Easy Cable Knit Skirt – A wardrobe refashion

Make a Cable Knit Skirt DIY
Do you like cable knits? I do. I love the chunky texture of the cables, and the way they automatically evoke the feeling of ‘cozy’. I’m not a knitter but appreciate the skill involved in making all the patterns and designs, so sometimes I wonder why knitters spend so much effort making such labour intensive projects with less than pleasant yarns?

The sweater I’ve refashioned here was once a sad, shapeless and unloved acrylic sack, passed onto me by a family friend who no longer had a need for it. She knew that I like to felt knitwear, so thought it would be useful for one of my projects. Because acrylic doesn’t felt, it has sat around my sewing room waiting to be remade into something wearable.

Now that the weather is cooling down in Melbourne, it was the perfect opportunity to refashion the sweater into an Easy Cable Knit Skirt.
Both easy to make and easy to wear, I’ll be making a few more before the season is up.
Read on for instructions…
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Upcycle Style: Monster Tote Bag from an Old Cushion Cover

DIY monster face tote bag
There is nothing I find more satisfying than reusing something unwanted to create something practical. This Monster Tote bag is made from an unwanted cushion cover that has seen better days. The fabric was still good but the design a bit tired, so rather than throwing it away, I put is aside for the right project to come along. I’m not one to craft or make just for that sake of it, and am more inspired to create an object if there is a need. I’ve been feeling a little uninspired to craft lately because we just don’t need much stuff at the moment, so when one of the mums at school was a little concerned that she’d forgotten to get a book bag for Library day, I came to the rescue and told her I’d make one. The truth is, she came to my rescue, because I was needing a project to get motivated to sew again.
This bag is super easy to make even for a beginner, I’ve photographed every step and even created a template for the monster face. If you aren’t into monsters, you can still use the basic steps to make a tote bag from a thrifted cushion cover you like the design of.
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How To: Paper Bead Colour Block Necklace

I have so many delicate silver chains sitting in the bottom of my jewellery box, unloved and unworn. I’m not one for dainty jewellery pieces and thought adding some colourful beads to this silver chain would be fun makeover. Paper beads are easy to make and will only cost you pennies, but make quite a fashion statement. Why not make a whole bowl of different coloured beads, then mix and match to add a fun twist to any outfit. The kids will have fun playing threading games with these too.
I’ve made a video showing how to roll the beads…

You will need:

Colourful paper strips, the wider the strip the longer the finished bead
Quick dry craft glue
A pencil
A long chain with fastener (look in your jewellery box)

How To:
I’ve made a video which shows you how to roll your beads.
They are fun and super quick to make.
The longer the strips of paper, the thicker and more durable your beads will be.
The ones I’ve made here are quite light weight and sit well on my delicate silver chain. If they get squashed I’ll just make another quick batch.

 What colour combinations will you make?

www.mypoppet.com.au

How To: Camera Strap Makeover

I just bought a new compact camera to take on my trip to Japan next week. Eeeep! Exciting! It takes fab photos and has super cute retro styling, but unfortunately the camera strap that came with it was a little bit blah.
The only solution was to ‘get crafty’!
I found some cute ribbon in my stash that was the same width as the strap and it only took me a few minutes to totally transform it into something pretty special.
Here’s how I did it…

You will need:
Your camera strap, webbing or faux leather is suitable
Ribbon the same width as your strap (or slightly narrower)
Sewing machine and general sewing supplies

How to: 
-Measure the length of ribbon required to cover the camera strap adding about 1.5cm (1/2 inch) on each end for folding under.
-Either pin or clip into place (cutesy heart hair clip optional)
-Stitch ribbon onto strap (use a long stitch length on faux leather or it may split), try to sew as close to the edge as you can. Make sure the ends are tucked under neatly.
-You’re done! That was seriously easy.

It really took no time at all to personalize my camera strap, in fact, trying to get a good photo of it was really the hardest part!
If you are inspired to give your own strap a makeover, you may want to check out these other great tutorials too. So many great variations on the theme.
Second Hand Sundays – Camera Strap DIY
Anamu – Customized Camera Strap
What Jane Made – Glam Sequin Camera Strap

Now I’m off to play with my camera…See you when I get back from Japan. Make sure you follow me on Instagram @mypoppetshop to see what I get up to whilst I’m there.

www.mypoppet.com.au

How To: Applique Template Free Printable

A little while ago I posted this tutorial on how add knee patches to jeans. It’s a simple way to get some extra life out of your kids clothes. This week the lovely and very talented Draw!Pilgrim has created some free printable templates that can be used to create cute patches to make those tired duds into something special. Read on for links and instructions for using template…


Here is the link to the template

Draw Pilgrim Applique Templates
So be gone yucky hole, and HELLO cute pants!
Fix a hole in pants

You will need:
How to add knee patches tutorial
Printed applique template
Scrap fabric
Double sided fusible web (like heat n bond)
General sewing supplies as per knee patch tutorial

How to:
Follow knee patch tutorial for general sewing instructions.
Print out the template to your required size 100-120% is a good size depending on your hole.
Iron on your fusible web onto scrap fabric as per product instructions.
Trace on your template shape and cut out.
Position your patch.

