe ich meine Herbst Version gemacht, habe ein paar Optimierungen am Schnitt vorgenommen und es zum Wende-Teil gemacht, was das weisse Original natürlich nicht war. Es gibt bestimmt 203 Arten, es zu tragen!

Voilá, today I can present a brand new piece again for Me-Made-Wednesday. I had bought this wonderful double-face fabric a while ago but didn't really know what to make out of it so that the double-face would really come into play. Finally I realized that it had to be a really simple pattern and took it off a summer garment I own. The original is made from a very light white cotton and I wear it over sleeveless tops and over basically everything and every day... So I made a Fall version of it, optimized the cut a little bit and made it reversible, which the white cotton piece wasn't. There must be at least 203 ways to wear this!

 

Alle Nähte sind Doppelnähte (französische Nähte), damit man das Teil wenden kann.

I used French seams on the whole garment, so that I can wear it on both sides.

A Traditional Chinese Pants Pattern!

YOGA HOSE AM ME-MADE-MITTWOCH #17!

This pattern really attracted me right away - not so much because of the final shape of the pants, but because of the simplicity of the pattern. It is put together from two rectangles and an elastic waist band. Nothing else! See here:

(Don't worry about figuring this out yet, I will explain it later in this post!)

Maybe you have already seen my circle jacket or the one I made out of a simple rectangle - yes, I am fascinated by turning simple geometric shapes into garments.

The final pant shape is similar to harem pants. I actually still haven't made up my mind about harem pants yet, and I haven't even made up my mind about these Chinese pants either. I consider the two versions I am showing you here muslins... wearable maybe, as pajamas and/or yoga pants, but I am curious whether I could turn this into elegant street pants... What do you think? Do they have potential? I'd love to hear your input!



 The pattern is put together from two identical rectangles like this one:

This rectangle will make up one pant leg and half of the crotch/hip part. Because it is so simple, the  measurements you decide on will be crucial. I wear a European 34/36 and I will tell you the measurements I used, along with the explanations how I came up with them.

This rectangle is actually made up of three parts (indicated by the vertical dashes). You could just use one piece of fabric, but the extra seams add interesting style lines. I did my first muslin with just one piece, so you see what that looks like in the pictures below.

Line A-C = 95 cm (37,5''), this is the total pant leg length from the waist band down.
Line A-F = 3 x 25 cm ( 10'') = 75 cm (30'') (They don't necessarily have to be equal though!)
Line A-G = A-B = 28 cm (11'')

No seam allowances included!

The distance from A-G (A-B) is how far you will overlap the two rectangles for the legs and it decides how low the crotch will drop!

The remaining length G-F is half the width of your hip opening, so unless you want to add a zipper, it has to be at least half of the measurement at the widest part of your hip.

Me-Made-Mittwoch #16 - Recycling!

Deutsch: Grau

English: Green

Die Idee und Organisation des Me-Made-Mittwoch stammt von Catherine von Cat-und-Kascha, und Neueinsteigerinnen sind jederzeit willkommen! Einfach auf ihrem schönen Blog den Button abholen und Euren Link hinzufügen bei Mister Linky auf ihrer Seite.
Diese Woche seht ihr HIER, was die anderen Teilnehmerinnen heute Schönes tragen.

"Mittwoch" is German for Wednesday, so the participants wear a self-made garment or accessory every Wednesday. Catherine from Cat-und-Kascha is organizing it and you are welcome to join us anytime! Just go over to her blog to grab the button and add your link at Mister Linky on her site!

HERE you see the outfits from this weeks participants.

Heute präsentiere ich mal etwas ganz Neues, den Rock habe ich gestern fertig gestellt! Kaum zu glauben, letzten Mittwoch war ich nicht dabei, aber vor zwei Wochen habe ich noch ein Sommerkleid angezogen. Nun ist es definitiv Herbst, und mein erstes Herbst-Stück tatsächlich schon genäht!

