(no subject)

[ravenfyre.livejournal.com]

hi all...

i'm making a duvet cover for my boyfriend for christmas with stenciled pictures on various fabric squares, and someone on here suggested that i do it in 12x12" squares sewn together in rows and attach them together that way. which makes sense.
i'm doing the horizontal rows first but so far i've only done one... i'm just wondering before i go any futher, i know that my measurements probably aren't going to be dead on, since this fabric moves a lot and it was hard to do anything precise enough, so is there a trick to getting the seams to match up when i sew it all together in the vertical rows? i'm terrified that they're not going to match and look horrible. is there something i should know about the process, or is it a case of just taking one square at a time and resewing the seams slightly to adjust them if need be (the thought of which makes me want to cry)?
i just got my sewing machine, so this is the biggest project i've ever attempted. oi.

(sorry for the text-only post, my scanner isn't working today :\)

thanks for any suggestions :)

(no subject)

[studded-stars.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to show everyone what I did with cheap kitchen towels I bought at Building 19. They were just rectangluar kitchen towels, I ironed them and followed them in half so two points formed. I then used tacks to pin them on the window sill and cheap and cute curtians in my dining room!

( Curtains! )

(no subject)

[stephsthename.livejournal.com]

just an idea for all the people who say they don't know what to do with their old band t's.... my friend and her husband are using theirs and making a quilt out of them.... cool idea, plus it's something they'll be able to keep (no getting rid of their treasured t-shirts!!) or just do the plain jane idea and cut out the pictures and sew them onto another shirt. i made an "i love [picture of robert smith from the cure]" t-shirt out of my hubbie's old shirt. i just couldn't throw away the beatiful picture of robert smith that was on it. i'm wearing it as i type this.
-steph

(no subject)

[exquisitegeek.livejournal.com]

I made this guy a week or so ago for my wonderful manfriend, Jeremy. We hadn't seen eachother for a few days, and in a fit of missing him, I was inspired to make an owl. Not just any owl, but Mr. Hoots.



He was made entirely out of extra fabric that I had from other random projects. His beak is part of some sock monkey leftovers. His wings are felt, ears flannel, chest "feathers" made from thrifted Strawberry Shortcake curtains and soft, soft t-shirts. He's not the small fellow, either. You can kind of compare with the hot glue gun in the background.

Mr. Hoots is a dapper fellow. He enjoys rap music, and he's a connoisseur of fine wine. He also likes to garden, particularly tulips and daffodils. He was very excited about going to live with Jeremy. This is understandable, as Mr. Hoots has excellent taste. ^_^

(no subject)

[thisisourfight.livejournal.com]

I have a very nice hoodie that I foolishly left hanging over the back of my car seat under the sun roof. Of course, what happened next, but insta-fading in odd geometric folded patterns. If i were to try to dye the sweatshirt a darker shade of green, would it cover evenly, or would it still be lighter where the sun faded the original color?

glittery top HELP!

[lethalbubblegum.livejournal.com]

I just got a shirt that has glittery letters on it. The glitter falls off and gets all over everything. Is there any way to seal the glitter that is safe for machine washing? I was thinking maybe I could seal it with a coat of ok to wash it glue? I'm so lost in this.

(no subject)

[rebellemichelle.livejournal.com]

this tack o rama cd that I keep hearing about, is it worth buying? apparently it used to free until some morons at myspace kept stealing all their bandwith! ga!

I have some really cool projects that i want to do but I need images, and funky retro ones seem like just the ticket.

Where do you all get your images from? I dont collect magazines or anything like that, but I am interested in making some of those cool light plate switches and I just saw the coolest tutorial on craftster.org for some glass coasters.
look at it here

so yeah sorry for all the text onlys, I am totally new at this craft thing, and I am partly doing it to save money on gifts and things like that, plus i am sick of just going to the store and buying things for people. I love the idea of making personal gifts for everyone. So I don't want to go wasting all kinds of money on stuff I don't need or what not.

Thanks for the help you guys have really been great!!