Peel off backing paper and iron on to pants.
Now with a thread that matches the colour of the patch use a wide zig zag stitch (satin stitch) to sew the patch onto the leg.

For pear or apple, iron on and sew the stem piece first, then the body of the fruit.

Thanks Miss Pilgrim for these cute designs, I bet they’d look cute on all sorts of sewing projects.
I’m thinking on bags, pockets, pillow cases, tea towels…
What will you put them on?
www.mypoppet.com.au

How to: Make cute Knickerbockers

Extend the life of your kid’s pants by turning them into cute Knickerbockers. You only need a few minutes, some knitted rib fabric and this step by step tutorial.

Now that Emma is (sort of) toilet trained and not wearing nappies through the day, lots of her old pants fit her around the waist perfectly, but look ridiculously short!
These old flared cords were a hand me downs, not my favorite, but great for knocking about at creche. Because I can’t get rid of anything till it’s fully worn out, shortening, not lengthening, was the obvious solution.

You will need:
Too short pants
Ribbed knit fabric (slightly elastic)
Scissors
Overlocker (serger) is ideal, but a normal sewing machine is ok too.

Here’s how I did it:

1. Here are the too short pants, make sure you are happy with the fit around the waist and rise or you are wasting your time. Try them on your child and mark length just under the knee.
2. Cut at desired length remember to leave a small seam allowance.
3. Measure around child’s calf just below the knee, this should be approximate length to cut your ribbing. Decide on your width and double as the ribbing is folded in half.  I cut mine 3″ x  8″
4. Fold each piece of ribbing in half lengthways and sew a seam to make a cuff.

5. Fold cuff in half with seam on the inside.
6. Place cuff around bottom of pants leg, position the seam to correspond with the inseam of pants. You may want to pin but careful with the cutting blade if you are using an overlocker (serger).
7. Sew the ribbing cuff onto the pants, you will need to stretch the ribbing gently whilst doing this and maybe even gather the pants fabric slightly. If you are using a normal sewing machine, use a straight stitch then zig zag the exposes edges.
8. All done, repeat on other leg.

This is the technique I use to add cuffs to sleeves when sewing sweatshirts.

Knickerbockers are a great option for spring or autumn, add some tights or stripey socks to complete the look.

Looking for another way to get more life out of those worn out jeans?  See the add Knee Patches to Jeans tutorial

www.mypoppet.com.au

How to: Winged Shoes

Ever wanted to feel a little lighter on your feet? Isn’t it obvious, just add wings to your shoes.

This project was directly inspired by Jeremy Scott’s winged shoes for adidas, pretty groovy sneakers but not quite my style. Here is how to make your own set of wings that will fit ladies or kids size shoes.

This post is proudly sponsored by…

For the template and step by step instructions…

I have created a template, feel free to use it or draw up your own. To print click on the image, and save to your computer. Open in a program like paint (PC) or preview (mac) and print to original size. You may need to adjust your printer settings to get the sizing just right.

click picture to open template image

You will need:
Template
cotton quilting batting
cotton fabric
fusible web (like Vliesofix)
eyelet and eyelet tool
brightly coloured sewing thread
iron
Sewing machine and supplies

How to:
Print and cut out your template.
To prepare your padded fabric, sandwich the fusible web between the cotton fabric and the batting and iron to bond. Repeat on the other side.
Trace your wing template onto the fabric, flip the template (mirror image) and trace again.
You should have 2 wing patterns that are mirror images of each other.
Using a narrow zig zag stitch, stitch over the line markings, taking special care around curves. You may like to practice on a scrap piece first.

Cut away excess fabric, taking care not to cut into the stitching.
Now you need to mark where the lace holes are going to go.
Using your eyelet tool, make holes where marked and fasten your eyelets (as per pack instructions)

Once you’ve finished one wing, hold it against the other to mark the hole positions.
Punch holes and insert eyelets as before.

Lace your shoes with your wings and now you are ready to fly!

Conveniently this size wing fits on to a child size sneaker perfectly (although Emma’s sneaks have fixed elastic laces, so crafty fail!)

I’m so loving my lace-ups even more now that they have wings. And before you ask where the shoes are from, I bought them from Bared, custom made to the colour of your choice. They have been lovely enough to sponsor this post, which makes me very happy.

www.mypoppet.com.au

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