Colorful four strand round braid bracelets :: DIY

It's Fall. That's what the calendar says.

And even though it's probably about time to shed those summer bracelets, today, I'm going to show you some bracelets we've enjoyed making and wearing this Summer: four strand round braided bracelets.
You're probably familiar with the leather version of these bracelets - and that's actually how I got started. But one night I ran out of leather lace and I decided to give it a try with Scoobie Doo strands - to much approval from my girls the next morning.

Colorful, simple to make once you've got the hang of it, and very low cost.
So, if you want to hold on to that summer feeling for just a tiny bit longer, I recommend making a couple of these...





You will need: Scoobie Doo strands, 2 per bracelet.

Summarized and labeling each strand from left to right with a letter (A, B, C and D) the process boils down to the  repetition of the following 4 steps:

Repeat these four steps until the braid is long enough to fit around your wrist (or ankle). To lock the braid, tie a knot with one strand around the other three. 

To tie around your wrist pull two strands through the loop and tie in a knot with the other two!If the pictures aren't clear enough, I found this video tutorial to be very instructive and easy to follow. I use two strands folded in half instead of four, making sure to leave a loop at the top.

Note: in the pictures I taped the braid down. However, there is no need to do that - I did so because I needed to make a 'snapshot' of every step. It's much easier if you hold the braid between your fingers just like you do when braiding hair, for instance.

T-shirt yarn macramé puppets

Sitting on a mountain of old T-shirts?
Bought some T-shirt yarn but never got around crocheting or knitting that rug?
Or did you make that rug but you still have yarn left?
Here's a fun craft making use of T-shirt yarn.

These T-shirt yarn puppets were part of our school's Spring fair activities last June and I can immediately add that they were a big hit among all ages.
It's a nice introduction to macramé as well.
If you don't have T-shirt yarn you can cut your own from old T-shirts (you can find how to do this online). Or you could use fabric strips, bias tape, cord, ribbon, ...

Slip the puppets on a key chain, use them to personalize school bags or make a bunch to make a cute mobile or garland for the nursery.

Recommended age: 5+
Required skills: ability to tie a knot
Click here to download written instructions.



Note: inspiration for this craft was found here. Just now, I also found this tutorial online.

As with all of my tutorials, please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form. Thanks for understanding!

If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Triangle open back shirt

Things are a bit slow around here but we're fine, enjoying our summer.
And summer it is! Man, it's been hot around here - I can't remember it being this hot!
Luckily, we were able to spend a few days away at the beach:
- reading (I finally finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - a disappointing read),
- making bracelets,
- swimming,
- sipping cool home made hibiscus & cranberry juice tea (so good!!)
- making a lovely little purse (more about that later)
- and crafting this shirt for M.
She'd seen a similar one, ridiculously expensive, at a boutique here in Paris. We both agreed this was something we could easily whip together ourselves!
The result you see below - she's been wearing it like this or over a tank top in a contrasting color.
Both are equally nice.

So, grab those scissors!!

Simple leather bag tutorial

I just finished another leather bag this afternoon and I love it.
As a matter of fact, I just put it to the test and I find it perfect - very basic - very simple - just the way I like it.
And you know what?!
The instructions are down below, so you can make one too!
This is an entry level project, so no special skills, nor tools are required.

Here's what you will need:

The dimensions of the finished bag are: 38 cm by 40 cm

- leather - I used a leather hide of approx. 0.55 m² but any large (combined) piece of leather would do
- leather cording for strap (determine how long you want your straps to be, and add an extra 15 cm to each strap for knotting - so, if one strap measures x you will need 2(x + 15 cm) in total.
- thread, linen or nylon, as long as it's strong
- magnetic snap
- 2 needles
- pricking iron or a stitching awl
- mallet, rubber or wooden hammer
- hole punch
- glue, a standard crafts glue is fine
- optional: beeswax to wax sewing thread




Instructions:

1. Cut a rectangle (or two rectangles of equal size if working with smaller pieces of leather) - in my case the rectangle was 39 cm x 80 cm. Next, make stitching holes along the long side for the side seams using a pricking iron, stitch punch or awl, about 0.5 cm from the side.
2. Cut a piece of thread about 5 times the length of the seam you're going to sew. Thread a needle at each end and 'lock the needles' as is very well explained here. Next, sew the side seams using a saddle stitch, explained here. Note: in most stitching videos you'll notice people are using a stitching pony. I don't, for the simple reason I don't own one and I don't find it necessary. However, you could squeeze your leather in between two hardcover books held together with a a rubber band or belt. This should work equally well in my opinion.
3. From the left over leather, cut six 5 cm squares.  Put four aside. Attach male and female part of a magnetic snap to the two remaining squares. If you don't know how to fix a magnetic snap check out this tutorial. Next, generously apply glue to the back of the magnetic snap squares and glue them into place onto the wrong sides of the bag, perfectly in the middle and about 3.5 cm from the top (measuring from the center of the snap). To make sure the glue/ square adheres, lightly hammer the square. Dab away any excess glue. Let dry.
4. Determine where you want the straps to come. Then, position and glue  into place each of the four other squares which will serve to reinforce the leather where the strap holes come. Hammer lightly, dab away excess glue and let dry. 
5. Mark the center of each square. Next, punch a hole with the leather punch. Repeat for the other squares. 
6. Cut the leather cord to size, to make two straps. Tie a  double fisherman's knot at one end, thread through the hole as shown, thread through the other hole and finish off with another double fisherman's knot. Repeat with the second strap. And that's it!

As with all of my tutorials, please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form. Thanks for understanding!

If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Summer vacation...

... starts right now!

This school year was over in the blink of an eye, it feels like. I guess it means it was a good one!
It also means we'll have to find activities to keep everyone busy and happy.

How about making some more of these little fellows, a craft I did for our school's Spring fair. They're little magnets and very easy to make.
All you need is wooden disks, or any other disks/ shapes you may have at hand - recycled cardboard might do the trick - magnetic tape for the back, a black pen and a tiny bit of wool roving or yarn for the hairdo. Though I'm really not good at drawing I had a lot of fun drawing the funny faces. I practiced on a piece of paper first, which could be an activity on its own. You really need to try this - after a while you'll you get the hang of it! Have fun!!

Note: when using a black pen on wood, I recommend checking for bleeding in the back to avoid a disappointment...

Knitted summer bracelets :: a DIY

I'm not sure these bracelets will become as popular as my 2010 summer bracelets, but they sure are equally fun to make!

When I was looking for friendship bracelet ideas for our school's upcoming summer fest, I came across a 'knitting fork'.
Since I don't have a knitting fork but liked the technique, I wanted to try and make a fork with what I had.
Coincidentally, I made a Popsicle-stick-catapult just a couple of days ago, also for our school's craft fair and I figured that was the way to go.
A Popsicle-stick-catapult turned into a knitting fork! Why not?!
Talking about a multipurpose tool!
The only change I made here is that I used two sticks for each leg to make it a little sturdier and I re-positioned the sticks slightly to get a fork-like tool. I limited myself to bracelets but the possibilities are of course endless. I'm thinking of necklaces, belts, bag handles... Use your imagination!

Both, making the fork and the knitting, are very simple which makes this a perfect craft for keeping your kids, even the youngest ones - and yourself - busy on those long summer vacation car rides!
The instructions, including a video I made, are below!

Here is what you'll need:

for the fork: (or catapult, if you like)

- 8 popsicle sticks (for a catapult you will need 2 less)
- 4 rubber bands

for the bracelet:

- yarn, T-shirt yarn, strips of fabric, leather lace, ... whatever you have on hands which could be turned into something bracelet like



Instructions:

1. Fork assembly



2. Bracelet knitting

To see the video in HD quality, click the settings wheel in the right hand corner of the black bar displayed at the bottom of the movie - select quality 1080p for the highest resolution.





And here once more summarized in step-by-step pictures:




As to the lengths of the strands of yarn to use: it all depends on the thickness and flexibility of the material you'll be using, so knitting a sample may be in order.

Keeping my fingers crossed now for a long hot summer!

Have fun fork knitting!

Cheers,


P.



As with all of my tutorials, please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form. Thanks for understanding!

If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Ready in time...