Today I am presenting a skirt I only just finished yesterday. It's hard to believe that two weeks ago I showed a summer skirt. I had to skip last week, and now it is definitely fall already. I am proud that I actually sewed a first fall piece already, right in time with the season!

Tutorial: Melting & Making New Lipsticks

Be my guest: learn from my mistakes! I had the clumsiest morning when I did this little project, and I regret not having taken pictures of all my bloopers! But I promise I will tell you about all of them, so you don't have to make them yourself!

There are many other people who have written tutorials about making lipstick - in fact, I never even thought of doing this until I read this post from Vixen Vintage. The only problem is that most people use lipstick palettes or little jars, and I really wanted to make lipsticks again. Also, I wanted to use what I had in the house and not have to go shopping for this little experiment. As you see in the picture above, in spite of all the bloopers, it worked out just fine in the end.

Me-Made-Mittwoch #15

Deutsch: Grau

English: Blue

Heute trage ich das Kleid, das von mir den Namen "Miracle Dress" bekam. Nicht, weil es so wundervoll ist, sondern weil es wie ein Wunder war, dass es überhaupt tragbar herausgekommen ist...

Today I am wearing the dress that I call "miracle dress". Not because it is so miraculously beautiful, but because it seemed like a miracle that it turned out wearable at all...

Der Schnitt ist aus einer Deutschen Modenzeitung von 1941 und war mir eigentlich zwei Grössen zu gross, mindestens. Das war allerdings nicht die einzige Schwierigkeit -ich schneiderte das Kleid vor über einem Jahr, und dieser luftige Chiffon hat mich noch etwas überfordert. Das Kleid hat einen Seitenreissverschluss und die Raffinesse ist, dass es ein Unterhemd und den Unterrock gleich mit eingebaut hat. HIER sehr ihr mehr Fotos davon.

The pattern is from an old magazine from 1941 and was actually at least two sizes too big for me. This was not the only difficulty though - I sewed this dress over a year ago and this chiffon was a bit too challenging for me then. The dress has a side zipper and the really cool thing is that it has a top and underskirt sewn right into it. HERE you can see more pictures of the details.

Eigentlich ist es auch ein Wunder, dass es bei all den Änderungen die ich machte, am Schluss doch so ähnlich wie das Original aussieht. Was hält ihr von dem gelben Kleid? Ich glaube fast, das muss ich auch mal noch schneidern. Es ist sogar in meiner Grösse!

It's actually also a bit of a miracle that it ended up looking so much like the original after all the changes I made to it. What do you think of the yellow dress? I think I might have to give that one a try too - it even comes in my size!

Me Made Mittwoch is back! #14

Deutsch: Grau

English: Blue

Nach der Sommerpause sind wir nun zurück mit MMM, und ich freue mich schon sehr auf die schönen Mittwochs-Schneidereien!
Bei Me-Made-Mittwoch tragen die Teilnehmerinnen jeden Mittwoch ein selbst-geschneidertes Kleidungsstück (oder auch Accessoire). Die Idee und Organisation stammt von Catherine von Cat-und-Kascha, und Neueinsteigerinnen sind jederzeit willkommen! Einfach auf ihrem schönen Blog den Button abholen und Euren Link hinzufügen bei Mister Linky auf ihrer Seite.
Diese Woche seht ihr HIER, was die anderen Teilnehmerinnen heute Schönes tragen.

After the summer break, we are back with MMM and I am really looking forward to the beautiful Wednesday-creations again!

"Mittwoch" is German for Wednesday, so the participants wear a self-made garment or accessory every Wednesday. Catherine from Cat-und-Kascha is organizing it and you are welcome to join us anytime! Just go over to her blog to grab the button and add your link at Mister Linky on her site!

HERE you see the outfits from this weeks participants.

Was ich heute trage :

My outfit today:

 

Finally: Fabric Weights!

