In this first video, the super cute video host shows 1 sweater and 16 ways to wear it! But I'm quite sure this could work with a nice long top as well - at least I'm gonna give it a try!
Showing posts with label reloved. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reloved. Show all posts
Friday, April 20, 2012
1 Top, 16 Ways to Wear it
Today has really been a day of 'how to see things differently'. And in the process, I landed on some great videos that really have me rethinking how to use my wardrobe. And there's a bonus - no sewing!!!
In this first video, the super cute video host shows 1 sweater and 16 ways to wear it! But I'm quite sure this could work with a nice long top as well - at least I'm gonna give it a try!
She also shows 30 ways to wear a button down shirt. I'm more keen to try the sweater, but what's more important here is that she really has me thinking about what's possible in a new way.
I absolutely loved seeing this example from a young lady who inherited a top from her dad. When I see someone this young that is willing to experiment with repurposing, I have great hope for the future!
There are so many examples out there - now I just need to get some pieces out and experiment! How about you? Would you wear any of these styles?
Until next time... Mike
In this first video, the super cute video host shows 1 sweater and 16 ways to wear it! But I'm quite sure this could work with a nice long top as well - at least I'm gonna give it a try!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Recycled Toy DIY - A Day's Worth of Inspiration
It's Monday, I'm in a playful mood because the sun is shining in Sweden (finally) - so what better time to feature some fun and colorful recycled toy creations! I don't think it matters if you are old or young - these projects are bound to make you smile.
I think this list could go on and on...but it's only a day's worth of inspiration. Perhaps I'll put a larger collection together soon - interested?
Until next time...
Mike
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small plastic toys become adorable lids with a bit of silver spray paint at Craft and Creativity
turning childrens wooden blocks into paint-dipped wall hooks via Present and Correct
I think this list could go on and on...but it's only a day's worth of inspiration. Perhaps I'll put a larger collection together soon - interested?
Until next time...
Mike
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
For the Birds - Spotlight on Brian Carlisle
The latest issue of Artizen Magazine is out and my interview with the brilliant Brian Carlisle starts on page 50.
I became a fan of Brian's work the instant I first saw his creations over at JunkMarket Style where he's a regular contributor. Make sure to check out his interview, and I'll let the beautiful images of his work below speak for themselves.
If you want to catch Brian to snatch one of his fabulously funky recycled creations, you'll find him hanging out here:
And don't miss that article where you'll find more great photos of Brian's creations.
Until next time...
Mike
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A Day's Worth of Inspiration - Repurposed
Some of the repurposed DIY finds for today are just too delicious not to share. Scroll down through the pics for a quick inspiration boost as we move on into this week.
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(comes with a great tutorial)
Patenteux du Nord
Kara Pasley Designs
Alisa Burke
BHG via Pinterest
Patenteux du Nord
(I'd like to see this oversized!)
Passionfly via Instructables
Coffee with the Mrs.
spoon repurposed as shoehorn (of course!)
MrBalleng via Instructables
Cassettes Delight
Sassy Crafter
Sassy Crafter
Do you have plans for creating this week?
Until next time...
Mike
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
DIY Tutorial - Recycled Tie Dress
Before we begin, don't miss the post this week with 33 inspirational recycled tie projects, and a few more at Pinterest.
Last weekend I finished an experiment that had been on my 'must try' list for quite a while - a recycled tie dress for my Divine Little Miss M. And although it was a serious sewing hack, I'm quite pleased with the results...and so was M.
I promised a DIY tutorial for my recycled tie dress - despite the fact that I am far from a real seamstress. Before you start make sure that you've gathered a fun selection of used ties with similar color hues but different patterns. I chose blue and red as an overall color mood, but you'll see pops of gray and yellow as well. Several of the ties came from thrifting and a couple came from the closet of my friend's husband. To give you an idea of the number of ties you'll need, this dress is for a 7-year old and I used 10 ties - 9 for the skirt and 1 around the waist where the ties and Tshirt are sewn together.
Cut your ties in half so that you are now working with a wider piece (front of tie) and a thinner piece (back of tie). I laid them out with alternating widths (wide, thin, wide, thin...) and mixing so that the matching backs were several ties away from the fronts. The nice thing is that the ends already have beautiful seams, so I left them as is and decided to sew the ties together side-by-side with just a very small amount of overlap (1/4 inch).