A little surprise for when the girls get home tonight.
I spend the better part of this morning crafting this advent calendar.
The only thing left is finding the right spot to hang it.
Can't believe we're starting to count-down this weekend already...

Wishing you a great weekend!

xo, P.

No-sew Leather Pencil Case :: a DIY

I have been feeling slightly under the weather this week. A lack of energy, a cold, sleepy, headachy... and I got slightly frustrated about it. So many things I wanted to do. So many unfinished projects on my table and in my head...



At least, yesterday, I managed to get this one out of the way. Taking pictures, scanning and transferring the template actually took me much longer than finishing the project. [I actually enjoyed taking the pictures. Yesterday was a dark and grey day, a bit of a challenge if you want to take natural light pictures. Especially, when doing so past five o'clock. An opportunity to get my Lastolite screen out, which had been collecting dust ever since I got it, about two years ago. A shame, really, as this thing works!!] But let's get back to the pencil case:



This no-sew leather pencil case makes a perfect last minute gift. As usual, I chose for a minimalistic and sleek design. I used a sample of coffee with cream heavy weight leather and added my favorite fluo elastic thread (Rayher Gummifaden)to spice things up a bit. And it turned out just the way I like it, holding my favorite drawing pens! The elastics have a double function: they hold the pens into place as well as keep the pencil case closed. You can alter the template to fit bigger pens, or only two pens, you can add a slot to hold an eraser... You can just play around with it.

If you want to make one too, here are the - very brief - instructions.



You will need:

- a piece of leather, big enough to fit the template (note: if you can't find leather, you could also use heavy weight felt, a sheet of foam or vinyl)
- a hole punch or awl
- elastic thread
- a rotary cutter or scissors



Instructions:

1. Print and cut out template, which you can find here.
2. Transfer template onto leather and cut out.
3. Using template, transfer the positioning of the holes. Next, make holes with hole punch.
4. Thread elastic through the holes and tie a knot. And done!!

Ok and now let's get moving and catch up!!

Cheers,

P.

Ombre bunting flags

I haven't been here for a while, which doesn't mean I haven't been busy. Quite the contrary, actually.
I'm working on what I believe will be a very cool, fully leather bag. Venturing hand sewing leather, using sharp and scary needles... Yikes! But if everything continues to go as planned, it will be a nice bag. One to be proud of. And I hope to be able to show you the result soon...



In the meantime: a fun, fast, cheap and easy craft - just the way we like it.
I had some fluorescent paint left from my previous project and decided to dilute it to see if it would work to get the lately much wanted ombre effect.





I ripped a band of flimsy cotton, folded it accordion-wise and hung it in a jar which I filled with about an inch of the water-paint mixture. I let it sit for a while (I actually enjoyed watching the fabric soaking up the paint), next hung it to dry. Once dry, I cut it in small rectangular pieces (at the folds), sewed a tunnel with fluorescent thread and threaded the rectangles onto some cotton rope.
I didn't bother to cut of loose ends as I like a slightly ragged look.
And that's it!

And now, back to work!

Wishing you a great rest of the week and a happy Thanksgiving for those of you celebrating!

Cheers,

P.

Fluo linen bag DIY

Looking for a simple but rewarding project or a DIY gift idea?
Then keep on reading as I may have something for you!

On my last trip to the craft store I finally found the fluorescent orange fabric paint I had been looking for! I desperately needed some after seeing some really nice printed home textiles in a boutique here in Paris.



With a simple pencil eraser I printed a random pattern of dots on some almost sheer natural cotton muslin. It took me about half an hour to finish the job. Once dry, and ironed to set the dye, I took the piece of fabric to my sewing machine and made a simple drawstring bag. From beginning to end, another 15 minutes, I guess. The result is a cute linen bag, or anything bag if you like.
Make them smaller and you have the cutest gift bags. The same printing technique would work well to decorate pillow cases, kitchen towels, napkins. Anything really. If you're running out of time you can have your kids do the printing part. Or, why not, the entire project!




