Re-fashion something from your closet into something more fun! There will be multiple DIY stations available to transform your threads from drab to fab! Bows, thread, floss, buttons, decals, studs, trim, patches and other materials are provided. Embroider, knit, applique, sew, or faux screen print your item back to fantastic!
A plethora of project ideas are available if you need a little bit of inspiration for alteration. Everyone is invited! No previous crafting experience necessary.
Please bring one of these items to work on: Shirt, skirt, jacket, hat, pants, shoes (canvas is easiest), gloves, bag, etc.
April 8, 2010 from 6- 8 pm at SCRAP Creative Re-Use Center. 2915 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon. $7 workshop fee includes DIY materials, wine, and snacks. Cash only – 100% of workshop fee goes to benefit SCRAP.
Note: Look here for the full tutorial
Decided to curl up with a crochet hook and season two of Arrested Development. I think I finally have a good handle on a pattern that will work for “noisy” trim. Realizing how many beads and coins this will take, too!
Pattern:
1. Create a crochet chain as long as you want the trim to be.
2. Turn. At the 2nd loop, SC across entire row.
3. Chain 1 and turn.
4. *SC, Chain 2* every other loop.
5. Bind off at end of third row.
Using a thinner yarn/thread, stitch to the center of each loop. String bead pattern, wrap around end bead or coin, then return needle through the first beads. Stitch to next loop and repeat.
This should be cool when I have the time to put the whole thing together as a hip scarf.
Note: Look here for the full tutorial
My belly dance teacher makes her own hip scarves with hand crocheted coined & beaded trim. Her friends have urged her to teach a class on how to do it, but she doesn’t have time. I took a look at them and decided to try my hand at creating the trim.
Crochet is not my strong suit, but I can usually figure out a written pattern after a few attempts. My how-to book has a pattern for mesh background, and that seemed like as good a place to start as any.
I strung beads on the yarn, then tried to work the beads into the pattern. My conclusions so far are that I’m on the right track with the yarn thickness, hook size and gauge. I need to work more beaded strands into the pattern, replenish my inventory with larger beads, and find some coins for the finishing touches. I also need to keep my eyes open for a good base fabric for the hip scarf, or write the pattern as the entire scarf (would take much longer to make that way).
Fun to test this out, but will shelve starting the actual hip scarf project until I get a few other projects finished – like the harem pants I started two weeks ago.
Indy’s been having trouble with separation anxiety lately, which means coming home to puddles on the floor. We are literally scouting the house for messes when we get home, and at least half the time we are finding them. This is part of the reason he is going to doggie daycare now.
Unfortunately for Indy, we still need to leave him alone from time to time, so I looked into doggie diapers. Aaron thinks this is quite undignified, but agreed that we need to do something about it. Most of the things I found online are harnesses that hold baby diapers, and I’m not quite ready to drop $$ on something when I am not sure if it will work. A number of the things I found didn’t look like they would fit a greyhound’s physique well, either.
Enter the belly band. Apparently a number of greyhound organizations send their adopted male dogs home with these to alleviate the problem of marking and house training. I found an online tutorial to make them (thank you One Pearl Button!), Aaron donated a T-shirt, and off we went. It only took about an hour to cut and sew together, and I really like that the whole thing is washable and doesn’t require an investment in environmentally unfriendly baby diapers to complete the ensemble.
I’m going to let him wear it around the house a bit while we are home to get him used to it, and hope that it does the trick next time we have to leave him alone for a couple of hours. If it works, I will probably make a few more.
Tutorial:
www.onepearlbutton.com/2009/05/tutorial-doggie-belly-band…
