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!!

Denim Flowers :: a DIY

 

It's been a while again since my last post, but I'm still here. As a matter of fact we just got back this morning from a short break at the seaside. Summer vacation started exactly two weeks ago and we've been extremely busy.   I even missed my beach bag tutorial going live on Design*Sponge! Yes, you read that correctly - Design*Sponge! It surely made my day! And if you're still planning on making one too, make sure to check out the article as there are more step-by-step pictures on D*S than in the original post.



And here's yet another tutorial - after more than two weeks spent without having touched any fabric, needle and thread, or doing anything creative, I could no longer resist! Inspiration, was the lovely leather flower brooch I got myself during the sales here in Paris.  It got me thinking and I came up with a denim flower, made from old jeans (which had been cut to pieces anyway for other projects).
 

 It's a very simple but rewarding craft. A kid could do it -  it could make a nice craft for a rainy afternoon, actually. Find the step-by-step instructions in the photo-collage below. Sew a pin at the back and use the flowers to spruce up a plain shirt or jacket. Or how about making a bunch and sewing them on a tote or pillow. The possibilities are endless and really, all it takes is 15 minutes. 


To have slight color variances between petal layers, I used pieces of fabric from two different pair of jeans. The flower petals are cut  'free-style' which adds to the charm of the flower. For an even more frayed look, I suggest to throw the finished flower in the washing machine and dryer. Give it a try, you can't go wrong on this one! Have fun!!

Mesh Beach Bag Tutorial!!

Only three more school days before Summer vacation begins here! And no, I'm not ready yet! The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy - I thought with the kids growing up things would get easier but it's quite the contrary, bringing them from one place to the other, from one activity, party, event to the next has been challenging.

More than once during those past few weeks, I've been wanting to escape to our little place near the beach. Not because the weather has been that great (which it hasn't) but just because of the peace the sea, the sand, the wind, the air seem to bring along.
I love all of it... except maybe for the sand everyone brings into the house, including me.

But now I've got the solution for a sand-free home. As off now we'll be using this special beach bag made out of... window screen material! Yes, you saw that right! The exact same kind of screen used to keep away mosquitoes and other annoying bugs! You can buy it by the yard/meter at any hardware store.

I came up with this idea after seeing a lady at the Friday morning market with the most interesting mesh bag. As a matter of fact, the bag was so interesting I started talking to her. It was over 15 years old and still in perfect shape and no, they weren't for sale anymore. But it got me thinking...



So here you got it, with a tutorial and everything. The original idea was much simpler than what I eventually came up with.  As I went, I added an oilcloth zippered pouch to safely put away those keys and some loose change for an ice cream. I also covered all seams with fabric bias tape and gave the bag an oilcloth bottom for sturdiness, which is attached to the bag at one side only. That way, you can lift it and all sand can be shaken out. Sure enough, sand will come in, but eventually, it also will come out with this type of mesh bag. Wet towels can air and everything put in the bag is within reach and visible.

So here's a new tutorial - it's been a while - I hope you'll like this bag as much as I do. And as it turns out, this is a project you could easily make re-purposing stuff you may have lying around: and old mesh window screen, an old oil cloth table cloth, an unused belt for the handles, ...


This is what you'll need:

- window screen material (moustiquaire in French - muggengaas in Dutch), new or used, 66 x100 cm
- a piece of plastic for the bottom - the Clover ones work fine, but any other piece of plastic/wood/ board would work evenly well.  13 x 51 cm (it can be cut to size)
- a piece of oilcloth, new or used, enough to cover the board and to make a zippered pouch (optional)
- bias tape, enough to cover side and bottom seams, and the zippered pouch side seams
- 15 cm zipper for the zippered pouch (optional)
- leather strip for handles (note: if you can't find any leather, you can use oilcloth or a piece of fabric to make your own handles)
- rivets to attach handles
- hole punch
- scissors, thread
- sewing machine




Instructions


Zippered pouch (optional): (pictures 2 and 3)

1. Cut the following out of oil cloth:

- 1 rectangle, sized 17 x 6 cm

- 1 rectangle, sized 17 x 28 cm 

2. With the zipper facing the right side of the smallest piece of oilcloth, attach one side of the zipper. Fold over and top stitch. Repeat for the other zipper half and the largest rectangle. Top stitch.