What you'll need:

- a piece of fabric, pre-washed
- fabric paint, like Pébéo Setacolor, transparent fluorescent orange, #32
- pencil with eraser at the top
- plastic sheeting to protect your working surface
- painters tape to tape fabric to plastic
- rope for drawstring
- optional: fluorescent sewing thread
- sewing machine



Instructions:

1. Tape your fabric to the plastic sheet protecting your working surface, to prevent the fabric from shifting around creating unwanted smudges.
2. Dip eraser in paint, next onto fabric (do a few test prints on a piece of scrap) and do so in a random pattern.
3. Let dry. After, iron to set the paint (or follow your paint's instructions).
4. Make a drawstring bag as explained here. I used some contrasting fluorescent thread for sewing the drawstring tunnel. And that's all there is to it!


The things you can do with a simple pencil eraser... Have fun!

Denim snack bag :: a recycling project

I'm maybe not very original with this project. You can find tutorials for this kind of (snack) bags everywhere on the net. Derived from the paper brown bag, they're very simple to make. When using old pants, however, they're even simpler to make, is what I thought.

I used an old pair of jeans, which were ripped at the knees, and let's face it, which also got a little too tight around the waist... For the strap, I used a thin, orange leather, partly torn belt (the top and bottom layers got separated beyond repair this time).

The project is kind of straightforward and summarized in the pictures below. I probably won't use my bag as a snack bag but rather as a make-up bag. The second leg will be transformed in a similar way, and will hold our adapters, cell phone loaders etc. when traveling.

Just one remark before you get started: the size of the bag obviously is determined by the width of the pants' legs. Hence, I do not recommend using slim pants. Straight leg pants and boot cuts, however, are just perfect for the job!


You will need: an old pair of pants, an old belt, needle and thread, and a sewing machine (although you could do this project entirely by hand).



Instructions:

1. Cut off one leg, just below knee, with adult size pants, about 40cm.

2. Prepare your belt by cutting the following:

- one strap of about 10 cm, buckle included and still attached

- another strap of about 40 cm, starting to measure from the other extremity of the belt (so this part has the holes)

- two strips of about 3cm, each.

3.  Turn the leg inside out. Since the bottom seam will become the top of the bag, we will close the other end. Insert the belt part with buckle, at that end, making sure it's positioned right in the middle. Close the seam, and run a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying.

4. Make boxed corners as shown.

5. Attach the other strap, nicely centered in the back. To make the sewing easier, prepare the leather by making holes using an awl. Next, add the short strips with a couple of stitches. If you're smart, unlike me, you attach the strap and strips before sewing the bottom seam...

And that's it! Hope you like it...

Cheers,

P.

PS: If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Folded leather basket :: a minimalistic DIY

I love minimalism, as I truly believe less is more.
I have always loved geometry.
I love figuring out how things are built.

Lately I have been drawn into building shapes, going from something flat to something three dimensional and functional with the least steps involved. The teddy bear key chain is one example.

So, when I came across this fabulous basket and DIY on Pinterest, I couldn't get to my craft's table fast enough. In no time, I made a bunch of leather mini baskets based on the same principle, but instead of using a hexagon I made use of squares. And leather - what else!?



This is an easy and fast craft, which requires minimal supplies:
a (small) piece of leather, a hole punch, rivets and rivet setter, a cutting tool, and a ruler and pencil.

Now if you don't have access to leather, try using heavy weight felt as in the original tutorial, or use foam sheets. Or with the holidays just ahead of us why not try making some baskets out of nice and heavy card stock, replacing the rivets with eyelets or brads. These baskets would make perfect packaging for those homemade cookies.

Before you get started and especially when using precious materials like leather, I recommend making a paper version first, just to make sure you got the dimensions right.

I made two sizes of baskets:
- a 15 cm square results in a 7 x 7 x 4 cm basket
- a 10 cm  square results in a 5 x 5 x 2,5 cm basket

To give you a rough idea: one of the larger baskets is holding (part of my) washi tape collection and the other one a bunch of large paper clips. The small one holds quite an amount of small paperclips. 



Instructions:

1. Make a paper template or download the template here.
2. Cut the leather and make the diagonal incisions as shown (for a 15 cm square, cut 6cm diagonals; for a 10cm square this would be 4cm diagonals)
3. Punch 4 holes as shown in the picture and template.
4. Set rivets (I found the table corner to be very useful for this, but make sure to protect your table appropriately). Shape your basket by inserting the two remaining flaps.