I pinned two ties together (both right side facing up with just a bit of overlap) and used a zigzag stitch on the '2' setting on the sewing machine. Then I pinned the next tie and did the same, continuing until I had enough to wrap around Little Miss M's waist. This is part of the hack - I don't use patterns and I do a LOT of eyeballing. Both sides of the thinner tie sections were always on top of the ties beside them, and I started sewing from the pointed end going upward. Because the front side of the ties are wider at the pointed bottom, it gave the natural A-line needed for the skirt to flare out a bit at the bottom.
I could have used a contrasting thread like yellow to give the skirt a more eclectic personality, but I chose to stay with the red and blue color mood, so I used a red thread - which still gave a nice effect against the ties.
Now, if you remember my last sewing experiment with the sweater skirt made from recycled winter scarves, you'll know that I will do almost anything to avoid sewing a waist. I just don't know how to do it. So, to hack my way around it this time, I decided to take one of my old Tshirts that I had in the 'do something with this' pile, and I cut off the side seams straight up to the shoulders (cutting off arms as well). After another eyeball on Miss M to see how much the V-neck needed to be lifted, I sewed a new seam across the shoulders, sewed new side seams, and created a seam around the new arm holes. And because I don't know the proper seams to use with Tshirt material, I always seem to get that slight ruffled effect (at least I tell myself it's a ruffle effect). Does anyone know the right seam and stitch size to get a flat seam on Tshirt material? PLEASE tell me!
Next I just tucked that downsized white Tshirt down inside the tie skirt and sewed a zigzag seam right along the outside. I first thought that I was going to leave it with the seam exposed, but decided to give it a more 'finished' look by taking one more tie and wrapping it around the waistline. Then I simply zigzagged both sides of the tie all the way around. On the front side, I created a little 'free-flow' design with the ends of the tie and just sewed across the tie underneath each fold. I finished the little free-flow design by sewing on two buttons.
That free-flow design was inspired by the great recycled tie creations at Ties & Whimsy in Australia, so make sure to check those out if you plan to do anything for yourself.
And there you have it. This tutorial is about as hacked as the sewing job was, but I hope it gives you enough of a hint and enough inspiration to try your own.
One thing I would change if I were a better seamstress would be the upper part of the dress. The tie skirt is quite heavy compared to the Tshirt material up top and it pulls on it just a bit too much. This dress would be perfect with a white button down upper part - and if I knew how to downsize a man's button down to a kid's button down like this one below from Dana Made It, I think that would have made this recycled tie dress even better (I would only need the upper part of this re-do below).
But, all that aside, Divine Little Miss M was pleased with her new dress experiment - and she gave it a whirl to make sure that all parts were working.
Don't miss the post earlier this week with over 30 inspiring ideas of what to do with recycled ties. There is something a bit luxurious about tie fabric and patterns, and there are some great projects out there to try.
Until next time...
Mike
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I'm also partying at these fun linky parties!
Friday, February 24, 2012
DIY Inspiration - Recycled Ties
Before we begin, there's a few more ties gathering over on my recycled ties Pinterest board - so feel free to hop over, and make sure to let me know if you have, or have seen great tie projects to add.
Last weekend I had ties on my mind with the creation of a recycled tie dress for my Divine Little Miss M. So I thought it would be fun to put together a collection of some fabulous recycled and repurposed tie creations out there - the kinds that will have you running to your nearest thrift store to scoop up loads of ties and get busy creating. Ready?
My Purple Crayon
bacopa67
Liz Tibo Creations
Better n Before
Ties 2 Pillows
Michelle Claire Textiles
loscann
Atticus Finch NZ
Fabrications-Hackney
Blue Velvet Chair
OutsaPop Trashion
Painted Oyster
Mahar Dry Goods
Burris_Angela
Rayela Art
Studio Fashion
Electric Nomad
eileenaway
Keira Morgan
Michelle Claire Textiles
Laura Skelton
groundsel
OutsaPop Trashion
Suzanne Shenkman Designs
Art 2 the Extreme
Tiger Tea
Suzanne Shenkman Designs
Wild Hare Fiber
By Melissa
Ties 2 Pillows
Senseless Art
Tomate d'epingles
Lisnaweary Quilts
Inspired yet? These projects were all discovered on Flickr - and I'm sure there are so many more to be found across the Web. Let me know if you've recycled or repurposed ties by leaving a comment here or on the Blue Velvet Chair Facebook page.
And before signing off, I ran across these two pics below that I thought would also be fun to share.
Ingrid Goldbloom Bloch
This guy just cracks me up. Repurposed ties back in 1988!
Do you have a specific collection that you'd like me to put together? Let me know and I'll get working on it!
Until next time...
Mike
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