3. Fold in half to form pocket and close side seams on the right side, about 0.5 cm from edge. Finish seam with bias tape (if you're a confident sewer you can do this in one go). Repeat for the other side seam: close on right side and cover with bias tape. No need to sew the top of the pocket closed as this part will be incorporated in the top hem of the bag.





Bag Assembly 

1. Top hems (pic. 4-5): 

At the short end of the window screen material, fold in 3 cm and fold over again (pic. 4). Use a bone folder to make the crease, if necessary. Secure with paperclips. Top stitch into place. Repeat at the other short end, but now making sure to incorporate the zippered pouch, nicely centered. Secure with paperclips. Top stitch into place (pic. 5).

2. Side seams (pic. 6): 

Fold the screen material in half, with the right sides facing. Close the side seams, 0.5cm from the edge. Next, bind side seams with fabric bias tape (pic. 6)

3. Boxed corners (pic. 7-8): 

Sew boxed corners.

Note: to avoid having to sew through too many layers you can pre-cut the boxed corners. If you prefer to play it safely, you can cut away the excess material after sewing the boxed corners.

If you wish to cut before sewing the boxed corners cut away a square with sides equal to the width of the panel divided by two, however don't forget to take into account seem allowance! (so if panel is 6cm wide, take off a square with sides equal to 5cm)

4. Bag bottom stabilizer (pic. 9): 

Make an oil cloth cover for the plastic bag bottom stabilizer, by sewing two pieces of oil cloth together, the size of the board + 1cm of seam allowance on all sides, leaving one of the short ends open. Turn over, insert the board.

5. Attaching bag bottom stabilizer to bag (pic.10):

Align the open end with one of the boxed corners as shown in pic. 10. Sew together. Bind seams with fabric bias tape. Bind the other boxed corner.
Note: the plastic board is attached to bag on one side only!

6. Attaching handles (pic.  11):

Determine where the handles need to come. Punch holes correspondingly, in both the bag and the handles. Attach with rivets.
Note: As the size of the rivets never will perfectly match the thickness of the materials used, compensate the difference by using a small piece of leather or other material in the back. This will also add extra strength to the materials used.

And that's it!!

I'm wishing you a happy Summer...

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.

A week in pictures...

We got back last Sunday from a short trip in the Lot department, or le Quercy as they also call this part of France. We went back to the same region as last year because we loved it so much back then and that feeling hasn't changed. It's a beautiful region - quaint, lush, a bit dramatic, too, on a cloudy day (and we had more than a few of those, unfortunately). This year, we stayed at the lovely Domaine Lapèze in Montcuq, a 200 year old farm turned into gite and run by Caroline and Knud Kristoffersen where we had a very nice, little cottage at our disposal. The view from the domaine, which is located on a hill, was simply stunning, with its sunflower fields, plum orchards, vineyards, and little winding roads, the Montcuq tower... The girls fell in love with the owners' two dogs, three horses, and two cats living on the premises, and the - very loud at some times - donkey a bit further down the road. The weather wasn't great - the sun was a no-show until the second part of the week - but we've enjoyed every minute of our little break...
Our week in pictures...


the stunning view from our cottage







I fell in love with these delicate queen anne's lace (thanks, Ana!) - did you see the cute little red heart?!


apples for the horses...


This young lady turned 8 during our stay!





The girls' creativity at its best - they made a very nice summer garland with plenty of summer goodness found around the yard...



... we called him the asthmatic donkey because of the weird noise he made - the girls were convinced he felt lonely which made them sad so they would bring him carrots and apples too


Montcuq market on Sunday morning





Undoubtedly, the most adventurous part of our stay - it took us forever to get to the Accro-Liane site in Figeac (thanks to our ever-outperforming GPS), but it sure was worth the long ride...

Recycled plastic bag pompom flip-flops :: a tutorial

(from the archives)



... or how to turn boring flip flop sandals into a pair of funky pompom slippers by recycling a couple of also boring plastic grocery bags. Summer is half way now, if you didn't get your flip-flops out yet, this is the right moment to do so!

This is a tutorial I wrote some time ago for the online magazine N.E.E.T (check out their June issue here and check here for back issues - the photography in this magazine is simply stunning as is the artwork, and they have a blog too).



I'm posting it again, here, for those of you who missed it and also because I think it's a fun recycling project which you might want to try making with the older child - if you are having summer vacation right now and if you are running out of ideas: Keep on reading!

What you’ll need:

Warning: Choking hazard! Small parts. These flip flops are not suited for young children!

-          A pair of plastic flip flop sandals
-          A couple of plastic grocery bags
-          A piece of card board
-          Pencil
-          Scissors
-          Needle and thread
-          A glass and a coin or a compass

Instructions:

1.        Pompom template:  Make two card board doughnut shaped circles using the glass and coin for tracing. Cut out both circles; next cut out the center. 

2.       Card board spool:  Cut a rectangular piece of card board, the width being slightly less than the diameter of the smallest circle – make a triangular incision at both ends.

3.       Plastic bag string:

a.       Place the plastic bag in front of you, flat. Cut off the bottom seam of the bag and unfold the inner folds. Place the bag which is still tubular flat in front of you.

b.      Start cutting strips going from one fold to the other but leaving a one inch allowance at the top fold. Repeat this over the entire width of the bag until you reach the handles. Cut off handles.

c.       Now, unfold the allowance and slip the bag over your hand with the allowance facing up.  Now, start making slant incisions from strip 1 to strip 2, strip 2 to 3 etc. You’ll get one long strip of plastic bag string.

d.      Wind the plastic bag string around the cardboard spool you made.

4.       Plastic bag pompoms:

a.       Place both pompom templates on top of each other. Using the spool wind the string around the pompom template.  Make sure to cover the entire template. The more string you wrap around the template the fuller the pompom.

b.      When finished, carefully cut open at the top between circles. Carefully separate the circles slightly so you can wind some thread firmly around the strips. Tie a few knots. Don’t cut off the loose ends.

c.       Carefully, slip off the template.  If necessary trim the pompom to give it a nice shape.

5.       Assembling: Place the pompom on top of the strap of your flip flop. Slip the loose ends of the thread through a needle. Now wrap the thread around the strap and, pass the needle through the center of the pompom. Repeat a couple of times until the flower is firmly attached. Tie a firm knot; cut off and apply a dash of glue or transparent nail polish to the knot. Trim the pompom some more if necessary.  Repeat for the other foot and… Done!

Note: If you don't have enough bags of the same color ( you need approx.1 per pompom) use different colored bags and combine them on the spool.

Warning: Choking hazard! These flip flops are not suited for young children!

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 without permission. Thanks for understanding!

Back from the beach...

and the picnic blanket just successfully passed it's first laundry cycle (it had some chocolate stains...). What did I say?! It became even prettier now that it got a bit puffier (the inner layer shrunk just that tiny bit I wanted - yes to molton!) and softer. I'm totally in love with my blanket and I will definitely make another one - I more or less know what I want it to look like. It's just a matter of time and energy and a couple more supplies! Can't wait!



In the mean time, here are some beach pictures - the weather wasn't great, but fine enough for walks, playing at the beach, some fishing on the pier and yes we did need sunscreen and sun glasses from time to time - that's the nice thing about the Belgian coast: the weather can change from overcast and rainy to bright and sunny within a mere couple of  hours (unfortunately, the other way around is possible too...).
But I'm not complaining, as we had lots of fun!

Buzzzy

Only two more weeks left and the school year's over. And so many things remain to be done. Our summer vacation is taking shape as we finally sat down to make plans -  the plans look great, and I'm so much looking forward to our summer break.
But right now we're running around like crazy to birthday parties, end-of-year parties, and spectacles. Somewhere in between big girl M. will have surgery which will finally take care of the resisting ear infection and accompanying hearing loss she has suffered from these last couple of months.

The picture above is from two weekends ago when M. had her friend over for a sleep-over. The sleep-over was lots of fun but unfortunately eventful too - as they were playing M. fell and chipped both her front teeth - oh, horror! - it's been taken care off now - on her birthday, of all days - more doctor visits, more running around...
Anyway, it was the last time I had the sewing machine out. Looking for a 'quiet' activity we made a couple of whimsical pillows together. They're really, really fun to make and absolutely easy to make too.  The perfect craft for a rainy afternoon or when seeking shade inside on those really hot days... I'm not sure I'll make it to my sewing machine again anytime soon. I did buy some really cute fabric on my last trip to Ikea and I'm dying to make some totes with it, but I've no idea when I'll be able to do so. I'll keep you posted...

And of we go now to our next activity! I hope you're having a great week!

Flower power :: a tutorial

I most definitely did not need another purse. As a matter of fact, this week while carrying around a way too heavy purse I made the remark I would so much like to be "free" - I want to live a purse-free life. Why is it that men can leave the house with just a wallet and a set of keys and we carry around entire survival kits? Do I really need all this stuff? Let's face it: right now, I have in my purse

- a wallet
- another purse with change
- keys
- car keys
- sunglasses
- small pencilcase
- handsanitizer
- paper tissues
- several packs of chewing gum
- paper wrappers
- loose change
- organizer (although small, really heavy!)
- MOO cards (that's right! I didn't mention them yet but I ordered some MOO Mini Cards a little while ago - so cute!)
- pass Navigo (Metro travel pass)
- cell phone - which I usually can't find when it rings, because obstructed by all of the above
- a small umbrella
- card holder for store fidelity cards, membership cards ...
- a notebook
- a little pouch with medication and band aids

Surprisingly, I do not carry around any make-up, not even a lipstick.

But seriously: do I really need all of this? When I take out the umbrella you can rest assured it will start raining. And the girls only fall or get hurt when I don't bring any band aids. But one pen would do, wouldn't it, instead of a pencil case. And how about all the plastic cards from stores where I come only once in a while. And the organizer?

With that in the back of my mind and the upcoming vacation I thought I should try to go light again. And is there a better way of doing so with a brand new, cute little purse?

The inspiration for this one comes from a little purse my dad brought me from a business trip to Ohio - I was about twelve when I received it and I still have it. It was just the perfect size to hold a wallet and a set of keys and I used it way into adult life. It was handmade and all seams where sewn with leather strips - something you see showing up everywhere again lately (see also my bohemian belt). Hence the leather shoelace stitched seams. In addition, I decided to have a flower closure and since I liked the rough edges of the leather I chose to integrate these as well into the design. The body of the purse is made out of a single rectangular piece which makes it a really easy project.

What you'll need:

- a rectangular piece of leather
- leather scraps for the flower
- leather shoe lace for binding the edges (2), strap (2), closure and flower attachment (1)
- leather punch
- scissors, rotary cutters
- ruler and marker




Instructions:

1. Cut your leather to size for the body of the purse. ~ pic.1

2. Make flower from leather scraps by cutting two flower shapes, one slightly bigger than the other. Punch two holes in each one (make sure they correspond to each other).

3. About 1 cm from the edge, mark where the holes should come, one every cm. Also punch two holes at the top fold (for the strap), four holes (two by two) near the bottom center for the closure loop, and two near the bottom of the flap for the flower (same distance between holes as in flower). ~pic.3

4. With leather punch, punch holes as marked. However, on the side seams skip the one at the bottom fold (marked with a cross in pic.3 - enlarge picture) on either side (left and right). ~ pic.4

5. Sew seams with shoe lace. Start and finish with a knot ~ pic.5

6. Attach the loop for closure as shown ~ pic. 6-7

7. Attach flower to the flap and secure with a knot at each end. ~ pic.7 and 9

8. Attach strap (I used two shoe laces for that, knotted together) ~pic.8

Designer notes: Except maybe for the punching part, this would be a perfect craft for the (older) kid. If you don't have any leather handy or do not want your kid to ruin some precious leather, try using felt or denim. In the latter case, no punching is required as one can just sew the seams with needle and thread. The flower can be made out of any material, really or replaced by a button.
Use your imagination and more importantly - have fun!

This little purse has exactly the right size to hold a small wallet, keys and a cell phone and will keep me company on the beach, hopefully soon!

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 without permission. 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.

Creative with espadrilles :: a DIY

I have this love hate relationship with espadrilles. I always loved them because they stand for summer. Whenever they show up you know summer's around the corner. Summer. Sun. The beach. No stress. I also love them because of their simplicity. A shoe can't get any simpler (nor cheaper) than that, can it? A sole and two pieces of fabric joined together.

However, I didn't wear espadrilles for the longest time because of the squeaky sound the rope of my last pair made. Just thinking of it gives me the shivers! So, what made me buy another pair and devote a whole post to them? To be honest I have no idea - I must admit I fell for the gray stitches on the sides, but was that enough to buy them, bearing the squeaky sound of the rope in mind? I guess I just needed another challenge: the espadrille make-over.

I actually had a lot of fun working on this DIY. As a matter of fact, what you see here is only a fraction of the things I came up with. There might be a couple more ideas in the pipeline...
Anyway, let's just start with this handful of ideas. Ready?

What you'll need:

- a pair of espadrilles
- an old T-shirt or other fabric scraps, if you like
- a pair of scissors
- needle and thread

Instructions:

Bow-tie espadrilles



1. Cut a strip from the old T-shirt, about 3-4cm wide and 20cm long.

2. Fold over the strip so the fabric overlaps. With needle and thread, in the middle, gather and secure the fabric. Cut of excess fabric, if any.

3. Fold a small piece of fabric over the stitches, to hide, and secure with a few stitches on the back. Shape the bow tie.

4. Position the bow-tie onto the espadrille and secure with a couple of stitches.

5. Repeat for the other shoe. Wear!


Rose bud espadrilles



1. Cut a strip of t-shirt.

2. Fold in half and start rolling the fabric to form a rose.

3. Secure at the bottom of the flower with a couple of stitches. Shape.

4. Position onto the shoe. Sew into place with a couple of stitches.

Note: the size of the flower depends on the width and length of the fabric. You can play around with both. Or why not make several flowers different in size and color to form a rose garden on your shoe!


Flower petals espadrille



1. Cut three (or more) not so round circles of roughly the same size.

2. Fold them in half and again in half and place all three on top of each other. Pin together.

3. Next, sew them together with a couple of stitches and shape the flower as you go.

4. Place on top of your shoe. Sew into place with a couple of stitches.

Note: Same thing applies here: play with size and color or combine several to form a flower patch on your shoe. Add sequins, beads, leaves, ... if you wish so, or just keep it simple.

 

This is a fairly easy craft, which kids could easily do. It's not very time consuming, no special supplies are required and the reward is immediate.
Maybe a fun craft idea for a summer birthday party!? If you can't find espadrilles right away, gym shoes might work just as well, just as any other ballerina or pair of flats.

My espadrilles have been extensively tested by now. And you know what? This pair doesn't squeak!



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.

Bohemian style belt :: a tutorial

Have you noticed? This summer, it's all about belts. Belts are quick fixes to any outfit, be it chic or casual. This summer, they come in different styles, widths, textures, and colors... I particularly like tiny belts - they add elegance to any silhouette (read: suggest the presence of a waist, even if there ain't any...LOL).

I don't quite remember what exactly triggered this project - was it my new leather punch? - but I had it in mind for quite a while - I just hadn't found the time yet to work it out. But I did now! Hurray to all the cartons unpacked!!

As always, this is a very easy project, which requires very basic sewing skills only. Also, very little is needed. Except for a free hour or so you'll need:

- an old leather belt, or a cheap new one
- fabric scraps, ribbon or bias tape,...
- a leather punch
- scissors
- big needle
- ruler and marker

Preparing the fabric:

From your fabric scraps, cut strips of different lengths. I cut mine about 1cm wide. No need to cut in bias - we like the frayed look on this project! I didn't measure the exact length the strips totaled up to, but my guess is you'll need about three times the length of your belt. If you're not sure, cut as you go.

Preparing the belt:

1. Determine how far apart you want the holes. I used 1cm intervals. Starting from the buckle, with a felt tip, make a mark every centimeter, about 0.5cm from the side. Do this all the way around the belt.

2. On your leather punch, determine which size of holes you want (use a piece of scrap leather or card board to test the sizes, before you start on the belt - the holes need to be big enough to fit the fabric strips through). Now, punch your way around the belt. This is the most and only labor intensive part of this craft, I promise!

Assembling:

1. Thread a big needle with the first fabric strip, tie a knot at the other end. Sew your way around the belt with a whip stitch through the holes. Change fabric strips as you go and to your liking. Don't worry about the lose ends - we will take care of those later - just start with a new strip in the next hole as you change.

2. Weave in the loose ends at the back of the belt, by slipping the needle under a couple of stitches. Cut off what's left. Repeat for every loose end and ...

Done!!
A bohemian style leather belt to give that white shirt and jeans outfit a little color boost!



Notes:

- If you don't have a leather punch, you can find them at most hardware stores, where they'll likely be cheaper than at specialty stores or craft stores.
- Instead of using fabric strips, one could also use different strands of embroidery floss of several colors combined together, leather shoe laces, raffia, ...
- I combined different types of fabric, but of course you could limit yourself to the use of a single color - in that case just cut your strips as long as possible.

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.