Look at that! It makes me feel like such a grown-up seamstress.

To tell you the truth, I never thought fabric cutting weights were really necessary. But like I said, I didn't "think"they were necessary. Because when you just think about it, you believe that you can put any old heavy thing on your fabric when you're cutting.

Making Shoes #2

It has been a long time since my last post and all I've got to show is this?

House slippers from a 1910's pattern

Making Shoes! #1

As promised, here comes my post about how to make your own shoes!
I found this amazing booklet:

It must be from the 40's, by the look of it (the print), the aesthetics and the content. It is called "Die Schuhnot" which translates basically into "Shoe Shortage", and teaches how women could make their own shoes with left-over materials they had at hand - torn clothes, fabric scraps, pieces of leather, twine, cardboard. It is mainly about making house shoes, but in the second part, there are definitely some that could be used outside, too.

UPDATE: A dear reader commented that the booklet could actually be from the time of the first world war, and she is probably right. Even though I have to say some of my pattern magazines from the late 30's and early 40's still do use the old print (Frakturschrift - anyone know this term in English?), the shoe styles of the booklet are a pointer to the late 1910's, right?

Me-Made-Mittwoch #13

Deutsch: Grau

English: Green

Bei Me-Made-Mittwoch tragen die Teilnehmerinnen jeden Mittwoch ein selbst-geschneidertes Kleidungsstück (oder auch Accessoire). Die Idee und Organisation stammt von Catherine von Cat-und-Kascha, und Neueinsteigerinnen sind jederzeit willkommen! Einfach auf ihrem schönen Blog den Button abholen und Euren Link hinzufügen bei Mister Linky auf ihrer Seite.
Diese Woche seht ihr HIER, was die anderen Teilnehmerinnen heute Schönes tragen.

"Mittwoch" is German for Wednesday, so the participants wear a self-made garment or accessory every Wednesday. Catherine from Cat-und-Kascha is organizing it and you are welcome to join us anytime! Just go over to her blog to grab the button and add your link at Mister Linky on her site!

HERE you see the outfits from this weeks participants.

Was ich heute trage (noch etwas müde und ungeschminkt...):

My outfit today (still a bit tired looking...):

Dieses Leinenkleid ist das wohl "erfolgreichste" Stück in meinem BurdaStyle studio. Ich habe es vor ca. einem Jahr nach einem Schnittmuster von 1935 geschneidert. Die Taschen habe ich dazu-gedichtet, den Ausschnitt etwas tiefer gesetzt, sonst blieb es ziemlich original.

I made this linen dress about a year ago from a pattern from 1935. It is probably the most "successful" garment in my BurdyStyle studio. I added the pockets and made the neckline a bit lower - other than that it is pretty much original. 

Ich habe übrigens auch die gestreifte Jacke genäht, sowie das dritte Kleid von links mit Jacke, alles zu finden in meinem BurdaStyle studio. Sicherlich werde ich es auch in Kürze beim Me-Made-Mittwoch vorstellen, jetzt passt es wieder zur Jahreszeit. (Den Mantel ganz rechts habe ich auch genäht, in einer Winter-Version mit Änderungen, HIER).

I also made the striped jacket and the third dress from the left with jacket. You can find it all in my BurdaStyle studio. I will surely soon present it at Me-Made-Mittwoch, now that the season is right... (I also made the coat on the right, in a winter version with some alterations, HERE).

Nun noch eine Vorankündigung: Ich habe dieses wunderbare Booklet erstanden - vermutlich aus den 1940'er Jahren! Nun lerne ich also, selber Schuhe herzustellen! Bereits habe ich mit geflochtenen Sohlen begonnen und werde vermutlich heute noch den ersten Post dazu schreiben.

A little Preview: I got this wonderful booklet - problably from the 1940's - about how to make your own shoes! I have already started braiding/sewing my first set of soles and will write a first post very soon, probably later today.