(no subject)

[jenny-dreadful.livejournal.com]

I've been making these lately with antique keys:



I'm looking for appropriate silver-plated chain in bulk forthe ongoing project, but http://www.firemountaingems.com doesn't have what I need.  I've ordered two kinds of chain from the and found them to be wrong. 

Much too thick: http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H141070CH

Links too small: http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H141400CH

I'm looking for something with links around 5mm, but much finer than the 5.5mm cable chain from them.  Does anyone know of somewhere with a wider selection of silver-plated chain? Thanks!

Box Templates

[insidethebullet.livejournal.com]

http://www.paperandmore.com/articles/box_templates/index.html

Templates for nine different types of boxes, Pyramid Box, Hexagonal Box, Matchbook Box, Takeout Box, Trapezoid Box, Flap Box, Candy Box, Bon Bon Box and Puffy Box.
Joy!

Just little cards

[arian-diana.livejournal.com]

My crafting has been limited to crochet these past few weeks, so I've not posted anything.

I've started writing to soldiers overseas and yesterday I got an idea to make some cards for them to tuck into their pockets or wallets or whatever. I have always liked the stories where a soldier says someone from home sent them a little something they tucked away and would pull out of their pocket or whatever when they were feeling particularly lonely. Usually it's a picture of the family or girlfriend, but there have been other stories too. One story said the soldier carried a napkin from a restaurant he and a friend used to frequent.

So I got the bright idea to make little cards to let them know that they're appreciated and someone is thinking of them even if it's not someone they don't know personally.

Unfortunately I stink at decorating things like this, so they look childish to me. I'm hoping I get more creative in this endeavor. It would be wonderful if I could draw or paint. : \

 

( Five pics under the cut. )

Watchband

[ufo8mykat.livejournal.com]

Goodbye, hideous vinyl thing. Hello, hideous knotty string!

( indeedy, doo )

I just braided it and wove it around... nothin' big. But it looks and feels way better than it did.

(no subject)

[heathercooze.livejournal.com]

I have a question for anyone who uses (or has used) the Nifty Knitter
( looks like this )

Well I started to make a pair of legwarmers with the smallest sized one, and now I am finished. But What I don't know how to do is finish the end. The instructions that came with it are directions for making a hat, so they just gathered it to make it into a point. I know I have to go through it all with something so that it doesn't un ravel, but I'm not sure exactly how. (I am not a knitter, hence why I am using this crazy contraption.. it's my first project)

( more photos )

thanks!


btw/fyi: this thing is great! I finished all this in one day, off and on, and while watching movies. It's fun to do and even someone who knows little about knitting such as myself can knit soemthing! they come in different sizes, one about torso sized so you can make sweaters and then use the size I used to make sleeves for it. It is also useful for hats, socks, legwarmers, and armwarmers. They also sell the same thing but in a straight line so you can make square sections for a blanket maybe or a sweater even (makeing 2 panels and then sewing it together.

Swavorski Crystal Earrings

[that-redhead.livejournal.com]

I popped my earring-making cherry.  These are my first pairs.  They're made of silver, swavorski crystals, and seed beads.  Be kind, please.

(x-posted in that_redhead and beadwork )

( Earrings )

I made yarn!

[redmelde.livejournal.com]

After taking a look at my preferred crafting activities over the past few weeks, I've figured out that I enjoy the yarn more than I enjoy the knitting or crocheting of it. My yarn stash grows by leaps and bounds, but my knitting pace stays much the same...

Now, on to the photos!

( Cut because I am merciful to dial up users. )

Cross-posted to spinningfiber.

Sweater Purse

[lindseydyan118.livejournal.com]

In my September issue of Woman's Day, there was an article about how to transform your old sweaters into SUPER cute totes.  I know it cannot be as easy as they make it out to be.  Do any of you crafters have any tips for me? 

not so anatomically correct, but hey

[thinkingamericn.livejournal.com]

Made using a tutorial from smarminess on how to work with bleach. I used her suggestion of equal parts bleach and water, applied with a paintbrush (seriously, use a cheap non-animal haired one), let dry, and used fabric markers overtop (mine say to iron afterwards, so I did that too). It has yet to be finished, but I just thought I would give her credit and showoffalittlemaybe?

