Recycling Shoes? Why yes of course!

Why am I wearing two different shoes?

Well, I'm actually not! I made the one on the left out of the partner from the other one! Not that I didn't like the blue polka-dotted ones, no - in fact, I liked them so much, that they ended up looking like this:

Yikes!!
Turn something bad into something good? Yes, of course!

Backpack No.2 - The Summer Version

Ah, Easter is such a great time to catch up on my posting. Don't worry, I'll quiet down again soon...

Maybe you remember my blue backpack that I made a while ago. Well, it was a winter version, and I used it A LOT.

So I decided it would definitely be worth making a summer version. Here it is:

Blazer - matching my me-made shoes...

Usually you buy shoes to match an outfit, but this time it was the other way 'round:  I had made these shoes in London and had no jacket to go with them... 
In came CUT Nr. 8 01/13, containing a cool blazer pattern with leather detail on the shoulder, and I just had to make it. Just like in my backpack recently (from the same CUT issue), I was able to use left-over leather from the shoe-course. You can leaf through the CUT magazine here, I am not getting anything for this recommendation by the way, I just really think it's a cool magazine and leaf-through feature... But enough of this linking-galore, on to the pictures!

CUT Backpack with leather details!

When I saw the backpack in CUT Nr. 8 01/13 I immediately knew I had to make one. I have been wanting a backpack for a while now - for all the heavy stuff my left shoulder doesn't want to carry alone anymore. Usually backpacks are quite sportive looking... I love sports, don't get me wrong, but I wanted one that looked cute, cool, city-esque! After all, I won't be carrying it for hours at a time, walking over a mountain, but just for those commuting minutes either on the bike or the subway...

Well, here it is!

What also tempted me to try this pattern is that it is using leather. A material I want to get to know more anyway, and I have plenty left-overs from my shoe-making course in London...

Making Moccasins! With full How-To...

MOCCASINS DIY..

The Cast:

• A Wife
• A Husband

1950's Hand-Sewn Leather Gloves

As you might already know, I have been away from my home and my sewing machine for a great part in the past two months. While I used some of my spare time improving my drawing skills, I also made sure I always had a little hand-sewing project along. This was one of those:

I know, I know: We are all ready for summer, but when I started them, it was still chilly. And it seemed like too much fun to pass up...

I found the pattern in one of my 1950's magazines:

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!

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: