thrift & style

tutorial: DIY bow bracelet

Hello, world! How’s your Tuesday? So-so? Well, how about a bracelet with a bow?

photo bowbracelet15.jpg

I swear, I didn’t mean to start this DIY bow bracelet tutorial with that kind of intro. Let’s just get on with it, shall we?

To make these cute handmade bow bracelets, you will need: chain, 2 small D rings, 4 jump rings, a charm (not in photo but also optional), a lobster lock (not in photo and definitely NOT optional), and strips of fabric.

Your strips (from the top / NO ALLOWANCE): band (1.25″ x 6″ or 7″), bow (1.75″ x 5″), middle strip of bow (.75″ x 1.5″)

As for tools, you will need a sewing machine, pliers, needle and thread

photo bowbracelet1.jpg

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tutorial: basic rectangular tote

What? Another tutorial? Yes, another tutorial because I felt rather guilty about the previous one. It lacked the typical number of photos I include in my standard craft/sewing tutorials and simply didn’t look right. So here we are. This one is for a very easy DIY bag.

(Disclaimer: I am sure you’ve read and seen tutorials like this before. There is nothing new here, to be honest. But I took photos, had the pieces for the bag ready, and felt like making a bag tutorial. For a change.)

Rectangle shape + dots =

BAG PATTERN:

Dotted fabric for outer part of bag (top 12″ x bottom 14″ x sides 16″), lining in checkered pattern (top 12″ x bottom 14″ x sides 16″), short dotted strip for pockets (14″ x 6″), long dotted strip for straps (3″ x 18″)

Cut two of each piece, not including the short strip. Don’t forget allowances.

You will also need zipper that will fit the opening of your bag (i.e. a little over 12″).

SEWING:

1. Sew your straps. Turn inside out and top stitch.

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tutorial: easy halter dress

Also known as The Early Dinner Dress. I wanted to call this The Brunch Dress but the words seemed unwieldy in my mouth. “High-neck, gathered halter dress” didn’t sound appealing as well. I entertained the thought of using a name for it but I was stuck with Bettina. Don’t get me wrong, that is a pretty name. But there was something non-Betty-like about this dress. So I rerouted the name searching to something meal-related.

(Aherm, I shall stop rambling because I can never be as funny as Bethany when it comes to long-winded writing…)

The dress:

DRESS PATTERN: 

A – Half of desired width of hem of dress. The wider A is, the flowier your dress.

B – From under bust to desired length.

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craft chain reaction: DIY popsicle stick chandelier

Creativity Tip: Find inspiration from the materials you used from your previous projects.

I have realized that this is the reason why I’ve been having a good DIY streak. From the doily mobile I made, I had rods left over. I then used these rods to make my jewelry organizer. From the ideas I came up with to make said organizer, I had leftover wood and embroidery hoops.

I didn’t use the hoops but I did make this:

Helping to prove my point: I used the extra popsible sticks I had from making the floor of my mini sewing room.

Pictures of my process, for those who want to take a gander at making something similar:

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