And, for the love of chemical headaches, be sure to work in a well-ventilated area. You will regret it if you don't!!!!

Thanks again to smarminess!

boots

[azila.livejournal.com]

Anybody have any idea on how to make boots silmilar to these?

I LOVE them, but I can't afford 65 dollar boots. I know how to knit long strips such as scarfs, and I can sew, so I was thinking maybe I could buy a sole and sew long strips together to make them? I'm not sure if that would work though... Any suggestions?

(no subject)

[shapes-in-air.livejournal.com]

( ! )

(no subject)

[lovelovelovela.livejournal.com]

with a t-shirt, some scissors, and a sewing machine...

becomes

pants into a skirt

[theinnocence.livejournal.com]

hey you guys
i wam wanting to turn a pair of pants into a skirt
but i do NOT like the pattern that has the flap across it
like this:

nope nope nope. i hate that flap. i think it's hella ugly.

i am thinking of pinching the extra fabric in the front and sewing it and then cutting off the excess.
if that makes any sense

i want a pants skirt like this:


and in the back i am thinking of cutting the top in the middle to make "v" (since the wasit is too tight) and then making it open in the back for me to put lacey layers in.
like this:



any advice? would this even work?

note: the pants are men's slacks and i want to keep the side split up. :)

(no subject)

[wild-huntress.livejournal.com]

OK. My partner in crime was kind enough to give up her whole afternoon helping me paint cool stuff onto t-shirts. However, we just used acrylic paint and didn't realize that this would probably wash off quite easily. Um. Oops? xD Basically, we don't want to see our whole day's work go down the drain (quite literally), so I'm wondering if there's any kind of sealant or varnish designed to keep paint from washing off fabric?

( The shirts I absolutely cannot bear the thought of losing )

painting

[heathercooze.livejournal.com]

( I hope this is considered 'crafty' enough )

I made four bags

[cimba.livejournal.com]

Hello, it's been a while that I don't write something here, but the other day I finally had a chance to sew again. I made four bags "in a batch" (cutted and sewed them all together) and I saved some work hours this way. Do you use to make things together? Do you have any special hints about saving time so to make more? I always have timing problems :)

Anyway, here are the bags, any feedback is welcome. Thanks for looking, ciao!




( More pics under the cut! )

Another new doll...

[skvelahruza.livejournal.com]

Here is my second doll, completely finished.

No name for her just yet, but I imagine her as some kind of storybook queen, plotting something unpleasant while out in the woods.

(no subject)

[somethinguseful.livejournal.com]

Okay, kiddos!
I have a question.
I have had a Nintendo DS since they came out. I am a girl gamer. I rock. Nerd-core, etc.
Only one problem, I HATE HOW THEY LOOK.
I want to do graffiti-style stencils. I mean like the kind of things you'd see on a street. I think that the DS would be a cool medium for that.
My next problem? What kind of paint/ink should I use to make it permanent and also should I use like masking tape to seal any cracks and such where paint/ink could get in and ruin the electronics?
Thanks, y'all!
I promise I'll post a picture when I get around to this!

EDIT: Here's a picture for your reference!


ANOTHER EDIT: I have already made a case, so I personalized that much so far. It's crocheted out of mint and white acrylic yarn and clasped with a big pink button.

stencil shmencil

[mnmaher.livejournal.com]

a few things i did this weekend: http://muggsy.smugmug.com/gallery/739106

it's not much. Just a few first dabbles in stenciling. had some problems with freezer paper + canvas, but i spent a lot of time cleaning it up with white paint on one. on the other, i thought the bleeding looked cool. you may not. that's fine, too.

anyway. thought I'd contribute for once instead of lurking. hope the link is okay. cuts and images are too much work for me today. meh.

(thanks)

(no subject)

[ex-earthling639.livejournal.com]

I am going to try and sell some wallets/change purses that I have been making, but I was wondering: what do you guys do about labels? I thought it would look more professional with some kind of tag (apart from a paper tag) or an embroidery, but my peices are so small that I would have trouble with that.

So, what do you do about small fabric/sewn tags?

Thanks so much!