Tutorial: Color Your Pants

I am in love with dyeing my own clothes.  More specifically, I am a pants-dyeing fanatic.  It's a disease, and I really hope you get it too.  If nothing else, I feel like it's necessary to at least try it out once.  

Here's what it looked like before the pants-dyeing process:

And here is the finished result after dyeing:

Did I mention that I bought these pants for $4 at a second-hand store?  And might I suggest that if you go to a second-hand store, you look out for stains.  Some stains will not dye, and it ends up making them that much more obvious.  It's generally not going to be the look you're going for.

So, what do you say?  Won't you dye your pants?  Eh?

 

HERE’S HOW

Tutorial: Jacob's Ladder Toy

I have a handful of toys I distinctly remember cherishing as a child. To me, these toys have really superseded the true test that is time and to this day I think back on them with joy. Among these toys were my Lite-Brite (a toy that if plugged in for longer than 5 minutes was easily considered a fire hazard), my Gameboy which was the introduction to my obsession with Tetris, a stuffed animal dog from my piano teacher whom I named Patch and everyone knew was my first love, and a quaint old toy from FAO Schwarz: a Jacob’s Ladder. I enjoyed this toy because it seemed like regardless of how long I played with it, its charm was never lost. So, when I found it again the other day, I knew I had to make one of my own. And perhaps 20 more in the future…

Tutorial: Add In-Seam Pockets to a Dress

It’s finally warm and sunny outside, which means that I have ample opportunities and a not-so-subtle excuse to wear my summer dresses. And, of course, to go buy some more. However, I’m always so distraught to rediscover that the majority of my lovely summer-wear lacks any pockets. I’m a pocket girl, and I can’t imagine not being able to slip my phone, keys, chapstick, and/or wallet into my pockets and run out the door. 
 
A purse/bag has its place, but 1) I like knowing that my most important items are closest to me, and that 2) I don’t need a purse to accompany me everywhere I go. For instance, I’m a college student, and that means I carry a heavy backpack around. I often leave my backpack in study rooms, classrooms, and other places for a while to go get some campus food, visit the computer lab, etc. Therefore, I need somewhere to store at least my phone, money, and school ID. Pockets are really a wonderful solution for this! Why don’t all dresses come with pockets? Beats me. I added my own in-seam pockets to my first summer dress of the year, and wrote a tutorial for anyone else who wants to do the same:
 



In-seam pockets are great for a few reasons:

1. They are essentially invisible because they lie on the seam of the dress.
2. The work needed to add these in is practically minimal.
3. You are only restricted by the size of your dress as far as how large you want to make your pockets.
4. Pockets in a dress! It’s like bacon for dessert.

I made mine big enough to very comfortably fit my cellphone and a wallet on the other side with room for small extra things. And because they are in-seam pockets, you can basically choose whatever color/pattern of fabric to line your pockets with, because they will rarely be seen. I still decided on a muted, white fabric so that no attention is drawn to the insides of my pockets just in case....

Tutorial: Blocking Acrylic Yarn

I work with Acrylic yarn a lot.  And for some reason, I feel the need to justify this to you.  I'll just say that Acrylic lends itself well to the type of projects I tend to make (e.g. 8-bit game crochet, miscellaneous items that need to be durable, etc.).  Furthermore, I rarely ever make any sort of garment, thereby making it not economically nor practically favorable to work with cellulose or natural fibers.  Lastly, there's that small part of my 12-year-old self that sort of loves the squeaky, grossly-colored variegated yarns of mismatched and puke-styled purples and greens and says I couldn't ever possibly let go of acrylic yarns.

I've almost finished a knitting project made entirely of acrylic yarn.  Honestly, I make many things without finishing them properly and I normally regret not putting in that little bit of extra time to make it look more professional.  This time, I'm doing it right; I'm finishing my knitted project off by blocking each individual square, and I am sharing the tutorial with you.

Everyone has a slightly different method they prefer for blocking yarn.  In fact, some people will argue with you that blocking acrylic yarn should NEVER be done.  But, I believe in lightly blocking acrylic.  Keep in mind that your blocking will be permanent.  I've tried using steam before, and I find that with the yarn I use (most often Red Heart, and Loops & Threads Impeccable), this ends up making the yarn really flat, shiny, and scratchy.  Also, you can use this method for blocking other types of materials too!

Here is my method for how to Block Acrylic Yarn:

Soda Can Embossing Tutorial

Pinterest has solidified in me the notion that people out there are extraordinarily talented.  If you're like me, you can queue things up on your boards that one day you need to do until you realize there just isn't enough time in the world for it all.  So, I've been trying to focus on starting and completing projects all the way (which is much harder for me than it sounds).  

Therefore, when I find really awesome, quick craft projects I can do entirely, I jump at the chance.  This particular project--Soda Can Embossing--is ridiculously easy!  You just need an empty aluminum soda can, a ballpoint pen, sandpaper / sanding block, and cardboard.  Soda cans are perfect for embossing because the aluminum is so thin, it holds a nice shape, and you don't have to buy extra materials.

One thing I love about the idea of embossing soda cans is how versatile this craft is.  You could use them for Christmas ornaments, gift tags, bookmarks, notes, scrapbooking embellishments, etc.  

Depending on how intricate your design is, this project can be done in under an hour.  I love that.  I'm planning on getting my whole family in on the idea of making some fun ornaments this year by embossing soda cans.  

Want to emboss your own aluminum cans?

...

Reupholstery Tutorial: Part II.

This weekend I was finally able to finish up that office chair reupholstery project that I started last week.  It's kind of made me want to reupholster every piece of furniture in my house.
Here is the second part of the reuphosltery tutorial which includes redoing the seat cushion and finishing up all of the chair's details.  In case you missed it, the first tutorial is here. 

Let's get started!